Zhenzhong Hu

    He received both his BE and PhD degree in the Department of Civil Engineering at Tsinghua University, China. He was a visiting researcher in Carnegie Mellon University.
    He is now the associate professor in Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, and also the secretary general of the BIM Specialty Committee of the China Graphics Society.
    His research interests include information technologies in civil and marine engineering, building information modeling (BIM) and digital disaster prevention and mitigation.
  • 2025-08-11

    2025-08-11

    A natural-language-based approach to intelligent data retrieval and representation for cloud BIM has been cited 200 times on Google Scholar.

    As the information from diverse disciplines continues to integrate during the whole life cycle of an Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) project, the BIM (Building Information Model/Modeling) becomes increasingly large. This condition will cause users difficulty in acquiring the information they truly desire on a mobile device with limited space for interaction. The situation will be even worse for personnel without extensive knowledge of Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) or for nonexperts of the BIM software. To improve the value of the big data of BIM, an approach to intelligent data retrieval and representation for cloud BIM applications based on natural language processing was proposed. First, strategies for data storage and query acceleration based on the popular cloud-based database were explored to handle the large amount of BIM data. Then, the concepts “keyword” and “constraint” were proposed to capture the key objects and their specifications in a natural-language-based sentence that expresses the requirements of the user. Keywords and constraints can be mapped to IFC entities or properties through the International Framework for Dictionaries (IFD). The relationship between the user's requirement and the IFC-based data model was established by path finding in a graph generated from the IFC schema, enabling data retrieval and analysis. Finally, the analyzed and summarized results of BIM data were represented based on the structure of the retrieved data. A prototype application was developed to validate the proposed approach on the data collected during the construction of the terminal of Kunming Airport, the largest single building in China. The case study illustrated the following: (1) relationships between the user requirements and the data users concerned are established, (2) user-concerned data can be automatically retrieved and aggregated based on the cloud for BIM, and (3) the data are represented in a proper form for a visual view and a comprehensive report. With this approach, users can significantly benefit from requesting for information and the value of BIM will be enhanced.

    Note: COMPUTER-AIDED CIVIL AND INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING is a top journal in the field of engineering and technology, with an impact factor of 9.1 in 2025. Teacher Lin Jiarui is the first author of the paper, and I am the corresponding author.

  • 2025-07-17

    2025-07-17

    The paper "SPH study on surface pressure distribution characteristics of smoothed mound breakwater induced by medium-long period waves" has been first published on the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) in the journal "Ocean Engineering".

    To address the significant impact of medium-long period waves on the stability of smoothed mound breakwater in projects along the Maritime Silk Road and the inadequacy of existing empirical formulas, this study employed the SPH method. A 1⁚20 scaled numerical flume model was developed using the DualSPHysics open-source software to simulate interactions between medium-long waves and smoothed mound breakwater. The research reveals that the maximum positive pressure on the slope’s surface occurs within a range of 0.8 times the wave height below the still water level. This pressure initially increases with the wave period before eventually stabilizing. The variation in the pressure coefficient (Pmax/gH) is determined by the Ursell number (Ur): it increases sharply when Ur is between 50 and 150, rises gradually between 150 and 200, and plateaus for values above 200. The maximum pressure is primarily dictated by the local water thickness, a factor significantly influenced by the wave’s run-up capacity. Therefore, changes in run-up capacity are a key driver of how the maximum pressure trends with the wave period. Ultimately, the study proposes an empirical formula for calculating the maximum positive pressure on the slope under medium-long period waves, and the calculated results show strong agreement with the simulation outcomes.

    Note: The first author of the paper is master's student Jiang Hao, and Teacher Jing Lu is the corresponding author. The research results were supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China and Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation.

  • 2025-07-14

    2025-07-14

    Paper: Influence of Northwest Pacific Sea Surface Temperature on the South China Sea Winter Monsoon Based on Multimodel Projections have been published in the Journal International Journal of Climatology.

    The South China Sea Winter Monsoon (SCSWM) plays a critical role in the regional climate and atmospheric circulation patterns. This study explores the long-term change in the SCSWM from 1979 to 2023, focusing on its connection to the inhomogeneous warming trends of the Northwest Pacific Sea Surface Temperature (NWP-SST). Using NOAA ERSSTv5 and ERA5 reanalysis data, we uncover a strong relationship between the anomalous northeasterly winds, especially the zonal component, in the South China Sea (SCS) and the NWP-SST during boreal winter. Singular value decomposition (SVD) reveals that the NWP-SST is experiencing substantial warming, which could modulate the SCSWM. Evaluating several CMIP6 models, we demonstrate their ability to simulate this relationship reasonably. Future projections under shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP) 126, 245 and 585 indicate that NWP-SST inhomogeneous warming and the corresponding change in the monsoon will continue, especially under high-emission scenarios (SSP585). This study highlights the possible influence of ocean warming on the SCSWM, with potential far-reaching effects on the region's climate pattern.

    Note: International Journal of Climatology is a geoscience journal in the Q2 zone, with an impact factor of 2.8. The first author of the paper is doctoral student Feng Weijie, and Teacher Wang Dongxiao and I are the corresponding authors. The research achievements were supported by Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation, National Natural Science Foundationof China, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai) and Shenzhen Science and Technology Program.

  • 2025-06-22

    2025-06-22

    Thesis: Ontology-based multi-source heterogeneous O&M data integration framework for tunnel structural health assessment has been published in the journal Structure and Infrastructure Engineering.

    As a typical representative of infrastructure, tunnels are indispensable carriers for the normal operation of cities, with their safe and efficient operation directly influencing urban efficiency. However, the various data supporting tunnel operation and maintenance (O&M) exhibit significant diverse sources and structural differences, which pose substantial challenges to tasks such as tunnel structural health assessment. To address these challenges, this paper proposes an ontology-based multi-source heterogeneous O&M data integration framework to support the assessment of tunnel structural health, thereby improving decision-making efficiency in tunnel maintenance. The framework consists of four layers: data layer, ontology layer, mapping layer, and application layer, enabling the unified modeling, integration, and comprehensive application of multi-source heterogeneous tunnel O&M data. Additionally, the proposed framework is applied to a practical engineering project, the Tanglang Mountain Tunnel. Compared with existing methods, the framework demonstrates improvements in data fusion accuracy, data completeness, and operational efficiency.

    Note: Structure and Infrastructure Engineering is a journal in the field of engineering technology in the Q2 zone, with an impact factor of 2.6. The first author of the paper is Liu Longxiang, a master's student, and I am the corresponding author. The research results were funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China .

  • 2025-06-14

    2025-06-14

    On June 14th, the research group held a team-building activity aimed at bidding farewell to the graduating students and enhancing the team's cohesion at the same time.

    This team-building activity was carefully planned and rich in content. At the beginning of the event, the members participated in an immersive live-action theater murder mystery game, engaging in team reasoning and competition among four camps, fully demonstrating their wisdom and spirit of collaboration. The evening dinner party was filled with a warm and lively atmosphere, interspersed with interactive games including those about teamwork and fun challenges, with laughter and joy never ceasing. At the end of the event, the graduates shared their unforgettable experiences in the team and expressed their gratitude. Everyone also presented them with graduation blessings and gifts. I also delivered a brief speech, thanking everyone for their hard work and expressing my beautiful expectations for the future development of the team.

    This team-building activity not only relaxed both the body and mind but also strengthened the bonds among the members. The event concluded successfully with a group photo as a memento. The research group wishes the graduates a bright future!