UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering

Join us at the Bartlett Postgraduate In-Person Open Evening on Wednesday 5 February 2025 to explore cutting-edge solutions for healthier buildings, cities, and communities with the UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering • Delve into innovative research • Connect with experts and peers • Find the programme that aligns with your goals 📍 Location: UCL 🔗 Register now: https://lnkd.in/gybCrCty

Really great to see the outputs of our MSc students' hard work last week! As always, huge thanks to our Programme Leads Phil Symonds, Gemma Moore and Valentina Marincioni, our very supportive teaching administrators and the amazing team of postgraduate teaching assistants, design tutors and guest lecturers supporting my two modules: Natural and Mechanical Ventilation - Fady Sherif Abdelaziz, Jiannan Luo, Nuno Correia, Kostas Mastronikolaou, John Mcloughlin, Esfandiar Burman, Lia Chatzidiakou, Yudish Dabee, Minnie Ashdown, Integrated Building Design - Meysam Paydar, Jingxuan Yang, Giuliano Camerini, Spyros Stravoravdis, Hadi Ibrahim, Eleni Oikonomou, Ivan Korolija, Cosmin Ticleanu, Francesco Aletta! I also really enjoyed the posters from the module on Health, Comfort, Wellbeing in the Built Environment led by Mandana S. Khanie.

🌱 Innovative solutions for cooler, greener homes in tropical climates - Salsabila Adela Purti presents her Environmental Design and Engineering MSc dissertation research on the role of vegetation and cool materials in reducing indoor temperatures and energy use in Indonesian residential buildings. Discover practical strategies for energy-efficient design in tropical regions. 🔗 Watch now to explore her findings: https://lnkd.in/eUnYMfQr #EnergyEfficiency #GreenBuildings #TropicalDesign

How do we turn climate resilience ambitions into action? 🌍💡 The world’s most vulnerable communities face increasing risks from climate-related disasters. Yet, translating global resilience goals into local action remains a challenge. In a new Bartlett Review article, Professor Catalina Spataru, Director of the Energy Institute, demonstrates how UCL researchers are leading a global initiative to improve disaster governance and sustainability in communities. The Re-Energize Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience (DR3) project is tackling this challenge head-on. The DR3 toolbox is designed in collaboration with 15 island states, coastal cities, and research institutions to provide practical, adaptable solutions. “The toolbox takes a truly unique interdisciplinary approach to adaptive governance for disaster risk reduction. By bringing together diverse perspectives, we aim to develop practical solutions tailored to the unique needs of vulnerable communities.” – Professor Catalina Spataru Read more in The Bartlett Review 🔗 https://bit.ly/411DWef #ClimateResilience #DisasterRiskReduction #UCLEnergy #SDGs The Bartlett, UCL's Faculty of the Built Environment

We’re counting down to the Bartlett Person Postgraduate In-Person Open Evening on Wednesday 5 February 2025. Don’t miss your chance to: 🔗 Speak with academics shaping sustainable design on our postgraduate courses in environmental design and engineering, smart building and digital engineering, healthy buildings, and lighting design. 🌟 Learn about our cutting-edge research in healthier buildings and cities. 🏛️ Tour 22 Gordon Street and see where ideas come to life. 🎓 Hear alumni success stories at our panel discussion. 📋 Join the Dean’s welcome talk and network with peers. 📍 Location: UCL 🔗 Register now: https://bit.ly/4h0RlIt Design the cities of tomorrow with us. #SustainableDesign #HealthyCities

