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Welsh School of Architecture

Projects

Below is a selection of Welsh School of Architecture research projects from the last few years.

The Nagara Tradition of Temple Architecture: Continuity, Transformation, Renewal

An examination of the transformations and renewals of an architectural tradition across a millennium and a half in India to see how past and present can be studied both for their own sakes and for their mutual illumination.

AHRC funded project: Shelf-Life; Re-imagining the future of Carnegie Public Libraries

Shelf-Life asks if the uniquely controlled procurement of over 2600 public buildings across Britain and America around 100 years ago by the Carnegie Library Programme could benefit from some systematic thinking for their re-vitalisation at a time of crisis.

Care for the City: Rethinking urbanism and ethics

Care for the City explores the role of care in the development and management of cities and urban communities.

Correlating maintenance, energy efficiency and fuel poverty for traditional buildings in the UK

The study seeks pathways to demonstrate that better maintenance of traditional buildings could reduce energy costs in the context of climate change.

Developing better outputs from building thermal simulation tools to improve decision making in the design of low energy buildings (EPSRC)

The research focused on the gap that exists between the output information from building performance simulation (BPS) tools and what is actually needed for building designers to undertake informed design decisions when designing energy-efficient low carbon buildings.

Euro-Mediterranean Urban Voids Ecology (EMUVE)

A Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship project looking at the existing voids produced by current shrinking cities along the Euro‐Mediterranean coastline.

harmonAC

harmonAC addresses the practical issues arising from the need for regular inspections of air-conditioning systems of over 12kW cooling capacity as required by the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).

iSERV CMB

The iSERVcmb project has provided a unique approach to understanding and reducing operational energy use in building services across Europe.

The Low Carbon Built Environment (LCBE)

The Low Carbon Built Environment (LCBE) project brings Welsh academics and industry together to reduce carbon dioxide emissions associated with the built environment.

SMART-er

The COST Action TU1104 “Smart Energy Regions” began in March 2012 and will take place over four years, involving numerous European researchers with different expertise and backgrounds.

The Sustainable Building Envelope Demonstration (SBED)

The Sustainable Building Envelope Demonstration (SBED) project is led by the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University, in partnership with Tata Steel.

Smart Operation for a Low Carbon Energy Region (SOLCER)

The SOLCER project will help to identify combinations of appropriate low carbon solutions.

Solcer House

The Welsh School of Architecture has designed and built Wales’ first low cost ‘energy positive’ house.

Temples of Ashapuri

Feasibility studies for the recovery, conservation and presentation of about twenty-six ruined medieval temples at Ashapuri.

CircuBED - Applying the circular economy to the design of social housing

Investigating the implementation of a circular economy in cities.

Eco-hammam: Low carbon technologies for lighting, heating and water recycling

Engaging key stakeholders with bespoke low-carbon technologies for lighting, heating and water recycling to sustain a Moroccan heritage

Tamil Temple Towns: Conservation and Contestation

The project aims to provide an authoritative body of research to inform inclusive and sustainable guidelines for heritage conservation and management in the temple cities.

Practicing engagement: the value of an architect in a community asset transfer

The redevelopment of the Grange Pavilion by Grangetown communities, partners and Cardiff University’s Community Gateway.

Energy Revolution Research Consortium: EnergyREV

The EnergyREV Consortium will demonstrate how to deliver an equitable move to a zero-carbon future whilst enhancing the UK economy.

Low Carbon Built Environment (LCBE) SPECIFIC 2 Programme

The SPECIFIC 2 LCBE research team aim to optimise a ‘whole systems-based approach’ to create a replicable and affordable low-carbon built environment.

Use of storage and renewable electricity generation to reduce domestic and transport carbon emissions

This project investigates the whole life energy, carbon and cost of an integrated renewable energy generation system.

Urban food growing – what are our options?

How can people reduce the impact of their food?

South Wales indoor and outdoor air quality

Comparing outdoor and indoor air quality in Bridgend, South Wales.

Harbourview

Raising awareness of the importance of harbours as coastal heritage.

Social housing research on energy from Welsh data (SHREWD)

An energy database for social housing in Wales to inform housing and energy efficiency policies.

Constructing the Urban Imaginary: Photography, Decline and Renaissance

Discussing the construction of three distinct “urban imaginaries” during two cycles of urban redevelopment.

The 2013-2017 restoration of the oratory of the Partal Palace

This research focuses on the innovative outcomes of the latest restoration of the Oratory of the Partal Palace (2013-2017).

Decision-making in regenerative design and development

Focusing on pushing the built environment beyond net-zero towards regenerating and restoring it.

The central role of architectural precedent in sustainable architectural design

Promoting critical evolution through an integration of the language of sustainability and design quality.

Embodied pedagogies: introducing ‘otherness’ in architectural education

The research examines the educational and ethical value that embodied pedagogies and pedagogies of alterity hold for architectural education.

Topologic: enhancing the representation of space in 3D modelling environments

Using computational topology to support the creation and analysis of the lightest, most understandable conceptual building information models.