April 4th, 2011

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On 4 April 2011, the CTBUH held their third meeting of the Research, Academic & Postgraduate Working Group. The meeting was graciously hosted by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP (SOM) in New York City. In attendance were the leadership of the Research, Academic and Postgraduate Working Group and its subgroups representing both academia and industry from various countries, including New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. The meeting also benefited from the involvement of two members of the CTBUH Board of Trustees; CTBUH Chairman Professor Sang Dae Kim, and Executive Director Antony Wood The focus of the meeting was to define and outline strategic goals for the group’s six focus areas.  
 
Before the start of the meeting the group was given a tour of the SOM New York office and visited its CASE Research Division, a collaboration with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The team had the opportunity to view some of the cutting edge designs that SOM  are developing, as well as some of the impressive research through CASE.

Nicholas Holt of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill showing group members around the New York City office

The meeting was chaired by co-chair for the working group, Dr. Dario Trabucco (IUAV University of Venice) who started the meeting with a discussion of the day’s objectives. CTBUH Executive Director Antony Wood then introduced Mr. Patrick Bayard as the CTBUH’s new Research and Working Groups Manager, and mentioned some of the ambitions behind this new appointment.  In this position, Patrick will help drive forward the goals of the group and the new CTBUH Research Division overall. Following a brief presentation by Mr. Bayard, each of the subgroups provided a summation of their work as follows:

Subgroup (1) Steering and Direction clarified the level of participation needed to be active in the Working Group. In addition, the group established protocols for new members which allows for interested individuals to be invited to join the group when they are identified. The discussion was led by Dr. Dario Trabucco (IUAV, Venice).

Subgroup (2) Internships and Scholarships reviewed opportunities on how to better link industry with students around the world. Students seeking experience and exposure were having difficulty finding opportunities with high-profile practices. The group considered how the CTBUH could serve as a centralized source of information and perhaps help with placing students with interested companies, through a new ‘CTBUH practice internship’ initiative.  The discussion was led by Dr. Javier Quintana de Uña (IE School of Architecture, Madrid). It was later agreed by the CTBUH Board of Trustees that this initiative should be implemented in 2012.

Subgroup (3) Professional Development and Program Education began by presenting the professional development opportunities that were available for those interested in tall buildings throughout the world.  Although the list was not intended to be exhaustive, it illustrated the central role that the CTBUH could have in connecting its constituents, both practitioners and academics, to opportunities worldwide. The role of the CBTUH would be to establish educational summer programs and a lecture series as well as advertise professional development opportunities. The discussion was led by Dr. Javier Quintana de Uña (IE School of Architecture, Madrid), and CTBUH Chairman Professor Sang Dae Kim presented his plans for a new Tall Building post-professional Masters course in Korea.

Subgroup (4) Research Database determined that an independent international database of both researchers and research projects would be of great use to the industry. Mr. Jan Klerks (CTBUH) provided a demonstration using the existing Tall Building database to show how such a platform could work.  Among the proposed features would be to post current/completed research projects and ‘calls for research funding’ and provide opportunities for researchers to connect with similar or related projects.  The benefits of the database are that it will inform the field of what areas of research are currently being explored and to create opportunities for partnerships.  The discussion was led by Ms. Julie Hiromoto (Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP). Dario Trabucco also updated on the connected initiative of creating an international ‘research Roadmap’ currently being undertaken by CTBUH in conjunction with UNESCO and the CIB.

Subgroup (5) Funding Potential of the CTBUH discussed the potential of CTBUH providing seed money for research.  The group concluded that it might be a possibility on an expanded level in the long term; however in the short term the CTBUH might only be able to support moderate expenses for one or two people.  At this point, it was generally agreed that the CTBUH would be better using its limited resources to create a better support infrastructure for research for its members and the industry as a whole. The discussion was led by Mr. Maciej Cichy (University of Auckland).  

Subgroup (6) CTBUH Journal Recognizing Research Excellence. CTBUH Chairman Professor Sang Dae Kim presented his plans for a new peer reviewed journal that would offer an outlet to researchers wishing to publish their work in a prominent publication.  The benefits of the journal would increase the standing of the CTBUH in the academic community and would serve as an opportunity to connect with academic constituents on a deeper level.  This establishment of a new research journal  was later ratified by the Board of Trustees as an initiative to be driven forward, for first publication in 2012. The discussion was led by Dr. Seifu Bekele (Vipac Engineers and Scientists, Australia).

Working group meeting in progress.		Jason Vollen of Case Research Center explains how new technology may make the air in buildings cleaner utilizing naturally occurring organic methods.

The next meeting of the Research, Academic & Postgraduate Working Group will take place at the CTBUH Seoul Conference in October 2011.

The CTBUH would like to thank all participants for attending the New York meeting and in particular Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP for hosting the meeting and a special thank you to Ms. Julie Hiromoto for providing logistical support.  We would also like to thank the Working Group co-chairs as well as subgroup presenters for driving this group forward.

List of attendees
Sang Dae Kim, (CTBUH Chairman / University of Korea)
Antony Wood, (CTBUH Executive Director / Illinois Institute of Technology)
Jan Klerks, (CTBUH Communications Manager)
Patrick Bayard, (CTBUH Research & Working Groups Manager)
Dario Trabucco, (IUAV University of Venice)
Nicholas Holt, (Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP, New York)
Javier Quintana de Uña, (IE School of Architecture, Madrid)
Karel Vollers (Delft University, Netherlands)
Maciej Cichy, (University of Auckland)
Julie Hiromoto, (Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP, New York)
Seifu Bekele, (Vipac Engineers and Scientists, Australia)
Alexandra Pollock, (Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP, New York)
Sejung Kat Park, (Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP, New York)
Philip Oldfield, -via telephone- (University of Nottingham, United Kingdom)
Sabina Fazlic, -via telephone- (Centre for Alternative Technology, United Kingdom)

Report by Patrick Bayard, Research and Working Group Manager, CTBUH

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