Greater Lille Metropolitan Area
Professor Zoubeir LAFHAJ is a distinguished faculty member at Centrale Lille. Elected to the Board of Directors of Centrale Lille Institute in 2019, he served as the Dean of International Relations from 2008 to 2015. As a researcher at the LaMcube Research Centre, UMR CNRS 9013, he leads a team focused on industrial construction. His research encompasses the industrialization of construction, Industry 4.0, 3D printing, Lean Construction, and the intricacies of supply chain management. Furthermore, he delves into the application of technological advancements in construction and the realm of connected worksites. Professor LAFHAJ has cultivated robust ties with the industry, forging R&D partnerships with a spectrum of companies. His exemplary contributions have earned him two ministerial accolades for his projects. From 2017 to 2023, he chaired a research collaboration with Bouygues Construction "Construction 4.0 chair", seamlessly blending academia and the professional sector through doctoral theses, post-doctoral projects, and specialized training initiatives. In addition to his lectures at Centrale Lille, he has taught in Morocco, Tunisia, China, and Japan. A prolific scientific writer, he has penned five recent books addressing diverse facets of construction and has authored over 150 scientific articles. Over the course of his career, he has mentored 32 doctoral candidates and supervised 17 post-doctoral researchers. He was instrumental in the organization of the IGLC31 global conference in Lille and is slated to host the ISARC conference in 2024. Additionally, he remains an active contributor to IAARC and several esteemed scientific publications. During his tenure as Dean from 2008 to 2015, he sculpted Centrale Lille's global outreach strategy, negotiating international collaborations, instituting joint degree programs, and integrating Erasmus Mundus networks. Currently, he is an active participant in the H2020 project and spearheads research collaborations across various nations. His expertise is frequently sought by European and international organizations. Moreover, Dr. Zoubeir LAFHAJ is the visionary founder and President of the Institut Français de la Construction Lean (IFCL). Established in May 2021, this non-profit association aspires to foster the adoption of lean methodologies in France's construction sector by uniting a committed community of stakeholders
Researcher at Laboratory of multiscale and multiphysics mechanics of Lille- LaMcube, my scientific research topics are : (1) 3D printing in Construction, including material science, the human / machine interface connection, the organization of the building site via 3D printing robotics, (2) Lean Construction and the Lean Engineering scientific concepts to organize and improve the work and working conditions, (3) "Industry 4.0" concept in Construction, a common understanding and knowledge about the construction processes for a mutation to an gathering operation and to innovative integration, (4) Energy Efficiency in Construction, including Hygrothermal and Thermal Comfort, Regulation & Standards, Environment and Ecological Design, (5) Prospecting of Innovative Materials, Characterization and Valorisation in Civil Engineering (Sustainable Habitat and Positive Construction) . I am the scientific research director of 4 doctorates (PhD) candidates and 3 Post-Docs working in these topics.
I teach Numerical Modelling for Engineers (finite elements), Diagnosis of Structures and Durability of Cementitious Materials, Construction 4.0, Lean Construction, 3D Printing in Construction, Geotechnics and Tunnels for the Smart City, and Project Management at Centrale Beijing. I have just designed a new institution diploma entitled ‘Lean modular construction 4.0 introduction’. I am involved in pedagogical innovations, in particular an ‘Imagine&Make’ module, an intensive course designed as a Challenge Based Learning approach. I invite top-level foreign professors from the world's leading universities MIT (USA), TU Munich (D), U. of Alberta (Ca), EPFL (Lausanne), U. Lund (Se). I am also invited to teach engineering and complex project management in construction abroad, such as at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
With industry, I have developed a strong network with large and small companies to transfer technology and knowledge into R & D projects and clusters. I obtained two FUI Labels from French Ministries (Industry, Economy and Employability) for two projects. I work with many regional, national and European companies such as BDN, SMC, Bouygues Construction, Rabot Dutilleul, Minialite, De-Shape… The objective is to work closely with the companies on their problem : To built together policies, planning, skills, organisation, and force attack for both benefits.
The Institute was created on 21 May 2021 at its Official Launch in Lille. IFCL is an independent non-profit association under the French law of 1901. The vocation of the French Institute of Lean Construction is to develop the practice of the lean approach in the construction sector in France by federating a community of actors involved in this ambitious and promising transformation of the built environment. IFCL aims to : • To create a community for sharing and disseminating knowledge and know-how on Lean Construction, • to encourage the development of educational material, to organise seminars, study days and national and international conferences, • to organise joint events to promote and develop lean construction in France, • to propose strategic notes or reports on Lean Construction in France and to compare approaches internationally, to inform companies, intergovernmental organisations, national institutions or non-governmental organisations, • to make links between all stakeholders in the construction sector • to cooperate and collaborate with other lean construction institutes in Europe and worldwide. The Values of a committed Institute : Sharing knowledge and know-how Cultivating entrepreneurship and innovation Commitment to waste reduction Delivering excellence and continuous improvement To become a member, write to: [email protected]
REV3: for a sustainable and connected economy In the face of the challenges of decarbonisation, rev3 is the standard-bearer and catalyst for the ambitions and actions of the Hauts-de-France region to promote a more sustainable and united region for and with people, territories and the planet. To take action on this issue and make our buildings sustainable, the Region and the CCI are relying on rev3 to: - Improve the energy efficiency of buildings and housing, - Industrialise methods of building and renovating buildings, - Decarbonise the building sector by encouraging the use of renewable resources.
CICIEM promotes and initiates innovative research and knowledge-based solutions for improving quality, productivity, safety and competitiveness of the Canadian construction industry through the following areas: - Automation and robotics in construction - Sensing technologies and Internet of Things (Iot) applications in construction/ infrastructure engineering and management - Big data analytics and data science applications - Industrialization of construction - Reliability analysis, condition assessment and rating of infrastructure
The Chair in the Economics of Ecological Transition was created with the Risk Foundation of the Louis Bachelier Institute in Paris by Ingrid Nappi, in academic partnership with the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées and the École nationale supérieure d'Architecture de Paris-Malaquais. It is based on four structuring pillars: Real Estate, Housing, Architecture and Planning in order to bring together all the stakeholders in the economy of the value chain of the real estate industry and the built production of sustainable and resilient cities.