Professor Farzad Rahimian

My expertise spans digital construction, sustainable built environment practices, circular construction management, offsite and industrialised construction, Building Information Modelling (BIM), digital twins, and AI-enabled Industry 4.0/5.0 technologies. I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building (FCIOB), and a full member of the Building Digital Twin Association, reflecting sustained professional engagement with industry and policy communities.

My research focuses on integrating digital engineering, data-driven decision-making, and advanced computational methods to improve productivity, resilience, and sustainability across the built environment and manufacturing sectors. I have a strong track record in applying artificial intelligence, digital twins, and automation to enable circular economy transitions, enhance energy efficiency, and support low-carbon infrastructure delivery. I have secured over £3 million in direct research funding and led collaborative projects with a total value exceeding £20 million, working closely with industry, government, and international research partners.

My research impact is evidenced by over 7,000 citations and an H-index of 45, placing my work in the top 0.3% globally in Civil and Environmental Engineering over the past five years. As Editor-in-Chief of Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, ranked first in the Scopus Architecture category, I play a leading role in shaping international research agendas in digital and sustainable construction. My contributions have been recognised through major awards, including the Bill Curtin Medal from the Institution of Civil Engineers (2024), multiple Innovate UK Outstanding Knowledge Transfer Partnership Awards, and the Scottish Knowledge Exchange Innovation of the Year Award.

Current research activity

• Future Imaginaries and Homes for Independent Living (Innovate UK, Future Leaders Fellowship – under resubmission): Interdisciplinary research exploring how people use and adapt homes to support independent living, integrating digital engineering, participatory methods, and socio-technical analysis (Academic PI; £409,902)

Recently completed research projects

• RECONSTRUCT: A Territorial Construction System for a Circular Low-Carbon Built Environment (Horizon Europe): Large-scale EU project addressing circularity, territorial construction systems, and low-carbon delivery through digital methods (€7.86M total)
• AI-Driven Design and Business Intelligence Systems (Innovate UK KTP – Tapered Plus): Integration of AI, NLP, and large language models to support automated design workflows and business intelligence (£265k)
• Multimodal AI for Smart Inventory and Sustainable Material Optimisation (Innovate UK, Smart Manufacturing Development Hub): Application of multimodal AI to inventory management and material optimisation in offsite manufacturing
• International Clean Innovation Researcher Networks (Australian Research Council): Global research network supporting clean innovation and sustainable engineering (Senior Advisor; AUD $12.4M)
• Digital Twins, Data Science, and Intelligent Logistics (Multiple Innovate UK KTPs): Development and deployment of digital twin platforms for warehouse logistics, transport management, and high-risk industry training using serious games and immersive technologies
• AI and Digital Twins for Energy and Asset Management (Industry and public funders including ADNOC, Briink, Yondr Data Centres): Research on integrated digital platforms for energy efficiency, district cooling, HVAC optimisation, and facilities management using AI, blockchain, and digital twins
• Circular Construction and Retrofit Innovation (Innovate UK, ERDF, industry-funded): AI-enabled retrofit optimisation, thermally augmented insulation systems, and BIM-supported retrofit route-to-market strategies for SMEs )
• BIM-Based Virtual Showrooms and Offsite Construction Systems (Innovate UK, CSIC, industry): Design and implementation of BIM-integrated virtual environments supporting offsite manufacturing, user-centred design, and stakeholder engagement
• Digital Policy and Trade Technologies (HMRC): National scoping study on digital trade technologies, policy barriers, and opportunities

