Shruti Ganesh wins Future Thinkers Award with ‘Urban Dataverse’ vision

Originally published by Building.co.uk 

Construction projects are awash with data, but how much of it is used or shared? The nature of the industry means important information which could make sustainable practices like material reuse easier to implement is often siloed in fragmented and incassable archives for individual projects.

Sweco sustainability consultant Shruti Ganesh proposes a cloud-based database which collects models from projects in planning applications which are updated as the schemes progress. The platform, called Urban Dataverse, would be hosted by a city authority and funded through a subscription model.

The models would become a repository for quantities of materials, building performance metrics and material properties. Consultants, developers, researchers and contractors could access the data through various levels of permissions for a broad range of uses.

One use could be as a live dashboard of materials in a city that are available for reuse. When a building is being demolished, any materials which can be reused would be shown as available to others in the region, and the database – called “Circular Hub” – would try and match them to projects at design and construction stages.

Another application could be matching project teams to opportunities for carbon offsetting. A “Net Zero Hub” would connect projects to charities, independent groups and NGOs that match the team’s fiscal obligations with their company ethos, giving a city real-life examples of localised net zero ambitions.

“Through Urban Dataverse we hope to create a city-platform where decisions are sustainable, equitable and data-driven,” Ganesh says.