Leading cutting-edge digital innovations – Research and Knowledge Exchange Awards 2024

I joined Leeds Beckett University in June 2020 and my dual role as a Reader in Sustainable Construction and Digital Project Management, and Head of the Futures of Systems, People and Projects (FUSP) - a multidisciplinary lab - explores emerging and future paradigms of built environment, engineering, and computing through innovative research approaches.

I have received funding worth over £2.5 million in the last five years. My prime external research grant from Innovate UK was executed between September 2023 and February 2024). The research on the “Feasibility of BIM -enabled Generative AI Platform for Data -driven Incremental Productivity Enhancement of Construction Cost Management (BIM-GAI)” developed a text-to-task web-based system for early cost advice. This was widely acclaimed by practitioners in the construction industry, especially the Alan Turin Institute, UK.

This proof-of-concept output led to a larger grants of £1.18 million with Innovate UK to produce a market viable product for the UK construction market. The ongoing project will be completed on the 31st   of March 2025, and it is in collaboration with leading researchers in the FUSP lab such as Professor Jiamei Deng, Dr Shariful Shikder and Dr Anderson Akponeware. This project will create impact through generative AI technology and co-design, development and creation approaches with leading industry partners and universities such as Property Box Group Limited, Ernst and Young LLP, Milan Consulting Limited, Ardeo Limited, Birmingham City University and London South Bank University.

I am also executing another Innovate UK research grant on “Generative AI-enabled Interim Valuation and Payments through mixed -reality data capture for Quantity Surveying Services (QS-GAI)”. This project is intended to apply generative AI technology in automating interim valuation and payment notices for quantity surveying services using mixed reality applications.

This R&D project will lessen non-physical waste (productivity) and physical - such as paperwork on interim valuations and payments - by 98%. The QS-GAI project  will enhance construction productivity and administrative tasks for optimal project performance and client and contractor satisfaction, live on-site data.

With my passion for sustainable construction - having published over 90 articles on the subject and specifically contributing to Sustainable Development Goals 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and 13 (Climate Action), I am currently developing a “Generative AI Prototype Platform for Diffusing Circular Construction Procurement Practices for SMEs in the UK and Turkey through Stakeholder Co-creation approach (GAI-COP)”. This is funded by the International Science Partnership Fund (ISPF) in partnership with the British Council. This platform will predict and track construction waste throughout the procurement life cycle for effective decision-making in construction projects executed within the UK and Turkey. It is a collaborative R&D project between Leeds Beckett University and Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey. With circular construction procurement mind set, the benefits of generative AI will enhance waste management productivity by 45% during the project lifecycle at low-cost rates.

Prior to my engagement with the (GAI-COP) project with METU was the “Research Network Initiative for AI-Driven Building Information Modelling Integration for Circularity in Construction between the UK and Turkey (CIREN -BIM)”. This project took place between January 2024 and January 2025 and promises to be a transformative step in sustainable construction, leveraging the strength of the FUSP lab at Leeds Beckett University and Middle East technical University by focusing on AI-driven BIM circularity in construction, the project addresses pressing challenges and contributes to the broader SDGs ensuring a sustainable and a brighter future for all.

The project directly addresses the SDGs as follows: 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The CIREN – AI project will produce a two-way knowledge transfer between the FUSP lab and BIM for circularity at Leeds Beckett University, UK and Middle East Technical University, Turkey, for furtherance of collaborative projects.

My research has produced practice data-driven solutions that has made the lives of people in the built environment easier through productivity and reducing cost and time wastage. I believe that research is an opportunity for us to change the world and my expertise can bring life to my aspirations.