Professor Sergio Cavalaro

BSc PhD

  • Professor of Infrastructure Systems

Research groups and centres

Publications
ORCiD Google Scholar
Sergio Cavalaro

Research and expertise

I am a Civil and Construction Engineer with expertise spanning the entire built asset lifecycle, from design and construction through to maintenance, renewal, and end-of-life management. I have a proven track record of bringing together academia, government, regulators, and industry to accelerate research, innovation, and transformation across the built environment, driving improvements in safety, quality, productivity, and sustainability.

As an independent expert advisor, I have supported governments, industry leaders, and strategic projects in the UK and internationally, including providing specialist advice during national emergencies. My contributions include pioneering research on Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC), which helped keep hospitals operational during the COVID-19 pandemic and informed responses during the subsequent national RAAC response.

I have led and delivered transformative research and innovation in Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), construction automation and repair technologies, advanced quality control methods for construction materials, and circular economy approaches for the built environment. Notable examples include developing more sustainable MMC solutions that enhance productivity and quality across the UK construction sector, and pioneering innovative approaches to asset inspection and maintenance in collaboration with Network Rail.

Recent Projects

  • 22/19579. Digital modelling for right-first-time milling of 3D printed concrete. EPSRC 2023-2026
  • EP/V011820/1. UKRI Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centre for Mineral-Based Construction Materials. UKRI 2021-2025
  • Centre for Postdoctoral Development in Infrastructure, Cities and Energy. RED Fund 2021-2025.  
  • 869336— H2020-SC5-2018-2019-2020 / H2020-SC5-2019-2. ICEBERG. Innovative Circular Economy Based Solutions Demonstrating The Efficient Recovery Of Valuable Material Resources From The Generation Of Representative End-Of-Life Building Materials. European Commission 2020-2024.
  • Shift2Rail In2Track3. Alternative Methods For Repair of ring separation in masonry tunnels: Preliminary study. EU funding via Network Rail 2019-2024.
  • ENT10181 15 07 21 Cross-Government Programme of the Research into Reinforced Aerated Autoclaved Concrete Plank Performance. NHS 2020-2023.
  • EP/S019618/1:Design-for-manufacture of 3D concrete printed structural composites. EPSRC 2019-2022.
  • Innovate UK105884. Transforming UK construction round 2: MMC, digital and whole-life performance. Innovate UK 2020-2021. 
  • KTP 11549. Knowledge transfer partnership between Loughborough University and Smartroof Limited. Russel and Cavalaro. Innovate UK 2019-2021.
  • National Engineered Slope Simulator. Wolfson Foundation. Wolfson Foundation 2021-2023.
  • EP/R010161/1. UKCRIC Capital Funding. EPSRC via Imperial College 2019-2021.
  • BIA2016-78740-R: Sprayed lightweight material for the strengthening and restoration of urban patrimony. 2016-2019. Spain.
  • RTC-2016-5263-5: Optimization of constructive process and structural design of elements reinforced with fibers in substitution to traditional reinforcement. eFIB. 2016-2019. Spain.
  • RTC-2015-3185-4: Sprayed multi-functional materials for reinforcement and monitoring of transport infrastructures. 2015-2018. Partners involved: IQE, COMSA and CSIC. - Spain
  • RTC-2015-3617-4: Development of segmental linings made of non-metallic FRC with high durability and improved sustainability. 2015-2018. Partners involved: DRAGADOS and INDITEC. Spain.

