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Research Lines
Research Lines
In the Department of Architecture, Built Environment, and Construction Engineering, research is organized into multidisciplinary groups, which are formed to tackle complex problems based on five strategic lines of research: Sustainability, Twin Transition, Well-Being, Advanced Products, and Conservation.
The Department has approximately 180 professors and researchers, divided into 21 Scientific Disciplinary Sectors, which can be grouped into four areas: science and technology for construction and the built environment; civil and construction engineering; architectural and technological design; history, protection, management, and enhancement of the built environment and landscape

Sustainability
Sustainability: decarbonised, resilient, adaptative and regenerative Built Environment
- Development and application of life cycle-oriented and sustainability-driven project methodologies and evaluation tools
- Development of systemic models and approaches for the resilience of the built environment and buildings
- Development of circular systemic approaches (life cycle thinking) for regeneration and adaptive reuse of building systems and components
- Development of new strategies for the energy and environmental requalification of building stocks
- Innovative technologies for energy and environmental efficiency of building-systems and in order to meet comfort needs while minimizing resource consumption
- Development of adaptive/regenerative envelope solutions for energy efficiency and comfort
- Technologies for the exploitation and storage of renewable energies for buildings and communities (distributed generation, e.g.)
- Analysis of residual building performance
- Dynamic modeling and simulation of buildings and systems
- Experimental monitoring of photovoltaic and hybrid (photovoltaic-thermal) components in an outdoor environment
- Transfer of experimental settlement models for the sustainable development of urban areas
- Monitoring of performance in real and semi-real environments (e.g. living lab) of innovative building components
- Framing and development of new models and approaches in order to obtain building energy certification
- Support for public administrations
Twin transition
Twin transition: competitive, digitalised and circular value chain for construction industry and built environment
- Digital management through BIM-based twins of design, production, contracting, construction, and building operation
- Development of platforms for data management in the context of BIM (built environment)
- Data Driven Engineering, Performance based-design and AI applied to:
- Survey, monitoring and data management in buildings
- Digitisation of the built environment
- Facility asset management (buildings and facilities)
- Development and deployment of connected and smart building components and organisms (smart buildings, smart communities)
- Feasibility studies and due diligences
- Energy planning and transformation of the built environment and Smart Energy District
- Controllo della sicurezza delle strutture e delle infrastrutture, monitoraggio, Digital Twins
- Emergency prevention and management
- Reverse engineering
- Advanced modeling
- Analysis of geospatial data, GIS, databases, online publication (Spatial Data Infrastructures)
- Analysis of technological transformations in the built environment and their socio-economic impact
- “Models, tools, frameworks” to assess the value and transformation potential of the built environment
- Analysis of existing digital skills in the labor markets of the built environment
- Identification of gaps and/or mismatches in skills domain to address the digital transition of the built environment
- Building scenarios for twin transition in the built environment
- Development of platforms for big data analysis and management (infrastructures and built environment)
- Development of methods and strategies for urban and territorial regeneration (analysis, design and plan)
- Transfer of training, decision-making, operational, and technological know-how for sustainable development
- Support for public administrations
Well-being
Well-being: safe, secure, inclusive and healthy Built Environment
- Development of innovative models for healthcare, school, sports, tertiary buildings and housing (construction and transformation) and for public spaces
- Development of new building/real estate products in the co-living, co-working, and related services domain
- Development and fine-tuning of user/community-centered design models
- Multi-hazard and multi-risk analysis and assessment, from building scale to urban and territorial scale
- Development and fine-tuning of multi-scalar design and technological strategies for mitigating the effects of climate change and pollution, and measures for adaptation and prevention
- Policies and strategies to promote health in urban contexts and complex buildings, and development of multi-criteria tools for assessing health propensity
- Development of models/frameworks for inclusivity/accessibility analysis of the built environment
- Development of people-centered solutions for comfort, health and modeling
- Analysis of post-event damages across multiple sectors and scales (transport, critical infrastructures, large infrastructures, economic activities, agriculture, public buildings, housing)
- Analysis of socio-economic resilience of the built environment to external shocks (health, economic and social)
- Analysis and design of policies for territorial development at urban and regional scales
- Development of innovative information systems for data collection, management, and use in post-event and preventive damage assessment
- Development and elaboration of indicators for multi-risk vulnerability and resilience assessment for various systems (natural, built environment, socio-economic, infrastructure) at local, regional, macro-national, and international scales, with attention to transboundary events and risks
- Preparation of tools for classification, assessment, and risk management in seismic, flood, volcanic, industrial accident (Seveso Directive), and na-tech contexts
- Monitoring of environmental/territorial phenomena for risk/resilience assessment
- Modeling of terrains, rock masses, and block structures
- Design of protective structures for rock masses and unstable slopes
- Analysis of seismic and static vulnerability of existing structures and infrastructures
- Design of structures for new constructions to mitigate seismic risk
- New approaches to structural design for new and existing buildings (seismic reinforcement)
- New solutions for fire safety
- Monitoring of existing structures and infrastructures for risk reduction
- Design of “service” architectures (aqueducts, sewage treatment plants, power generation plants) and mitigation of impacts and risks for large infrastructures
- Preparation and construction of emergency plans
- Development of strategies/solutions for quality, safety, and inclusivity of public spaces
- Development of new temporary housing models for emergencies and prototyping
- Support for public administrations (agencies, ministries, educational institutions) in feasibility projects, from the scale of individual buildings to their potential relationships with transformations at the urban scale
- Development of innovative solutions related to integration between buildings and different levels of accessibility
Advanced products
Advanced products: Advanced materials, components, clean tech, innovative manufacturing and construction technologies/processes
- Development of DfX solutions (Development for Excellence) for highly configurable products with reduced costs and time
- Development of DfX processes
- Development of innovative building components with high performance (adaptive behavior, bio-based, green, integrated with energy generation systems, etc.)
- Development of ultra-lightweight construction systems with simplified installation
- Experimentation with smart materials to preserve heritage, structures, and existing infrastructure during service conditions and extreme events
- Mechanical and multi-physics analysis, advanced modeling, and testing of the behavior of advanced materials, secondary components/systems, structural elements, and full-scale structures and infrastructures
- Pilot projects for the experimentation and testing of new materials, components, and technologies
- Prototyping, advanced manufacturing (e.g., 3D printing, subtractive manufacturing), and robotics for architecture and construction engineering.
Conservation
Conservation: Science and management of cultural heritage
- Conservation and enhancement of cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, from archaeology to modern
- New technologies for cultural heritage and archaeology
- Process innovation and digitalization in cultural heritage management
- Analysis of creative and cultural industries and cultural tourism on the performance of the built environment
- Support for the creation, design, and implementation of cultural districts: archaeological areas, including urban contexts, new museum itineraries, and libraries
- Development of advanced numerical models for risk mitigation of cultural heritage and seismic prevention interventions
- Structural retrofitting of existing structures for risk mitigation of cultural heritage
- Management and analysis of data using Artificial Intelligence techniques, Historic-BIM, virtual/augmented reality
- Analysis, strategies, and applications for energy efficiency of cultural heritage (building and plant solutions)
- Support for public administrations, organizations, ministries, and private entities in cultural heritage and landscape projects
- Archaeological assets and sustainable tourism
- Monitoring of thermo-hygrometric conditions of historic buildings
- Support for public administrations, organizations, ministries, and private entities in projects for change of use and spatial reorganization/adaptation of buildings and spaces of historical and cultural relevance
- Support for public administrations, organizations, ministries, and private entities in projects for the recontextualization of buildings and spaces of historical and cultural significance