Environment, Sustainability and Technology

Staff Members

Asterios Agkathidis

Asterios Agkathidis

Asterios’s research focuses on emerging computational technologies and their impact on form-finding processes, material applications, sustainability, digital manufacturing and construction. He has wide experience in the realization of complex geometries using digital manufacturing techniques and the file-to-factory design process. He was awarded the Gold Medal for the Dark Matter Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show (Royal Horticultural Society, 2015) and the Most Impressive Pavilion (Hawthorn Prize) at the FAB FEST Exhibition (University of Westminster 2018).  His current research activities involve parametric design, generative design, adaptive/interactive design, material computation and digital fabrication. Asterios’s recent book, co-authored with Rosa Urbano, is Sustainable Retrofits: Post War Residential Towers in Britain (Routledge, 2018).

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Dr Han-Mei Chen

Dr Han-Mei Chen

Han-Mei is a civil and structural engineer. Her expertise is in sustainable structural design, digital construction techniques, building maintenance and renovation. Dr Chen’s main research interests are circular economy, climate change mitigation and sustainability in the built environment. Her research themes derive into low carbon structural design and construction, design for deconstruction, life cycle assessment for structural materials, heritage preservation, material and product reuse and remanufacturing, resource efficiency and waste management, waste utilization and upcycling in the built environment and civil infrastructures.

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Dr David Chow

Dr Daveed Chow

Daveed's main research interests are in the field of how energy consumption in different types of buildings will be affected by future climate change, as a result of excessive greenhouse gas emissions, as well as further urbanisation resulting in increasing urban heat island effects (particularly in rapidly developing economies such as China). I am also interested in how energy consumption in buildings can be minimised, by means of passive design strategies and improvements / incorporation of renewable technology systems.

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Dr Jiangtao Du

Dr Jiangtao Du

Jiangtao's current research focuses on the investigations into how view, colour and lighting (natural and artificial) impact on human health and wellbeing in working/living spaces, and healthcare facilities. He likes to study Biophilic Design and apply methods of environmental psychology and neuroscience to investigate human psychological and physiological performances in various environmental conditions (e.g. visual and thermal). His another research interest is the light pollution (intensity and colour) and urban environmental conservation. Jiangtao’s previous research experience included daylighting in atria, daylighting and solar access in urban planning, daylighting modelling, advanced daylighting systems, and low carbon design.

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Dr Stephen Finnegan

‌Dr Stephen Finnegan

Stephen’s research investigates the whole life sustainability and financial aspects of sustainable design. He has more than 20 years of experience in sustainability in construction and operation, having previously worked for KPMG LLP, AEA Technology, Arup and the European Commission. Stephen has a number of academic publications relating to life cycle planning and operation and has presented his research work in the US, India and across Europe at various international conferences and events. Stephen has part supervised a number of PhD students, been involved in multi-million pound research projects and is currently actively involved in enterprise work across the UK. In addition he is an editorial board member for sustainability with the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

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Dr Ranald Lawrence

Dr Ranald Lawrence

Ranald’s research examines the history of environmental design, and the broader relationship between buildings and climate in different cultural contexts. He has taught and published on nineteenth and twentieth century architecture, the history of ventilation and lighting, adaptive comfort theory, and the implications of the contemporary use of technology in buildings. His book, ‘The Victorian Art School: Architecture, History, Environment’ (Routledge, 2020), presents an explicitly environmental reading of the culture of the Victorian city explored through the design of art schools in Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow.

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Dr Haniyeh Mohammadpourkarbasi

Dr Haniyeh Mohammadpourkarbasi

Haniyeh’s main research interests include thermal simulation modelling, post occupancy evaluation and life cycle assessment for the development of energy-efficient, cost-effective sustainable buildings. Haniyeh is a certified Passivhaus designer/consultant with expertise in building energy retrofit, life cycle assessment and climate change adaptation of the built environment. Haniyeh worked as a low carbon consultant for more than three years, where she developed Life Cycle Costing (LCC) services and business cases for low carbon design. Haniyeh’s LCC research has won a number of awards, including the North West Regional Construction Innovation Awards 2016, and was "Highly Commended" in the Innovation category at 2016’s National Constructing Excellence Awards.

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Professor Steve Sharples

Professor Steve Sharples

Steve's research investigates the environmental impact and performance of buildings in the context of climate change and low carbon, sustainable design. He has over 200 publications and has held over 20 EPSRC awards, including several major multidisciplinary research consortia. Steve has supervised over 30 PhD students and current/recent projects have involve studies in Bahrain, China, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Mexico and Thailand.

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