GRIDD in figures
Beyond the numbers, a team dedicated to exploring technological advances in the architecture, engineering and construction industries.
36
Research projects
39
Students involved
33
Published articles
11
Published reports
GRIDD news at a glance
GRIDD’s most recent activities are presented below:
Content overview :
While the adoption of open Building Information Modeling (open BIM) standards continues to grow, the inherent complexity and multifaceted nature of the built asset lifecycle data present a critical bottleneck for effective information retrieval. To address this challenge, the research community has started to investigate advanced natural language-based search for building information models. However, the accelerated pace of advancements in deep learning-based natural language processing research has introduced a complex landscape for domain-specific applications, making it challenging to navigate through various design choices that accommodate an effective balance between prediction accuracy and the accompanying computational costs. This study focuses on the semantic tagging of user queries, which is a cardinal task for the identification and classification of references related to building entities and their specific descriptors. To foster adaptability across various applications and disciplines, a semantic annotation scheme is introduced that is firmly rooted in the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) schema. By taking a comparative approach, we conducted a series of experiments to identify the strengths and weaknesses of traditional and emergent deep learning architectures for the task at hand. Our findings underscore the critical importance of domain-specific and context-dependent embedding learning for the effective extraction of building entities and their respective descriptions.
Content overview :
Background :
The construction sector is a key area of action for the transition to a circular economy (CE) on an international scale. On the one hand, the CE aims to eliminate waste by extending its lifespan and keeping it in circulation. On the other, it aims to reduce demand for materials through reuse. In this context, the Government of Quebec recommends in its CE roadmap for 2024-2028:
- Rethinking production and consumption patterns;
- Optimize the use of resources.
To ensure this circular transition, the challenges are multiple and interrelated: environmental, economic, sociological, organizational, technical and political. Organizational obstacles are the most recurrent and reflect a lack of information flow between stakeholders and between project phases. These obstacles are slowing down the transition to new working methods, new multidisciplinary team management and new skills training.
Digital tools can play a role in the interactive visualization of knowledge and interconnections, in networking and in the traceability of elements and processes.
In this context of systemic challenges and constraints, collective intelligence coupled with participative workshops can be an excellent tool for initiating new practices!
Program :
This research day will take place in 2 parts:
- The morning will be devoted to sharing and presenting research and practical experience between Quebec and Belgium;
- The second part of the day will be structured around participatory workshops, with the aim of stimulating reflection and knowledge on collaborative, multidisciplinary processes for reusing construction elements, based on a real project.
Complete program at the following link!
Objectives :
- Test and equip yourself to integrate circular practices into a real project;
- Navigating from circular intentions to the operation of built assets;
- A systemic approach to circular construction;
- Practice and theory: stimulating hybrid knowledge ;
- Connect issues and visualize processes ;
Research domains
Six areas of research to contribute to the development of the construction industry.
Research team
The GRIDD research team consists mainly of four professors. Discover their expertise by browsing their respective profiles, and don’t hesitate to contact them!
Our address
The GRIDD laboratory is located in A-1540 at École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS). If you’d like to get in touch with the laboratory, please don’t hesitate to contact us!