Dr Niraj Thurairajah

Niraj is an Associate Professor in Built Environment and leads the Construction, Process and Management research group at Northumbria University. Niraj’s research interests cover people and process related aspects of the built environment including how organisations and people work in the context of technological innovation, disaster resilience and education. He has previously led the Digital Construction centre at BCU and managed the MSc in BIM and Management programme. His research interests are:  

• Construction Project Management – Niraj’s main focus is on cost management aspects of projects. He is an ARCOM committee member and interested in construction management research covering procurement routes including integrated project insurance, Modern Method of Construction and offsite manufacturing, cultural and leadership challenges in projects and supply chain management.
• Digital construction – Niraj explores the wider impact of digitalisation on the built environment and focuses on people and process related aspects of Building Information Modelling. He has worked with clients, consultants, contractors and manufacturers in various digital initiatives. His current digital transformation interest is on housing, infrastructure and asset management areas.
• Disaster resilience – His current research focuses on socio-technical aspects of disaster resilience, mainly on disaster resilience using information modelling and stakeholder management. He has contributed to RICS funded disaster resilience projects that focused on developing knowledge management capacity for disaster management in the built environment.
• Built Environment Education: He was an Academic Coordinator in the UK Higher Education Academy’s Centre for Education in the Built Environment (CEBE) between 2008 and 2011. He managed and contributed to various accelerating change agenda initiatives to foster collaboration and dialogue between industry, higher education and professional bodies.

• Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
• Affordance-led framework of understanding of BIM adoption, Jayasena, H., Thurairajah, N., Perera, B., Siriwardena, M. 7 Sep 2023, In: International Journal of Architectural Research: ArchNet-IJAR
• A Knowledge Framework for Blockchain-enabled Smart Contract Adoption in the Construction Industry, Weerapperuma, U., Rathnasinghe, A., Jayasena, S., Wijewickrama, C., Thurairajah, N. 20 Jul 2023, In: Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management
• A review on bioinspired strategies for an energy-efficient built environment, Shashwat, S., Zingre, K., Thurairajah, N., Kumar, D., Panicker, K., Anand, P., Wan, M. 17 Jul 2023, In: Energy and Buildings
• Can Lean Principles Assist to Reduce BIM Implementation Costs? A Contemporary Application of Lean Principles to the Sri Lankan Construction Industry, Weerasinghe, L., Rathnasinghe, A., Jayasena, H., Thurairajah, N., Thayaparan, M. 14 Mar 2023, In: Benchmarking: An International Journal
• Critical Factors Influencing Adoption of Blockchain-Enabled Smart Contracts in Construction Projects, Ameyaw, E., Edwards, D., Kumar, B., Thurairajah, N., Owusu-Manu, D., Oppong, G. Mar 2023, In: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
• Data-driven Approaches to Built Environment Flood Resilience: A Scientometric and Critical Review, Rathnasiri, P., Adeniyi, O., Thurairajah, N. 1 Aug 2023, In: Advanced Engineering Informatics
• Digital Built Environment and Data Science, Motawa, I., Salama, A., Thurairajah, N. 1 Mar 2023
• Digital technological solutions for embodied carbon estimation in the building sector: A PRISMA Review, Jayathilaka, N., Thurairajah, N., Kassem, M., Rathnasinghe, A. 12 May 2023, Resilience in Research and Practice , Salford, University of Salford
• Investigation of the Challenges of Data to Promote Long-Term Sustainability in Flood-Prone Communities, Rathnasiri, P., Adeniyi, O., Thurairajah, N. 1 Jun 2023, 6th European Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management, Southfield, US, IEOM Society
• Predicting implications of design changes in BIM-based construction projects through machine learning, Abdulfattah, B., Abdelsalam, H., Abdelsalam, M., Bolpagni, M., Thurairajah, N., Florez Perez, L., Butt, T. 1 Sep 2023, In: Automation in Construction

• Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
• Participating in a conference, workshop, ...: The 39th Annual ARCOM Conference 2023 2023
• Participating in a conference, workshop, ...: The 38th Annual ARCOM Conference 2022: Build Back Wiser 2022
• Organising a conference, workshop, ...: ARCOM Doctoral Workshop in Association with CIB Working Commission on Disasters and the Built Environment (W120) 2019
• Other: Failure and learning in UK project-based organisations: A cross-sector examination of actor approaches, intentions, and behaviours 2018

• Nigamuni Geeth Anshumal Mendis Jayathilaka A Blockchain-based Embodied Carbon Data Management System for Building sector Start Date: 01/05/2021
• Jianfeng Zhao Rethinking Value for Money in Public Private Partnerships: A critique, analysis, and model for transport infrastructure projects Start Date: 18/12/2020 End Date: 24/02/2023
• Vasil Atanasov Reduction of Transaction Costs in Construction Projects: a conceptual model for an Automated Delay Analysis System. Start Date: 10/08/2021 End Date: 20/09/2021
• Akila Rathnasinghe An Integrated Whole-life Solution for Modular Housing in the United Kingdom Start Date: 01/06/2021
• Nigamuni Geeth Anshumal Mendis Jayathilaka A Blockchain-based Embodied Carbon Data Management System for Building sector Start Date: 01/05/2021 End Date: 28/06/2023
• Henry John Hussey Establishing criteria for descriptions of building work which include for practicality and intricacy Start Date: 16/07/2018