Department of Built Environment

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Department of Built Environment

The Department of Built Environment looks for practical solutions for a society whose functioning requires sustainable asset management, efficient water and waste management, sufficient water resources, reliable and safe transportation as well as valid geographic data. Intelligent spatial planning enables built environments that best serve the needs of habitation, business and mobility.

Student competition for the development of the Helsinki city centre to be held in autumn 2023

Research

The research and education of the Department of Built Environment focus on fields that are continuously growing in societal importance. Research problems involve the great challenges facing today’s society, including population growth, urbanisation, climate change, globalisation, digitalisation and the increasing use of natural resources.

The Department of Built Environment is home to four research groups – Geoinformatics, Real Estate Economics, Spatial Planning and Transportation Engineering and Water and Environmental Engineering – and a partner in MeMo, the Research Institute of Modelling and Measuring for The Built Environment. The department also participates in the work of the Centre of Excellence in Laser Scanning Research, which is funded by the Academy of Finland.

Spatial Planning and Transportation Engineering

Urban realities are becoming increasingly dynamic, complex and fragmented while demands for their livability, sustainability, competitiveness, and attractiveness increase. Our research connects spatial planning and transportation engineering for developing new scientific knowledge needed in systemic understanding, problem-solving, and integrative planning and policy-making beyond sectoral boundaries, aimed at achieving human-centered living environments.

Traffic in Mannerheimintie, photo Aalto University/Annamari Tolonen

Water and Environmental Engineering

Water and Environmental Engineering research at Aalto University aims to find solutions to decrease resource scarcity and to support sustainability. Our research is divided into two strategic areas: global water issues and sustainable circular economy, which are further divided into four research entities.

Aalto Research groups

Real Estate Economics

Real estate economics analyses the dynamics of real estate markets from the perspectives of e.g. business, planning, technology, value formation and law. The Real Estate Economics research group at Aalto University is the only university-level research unit in Finland focusing on the broad area of real estate.

Real Estate Economics

Geoinformatics

Geoinformatics at Aalto University is a truly multidisciplinary field. Our research and its applications cover a wide range of themes from human-centred to natural environments.

View from the plane used in remote sensing.

MeMo - Research Institute of Measuring and Modeling for the Built Environment

The goal of the Institute is to produce world-class research and development of the measurement technology in the field of construction and environmental engineering.

Education

The Department of Built Environment offers education at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral level.

News

Englanninkielinen grafiikka planetaarisista rajoista.
Press releases Published:

Six of nine planetary boundaries now exceeded

A new study updates the planetary boundary framework
RDM & Open Science training
Research & Art Published:

Register for training in research data management and open science

New topics included! Registrations for autumn 2023 are open.
A map with regions of countries colour-coded to show net migration levels. There's a lot of variability, and many countries have some subregions with positive net migration and other subregions with negative net migration.
Press releases Published:

A finer picture of global migration reveals complex patterns

New research shows that socio-economic factors play a larger role than climate
Miina Porkka, Aalto University 2023
Research & Art Published:

Significant new funding to investigate the impacts of human actions on the water cycle worldwide

Researcher Miina Porkka's ERC-funded research project AQUAGUARD investigates how human actions modify the water cycle and how these changes affect life on Earth.

Events

Kampustaidetta Otaniemessä. Valokuvaaja: Julia Weckman
For Aalto community Workshops

School of Engineering Operations Development workshop

You are invited to share your thoughts on how we can further improve our operations, organization, and culture at the School of Engineering!
Weekly data management zoom support hour
For Aalto community Support for teams, Training to support research

Aalto Data Agents weekly zoom support hour

A weekly zoom room to come and ask us anything about research data and open science: data management, data storage, data analysis, data sharing, reproducibility, responsible conduct of research, data privacy, ethics.
Introduction to Research Data Management
Lectures and seminars, Staff trainings, Support for teams, Training to support research

Introduction to Research Data Management, Oct 3, 2023

Get to know the basics of RDM with Data Agent Dr. Essi Viitanen from Research Services.
Title: DMPs a workshop, subtitle: ONLINE. Pictures of Lucie Hradecka and Enrico Glerean.
Lectures and seminars, Staff trainings, Support for teams, Training to support research, Workshops

Data Management Plans: Online workshop for early-career researchers, Oct 4, 2023

Learn about DMPs with Information Specialist Lucie Hradecká and Staff Scientist & Data Agent Dr. Enrico Glerean.

Contact information: Department of Built Environment

Find contact details for the Department of Built Environment.

Find staff members
Environmental Hydraulics Flow Channel

Where to find us

Otakaari 4

Mechanical engineering 1, K1

Konetekniikka 1, Otakaari 4

Tietotie 1 E

Water and Environmental Engineering, Water Building, Mon-Fri 8.00–15.45

Vesihuoltotekniikka

Tietotie 1 C

Aalto Ice Tank, Water and Environmental Engineering

Research machine surfing on the ice at the Aalto Ice Tank.

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