Sustainable civil engineering is a broad concept that includes the planning, construction and management of buildings, structures, communities, and cities to achieve greater social, ecological, and economic sustainability. The starting point is to strengthen the relationships between aspects of sustainability in the built environment.

The research group Civil engineering at the University of Boras works with material research, energy efficient housing and recycling. The group's research distinguishes itself by conducting basic, applied and interdisciplinary research and aims to position itself in the field of sustainable built environment in Sweden. Through a unique laboratory environment and researchers' skills, synergies can occur among these research fields.

The group's research focuses on three areas

Lighting Design for Sustainable Living

The research explores accessible and safe lighting design for orientation, communication, and a sense of security in the built environment.

The group consists of Ulrika Wänström Lindh, Senior Lecturer, and Katarina Ruberg Henning, Senior Lecturer.

Moisture and Resource-Efficient Energy Use

Research related to moisture and energy issues in new construction and renovation, indoor environments, computer simulations, and laboratory experiments.

The group includes Paula Wahlgren, Adjunct Professor, Linda Hägerhed, Associate Professor, Amir Sattari, Senior Lecturer, and Michael Johansson, PhD Student. The research is conducted in collaboration with the doctoral programme in Resource Recovery and the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology.

Concrete Recycling – RE:concrete

Research in concrete recycling focuses on resource management within the concrete industry and the development of circular recycling strategies for all material fractions generated throughout the concrete recycling chain. A key objective is to enable high-value recycling, where fine fractions are processed for use as supplementary cementitious materials or as raw materials for alternative binders, while coarser fractions are utilized as recycled aggregates in new concrete and civil engineering applications. Through a holistic perspective on the recycling chain, the research seeks resource-efficient solutions that minimize the need for virgin raw materials and maximize the value of recovered materials. The research encompasses material handling, process development, laboratory-based quality assurance, and sustainability assessments from technical, environmental, economic, and societal perspectives. An important goal is industrial scale-up and the establishment of industrial symbiosis, where by-products and residual streams from various industrial processes are integrated into new value chains for cement, aggregates, and concrete.

The concrete recycling group is named RE:concrete and includes Agnes Nagy, Professor, Madumita Sadagopan, Senior Lecturer, Katarina Malaga, Adjunct Professor, Nada Al Hellali, PhD Student in Cement Chemistry, Habib Loubani, PhD Student in Concrete Recycling Technology, and Alexander Oliva Rivera, PhD Student in Concrete Carbonation. The research is conducted in collaboration with the doctoral programme in Resource Recovery and RISE Research Institutes of Sweden.

Goal

The research group identifies and focuses on interdisciplinary research in the construction sector. Through challenge-driven research, education and innovation, the group wants to make a real and noticeable difference in the transition towards a sustainable society. The goal is a balanced use of resources and high quality built environment.

The Centre for Sustainable Built Environment (CHS, for its initials in Swedish) is linked to the research group and aims to establish and support the group's collaboration with industry and society at large.