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As cities and communities face growing pressure to reduce emissions, improve resilience, and adapt to a changing climate, Imperial’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, together with Venturous Group and Neuron Digital, are exploring how intelligent building technologies, AI, and digital twins could support more sustainable, resilient, and efficient buildings and infrastructure, including during periods of extreme heat.

Combining Imperial’s research expertise in the built environment with ’s smart-building platforms, the collaboration will jointly explore how data, sensing technologies, and digital systems can improve building performance, operational efficiency, and sustainability.

Philanthropic funding for the initiative has initially been provided by , with opportunities for wider partnership and support expected to follow.  Venturous is led by CEO Benson Tam, an alumnus of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Buildings and construction are among the world’s biggest climate challenges with the sector accounting for around 34% of global COâ‚‚ emissions and 32% of global energy demand¹. At the same time, rising global temperatures and more frequent heatwaves are increasing pressure on buildings, energy systems, and urban infrastructure worldwide. Improving the performance, efficiency, and resilience of buildings will therefore play a critical role in achieving global climate and sustainability goals. This collaboration is grounded in a shared understanding of the scale and urgency of this challenge across academia and industry

"This collaboration with Venturous and Neuron Digital represents an exciting opportunity to explore solutions with long-term societal benefit."

Together, the collaborators seek to reimagine how civil and environmental engineering can respond to these challenges. Areas of focus are expected to include intelligent building systems, operational energy performance, urban resilience, sustainability, cooling strategies, and data-driven approaches to managing the built environment. The collaboration reflects the Department’s established research strengths and strategic priorities in areas including Engineering Net Zero and Beyond and the development of a Resilient and Secure Built Environment.

Aligning with Imperial’s Science for Humanity strategy, the initiative also intends to create new opportunities for collaborative research, student engagement, and industry-led experimentation focused on the future of intelligent and sustainable buildings.  Central to this approach is the concept of ‘living labs’; real-world environments that enable researchers and industry partners to jointly test and refine emerging technologies and approaches in operational settings.

"We hope to explore new approaches to intelligent and resilient, yet commercially attractive, buildings."

Professor Maarten van Reeuwijk, Director of Research in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, said: “This collaborative initiative creates an exciting opportunity to connect academic research with pressing building and city challenges. Intelligent buildings will play an increasingly important role in creating more sustainable, healthy, and resilient urban environments, particularly as cities adapt to rising temperatures and increasing climate pressures.”

Professor Washington Yotto Ochieng, CBE, EBS , FREng, CEng, FCGI, Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, said: “Our Department’s challenge-led approach is designed to bring research, innovation, and industry expertise together around the major challenges shaping the future of infrastructure. This collaboration with Venturous and Neuron Digital represents an exciting opportunity to explore solutions with long-term societal benefit.”

Benson Tam, CEO of Venturous Group and Board Director of Neuron Digital, said: “Buildings are becoming increasingly complex, connected, and data-driven, creating new opportunities to improve sustainability, operational performance, and urban living. By combining Imperial’s research expertise with Neuron Digital’s technology platforms and Venturous Group’s experience in urban innovation, we hope to explore new approaches to intelligent and resilient, yet commercially attractive, buildings”

Further details on the initiative and potential future activities are expected to be shared in summer 2026.

¹ UNEP, ‘Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction - Beyond foundations: Mainstreaming sustainable solutions to cut emissions from the buildings sector’, 2024:

Notes

About Neuron Digital

is a joint venture between Venturous Group and Arup. It develops AI-enabled platforms for smart buildings and digital twins, integrating real-time sensing, analytics, and operational optimisation to improve building performance and support decarbonisation efforts.

About Venturous Group

is an Asia-based ‘Citytech’ business builder and investor. The firm creates, builds, and invests in game-changing technology companies across Asia and beyond to make cities smarter, more liveable, sustainable, and productive.

Image credit: Nick Page