Scientific Themes

The Research Institute has adopted an ambitious strategy to develop constructability and extend its reach in industry and among major stakeholders in the construction sector. Constructability is advanced and promoted via cross-cutting, multi-scale research subjects, dedicated research seminars, and publication of scientific papers and texts relating to technology in this field.

The Research Institute has two main roles that underpin its position as the leading centre for constructability research: 

  • The development of knowledge specific to the Building and Public Works fields, and their environment
  • The education and training of researchers via research in these fields

Constructability is taught at the school and can be chosen as a Third Year option: Constructability and Project Culture (C2P). The development of "independent research and research in partnership to optimise construction projects" features in the school's five-year contract 2015-2019 and is one of its strategic development areas.

 

The Research Institute aims to resolve the following key scientific issues by bringing three research programmes to completion:

  • Improving the value and recyclability of building materials, and prediction of a material's behaviour over its lifecycle, including its workability  
  • Sustainable structures: means of ensuring the operational performance and compliance of a structure
  • Urban systems: aligning territorial integration, conditions for digital transition and digitalisation

 

Key issues researched by the Research Institute

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  • Themes
  • Product
  • Process
  • Construction materials
  • Sustainable structures
  • "Urban" systems

 

Performance of Geomaterials and Ecomaterials

  • Multiphysical couplings and their impact on the performance of civil engineering materials and structures
  • Design and characterisation of biosourced materials, waste recovery (industrial and plant waste, etc.)

 

Recyclability and Workability

  • Development of innovative tools for characterisation of construction waste with a view to improved recyclability
  • Interaction between geomaterials, construction techniques and workability with a view to reducing the consumption of natural resources

 

Buildings and Infrastructure Performance

  • Interactions between materials, components and the structure for the characterisation of overall performance
  • Definition of performance indicators associated with the structure's functions (new and existing)

 

Design and Compliance

  • Systemic methodologies to ensure performance (including risk analysis)
  • Modelling of the structure's behaviour and construction process, and simulation and measurement of its performance (including BIM)

 

Territorial integration

  • Alignment with network and city planning
  • Influence of urban system design parameters (e.g. water management)

 

Management and Resilience

  • Modelling complex systems
  • Territorial representation and management tools (GIS, big data, digitalisation)