Group photo commemorating the award – From left, Lee Dong-han, Kang Soo-ji, Kim Tae-yeon, Kim Hee-joong, Lee Ho-jin, and Kim Sung-hyun

A research team from the Smart Construction Project Management Laboratory of the Department of Construction Systems Engineering at Kookmin University (Dean Jeong Seung-ryul) won the grand prize at the '2025 Civil Engineering Day Commemorative College Student Civil Engineering Structure Model Competition' held at the Korea Science and Technology Center on Monday, March 31.

This is a prestigious national competition organized by the Korean Society of Civil Engineers and sponsored by the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, in which civil engineering students design and present models of real structures or virtual structures based on Building Information Modeling (BIM). The winning team was composed of graduate student Lee Ho-jin (team leader), Kim Sung-hyun, undergraduate research students Kim Hee-joong, Lee Dong-han, Kang Soo-ji, and Kim Tae-yeon, and they submitted a BIM-based virtual model under the title '3E-Zero Dom'.

'3E-Zero Dom' is a non-physical smart city model centered on three core values: Eco (eco-friendly), Energy (energy independence), and Evolution (sustainable evolution). In response to the problem of rising sea levels due to global warming, an energy self-sufficient system using offshore wind, wave power, and solar power was designed on a floating structure based on a VLFS and suction piles. BIM-based smart construction management technology and LSTM-based prediction system were combined to increase sustainability and technical feasibility. In addition, the symbolic and design perfection were considered by designing each floating island in the shape of a rose of Sharon, and the advanced urban integration modeling, including the transportation plan through the undersea tram and the infrastructure configuration in the city, received attention.

The jury explained the background of the Grand Prize award by highly evaluating the eco-friendly energy system design for carbon neutrality and the ability to implement smart construction management technology through the BIM platform.

“I am very pleased and grateful to have achieved such a meaningful result in the first competition in which I participated in the newly launched Smart Construction Project Management Laboratory this year,” said Lee Ho-jin, a graduate student, expressing his feelings after receiving the award. ”Based on this experience, I would like to further research BIM-based smart construction technology in depth and contribute to raising the status of the Department of Construction Systems Engineering in the future.”

Basic form of the structure of the '3E-Zero Dom' – A dome-shaped urban structure based on the shape of the Mugunghwa (Rose of Sharon) flower

BIM bird's-eye view – Connected floating islands designed as an integrated city through undersea infrastructure

Implementation diagram of the renewable energy system – Eco-friendly energy design integrating offshore wind, wave power, and solar power