Research Jasmine Meysman

Abstract

In an era where sustainability is increasingly crucial, access to appropriate tools at every decision-making level is essential. Micro and macro-economic evaluations are paramount at policy and sector levels, while businesses must monitor the overall impact of their activities, including products and services, necessitating thorough life cycle and cost analyses. The proposed future service platform, B.Cycle+, for sustainability at the business level, from the University of Antwerp, encompasses various invaluable intellectual assets crucial for supporting sustainable decision-making. These assets are designed to equip academic and industrial partners with the necessary tools, information, and resources to make scientifically informed and future-proof decisions regarding sustainability. Furthermore, all companies will have to comply with the sustainability reporting mandated by the European Commission within the framework of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) between now and 2029, an obligation many companies currently struggle to meet. This is where B.Cycle+ will provide support. This is crucial because compliance with these reporting requirements is essential for maintaining competitiveness, meeting regulations, and promoting responsible entrepreneurship. Businesses face the challenge of translating policy into concrete actions while aligning core activities with sustainability objectives. This task may seem complex, making it difficult to maintain an overview. To tackle these challenges, a comprehensive approach is needed. Existing tools already provide support at the product and service levels, which is the focus of the existing B. Cycle service platform. "However, for a complete integration and translation of policy into concrete improvement actions at the business level, the objective measurability and reporting of the results is crucial, a growing need that B.Cycle+ strongly addresses. The proposed future service platform for sustainability at the business level of the University of Antwerp can address these challenges due to its accumulated expertise, comprising an extensive content database of scientific research and best practices, advanced analysis tools and models, comprehensive training, and consultancy services. By combining these assets, the platform aims to enable users to make well-informed decisions that not only meet current sustainability requirements but also address future challenges. The platform facilitates collaboration among various stakeholders and implements monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to continuously improve impact and effectiveness. The expertise and dedication present will undoubtedly make a significant contribution to a more sustainable future for all involved.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Audenaert Amaryllis
• Co-promoter: Buyle Matthias
• Co-promoter: Meysman Jasmine
• Co-promoter: Moins Ben

Research team(s)

• Energy and Materials in Infrastructure and Buildings

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The bSMARTT! project is a collaboration between Ghent University, the University of Antwerp, Maastricht University, Tenco DM (Genk, BE), 3D Maastricht (Maastricht, NL), and DC Venturing (Antwerp, BE). The project's goal is to create an open innovation and technology platform that consolidates and strengthens knowledge about materials, technology (high- & biotech), additive manufacturing techniques, and innovative business models. This platform supports regional businesses in the biotech and advanced materials sectors, helps bridge the "innovation valley of death," and accelerates the adoption of circular solutions. The bSMARTT! platform provides access to technological and business expertise and builds an ecosystem that assists entrepreneurs in realizing circular innovation projects. Through this integrated approach, bSMARTT! promotes regional innovation and the circular economy.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Audenaert Amaryllis
• Co-promoter: Buyle Matthias
• Co-promoter: Meysman Jasmine

Research team(s)

• Energy and Materials in Infrastructure and Buildings

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The main objective of this project is to increase the sustainability of buildings through advanced digitalization throughout the entire lifecycle of the building, including and with a considerable focus on the operational phase. The service platform leverages the expertise and experience of the research groups M4S and EMIB in the field of digital technologies and sustainability analyses in the construction sector. The platform can support facility managers and the construction sector in general in making the right choices regarding materials, maintenance, repairs, and technical management. The project will align and connect the Building Information Management (BIM) data pipeline with predictive and simulation needs during the operational phase of the building. Based on these predictions and simulations, maintenance will be optimized to reduce the financial and ecological footprint of the building. The platform also strongly emphasizes change management to determine how the technologies fit within the economic reality of the sector and to facilitate the step towards innovation from a clear value creation perspective. This vision is shared by the industry association Embuild Flanders, which is eager to focus on the digitalization in construction. They found out that in many building projects, a BIM model was established during the design and construction phase of a building, but that it is often not utilized or underutilized during the exploitation phase of a building. Embuild Flanders indicates that during the establishment of such BIM models, the ultimate users or managers of these buildings are often not taken into account, resulting in it often not meeting the needs of these stakeholders. There is also increasing interest in BIM within the facility management domain, but the limited applicability due to insufficient data remains a challenge. Therefore, it is necessary to bridge the gap between the different stakeholders during the various life cycle phases of a building, a role that the BIM4SIM service platform is eager to take on. This project has been developed in close collaboration with Embuild Flanders, the trade organization of the construction sector, and is supported by its Director General, Marc Dillen.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Hellinckx Peter
• Co-promoter: Audenaert Amaryllis
• Co-promoter: Meysman Jasmine

Research team(s)

• Modelling for Sustainability (M4S)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The central mission of the service platform B.Cycle is to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable construction sector and this by providing scientifically sound and tailored made decision support. Key elements are incorporating a life-cycle perspective, including future oriented assessment techniques and developing innovative circular business models to steer optimization and innovation trajectories. To unlock the full potential of any innovation effort, it is crucial to provide quantitative information as early as possible during the development process. More specific, B.Cycle offers expertise to support such trajectories in a holistic way through objective quantitative information on the environmental impact and cost of a product, process or service based on life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost analyses (LCCA). The strength of B.Cycle is the fundamental knowledge of applying LCA and LCCA at low TRL applications, which maximizes the benefits after upscaling to an industrial scale at a low development cost. B.Cycle explicitly targets inquiries from the field for process optimization or innovation, where conventional consultant agencies mainly focus on certifying products that are already available on the market. In order to maximize the valorization potential of B.Cycle's expertise, both short-term hotspot analyses as well as more thorough and ambitious long-term trajectories will be offered. The short-term projects are relevant for lowering the barrier for companies to make a first step. However, the unique knowledge of B.Cycle can be used to its fullest extent in the more ambitious trajectories, which in turn can lead to a greater added value for society. The fundamental knowledge of prospective sustainability assessment is B.Cycle's greatest asset and this financial IOF support creates the opportunity to transfer this knowledge to the construction sector. By setting up a central structure to safeguard the scientific quality and at the same time increasing B.Cycle's visibility, the opportunity will be created to set up new collaborations and generate revenues beyond conventional academic funding channels.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Audenaert Amaryllis
• Co-promoter: Buyle Matthias
• Co-promoter: Meysman Jasmine

Research team(s)

• Energy and Materials in Infrastructure and Buildings

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The aim of this project is to works towards the delivery of two valorisable entities: the assessment methodology for BACS design and the underlying database containing energy performance data, economic and technical BACS information. In the B.CLIC research project the first important steps will be taken towards a marketable product. The research team envisions four main routes towards valorisation: followon research through bilateral R&D with the industry, consultancy services, a decision support tool and a scientific database.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Audenaert Amaryllis
• Co-promoter: Meysman Jasmine
• Co-promoter: Verbeke Stijn

Research team(s)

• Energy and Materials in Infrastructure and Buildings

Project type(s)

• Research Project