Geotechnics and Innovative Construction Materials

Collaborators

• Prof Fernando Marinho, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
• Prof Humberto Caballero, National University of Colombia, Medellin, Colombia
• Prof Lyesse Laloui, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
• Prof Alessio Ferrari, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
• Prof Jin Ooi, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
• Dr Nobuhiro Chijiwa, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
• Dr Chikako Fujiyama, Yokohama National University, Yokohama, Japan
• Prof Priyo Suprobo, Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology, Surabaya, Indonesia

Core interests

• Closed-loop circular economy development of sustainable innovative building materials
• Re-using recycled industrial waste (e.g. construction and demolition waste) into new construction materials
• Utilisation of industry by-products into new building materials
• Durability and performance analysis of innovative sustainable building materials and geomaterials
• Characterisation, assessment and optimisation of recycling processes for added value utilisation of recycled material
• Durability performance of reinforced concrete
• Low-embodied-energy construction materials
• Hydration processes in cementitious systems
• Moisture movement within cover-zone concrete
• Multifunctional (smart) cement composite
• Alkali-activated (OPC-free) binder system
• Quality control of fresh concrete
• Remote monitoring of concrete structures
• Resilience to future climatic challenges
• Energy geotechnology and sustainability
• Landslide monitoring and behaviour characterisation in areas of high risk of landslides (e.g. Colombia, Brazil).
• Unsaturated soils behaviour and microstructure characterisation

PhD students

• Elias Sofikitis
• Romwald Lihakanga
• Omar Al-Emami
• Emery Mpano
• Danah Saraireh
• Gasim Alaswad
• Seyedamirhossein Hashemi

Facilities

• Advanced environmental and performance durability testing of materials;
• Micro- and macro- scale thermo-hydro-mechanical geotechnical testing;
• Advanced performance and durability testing of concrete: electrical impedance analyser, broadband dielectric relaxation analyser, portable and bench-top impedance meters, electrochemical corrosion tests, chloride testing and profiling;
• Hydration and early age properties of cementitious materials: isothermal calorimeter, rheometer;
• Remote interrogation system for structural health monitoring;
• Mastersizer particle size analyser;
• Full scale marine exposure test site on the Dornoch Firth in North-East Scotland (since 1991);
• Environmental climatic chambers;
• Freezing/thawing climatic suite for pore characterisation and durability testing;
• Instron 4206 and Avery-Denison testing suites;
• Imaging testing: ESEM, X-ray tomography, electrical resistance tomography, digital image mapping and imaging.

Recent Achievements

2020

• Futurebuild’s Big Innovation, Resourceful Materials category

2019

• Scottish Resource Innovation Award
• Keynote speaker at CSN2019 International Conference, Kanazawa, Japan

2018

• Converge Challenge Design & Creativity Award
• 2nd Best Paper Prize – ICDCS2018. University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
• Recognition for exceptional services by the Deanship of the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering at EPFL, Switzerland

2017

• Climate Launchpad Switzerland, First Prize Winner
• Climate Launchpad Grand Final, Second Prize Winner

Grants

2020

• Innovate UK, Knowledge Transfer Partnership, Novel developments to re-use recycled construction and demolition waste.

2019

• British Council and the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education of Republic of Indonesia (Ristekdikti), UPP-SUD: Unlocking the potential of precast in sustainable urban development.
• GCRF GCRF Impact Acceleration, Are ‘smart city’ approaches appropriate to the challenges of urban resilience and liveability? Lessons from pilot experiences in Medellin, Colombia.

2018

• Scottish Enterprise, High Growth Spin Out Programme PHASE 2: BRICKS, PI
• Scottish Funding Council, PROMOTE: Promoting the utilisation of low-carbon concrete through performance testing.
• Research Council of Norway, RePlugReady. Funded by RestoneAS.
• IStructE and Concrete Society, BOND.

2017

• Construction Scotland Innovation Centre, Development of pilot facility plant, demonstration structure and monitoring platform.
• Scottish Enterprise, High Growth Spin Out Programme, PHASE 1: Innovative building material.
• British Academy,GCRF, Co-production of landslide risk management strategies through development of community-based infrastructure in Latin American cities.
• Royal Academy of Engineering, Blavatnik Award.

2016

• NERC, GCRF, Resilience or resistance? Negotiated mitigation of landslide risks in informal settlements in Medellin.
• Innovate UK, Use of pigment Eco-brick.
• Royal Academy of Engineering, Novel building material
• SENSOR-INFRA: Smart Engineered Cementitious Composites for Intelligent Infrastructure. Funded by the EPSRC (First Grant scheme).

2014

• Zero Waste Scotland – The Recycling Innovation Fund, Recycled gypsum in construction material.

Knowledge Transfer (Spin Out)

• Kenoteq

Media coverage

• Kenoteq launches brick made almost entirely of construction waste
• Scottish Startup Creates Breakthrough Brick Made From Construction Waste
• Counterspace architects to be youngest Serpentine pavilion designers
• Counterspace designs Serpentine Pavilion 2020 to be built with recycled bricks
• Heriot-Watt's recycled brick on The One Show
• Kenoteq launches sustainable bricks
• World’s first recycled bricks go into production in Scotland
• Heriot-Watt team launches recycled bricks
• Kenoteq’s K-Briq is made out of 90% recycled construction waste

Outreach activities

Women’s Engineering Society

• Primary School events taking engineering to kids