PhD Studentship: Intelligent Circularity Prediction for Building Deconstruction

Buildings consume large amounts of resources and have high tendencies of producing waste at the end-of-life stage. With the rising demand for sustainable buildings, efficient resource utilization has been a key issue for the construction industry to slow and narrow resources used for buildings. The application of the principles of circularity have increased in research, however, circularity at the deconstruction stage of buildings is limited. Therefore, this research aims to explore the integration of artificial intelligence into building material passports to predict circularity options for building deconstruction.

In this research project, building information modelling (BIM) would be used for building and material attributes, and machine learning techniques would be used to classify and predict various circularity alternatives. The study contributes significantly to circularity research by providing a digitised platform recommending circularity options during building deconstruction. Practitioners lacking methods for predicting material circularity during deconstruction would benefit from this study. 

Funding details

Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessment and operating University facilities such as the library, IT equipment and other support services. University fees and charges can be paid in advance and there are several methods of payment, including online payments and payment by instalment. Fees are reviewed annually and are likely to increase to take into account inflationary pressures.

The studentship is for three years and provides a tax-free stipend of £19,237 per annum (2024/25 rate) for the duration of the studentship plus university tuition fees.

Entry Requirements

Applicants should have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2:1 honours degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject. A relevant master’s degree and/or experience is desirable.

How to Apply

All applications should be made online via the above ‘Apply’ button and must include a completed studentship application form (instead of a personal statement) and a two-page research proposal based on the project description outlining how you would approach the project and what methods you would use. Under programme name, please select 'Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering'. Please quote reference number ABCE25-SY.

To avoid delays in processing your application, please ensure that you submit the minimum supporting documents including an up-to-date CV, but a personal statement is not required.

ABCE will use these selection criteria to make a decision on your application.

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