On October 17th, South Ural State University hosted the 18th All-Russian Science-to-Practice Conference "Innovations in Construction. KNAUF Technologies." During the event, we spoke with Aleksandr Kiianets, Director of the SUSU Institute of Architecture and Construction.
– How is AI used in the construction industry today?
– In construction, we call this the information modelling technology. Today, digitalization of all design activities and operation of buildings and structures is underway. In Chelyabinsk, work is already in progress to implement artificial intelligence in architectural design. Neural networks allow for the generation of an entire cloud of graphical design solutions, and designers, particularly architects, only need to select the image that suits them. And although we are still in the early stages of introducing artificial intelligence into human activities, development in this area is ongoing.
– What are smart building materials and what are their advantages over traditional ones? Is our university developing such materials?
– Today, much attention is paid to "smart materials" – materials that can change their properties, or that differ in their properties from traditional ones; we can even program these properties depending on the purpose.
The SUSU Department of Building Materials has developed self-healing concrete that effectively "heals" its cracks using implanted bacteria. This technology is highly relevant for building structures. This summer, the Head of the Department Aleksandr Orlov has travelled with a team to the Moscow Region at the invitation of a contractor in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of "living" concrete during the reconstruction of a sculpture.
Our researchers have also developed a self-cleaning technology for building materials. They created a self-cleaning tiles for buildings' facades that exhibit self-cleaning properties thanks to titanium oxide in their composition; when exposed to ultraviolet light and rain, environmental pollutants are washed off the coating.
Scientists are working hard to develop innovative materials with useful properties. We have more to show, but for now, we will keep our new developments secret!
– What role does the SUSU Institute of Architecture and Construction play in the development of modern construction technologies?
– Comparing the level of our scientific achievements with those of other major universities in our country, we are certainly on par with our colleagues. All universities have their own priority research areas that set them apart from the rest. And our institute, in particular, has them.
We create unique-to-Russia technologies for adapting building materials to the harsh conditions of northern and even Arctic winters. The frost-resistant concrete we develop is resistant to cracking at extremely low temperatures. This project is one of our key strengths.
– How do you see the future of architecture and construction in the next 10-15 years?
– In fact, construction is a very conservative industry. Its future is practically indistinguishable from the future of the country and the pace of its society's development—everything is closely interconnected. If we talk about an ideal future without wars and diseases, we might imagine a scene from a science fiction movie: landscapes with super-tall buildings that generate their own electricity, vertical farms, and other innovative and yet unfamiliar things.
However, if we imagine the opposite situation, I assure you, construction would suffer the least. This industry is virtually immune to any upheaval. After all, even if the electricity goes out, the builder will still have his timeless, reliable tools. According to the old principle of "brick upon brick," he will build any structure.
Therefore, our field depends on the processes occurring in the country and society. One respected professor, who travels frequently told me: "It's easy to check how, for example, the Italian country and society are developing. You arrive in a big city and look around: if there are tower cranes, it means the city is growing. If there are no tower cranes, it means nothing new is being built here, and most likely, there is no development".