The LMDC offers scientific solutions for the sustainable development and eco-responsible management of buildings, civil engineering infrastructure and housing. To this end, it develops innovative materials for civil engineering, improves understanding of the physico-chemical phenomena that can affect the durability of construction materials, and develops methodologies and techniques for the requalification, diagnosis and maintenance of existing structures. Therefore, the research is organised into 3 thematic areas, supported by 2 cross-disciplinary areas associated with societal issues and 1 cross-disciplinary methodological area.
The aim of Area 1 is to formulate construction materials to achieve optimum performance while seeking to reduce their environmental impact as far as possible. In this area, the assessment of properties is carried out at the material level in two main areas: hygrothermal performance and mechanical performance. Microstructure studies at the finest material scales are systematically carried out in order to improve understanding of the phenomena that occur on a macroscopic scale and also to predict the behaviour of materials. Area 1 is divided into three themes to achieve these objectives:
The activities of the team focus on understanding the evolution of materials and structures in their environment, and predicting their behaviour in the interests of environmental protection, safety and security, and maintaining process efficiency. They cover in particular the durability of materials, especially cementitious materials, and civil engineering structures under complex and/or coupled stresses (THCBM). Scientific developments are based on a common approach, starting with a detailed understanding of phenomena on a microscopic scale (chemical reactivity, physical and mechanical properties under severe conditions), then proceeding to the scales of the material and the structure.
Activities in the Thematic Area 3 focus on existing buildings. Firstly, this involves improving the non-destructive evaluation of the properties and condition state of materials within structures and buildings. Then, it is needed to assess their performance in terms of structure and/or energy, from a deterministic or probabilistic point of view, and at different scales by integrating the potential effect of the surrounding building. Finally, it is necessary to improve the monitoring over time of the performance of structures and buildings after repair or rehabilitation.
The aim of these themes is to coordinate activities common to several divisions, either in terms of societal issues (sustainable development, energy), or in terms of global methodology (multi-scale, multi-physics, probabilistic approach).
The research carried out at LMDC, in each of its three scientific areas, contributes to the transition of activities in the construction and public works sector towards a circular economy approach.
These activities are coupled with environmental evaluation using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) carried out internally or in collaboration with partner laboratories.
Membres permanents ECC :
The Energy, Construction and Comfort theme brings together LMDC researchers whose activities aim to develop innovative solutions at different scales (system, building, city) to improve energy efficiency and propose smart energy management, analyze occupant behavior and guarantee optimal comfort, and finally reduce the environmental footprint.
Thanks to its multi-disciplinary approach, the Energy, Construction and Comfort theme combines skills in Civil Engineering, HVAC Engineering, Materials and Architecture. This work is carried out in collaboration with industrial players (VINCI Energies), public institutions (Toulouse Métropole, ADEME) and standardization bodies (CSTB) to promote the implementation of research results and thus contribute to the transition towards more sustainable, energy-efficient buildings.
RECENT PROJECTS (click for more info)
Energy Renovation
Urban Climate and Urban Heat Island
Thermal System
Low Environmental
Connected Buildings
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