Borja Garcia de Soto ,
Ph.D., PE

  • Assistant Professor NYUAD

  • Global Network Assistant Professor NYU

Civil and Urban Engineering

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Borja Garcia de Soto

Borja García de Soto is an Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering at New York University Abu Dhabi, and a Global Network Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Urban Engineering at the Tandon School of Engineering at New York University (NYU). He is the director of the S.M.A.R.T. Construction Research Group at NYU Abu Dhabi and conducts research in the areas of construction automation, cybersecurity in the AEC industry, artificial intelligence, lean construction, and BIM. He is an Associate Editor of Automation in Construction (Elsevier), Associate Editor of the Journal of Construction Robotics (Springer), Associate Editor of the Journal of Smart and Sustainable Built Environment (Emerald), and the General Secretary of the International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction (IAARC). Borja is also a Co-PI for Sand Hazards and Opportunities for Resilience, Energy, and Sustainability (SHORES), one of the NYUAD Research Institute Centers.

Borja has extensive experience in the industry as a structural engineer, project manager, and construction consultant. He is a Professional Engineer (PE) with licenses in California and Florida and has international experience in multiple aspects of construction projects.

Borja received his PhD from ETH Zurich in Switzerland. He also holds an MSc in Civil Engineering with a concentration in engineering and project management from the University of California at Berkeley, an MSc in Civil Engineering with a concentration in structural design from Florida International University (FIU), and a BSc in Civil Engineering (graduated cum laude) also from FIU.

Research Interests
Construction Automation, Cybersecurity in the AEC Industry, Artificial Intelligence, Lean Construction, and BIM

University of California, Berkeley
Master of Science, Engineering and Project Management

ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Doctor of Science, Civil Engineering

You can find an updated list of publications here.

Journal Articles

Heigermoser, D., Borja García de Soto, Abbott, Ernest L. S., David K. H., Chua. "BIM-based Last Planner System Tool for Improving Construction Project Management." Automation in Construction. (2019). DOI: 10.1016/j.autcon.2019.03.019

García de Soto, Borja, Isolda Agustí Juan, Samuel Joss, Jens Hunhevicz. "Implications of Construction 4.0 to the Workforce and Organizational Structures." International Journal of Construction Management. (2019) (Accepted)

García de Soto, Borja, Thomas Streule, Michael Klippel, Olin Bartlomé and Bryan Adey. "Improving the Planning and Design Phases of Construction Projects by Using a Case-Based Digital Building System." International Journal of Construction Management (2018). DOI: 10.1080/15623599.2018.1502929

Chen, Qian, Borja García de Soto, and Bryan Adey "Construction automation: research areas, industry concerns and suggestions for advancement." Automation in Construction (2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.autcon.2018.05.028

García de Soto, Borja, Isolda Agustí Juan, Jens Hunhevicz, Samuel Joss, Konrad Graser, Guillaume Habert, and Bryan Adey "Productivity of digital fabrication in construction: cost and time analysis of a robotically built wall." Automation in Construction (2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.autcon.2018.04.004

García de Soto, Borja, Andreas Bumbacher, Markus Deublein, and Bryan T. Adey . "Predicting Road Traffic Accidents using Artificial Neural Network Models." Infrastructure Asset Management (2018). DOI: 10.1680/jinam.17.00028

García de Soto, Borja, Bryan T. Adey, and Dilum Fernando. "A hybrid methodology to estimate construction material quantities at an early project phase." International Journal of Construction Management 17, no. 3 (2017): 165-196. DOI: 10.1080/15623599.2016.1176727

Adey, Bryan T., Borja García de Soto, and Christian Senn. "Evaluating the operation and routine maintenance of municipal roads in Switzerland." Infrastructure Asset Management 4, no. 3 (2017): 96-108. DOI: 10.1680/jinam.17.00004

Ioannidou, Dimitra, Stefano Zerbi, Borja García de Soto, and Guillaume Habert. "Where does the money go? Economic flow analysis of construction projects." Building Research & Information (2017): 1-19. DOI: 10.1080/09613218.2017.1294419

Nguyen, Long D., Ying-Yi Chih, and Borja García de Soto. "Knowledge Areas Delivered in Project Management Programs: Exploratory Study." Journal of Management in Engineering 33, no. 1 (2016): 04016025. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000473

Deublein, Markus, Matthias Schubert, Bryan T. Adey, and Borja García de Soto. "A Bayesian network model to predict accidents on Swiss highways." Infrastructure Asset Management 2, no. 4 (2015): 145-158. DOI: 10.1680/jinam.15.00008

García de Soto, Borja, Bryan T. Adey, and Dilum Fernando. "A process for the development and evaluation of preliminary construction material quantity estimation models using backward elimination regression and neural networks." Journal of Cost Analysis and Parametrics 7, no. 3 (2014): 180-218. DOI: 10.1080/1941658X.2014.984880

Nguyen, Long D., Jax Kneppers, Borja García de Soto, and William Ibbs. "Analysis of adverse weather for excusable delays." Journal of Construction Engineering and Management 136, no. 12 (2010): 1258-1267. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000242

Nguyen, Long D., Jax Kneppers, and Borja García de Soto. "Unusually Severe Weather and Time Extensions." Cost Engineering Journal 51, no. 12 (2009): 14-17.

