Performance-based design of reusable steel–timber floor systems for circular construction

The construction sector is undergoing a major transition towards net-zero carbon, circular economy principles and digital engineering. While many buildings are still designed for a single life, growing attention is being given to how structural components can be reused, repurposed and retained in service for longer. Steel-timber floor systems are an emerging low-carbon construction solution that combines the strength and adaptability of steel with the sustainability and lightweight nature of engineered timber. 

This PhD project will develop design methods for reusable steel–timber systems, combining testing, numerical modelling and data-driven approaches. The research will investigate how structural performance evolves during loading, disassembly, reassembly and reuse, helping to establish reliable methods for assessing residual capacity and future serviceability. The project will involve experimental testing of innovative steel–timber floor assemblies and connection systems, supported by computational modelling and structural performance assessment. Opportunities will also exist to explore structural monitoring, sensing technologies and digital approaches for tracking structural condition throughout the life cycle. 

The research will contribute to the next generation of sustainable buildings by enabling structural components to deliver multiple service lives rather than being discarded at the end of a building’s first use. The outcomes will support industry efforts to reduce embodied carbon, minimise material waste and accelerate the adoption of circular construction practices.

You will need to meet the minimum entry requirements for our PhD programme.

Open to candidates who pay UK/home rate fees. See UKCISA for further information.