Recent publications

  1. Eeman Al-Ameen, Ana Blanco, Sergio Cavalaro. Durability, permeability, and mechanical performance of sprayed UHPC, as an attribute of fibre content and geometric stability. Construction and Building Materials, 2023, 47: 133393.
  2. de la Fuente, A. Blanco, E. Galeote, S. Cavalaro. Structural fibre-reinforced cement-based composite designed for particle bed 3D printing systems. Case study Parque de Castilla Footbridge in Madrid. Cement and Concrete Research, 2022, 157:106801.
  3. Pieralisi, S.H.P. Cavalaro, A. Aguado. Discrete element modelling of mechanical behaviour of pervious concrete. Cement and Concrete Composites, 2021, 119: 104005.
  4. Rutendo Rusike, Michael Sataya, Alastair T. M. Marsh, Sergio Cavalaro, Chris Goodier, Susan A. Bernal & Samuel Adu-Amankwah. Accelerating Early Age Properties of Ultra-Low Clinker Cements for Extrusion-Based 3D Printing. Third RILEM International Conference on Concrete and Digital Fabrication. DC 2022. RILEM Bookseries, vol 37. Springer, Cham.
  5. de la Fuente, A., Blanco, A., Galeote, E., Cavalaro, S. (2022) Structural fibre-reinforced cement-based composite designed for particle bed 3D printing systems. Case study Parque de Castilla Footbridge in Madrid. Cement and Concrete Research, 2022, 157, 106801.
  6. Dobrzanski, J., Buswell, R., Cavalaro, S., Xu, J., Kolawole, J. (2022) Milling a cement-based 3D printable mortar in its green state using a ball-nosed cutter. Cement and Concrete Composites, 2022, 125, 104266.
  7. Vieira, M.M., Cavalaro, S.H.P., Aguado, A., Rambo, D.A.S., Salvador, R.P. (2021) Fibre corrosion in uncracked high-performance fibre reinforced cementitious composites. Construction and Building Materials, 312, art. no. 125440. DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2021.125440.
  8. Estrada Cáceres, A.R., Cavalaro, S.H.P., Monte, R., de Figueiredo, A.D. (2021) Alternative small-scale tests to characterize the structural behaviour of steel fibre-reinforced sprayed concrete. Construction and Building Materials, 296, art. no. 123168. DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2021.123168
  9. Estrada Cáceres A.R., Cavalaro S.H.P., Domingues De Figueiredo A. (2021) Evaluation of Steel Fiber-Reinforced Sprayed Concrete by Energy Absorption Tests. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 33 (9), art. no. 04021252. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0003865
  10. Pellegrino, F., Salvador, R., Aparicio, S., Cavalaro, S.H.P., Segura, I. (2021) Continuous monitoring of early-age properties of sprayed mortars by in situ ultrasound measurements. Construction and Building Materials, 292, 123389.
All publications

Teaching

I contribute to learning and teaching activities including:

  • Structural design and Building materials modules in Civil and Architecture engineering programmes;
  • Tectonics module on Architecture;
  • Integrated design modules in Architecture Engineering
  • Supervision of dissertations on topics aligned to my research interests

Profile

I am a Civil and Construction Engineer passionate about bridging research, industry, government, and regulation to improve the safety, resilience, productivity, and sustainability of the built environment. After graduating in Civil Engineering from Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Brazil, I completed a PhD in Construction Engineering at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Spain. My doctoral research included a period at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, providing a foundation for my subsequent work in construction materials, infrastructure systems and asset management.

I began my academic career at UPC, progressing through Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, and Reader positions between 2010 and 2017. During this period, I established research and innovation programmes focused on construction materials, structural systems, quality control and asset resilience, while also contributing to the development of standards and codes that continue to influence practice worldwide.

In 2017, I joined Loughborough University as Reader and Professor of Infrastructure Systems. Since then, I have combined leadership with a strong commitment to translating research into practical impact. My work has pioneered innovations in Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), construction automation, digital inspection technologies, advanced repair systems, and circular economy approaches. These efforts have resulted in transformative solutions, including world-leading developments in 3D concrete printing, sustainable sprayed cementitious materials, industrialised construction systems, and automated infrastructure maintenance technologies that have delivered substantial improvements in productivity, quality, resilience, and sustainability.

Alongside my research activities, I have become a trusted independent advisor to government, regulators, asset owners, and industry in the UK and internationally. As an example, I led advanced structural and durability modelling within the NHS-funded RAAC research programme, helping hospitals remain operational during the COVID-19 pandemic and providing critical evidence that informed decision-making throughout the subsequent national RAAC response. I have also advised the Cabinet Office, NHS, Department for Education, Ministry of Defense, Network Rail and devolved governments on strategic challenges linked to the built environment.

I have led major initiatives spanning research, innovation, skills development, and policy engagement, working to ensure that scientific and engineering evidence remains at the heart of decisions that create safer, more resilient, and more sustainable outcomes.