• Sivashanmugam, S. Rodriguez Trejo, F. Rahimian, Enhancing Interoperability and Automation of Construction Waste Quantification, Routledge, London 2025. ISBN: 9781032998541
• GhaffarianHoseini, A. Ghaffarianhoseini, F. Rahimian, M.B. Purushothaman, Proceedings of the International Conference of Smart and Sustainable Built Environment SASBE2024, 7-9 November, Auckland, New Zealand, Springer Nature, Berlin 2024. ISBN: 978-981-96-4050-8
• Alavi, S. Kookalani, F.P. Rahimian, N. Forcada, Integrated Building Intelligence: Elevating Performance, Comfort, and Maintenance Efficiency with BIM and DSS, Springer Nature, Berlin 2024. ISBN: 978-3-031-68864-5
• Kookalani, H. Alavi, F.P. Rahimian, Structural Design and Optimization of Lifting Self-forming GFRP Elastic Gridshells based on Machine Learning, Routledge, London 2024. ISBN: 9781032901206
• Park, F.P. Rahimian, N. Dawood, A. Pedro, D. Lee, R. Hussain, M. Soltani, Digitalization in Construction: Recent Trends and Advances, Routledge, London, 2023. ISBN: 978-1032517896
• Banihashemi, H. Golizadeh, F. Pour Rahimian, Data-driven BIM for Energy Efficient Building Design, Routledge, London. ISBN: 9781003207658
• Elghaish, F. Pour Rahimian, T. Brooks, N. Dawood, S. Abrishami, Blockchain of Things and Deep Learning Applications in Construction: Digital Construction Transformation, Springer Nature, Berlin 2022. ISBN: 9783031068287
• S. Goulding, F. Pour Rahimian, Offsite production and manufacturing for innovative construction: People, process and technology, Routledge, London, 2019. ISBN: 9781138550681
• S. Goulding, F. Pour Rahimian, Digitalization in Construction, Routledge, London, 2023. ISBN: 9781032517896
• Potseluyko, F. Pour Rahimian, N. Dawood, F. Elghaish, Platform Based Design and Immersive Technologies for Manufacturing and Assembly in Offsite Construction, Springer Nature, Berlin 2023. ISBN: 9783031329920
• Pour Rahimian, J.S. Goulding, S. Abrishami, S. Seyedzadeh, F. Elghaish, Industry 4.0 Solutions for Building Design and Construction: A Paradigm of New Opportunities, Routledge, London, 2021. ISBN: 9780367618780
• Seyedzadeh, F. Pour Rahimian, Data-Driven Modelling of Non-Domestic Buildings Energy Performance: Supporting Building Retrofit Planning, Springer Nature, Berlin, 2021. ISBN: 9783030647537

My teaching integrates digital engineering, sustainability, and emerging Industry 4.0/5.0 technologies, ensuring students develop both strong theoretical foundations and applied skills aligned with professional practice.

Undergraduate

• Teaching and module leadership in digital construction, offsite and industrialised construction, Building Information Modelling (BIM), and sustainable construction practices
• Supervision of undergraduate individual and group projects focused on real-world engineering challenges, often linked to industry partners and live research projects
• Curriculum development and delivery using innovative pedagogies, including problem-based learning, digital tools, and applied case studies to enhance employability and systems thinking

Postgraduate

• Programme and module leadership across MSc-level provision in advanced construction technologies, digital engineering, and sustainable built environments
• Supervision of MSc dissertations and postgraduate research projects aligned with digital twins, AI applications, circular economy, and low-carbon infrastructure
• Integration of research-led teaching informed by externally funded projects and international collaborations, embedding advanced digital methods, professional standards, and industry engagement into postgraduate learning

My research centres on how digital engineering capabilities can transform productivity, resilience, and decarbonisation in the built environment and related industrial systems. This includes digital construction, circular construction management, offsite and industrialised construction, BIM, digital twins, and AI-enabled Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0 technologies. I have built a strong portfolio of externally funded research, securing over £3 million in direct grant income and leading collaborative programmes with total project values exceeding £20 million. These activities have been delivered through close partnerships with industry and government, and through sustained international collaboration.

Alongside research leadership, I contribute extensively to research culture, publishing quality, and international scholarly communities. I serve as Editor-in-Chief of Smart and Sustainable Built Environment and have held senior editorial responsibilities with leading journals in the field, supporting research excellence and shaping international discourse in digital and sustainable construction. I also supervise doctoral researchers and mentor early- and mid-career academics, with PhD graduates progressing into senior roles in academia and industry.

My work has achieved strong academic and translational impact, including thousands of citations and international recognition through awards for knowledge exchange and research excellence. Across my career, the consistent focus has been delivering research that is methodologically rigorous, societally relevant, and designed to support measurable change in industrial practice and sustainability outcomes.

Professional affiliations

• Chartered Institute of Building – Fellow (FCIOB)
• Higher Education Academy – Fellow (FHEA)
• Building Digital Twin Association – Full Member
• buildingSMART International – Member, English-Speaking Chapter
• Construction Scotland Innovation Centre – Innovation Champion
• Institute of Iranian Architects – First-Class+ (Senior) Chartered Architect and Construction Supervisor
• International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction – Lead Academic at Loughborough University

Awards

• Bill Curtin Medal, Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), for outstanding research on construction waste reduction (2024)
• Outstanding Knowledge Transfer Partnership Award, Innovate UK (2023)
• Outstanding Knowledge Transfer Partnership Award, Innovate UK (2020)
• KTP Future Leaders’ Award, Innovate UK (2021)
• Nominee, Academic of the Year Award, Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Awards (Teesside University nomination, 2022)
• Innovation of the Year Award, Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards (2018)
• Special Distinction Award, buildingSMART International (2018)
• Official Recognition for Excellence of Service, University of Strathclyde (2018)
• Excellence Award, Faculty of Engineering, University of Strathclyde (2017)
• CIOB Best Paper Award, “Shaping Tomorrow’s Built Environment” Conference, Salford (2017)
• Best Research Paper of the Year, Italian Society of Science, Technology and Engineering of Architecture (ISTeA) (2022)
• Best Researchers of the Country Award, Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, Iran (2006)
• Best Researchers of the Country Award, Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, Iran (2005)
• Recognition as Founder of the Bachelor of Virtual Reality Programme, Islamic Art University of Tabriz (2006)
• Recognition as one of the Three Elite Academic Staff, Islamic Art University of Tabriz (2006)
• Recognition as Best Lecturer, Islamic Art University of Tabriz (multiple years)

External activities

• Editor-in-Chief, Smart and Sustainable Built Environment (Emerald Publishing), a Q1 journal ranked #1 in the Scopus Architecture category
• Associate Editor, Automation in Construction (Elsevier, SCI-indexed, Q1 journal)
• Associate Editor, Urbanization, Sustainability and Society (Emerald Publishing)
• Honorary Chair / President, Smart and Sustainable Built Environment International Conference series
• Permanent Chair of the International Scientific Committee, International Conference on Construction Applications of Virtual Reality (CONVR)
• Chair or Co-Chair, International Scientific Committees for major conferences including CONVR, ISARC, CIB W78, and Creative Construction Conference
• Keynote Speaker at leading international conferences and symposia in digital engineering, construction automation, and sustainability (Europe, UK, Asia, Australia)
• Expert Evaluator and Review Panel Member for major funding bodies including UKRI, EPSRC, Innovate UK, European Commission (Horizon Europe), Leverhulme Trust, Swiss National Science Foundation, Formas (Sweden), Qatar National Research Fund, NSERC (Canada), and NRF (South Africa)
• External Examiner (PhD) for universities in the UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia
• External Examiner, MSc Project Management (Distance Learning), University of Portsmouth
• International Programme Examiner, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand
• Scientific Officer, CIB Working Commission W121 (New Production and Business Models in Sustainable Construction)
• Policy Contributor, HMRC Digital Trade Technology and Policy report on barriers and opportunities
• Innovation Champion, Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC)
• Member, Building Digital Twin Association (BDTA)
• Member, buildingSMART International (English-Speaking Chapter)

Key collaborators

My research and enterprise activities are conducted with a range of academic and stakeholder partners, including:

• Academic partners: University of Cambridge; TU Delft; University of Edinburgh; Virginia Tech; Penn State University; National University of Singapore; Eindhoven University of Technology; University of Florence; Chung-Ang University; Université de Lorraine
• Industry, policy, and innovation partners: Innovate UK; UKRI; Edinburgh Datalab; Bouygues Group; ARaymond; Yondr Data Centres Group; Integrated Environmental Solutions; Construction Scotland Innovation Centre; HM Revenue and Customs