Research background
Dr Aftab Jalia studied architecture at the University of Pune in India before pursuing postgraduate degrees at MIT and the University of Cambridge.
He worked for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in New Delhi and Hyderabad for 5 years on non-profit heritage conservation and environmental development projects. At the Centre for Natural Material Innovation, University of Cambridge, he was a Commonwealth Trust scholar studying building crafts and masonry vaulting techniques that use environmentally responsible materials.
Most recently, Dr Jalia was part of the Centre for Digital Built Britain-funded project for showcasing Internet of Things (IoT) with a vision for promoting BIM implementation in the United Kingdom and is currently Research Associate on a project developing Precision Engineered Timber solutions for schools and social housing projects in New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region
CDBB projects involved with
Precision Engineered Timber - digital design and delivery of healthier schools
Research ambitions for CDBB
CDBB's resources provide fertile ground for experimenting with new ideas in MMC and DfMA to ultimately develop building solutions that can be applied to various parts of the world. Its credo for an integrated built environment resonates with my research at the Centre for Natural Material Innovation at the Department of Architecture where I bridge academic research in engineered timber with sustainable industrial applications.