The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation has awarded a collaborative grant totaling over $830,000 to a multidisciplinary team comprised of researchers at Iowa State University, the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the University of Florida. The team consists of architects, civil engineers, industrial engineers, and mechanical engineers.
At the University of Florida, the project’s activities will be led by principal investigator Iris V. Rivero, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering and the Paul and Heidi Brown Preeminent Chair in Industrial and Systems Engineering, and co-principal investigator Minhee Kim, Ph.D., assistant professor. The duo will work on defining means to implement low-energy design concepts to infrastructure with the aim to assist mitigating ongoing climate change issues.
“The larger-scale societal impact projects affecting climate change require a multipronged approach to devise effective solutions,” Rivero said.
Kim agreed, saying that they were “motivated by how much buildings contribute to the global carbon footprint” and that “the construction and operation of buildings consume a huge amount of energy.”
Under the CiviL Infrastructure research for climate change Mitigation and Adaptation (CLIMA) project, Rivero and Kim’s research is set to encourage new engineering systems that can be adjusted by altering stable states, which will require no energy to maintain the system in a given position. This is set to open a new path of structural system concepts in both new and existing structures.
“We believe that the incorporation of manufacturing design and processes into architectural design and structural engineering will uncover new paradigms in construction. Specifically, addressing design with the purpose of achieving sustainable construction,” Rivero said.
Kim said, “Designing these adaptive systems is complex, especially with multistable mechanisms that need to shift between different stable states. Then there’s the challenge of manufacturing them at scale while keeping costs low. Plus, we need to make sure these systems are durable and meet architectural standards.”
Rivero explained that “by bringing together manufacturing systems modeling to predict performance of large-scale infrastructure and our expertise in additive manufacturing, we will be able to fabricate efficiently and with reliability.”
Along with these new systems, the CLIMA project will focus on the theme of climate change and how it can be mitigated moving forward with these structures. This will include looking at ways to reduce raw materials, maximizing utilization of materials, efficient manufacturability, and improving sustainability and resilience of buildings.
“The ability to be able to respond quickly to reestablishing infrastructure affected by natural disasters, or being able to carry out construction in difficult-to-reach environments, are among some of the applications with greater and possibly unaccounted, thus far, impact,” Rivero said.
Kim explained, “For everyday infrastructure, it means lower energy costs, improved comfort, and buildings that can better handle different climates. Communities could see real benefits, whether it’s saving on heating and cooling or having buildings that are more resilient to climate challenges.”
Rivero and Kim’s research is also set to include educational methods that can be integrated for the next generation of engineers and architects who have an interest in adaptive structural systems.
“One of the exciting parts of this project is the Undergraduate Research Travel and Exchange Program, which connects students across three universities,” Kim said. “We’re also integrating these findings into resources for younger students in grades K-12, which helps introduce them to ideas like energy-efficient buildings and climate adaptation early on.”
Rivero mentioned, “With this program, students will have the opportunity to learn about how different terrains and climates affect efficient design for infrastructure.”
Brady Budke
Marketing and Communications Specialist
Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering