A multi-agent system for stakeholder management in off-site construction. This project aims to investigate a socio-technology model for stakeholders and informatics to improve off-site construction (OSC) productivity in infrastructure construction. A multi-agent system for OSC could drive down cost, but requires highly integrated collaboration among stakeholders. The project’s quantitative approaches include large-scale social network analysis, multi-agent consensus modelling and an optimisation ....A multi-agent system for stakeholder management in off-site construction. This project aims to investigate a socio-technology model for stakeholders and informatics to improve off-site construction (OSC) productivity in infrastructure construction. A multi-agent system for OSC could drive down cost, but requires highly integrated collaboration among stakeholders. The project’s quantitative approaches include large-scale social network analysis, multi-agent consensus modelling and an optimisation algorithm for collaborative planning. The project outcomes are expected to secure long-term economic benefits by enhancing performance in complex projects.Read moreRead less
Greening procurement of infrastructure construction: optimising mass-haul operations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This project will develop and prototype tools to reduce the high environmental impact of mass haul operations in road and rail infrastructure projects. Both contractors and clients need practical methods for calculating, optimising and procuring optimal solutions, because mass haul is one of the few areas where a contractor can reduce carbon dioxide impact.
Assessment of structural integrity and deterioration of masonry walls. Brickwork for housing and medium-rise buildings is a traditional material, also much used for modern construction, with aesthetic appeal and modest cost. However, building regulators and others are increasingly concerned about evidence of slow building deterioration, particularly of older buildings. This increases public safety risks, even under normal conditions and more so under high winds or earthquake-induced ground-shaki ....Assessment of structural integrity and deterioration of masonry walls. Brickwork for housing and medium-rise buildings is a traditional material, also much used for modern construction, with aesthetic appeal and modest cost. However, building regulators and others are increasingly concerned about evidence of slow building deterioration, particularly of older buildings. This increases public safety risks, even under normal conditions and more so under high winds or earthquake-induced ground-shaking. This project will help address this issue. It will obtain unbiased evidence of typical masonry building deterioration. It will couple this with mathematical modelling and state-of-the-art non-destructive visual and dynamic techniques to develop tools for making fast, low-cost practical building risk assessments.Read moreRead less
Innovative procurement theories to optimise education per cost of school. Innovative procurement theories to optimise education per cost of school. This project aims to develop a whole-of-life procurement decision-making framework so schools can make delivering better education more cost effective. This framework—which draws on state-of-the-art and Nobel prize-winning theories and a new theory the project will develop—will be used in government and private schools. The effectiveness of this fram ....Innovative procurement theories to optimise education per cost of school. Innovative procurement theories to optimise education per cost of school. This project aims to develop a whole-of-life procurement decision-making framework so schools can make delivering better education more cost effective. This framework—which draws on state-of-the-art and Nobel prize-winning theories and a new theory the project will develop—will be used in government and private schools. The effectiveness of this framework in improving schools will be shown using a new approach to make school facilities deliver educational outcomes and account for their total production and transaction costs. This research is expected to deliver more efficient ways to future-proof schools to create a well performing school system and more resilient infrastructure vital to Australia’s future prosperity.Read moreRead less
Making better decisions about built assets: learning by doing. This research will assist the built environment professions and their clients to make better decisions about new developments through a novel 'learning by doing' approach. Used successfully in other fields such as natural resource management, this idea will capitalise on the large number of asset investments undertaken to benchmark original stakeholder intentions and aspirations against the reality of current performance. Decisions w ....Making better decisions about built assets: learning by doing. This research will assist the built environment professions and their clients to make better decisions about new developments through a novel 'learning by doing' approach. Used successfully in other fields such as natural resource management, this idea will capitalise on the large number of asset investments undertaken to benchmark original stakeholder intentions and aspirations against the reality of current performance. Decisions will be re-evaluated in the context of contemporary economic, social and environmental criteria to enable existing multi-criteria models to deliver more sustainable outcomes that are also feasible and in the national interest, and consequently minimise the industry's current exposure to future climate change.Read moreRead less
