Research
BEN is known for high-impact research that delivers practical benefits in the fields of architecture, transport, civil engineering and urban planning. Bibliometric indicators demonstrate that there has been a steady increase in the quality and impact of our research for several years running.
A strategic theme that runs through our research and teaching is the development of a sustainable built environment. We hired new academic staff in 2021 to further expand our sustainability expertise, and our new associate professors in renovation and urban physics took up their tenure-track appointments in early 2022.
Our Research Development Group, which was established in the spring of 2021 and is broadly representative of our research staff, is tasked with developing the research environment across BEN and support the preparations ahead of the international research assessment exercise (TAU-RAE 2022). In the summer, we co-hosted a Research Writing Camp for research staff together with the University’s Language Centre.
We enjoyed excellent success in funding calls and launched an impressive number of projects in 2021. For example, the Excellence in Pandemic Response and Enterprise Solutions Co-Innovation (E3) project is one of the largest university-industry projects ever funded by Business Finland. The project has an overall budget of €12 million. The four-year international ReCreate project that studies the reuse of precast concrete elements received €12.5 million under the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme. The Future Spaces project studies indoor air quality and develops concepts for the renovation and maintenance of commercial buildings and public service facilities in cooperation with multiple partners.
We explored new avenues of research in several areas. For example, the new Education network for automated and connected transport for sustainable cities (ENACT) coordinated by the Transport Research Centre Verne started its work in 2021.
Our new Doctoral School in Industrial Timber Construction was launched in early 2021. Eight doctoral students have enrolled in the new Doctoral School, which has received external funding, for example, from the Ministry of the Environment, the Yrjö and Senja Koivunen Foundation and Rakennustuotteiden Laatu Säätiö. The companies serving on the Doctoral School’s steering committee are also committed to providing financial support and participating in the supervision of doctoral students. The Doctoral School has secured a two-year Marie Curie grant for hiring a postdoctoral researcher to develop and test a dovetail joint for cross-laminated timber panels.
Education
We implemented a range of new education initiatives to promote collaboration and the use of technology in 2021. Our digital teaching solutions were further enhanced especially in the autumn. We opened the new Extended Virtual Architecture (EVA) laboratory for architecture students and researchers in the Architecture Unit. The Varjo XR-3 extended reality headset allows them to test and tweak their designs in a virtual environment. The new Trimble TechLab, established in collaboration with the industrial technology company Trimble, opened its doors in the Rakennustalo building. The lab provides students with hands-on experience with state-of-the-art professional civil engineering software.
We have made persistent efforts to increase the international dimension of our curriculum. To further expand our English-language educational offerings, we have been creating a new English-language master’s programme that will be introduced in 2023.
After the record number of graduates in 2020, the number of degrees we conferred levelled off slightly. There was a decrease in the number of bachelor’s degrees in architecture, but the number of graduates who complete a master’s degree in architecture clearly exceeded our student intake numbers for the second year running. After the record year in 2020, the number of both BSc and MSc degrees in civil engineering remained high.
A development project planned to be carried out in 2022–2023 sets of to streamline our educational offerings with the aim of developing our course catalogue as a whole and of responding to challenges related to the workload of our teaching staff and students.
We continued cooperating with Tampere University of Applied Sciences in the field of civil engineering and explored opportunities to establish even closer collaboration. Our collaboration covers, among other things, laboratory activities, shared teaching resources and shared courses. We have also engaged in teaching and research collaboration across the University, for example, within the framework of the Degree Programme in Sustainable Urban Development (SUD), which was launched in 2020, as well as the ARCH4CHANGE network and other multidisciplinary research projects.
The Covid-19 pandemic had a major impact on the delivery of teaching in 2021. In accordance with the University’s guidelines, teaching was primarily delivered in a virtual environment, but hybrid solutions were introduced after the Covid restrictions allowed a gradual return to campus. In the autumn of 2021, we were able to provide all our students with in-person teaching by putting in place appropriate health and safety measures. Students have been offered enhanced support for coping with the pandemic. The services have been planned in cooperation with the student guilds.
The pilot projects in continuous learning continued with a particular focus on civil engineering courses. The pilot project titled Continuous learning in civil engineering (JoRAK) provides all persons with a master’s degree in technology with a model for pursuing continued professional development in civil engineering throughout their career. The model includes courses, for example, in infrastructures, structural design and construction management at Tampere University. We have also organised courses in water resources management and fire safety.
Societal impact
Interaction with society is an integral part of our activities. We actively tap into synergy benefits and seek opportunities for collaboration with internal and external stakeholders. In 2021, we hosted five professors of practice who act as bridge builders between industry, academia and the wider society. Our researchers, teachers and the Faculty as a whole maintain a thriving, active network of national and international contacts. Despite the pandemic, the collaborative networks hosted a variety of meetings and seminars both in person and in a virtual format. Our experts occupy positions of trust in key organisations in the real estate and construction industry, such as the Building Information Foundation and the Finnish Association of Civil Engineers RIL.
We carry out research projects to address pressing societal challenges. Our close collaboration with working life is a defining feature of BEN, and almost all our research projects involve companies or public organisations as partners. Our partners and other external stakeholders are also actively involved in teaching. Authentic practical assignments bring the real world into the classroom, and our students frequently take part in different competitions. The wooden blocks of flats designed by our students for Tampere Student Housing Foundation (TOAS) – which are already under construction in Hervanta, Tampere – are a concrete example of our collaborative activities. In 2021, our students and teachers received awards from both external organisations and the University in recognition of outstanding theses or development activities, among other things.
An important avenue for making an impact on society is the European standardisation of the construction sector, in which our civil engineering experts participate actively. The standards for the design of buildings have far-reaching implications for the entire construction sector, and it is important that they reflect national realities relating to, for example, climate and geology.
BEN’s reputation as a leading authority on sustainable built environment was further enhanced with the help of communications and marketing. Our researchers actively contribute to public discussion and debate and popularise science to make research-based knowledge widely available to the public. Many of our researchers and research projects were widely covered in news media and professional magazines. We continued publishing the Momentti newsletter that features our latest news and research and distributed the articles across multiple channels, such as social media.