Our newly formed Architecture Group is research-led and will strategically link to and expand existing threads of research with the focus on growing the following three strands:

Digital Architecture

The digital architecture thread will augment existing digital design research within the School (e.g. BIM and virtual reality) with a broader range of technologies and design processes (e.g. computational design, mixed reality design platform). It also picks up on the integration of design and making with digital fabrication technologies and processes (e.g. free-form concrete) through the use of 3D printers, robotic construction and other computer numerically controlled (CNC) technologies (e.g. adaptive and smart technologies).

We recently appointed an Experimental Officer in Digital Architecture who will be lab-based in the new Mixed Reality and Robotic Research Lab and directly support this thread of research.

Architectural Tectonics

The architectural tectonics thread will expand the School’s existing materials (e.g. concrete) and construction methods research (e.g. offsite, modular construction) through strategic explorations in the art of construction, such as material innovations, efficiency and waste along with construction quality, technologies and finishes.

This thread of research will also have a strong lab presence and will benefit from the redevelopment of our laboratory facilities and the support of the School’s manufacturing and modelling technician. 

Urban Theory and Design

Urban Theory & Design will explore our urban futures within the context of today’s global challenges (e.g. future climates, population density, green space) and aims to link and scale up currently separate threads of research within the School – e.g. transport, water management, building energy, urban resilience – through concepts such as place-making and urban ecology. This research thread carries a particular strategic importance and will enable us to establish a holistic urban expertise which will allow for the School to respond to large scale research challenges on a cross-disciplinary urban-scale.