Bridge performance assessment through advanced sensing and modelling. Bridge performance assessment through advanced sensing and modelling. This project aims to create cyber infrastructure to manage and maintain civil infrastructure, specifically bridges. Current sensor data interpretation approaches are not good at assessing the performance of civil infrastructure or evaluating the reserve capacity; in particular, they do not adequately account for high levels of systematic modelling uncertaint ....Bridge performance assessment through advanced sensing and modelling. Bridge performance assessment through advanced sensing and modelling. This project aims to create cyber infrastructure to manage and maintain civil infrastructure, specifically bridges. Current sensor data interpretation approaches are not good at assessing the performance of civil infrastructure or evaluating the reserve capacity; in particular, they do not adequately account for high levels of systematic modelling uncertainties. This project intends to ease the current scientific data interpretation bottleneck. Expected outcomes are better infrastructure management and maintenance planning, fewer redundant interventions, modified infrastructure and improved future design.Read moreRead less
Energy-saving design: investigation of the thermal performance of rammed earth residential buildings. Housing people in Australian remote communities is energy intensive. This is particularly true in hot regions, where the house running costs are significant due to air-conditioning units functioning 24 hours a day, for most of the year. Rammed earth houses in dry-arid climate zones should not require any air-conditioning in summer. This project aims to investigate the optimal thermal performance ....Energy-saving design: investigation of the thermal performance of rammed earth residential buildings. Housing people in Australian remote communities is energy intensive. This is particularly true in hot regions, where the house running costs are significant due to air-conditioning units functioning 24 hours a day, for most of the year. Rammed earth houses in dry-arid climate zones should not require any air-conditioning in summer. This project aims to investigate the optimal thermal performance of two occupied houses using a novel sensor network. It aims to deliver new evidence on the thermal performance of rammed earth buildings to inform energy-efficiency decision frameworks and enhance the wellbeing of Indigenous communities in hot regions.Read moreRead less
Modelling and testing corroding reinforced concrete structures. The project aims to develop models and methods to enable the early detection of active steel corrosion. Most of Australia’s critical infrastructure is located on or near the coast in high saline conditions and is exposed to a high risk of reinforcing steel corrosion. Our ability to design and monitor such structures is crucial. The first part of the project aims to develop an innovative finite element model to improve the prediction ....Modelling and testing corroding reinforced concrete structures. The project aims to develop models and methods to enable the early detection of active steel corrosion. Most of Australia’s critical infrastructure is located on or near the coast in high saline conditions and is exposed to a high risk of reinforcing steel corrosion. Our ability to design and monitor such structures is crucial. The first part of the project aims to develop an innovative finite element model to improve the prediction of both active steel reinforcement corrosion and the time to concrete cracking in a chloride environment. It then plans to develop a non-destructive method, combining ultrasonic waves-based technology and acoustic emission, to detect active steel corrosion before any damage is visible on the structure.Read moreRead less
Machine Learning for Fracture Risk Assessment from Simple Radiography. This project aims to develop a novel, reliable, low-cost system to detect poor bone health and assess fracture risk to help to prevent and manage osteoporosis-related fractures. Currently, osteoporosis-related fractures cost our health system millions of dollars annually and costs are increasing with our ageing population. Early detection of poor bone health will improve the effectiveness of preventive measures and ease this ....Machine Learning for Fracture Risk Assessment from Simple Radiography. This project aims to develop a novel, reliable, low-cost system to detect poor bone health and assess fracture risk to help to prevent and manage osteoporosis-related fractures. Currently, osteoporosis-related fractures cost our health system millions of dollars annually and costs are increasing with our ageing population. Early detection of poor bone health will improve the effectiveness of preventive measures and ease this burden. Current methods include unreliable, crude clinical and visual guides that suggest osteoporosis screening. The project plans to develop a novel system by applying machine learning algorithms to radiology data which is commonly captured for diagnosing other conditions.Read moreRead less
Constructing Building Integrity: Raising standards through professionalism. This project aims to investigate the role of professions in rebuilding trust in residential building construction in Australia. In the wake of expensive and life-threatening building defects, this project expects to generate new knowledge about the functioning of individual professionals, professionals employed in multi-profession organisations, and professionals’ interaction with their institutional environment. Expecte ....Constructing Building Integrity: Raising standards through professionalism. This project aims to investigate the role of professions in rebuilding trust in residential building construction in Australia. In the wake of expensive and life-threatening building defects, this project expects to generate new knowledge about the functioning of individual professionals, professionals employed in multi-profession organisations, and professionals’ interaction with their institutional environment. Expected outcomes include practical recommendations for improved professional standards, a rigorous building integrity system and a means for measuring change. Anticipated benefits include greater awareness by professions, trades and regulators of their role in in delivering the public goods of a trustworthy construction industry.Read moreRead less