Preston is a dynamic City to study architecture — an architectural laboratory of industrial docks, 60’s brutalism and modern intervention. The institute maintains strong links with the City and with architects in the region, with the key aim of giving students a dynamic and practical education.
The Institute is situated in the Harris Building in Preston, once the Harris Institute where Sir George Grenfell-Baines first studied before going on to establish the Building Design Partnership (BDP) in 1961. Part of the School of Art, Design and Fashion (ADF) in the College of Culture and Creative Industries, the Institute resides within a vibrant creative environment; maintaining strong historic ties with the construction and engineering disciplines, while retaining its identity and culture as a thriving architecture school.
Des is Academic leader of the institute. His research considers the link between practice and studio. He worked for a number of practices prior to working in academia, most recently as Project Architect for the London 2012 Olympic Village and as Lead Architect at Zaha Hadid Architects.
Karim is interested in inclusive design and how the physical environment can be improved to fit the needs and requirements of the older user in particular. Karim has led and participated in over 25 research projects worldwide, and secured over £1m in competitive research grants.
Maria is Head of the School of Art, Design and Fashion. Maria is interested in the areas of architectural conservation, regeneration and sustainability, and architectural design management.
Simon Kay-Jones is a part-time PhD student at the University of Manchester whose topic is ‘Learning from our Elders’, he is currently researching how the elderly govern or become governed by their relationship to Ecological Processes associated in defining, observing and practicing Sustainable Development.
Chris is a Senior Lecturer in Architectural Design and the Subject Lead for Building Technology at the Institute for Architecture, UCLan. His research follows two primary, often crossing, paths which explore the physical making of architecture and the position of architectural drawing as both explorative and representative tool.
Abdul’s research interests are in intelligent buildings and their impact on their users; the impact of information technology on the design and construction process; the use of computer visualisation in the design and construction process; computer support for creativity and cognition; and buildability and information communication during the design and construction process.
Adam Evans is an architectural historian and cultural theorist. He teaches history, theory and culture of architecture within the BSc and MArch Architecture programmes and also runs the MSc in Urban Design. His research is connected to issues of (sub)cultures and liminal space, multiplexity, pluralism and the subaltern, and socio-cultural spaces of otherness.
Ann is a qualified Architect and Architectural Technologist and has worked at UCLan since 2009. She is a Senior Lecturer and third year leader for the BSc (Hons) Architectural Studies Programme. She works with a range of people, groups and organisations to develop ‘live’ studio projects.
Jenni is research active within the area of built environment and sustainability and is a member of the Centre for Sustainable Development. Her research interests include: Interdisciplinary synthesis of design; design process & memetics in design; the social psychology of design teams and the relationship to design outcomes.
Richard’s research interests focus on informal space and alternative architecture, critical cultural theory, post‐colonial theory, post‐ structuralism, urban design and participatory practices.
Mary’s research and practice activities have always been strongly inter‐dependent — one always supporting active engagement with, and development of, the other. Her research interests focus on sustainability & effects of the designed/ physical environment on people using/ living in or with it.
Louise’s experience includes lecturing in fine art, graphic design, photography, architectural technology and architecture. She is interested in site and place interventions that reveal the dynamics of spaces. Territory, borders and identity are factors that impact on the politics of location that can determine architectural interventions.
Currently, Ehab is researching the relation between city cultures, and users’ perception and wellbeing, which investigates how design for culturally rich sites learn from the past to create sustainable environments. The applications vary from small-scale functional spaces (e.g. offices, pharmacies, etc.) to cultural city scapes.
Lynne is an architect and teaches on the Architectural Technology course. Lynne comes from a practice background, and has previously has taught in institutions in the North of England. Lynne’s research interests are in materiality and application of structure.
Ben lectures on the Architecture Technology course as an associate lecturer, and is a practicing technician. His interest are in detail resolution of detail and material interfaces.