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.
  • 2024-12-23

    The paper "BIM-based, data-driven method for intelligent operation and maintenance" was evaluated by the Journal of Tsinghua University (Science and Technology) as an outstanding paper for 2024. 

    The widespread adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM) has enhanced the efficiency of building operations and maintenance management. However, intelligent operation and maintenance management based on BIM still faces challenges in data acquisition, management, and analysis. This paper combines BIM and data-driven technologies to study methods for intelligent operation and maintenance management, including: expanding and enhancing operation and maintenance BIM information through automatic generation of logical relationships of mechanical and electrical equipment; achieving dynamic operation and maintenance information management based on BIM through the proposed data cube model; and combining clustering, frequent pattern mining, and neural networks, among other machine learning methods, to mine and analyze operation and maintenance data to support intelligent operation and maintenance decision-making. The research results effectively reduce the workload of maintenance personnel, enhance the value of maintenance data, and contribute to improving the level of intelligent operation and maintenance management. 

    Note: The Journal of Tsinghua University (Science and Technology) was founded in 1915 and has a history of over 100 years. It is one of the earliest journals in China to be named after both a university and "journal". I am the first author of the paper, and the other authors are PhD student Leng Shuo and Yuan Shuang. The research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Shenzhen Science and Technology Research and Development Fund.

  • 2024-12-21

    On December 21, the second Qingqing Forum, co-hosted by the China Ocean Engineering Research Institute (Qingdao) and the Institute for Ocean Engineering of Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (referred to as "the Institute for Ocean Engineering"), was held in Qingdao West Coast New Area. Zhang Jianmin Academician, Feng Xiating Academician, and over 200 experts, scholars, representatives of central and state-owned enterprises involved in the sea, and representatives of high-tech enterprises attended the forum. 

    This forum, taking the unveiling of the Ocean Energy Industry Technological Innovation Strategic Alliance and the establishment of the Ocean Intelligent Equipment Innovation Joint Venture as an opportunity, aims to promote the deep integration of government, industry, academia, and research, and support the breakthrough development of ocean intelligent equipment and unmanned technology. During the forum, China Ocean Engineering Research Institute (Qingdao) signed cooperation agreements with 33 high-tech enterprises. In the themed report session, I delivered a report titled "Open Platform Architecture and Ecosystem Construction for Ocean Engineering Software Domestication." 

    The Qingqing Forum not only provides a high-level exchange platform for the field of marine engineering science and technology in China, but also injects new vitality into the innovative development of the marine intelligent equipment industry.

  • 2024-11-11

    On November 11th, the 44th session of the "Teaching and Learning" faculty sharing event was successfully held at the Teachers Development Center of Tsinghua University, with over 30 Tsinghua teachers participating. 

    At this sharing session, I presented the theme of "Education is boundless, learning has no end" and shared with teachers from various disciplines how to develop courses through interdisciplinary research, innovative engineering practice, and value shaping, to cultivate students with critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. I also discussed the stories behind teaching research and reform, showcased teaching achievements and awards, and exchanged ideas with colleagues on innovative and practical teaching methods. 

    This sharing session provided a valuable platform for teachers to exchange ideas. After the event, many teachers expressed that they were deeply inspired by the experience and looked forward to more similar sharing and exchange opportunities in the future to jointly enhance teaching quality and student development. "The sea of education has no boundaries, and learning has no end," Only by constantly striving for excellence, persisting in reflection and exchange in teaching can teachers truly achieve the dialectical unity of "teaching and learning" and meet the higher requirements of the times on education.

  • 2024-11-07

    The paper Intensification of an Autumn Tropical Cyclone by Offshore Wind Farms in the Northern South China Sea has been published in JGR Atmospheres journal.

    The rapid development of the wind industry is accompanied by increasing environmental impacts. Currently, there is a lack of research on the impacts of offshore wind farm (OWF) on tropical cyclone (TC) intensity, including the mechanisms involved. This research is carried out by using a coupled and an uncoupled numerical model to investigate the impact of OWF on an autumn TC in the northeastern South China Sea. The results show that the wind speed deficit caused by OWF leads to an increase in surface pressure on the inflow side. This causes the surface pressure in the TC periphery to increase by advection, even if the TC is some distance away from the OWF. The increase in pressure gradient from the periphery to the TC center enhances the TC secondary circulation, thereby intensifying the TC. When the TC entersthe OWF, the above mechanisms weaken and the ocean dominates the TC intensification. This is because the reduction in wind speed caused by the OWF results in a weaker sea surface current velocity, which weakens the flow of upstream cold water into the OWF, warming the sea surface temperature (SST) within the OWF. This implies that the horizontal gradient of the local SST is an important factor to be considered in the development of OWF. Sensitivity experiments indicate that OWF can also intensify other types of TC, and that higher cut‐out wind speeds lead to stronger intensification effects. These results also provide a new perspective on TC intensity forecasts.

    Note: The first author of this paper is Deng Shaokun, a PhD student in 2021, and Assistant Professor Chen Shengli is the corresponding author. This study is supported by funds from the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation and the Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Committee.

  • 2024-10-16

    The citation count of "Construction and facility management of large MEP projects using a multi-scale building information model" on Google Scholar is 100. 

    Several challenges have been found in the current applications of building information modelling/model (BIM) technology in large-scale mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) projects, such as the huge modelling workloads of MEP models and details, untapped potential in supporting cooperative construction management with multiple participants and insufficient functions for intelligent facility management. This paper proposes a multi-scale solution to address the insufficiencies of the current applications in the construction and facility management of MEP projects. Particularly, a practical multi-scale BIM consisting of several macro-, micro- and schematic-scale information models is described in detail with the required information of the MEP components according to the schema of industrial foundation classes. Based on this model, the paper presents a BIM-based construction management system to provide virtual construction scenes with appropriate scales for various participants to communicate and cooperate, as well as a BIM-based facility management system to share information delivered from previous phases and improve the efficiency and safety of MEP management during the operation and maintenance period. The application in a real-world airport terminal illustrates that the proposed model and two systems can support collaborative construction management and facility management with multi-scale functionalities among participants. This paper proposes a series of feasible models and techniques to promote BIM application in large MEP projects.

    Note: Advances in Engineering Software, interdisciplinary journal in Q1 region. I am the first author of the paper.