Research Vision
As a joint Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, the promotion of collaborative research between both fields is fundamental to our research vision. This aspiration underpins our organisation into three interdisciplinary groups:
- The Centre for Advanced Studies in Architecture (CASA)
- The BRE-sponsored Centre for Innovative Construction Materials (BRE CICM)
- The Engineering and Design of Environments Research Unit (EDEn)
The latter two groups have been founded to embrace research into the effects on the built infrastructure of climate change and the need for sustainable development, each with particular foci on materials and products (BRE CICM) and sustainable building design (EDEn).
CASA supports collaborative research crossing the boundaries between aspects of architecture - such as conservation, history, theory and design - and emerging digital technologies.
Closely associated with the Department is the industrially-funded Centre for Window and Cladding Technology (CWCT), which has as its foci dissemination of best practice, support and training for industry.
The fundamental drivers for our research are climate change, innovative & holistic design and historical interpretation, and funding is obtained from research councils, industry and international organisations in our pursuit of research excellence.
The 2008 Research Assessment Exercise 70% of staff entered (23.30 Full Time Equivalent) were graded either at the top 4* or at 3* (which means that they were either internationally leading or internationally significant in their field). This translates as 6th place nationally in the Built Environment Unit of Assessment, and maintains the equivalent of our top 5 rating achieved in the 2001 RAE.
We offer research-based degree programmes and research fellowships, and we regularly host academics from across the world for scholarly visits. Apart from our MPhil/PhD research programmes, which are intended for fundamental research to be conducted in any relevant area, we also offer three named MPhil programmes, namely the MPhil in Architectural History and Theory, the MPhil in Innovative Structural Engineering and the MPhil in Digital Architectonics.
In addition to the many full Departmental scholarships which we offer to outstanding research students, there are an unlimited number of partial teaching assistantships on offer to all our research students.