Conferences

Mantha, Bharadwaj and Borja García de Soto. “Cyber Security Challenges and Vulnerability Assessment in the Construction Industry." Proceedings of the 2019 Creative Construction Conference, 29 June - 2 July, 2019, Budapest, Hungary. (Accepted)

Mantha, Bharadwaj and Borja García de Soto. “Designing a Reliable Fiducial Marker Network for Autonomous Indoor Robot Navigation". In proceedings to the 36th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction (ISARC), May 21-24, 2019, Banff, AB, Canada (Accepted)

Wu, Keyi, Borja García de Soto,  Bryan T. Adey, and Feilian Zhang. "Automatic generation of the vertical transportation demands during the construction of high-rise buildings using BIM". In proceedings to the 36th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction (ISARC), May 21-24, 2019, Banff, AB, Canada (Accepted)

Mantha, Bharadwaj and Borja García de Soto. “Task Allocation and Route Planning for Robotic Service Networks with Multiple Depots in Indoor Environments.” In Proceedings of The 2019 ASCE International Conference on Computing in Civil Engineering, 17-19 June 2019, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (2019). (Accepted)

Daniel, Hannah, Bharadwaj Mantha, and Borja García de Soto. “Towards a Review of Building Energy Forecast Models.” In Proceedings of The 2019 ASCE International Conference on Computing in Civil Engineering, 17-19 June 2019, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (2019). (Accepted)

Mengiste, Eyob, and Borja García de Soto. “Using the Rate of Color Evolution of a Point Cloud to Monitor the Performance of Construction Trades.” In proceedings to the 18th International Conference on Construction Applications of Virtual Reality (CONVR2018), 21-23 November 2018, Auckland, New Zealand (2018).

Wu, Keyi, Borja García de Soto, Feilian Zhang, and Bryan T. Adey. "Automatic Generation of the Consumption for Temporary Construction Structures Using BIM: Applications to Formwork." In proceedings to the 35th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction (ISARC) and International AEC/FM Hackathon, 20-25 July 2018, Berlin, Germany (2018).

García de Soto, Borja, Isolda Agustí Juan, Samuel Joss, Jens Hunhevicz, Guillaume Habert, and Bryant T. Adey. "Rethinking the roles in the AEC industry to accommodate digital fabrication." Sixth Creative Construction Conference 2018, CCC 2018, 30 June - 3 July 2018, Ljubljana, Slovenia. DOI: 10.3311/CCC2018-012

Susset, Robert, Borja García de Soto, Claus Maier. "Determination of a classification tool for IFC data models based on a predefined classification system." Sixth Creative Construction Conference 2018, CCC 2018, 30 June - 3 July 2018, Ljubljana, Slovenia. DOI: 10.3311/CCC2018-047

Kerwin, Sean, Borja García de Soto, and Bryan T. Adey. "Comparison of the predictive performance of artificial neural network models for water main failures." In proceedings to the Sixth International symposium on Life-Cycle Civil Engineering (IALCCE2018),  28-31 October 2018, Ghent, Belgium (2018). (Accepted)

Amiri, Roya, Javad Majrouhi Sardroud, and Borja García de Soto. "BIM-based Applications of Metaheuristic Algorithms to Support the Decision-making Process: Uses in the Planning of Construction Site Layout." Procedia Engineering 196 (2017): 558-564. DOI: 10.1016/j.proeng.2017.08.030

García de Soto, Borja, Anton Rosarius, Jochen Rieger, Qian Chen, and Bryan T. Adey. "Using a Tabu-search Algorithm and 4D Models to Improve Construction Project Schedules." Procedia Engineering 196 (2017): 698-705. DOI: 10.1016/j.proeng.2017.07.236

Kneppers, Jax, and Borja García de Soto. "Workflow Improvements and Project Success Driven by Mobile Technology." In 2017 AACE Annual Meeting. AACE, 2017. Orlando, Florida, USA

Chen, Qian, Yunus Emre Harmanci, Yaowen Ou, and Borja García de Soto. "Robust IFC Files to Improve Information Exchange: An Application for Thermal Energy Simulation." Resilient Structures and Sustainable Construction (2017): AAE-4. DOI: 10.14455/ISEC.res.2017.8

Ou, Yaowen, Yunus Emre Harmanci, Qian Chen, Borja García de Soto, Vasileios Ntertimanis, and Eleni Chatzi. "A Finite Element Analysis Approach to Improve Interoperability for Thermal Energy Simulations." Resilient Structures and Sustainable Construction (2017): AAE-5. DOI: 10.14455/ISEC.res.2017.28

Streule, Thomas, Nino Miserini, Olin Bartlomé, Michael Klippel, and Borja García de Soto. "Implementation of Scrum in the Construction Industry." Procedia Engineering 164 (2016): 269-276. DOI: 10.1016/j.proeng.2016.11.619

García de Soto, Borja, and Bryan T. Adey. "Preliminary Resource-based Estimates Combining Artificial Intelligence Approaches and Traditional Techniques." Procedia Engineering 164 (2016): 261-268. DOI: 10.1016/j.proeng.2016.11.618

Kneppers, Jax, and Borja García de Soto. "Mobile Collection Technology to Develop Accurate Cost Reports." In 2016 AACE International Annual Meeting. June 2016. Ontario, Canada.

