Hot topics

Some research programs like to attract candidates for specific topics. These topics are carefully chosen to help develop the research program in a desired direction and for which supervision capacity is available.

Digital Technologies Section

The Digital Technologies Section is one of the four Sections of the Architectural Engineering and Technology Department at TU Delft. It focuses on computational methods, techniques and tools to sense, understand, model, design and fabricate the built environment. If you are interested to apply to a funded PhD position, you may check regularly our TU Delft Vacancy page, which is where we post vacancies if any. If you are interested to apply for a PhD position funded by your own scholarship, you may consider the topics below are in our priorities.

How can computational design methods support architectural engineering design integration? This research line is at the intersection of architectural design and building technology. It focuses on computational methods for design space generation and exploration in conceptual and preliminary design engaging architects and engineers together. Key topics are:

• AI for multi-disciplinary design integration: This topic explores the potentials of computational intelligence (and more broadly of AI) with advanced 3D visualisation to support creative design thinking and integrated decision making in conceptual design - interconnecting architectural and engineering domains. How can AI-based design methods support the integration of engineering aspects into the creative architectural design conception? How can they facilitate architectural design innovation with sound fulfilment of performance criteria? How can they support the generation of new (re-applicable) design knowledge across disciplines?
• AI for multi-scale design integration: This topic explores the potentials of computational intelligence (and more broadly of AI) with advanced digital fabrication techniques (especially additive manufacturing) and new sustainable materials (including metamaterials, graded materials, bio-inspired materials). It focuses on building components and their materiality fostering design innovation across scales. Rapid advances in computational methods allow to cross through scales offering unprecedented design opportunities. How can AI-based design methods support integral design thinking across the scales of materials and architectural geometry toward enhanced architectural performances? How can they facilitate the designers to understand and use information across scales in the creative architectural design conception?

For the topics above, please contact dr. Michela Turrin M.Turrin@tudelft.nl 

How can the geo-information infrastructure can be strengthened to solve complex social, industrial and management problems in the built environment? In the context of a paradigm shift towards vario-scale geo–information and the use of point cloud representations, key topics are:

• Vario-scale geo-information: The scale of a map is defined as the ratio of a distance on the map to the corresponding distance on the ground. When moving to a digital environment, the old map scale concept is maintained and for each different scale the whole data of a map are separately produced and stored. This is a labor intensive and expensive process and in practice results in inconsistencies. We propose a new concept named "vario-scale" where the data once stored in a vario-scale data structure can be used for generating all wanted scales in a smooth digital way. How can we realize a paradigm shift towards dynamic vario-scale geo-information with minimal redundancy, supporting delivery of representations at arbitrary scale for different user contexts and progressive transfer for the delivery of refinements?
• 3D spatio-temporal modelling: This research topic focuses on the challenges related to (static and dynamic) data modelling in various systems (such as geo- DBMS, GIS and CAD) and the investigation of new representation and modelling concepts. Research on 3D spatial modelling and 2D spatiotemporal modelling is ongoing, and some preliminary research on 3D spatiotemporal modelling has been started. Furthermore, various aspects of data integration and data harmonization are undergoing extensive investigation.
• 3D Land Administration: The increasing complexity of infrastructures and densely built-up areas requires a proper registration of the legal status (private and public), which only can be provided to a limited extent by the existing 2D cadastral registrations. Despite all research and progress in practise, no country in the world has a true 3D Cadastre, the functionality is always limited in some manner; e.g. only registering of volumetric parcels in the public registers, but not included in a 3D cadastral map, or limited to a specific type of object with ad hoc semi-3D solutions; e.g. for buildings or infrastructure.

For the topics above, please contact Prof. dr. Peter van Oosterom P.J.M.vanOosterom@tudelft.nl 

Housing Institutions & Governance

Housing is a key topic in urban development and welfare. Housing and in particular affordable housing is an urgent issue across the globe. For new housing solutions research is necessary, in particular comparative research, since countries can learn much from each other.

The research group Housing Institutions & Governance welcomes PhD-candidates to join the group. Prof. Marja Elsinga is the chair holder and will be promotor for the projects. Dr. Joris Hoekstra and Dr. Marietta Haffner are senior researchers in the group and very experienced daily supervisors for PhD-projects. See also: Comparitive Housing research Expertise Centre 

At the moment we have no funded positions, but we welcome PhD-candidates bringing their own scholarship/funding.

The research topics are: 

Housing Market Dynamics

Housing market analyses aims to unravel the functioning of the housing market by focussing on demand, supply and price and their interdependence. In order to identify structural changes, both quantitative modelling orientated research as qualitative research is conducted, taking into account the role of different tenures, government policies and the role of financial institutions on the housing market. 

The research group Housing Market Dynamics welcomes PhD-candidates to join the group. Prof. P.J. Boelhouwer is the chair holder and will be promotor for the projects. Dr. Harry Boumeester, Dr. Harry van der Heijden and Dr. Sylvia Jansen are senior researchers in the group and very experienced daily supervisors for PhD-projects. See also: Expertisecentrum woningwaarde


At this the moment we have no funded positions, but we welcome PhD-candidates bringing their own scholarship/funding.

The research topics are: 

Management in the Built Environment

The Department of Management in the Built Environment (MBE) has announced calls on its website. Applications related to these calls are welcome.

Urbanism

Urbanism announces calls on its website regularly. Applications related to these calls are welcome. 

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