The latest seminar in the CIB President’s seminar series 4 is with Dongping Fang of Tsinghua University China on 1st November 2024.
Abstract
Everywhere in the world the construction (AEC) and built environment industry faces huge challenges of an economic, social and environmental nature. These challenges and the responses of governments and the industry have much in common, and research and innovation in the sector feels more important than ever to address the challenges which include climate change, societal health and well-being, new ways of working, and productivity improvement.
Everywhere we need a high quality, resilient and sustainable built environment, in operation as well as design and construction. If our industry can address these challenges, which are complex ‘wicked’ problems usually requiring multidisciplinary research to provide the evidence base for new ideas, and position itself as a major partner in the solutions then there are exciting and prosperous times ahead.
Around the world the agenda for change and sector initiatives for improvement in our industry’s performance include digital technology, offsite/pre-manufactured solutions, health and well-being, and environmental sustainability. This lecture will look at some of these initiatives and invite attendees to consider where improvement is needed most and how this might be achieved.
The global nature of this agenda points to the value of the CIB as the global research network, providing the ability to tap into the global network of researchers and collaborate for greater success. There is also an important role for CIB in enhancing the reputation and the profile of research, and we need to close the perceived gap between academia, practitioners and policymakers.
The presentation also shares information on research activities of CIB member organizations in China.
Speaker
Dr. Dongping Fang is the Dean and Professor of the School of Civil Engineering at Tsinghua University. He also serves as the Deputy Director of the Institute for Future Cities and Infrastructures.
Professor Fang specializes in safety in construction and urban resilience. He developed a cognition-based Leadership-Culture-Behavior (LCB) approach for construction safety and a Trio-space Framework (Physical-Societal-Cyber) for urban resilience. Currently his research focuses on human-centric approaches to improve urban resilience against earthquakes and floods.
Professor Fang has authored over 200 papers in peer-reviewed academic journals and has been recognized as a Highly Cited Chinese Researcher by Elsevier for ten consecutive years. He has been invited as keynote speakers at more than 50 international conferences such as World building Congress 2016 and 2022, and Urban Transitions 2017. His contributions have earned him awards from the Construction Industry Council in Hong Kong, and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) in the UK.
From 2010 to 2013, he was the board member of the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB) and the Chair of its program committee. From 2013 to 2016, he was the Vice President of CIB, and he currently serves as a member of the board and its program committee. He also serves as Co-President of International Consortium of Construction Engineering and Project Management (ICCEPM) and vice-chair of the Specialists Committee of the China Construction Industry Association.
How to join
The People-centric Approach for Improving Urban Resilience seminar is held at 11:30-12:30 Eastern Time (GMT-4) on 1st November and can be joined through this link
Recordings of the President’s seminar series 3 can be viewed here.