Nguyen, Long D., Ying-Yi Chih, and Borja García de Soto. "Exploring knowledge areas offered in project management programs in construction." In ICSC15: The Canadian Society for Civil Engineering 5th International/11th Construction Specialty Conference (2015). DOI: 10.14288/1.0076321

García de Soto, Borja, and Bryan T. Adey. "Regression-Based Estimation of Material Quantities Using Case-Based Reasoning." In 2015 AACE International Annual Meeting. AACEI, June 2015. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Chih, Ying-Yi, Long D. Nguyen, and Borja García de Soto. "Knowledge Areas Taught in Project Management Programs in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States." In 12th Bi-Annual IRNOP Conference, IRNOP 2015. The Bartlett, UCL Faculty of the Built Environment, 2015. London, UK

García de Soto, Borja, and Bryan T. Adey. "Investigation of the case-based reasoning retrieval process to estimate resources in construction projects." Procedia Engineering 123 (2015): 169-181. DOI: 10.1016/j.proeng.2015.10.074

García de Soto, Borja, D. Fernando, and Bryan T. Adey. "Evaluation of models to predict the construction material quantities of cylindrical storage structures." In proceedings to the ISPA (International Society of Parametric Analysts) / SCEA (Society of Cost Estimating and Analysis) Joint International Conference. Brussels, Belgium. May 14-17, 2012.

Other Publications

García de Soto, B. (2018). La digitalización y automatización en el sector de la construcción y el papel del director de proyectos. [Digitalization and automation in the construction industry and the role of the project manager]. PMI Lima Perú Chapter, Special Edition, June-July-August, 2018. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.35552.94724 (in Spanish)

Senn, Christian, Borja García de Soto, Bryan T. Adey, Simon Caspar, and Reto Camenzind. Effizienter Betrieb und Unterhalt der technischen Infrastruktur (EFFIN): Schlussbericht. ETH Zurich, 2016. DOI: 10.3929/ethz-a-010737603

García de Soto, Borja. "A methodology to make accurate preliminary estimates of construction material quantities for construction projects." Ph.D. diss., ETH Zurich, 2014. DOI: 10.3929/ethz-a-010361720

García de Soto, Borja, D. Fernando, and B. T. Adey. "Methodology to accurately estimate the quantities of construction materials used in cement plant construction projects." MIP Project. Internal HGRS Report. Holderbank, Switzerland (2013).

  • Licensed Professional Engineer (Civil), California
  • Licensed Professional Engineer (Civil), Florida
  • General Secretary of the International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction (IAARC)
  • Member for the IAARC Technical Committee for the International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction (ISARC) 
  • Member of the Editorial Board of Automation in Construction
  • Associate Editor of the Journal of Smart and Sustainable Built Environment
  • Associate Editor of the Construction Management section of Frontiers in Built Environment
  • Associate Editor of the Smart Construction Journal
  • Member of the Editorial Board of the Organization, Technology and Management in Construction: An International Journal (OTMC)
  • Member of the Scientific Committee, Creative Construction Conference
  • Member of the International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction (IAARC)
  • Founder and Faculty Advisor for the NYUAD’s IAARC Student Chapter
  • Founder and Faculty Advisor for the NYUAD’s ASCE Student Chapter
  • Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers
  • Founder of the ASCE Switzerland International Group
  • Certified Engineer Intern
  • Honorary Fellow of the Italian Society for Science, Technology, Engineering for Architecture - ISTeA (Società Italiana della Tecnologia dell'Architettura) (2023)
  • Recipient of the “University Partner of the Year” Award during the ALEC Innovation Day (2023)
  • Nominated for the NYUAD Faculty Award / NYUAD Transformative Research Award (2023)
  • First prize at the Smart City Robotics Challenge (SciRoc) competition. Episode 01: Deliver Coffee Shop Orders in Simulation (2021)
  • ASCE Smart Brief (Publication featured in the March 2017 ASCE Smart Brief)
  • ICE Publishing Awards 2016 (best work published in the Infrastructure Asset Management journal)
  • Construction and Infrastructure Award, ETH Zurich 2015 (Dissertation)
  • Dean's List (BSc/MSc)
  • 2000 Florida-Georgia Alliance Competition Award

 

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