EFFECT (ChEss Machines For ElectriFiEd Construction SiTes)

Image: DALL·E 3 by prompt: “Digital chess board where the figures are electrical construction equipment (charger, battery, solar cell, excavator, front loader) and some of the fields have piles of material (rocks, sand), dug out holes and buildings under construction.”

The EFFECT project aims to develop a digital twin of electrified construction site resources, processes, and their dependencies to evaluate the potential cost and benefit of best-practice electrification of a construction site. The digital twin will be tested in an urban renewal project of 1200 apartments in Södermalm, Stockholm.

Background

By 2050 the number of people living in cities is projected to increase by 60% to 6.5 billion. City construction today is responsible for 23% of the global carbon emissions. Electrification is the de-facto technology for decarbonization of our society. including city construction. But due to the variability, non-linearity, and relative long duration of new processes linked to electrification we need more knowledge about the potential benefits and costs of electrified constructions and smart methods for planning and optimizing electrified construction operations.

Project description

The EFFECT project aims to develop a digital twin of electrified construction site resources, processes, and their dependencies to evaluate the potential cost (efficiency) and benefit (emission resuctions) of best-practice electrification of a construction site. Partners KTH, ABConnect, and Gordian, along with the City of Stockholm and 3rd parties PEAB and Northvolt, will use the digital twin to evaluate a construction site and, in a planned continuation project, optimize the steps of electrified construction operations using AI methods similar to those used in chess machines. The digital twin and its application will be developed and tested within the Kvarter Persika living lab, an urban renewal project of 1200 apartments in Södermalm, Stockholm.

Implementation and cross-disciplinary collaboration

In the EFFECT project, academia, research-based startups, the city and large industrial partners from the construction and energy industries will combine academic disciplines of control theory, simulation, optimization, AI/ML, and network communications to make future city construction more sustainable.