Our latest paper, "𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬: 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐌𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐲" has just been published in the 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰. I am so excited to share both the news and the paper here! This research was part of my PhD for developing a participatory Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) framework for evaluating the holistic sustainability of housing estate regeneration schemes. It explored the perceived priorities of diverse stakeholder groups of housing estate regeneration schemes to inform the development of the framework. Through thematic analysis of literature and survey responses, the paper highlights critical findings on the importance of ethical considerations, the role of institutional barriers in decision-making, and the potential for participatory approaches to enhance LCSA frameworks. If you are interested in LCSA, participatory frameworks, housing estate regeneration, or tackling the challenges of balancing the environmental and socioeconomic impacts, I believe you will find this work interesting and I would love to hear your thoughts! I hope the findings of this paper will inspire researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders in gaining a better understanding of the the perceived priorities of different stakeholder groups to bridge the implementation gaps in stakeholder-driven sustainability assessments of regeneration schemes to promote holistic sustainability and informed decision-making. Special thanks to the participants who generously contributed to the survey, and to my supervisors, Dr. 𝐙𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐢, Prof. Sarah Bell, Dr. Gemma Moore and Prof. 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐢 𝐙𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐧, for their invaluable support and trust in my research. BSEER Comms UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering #LCSA #ParticipatoryResearch #EstateRegeneration

IEDE leads new £2 million project to accelerate climate adaptation of domestic environments. 🌇 Led by Professor Anna Mavrogianni, the 'Accelerating Resilience and Climate Adaptation of Domestic Environments for vulnerable populations' (ARCADE) project focuses on safeguarding heat-vulnerable groups, particularly older adults, by improving housing heat-resilience. The initiative will assess how residents are affected by heat both indoors and outdoors, utilising a mixed-methods approach that combines environment monitoring, occupant surveys, and simulations under different climate scenarios. Collaborating with policymakers, healthcare professionals, and industry leaders, the ARCADE team aims to develop tools to evaluate heat risk and model heat-health impacts, ensuring that our homes remain safe and comfortable as our climate changes. Find out more ▶️ https://lnkd.in/e3n9UfVE London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, U. of London Oxford Brookes University, Met Office, UK Health Security Agency, London Borough of Waltham Forest, Oxfordshire County Council

🌍 Reflecting on a Successful Knowledge Exchange Event (UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering / AECOM) 🌱 We had an insightful knowledge exchange event at AECOM, bringing together the IEDE / LCA & Circular Economy Research Group lead by Yair Schwartz, and AECOM’s experts to foster collaboration between academia and industry. A huge thank you to AECOM speakers Emily Loquidis, Dave Cheshire, David Pennie, Kallum Desai, John Trinick, Celine McLoughlin-Jenkins, and our UCL speakers Alexander Dhesi, Li Wenzhuo, Marios Kordilas, Omer Raz, and Yuhong Wang, for their insightful contributions. Your expertise and perspectives were invaluable in driving forward these important discussions. This dynamic session provided a platform to: ✅ Share innovative strategies for sustainable design and construction. ✅ Explore real-world applications of LCA in infrastructure projects. ✅ Foster partnerships to drive the transition toward net-zero future. These conversations reaffirm the power of collaboration in tackling pressing environmental challenges. Looking forward to more partnerships and impactful initiatives ahead! #Sustainability #LifeCycleAssessment #CircularEconomy #KnowledgeExchange #NetZero #Collaboration

🏢 Can built environments protect everyone in disasters? Thais Hayashi Alves examines how non-inclusive infrastructure affects people with disabilities during natural disasters in her Health, Wellbeing and Sustainable Builds dissertation. Her work highlights the need for inclusive design to ensure safety and accessibility for all. 🔗 Watch the recording to learn more: https://lnkd.in/eZTqJqy9 This presentation was part of a UCL Sustainability in Higher Education Initiative event. #InclusiveDesign #DisasterPreparedness #Accessibility

I'm delighted to announce I will be leading the £2 million 'Accelerating Resilience and Climate Adaptation of Domestic Environments for vulnerable populations' (ARCADE) project! ARCADE aims to assist decision-makers to protect vulnerable individuals in the UK in adapting to climate change within their homes, with a particular focus on older individuals and types of housing that have been less studied to date. The project will examine various residential settings, including retirement villages and social housing, to understand how people are affected by heat both indoors and outdoors. I'm looking forward to working with an amazing team, including Co-Leads from the UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering (Clare Heaviside, Giorgos Petrou, Gemma Moore, Irene Pluchinotta, Nici Zimmermann, Mike Davies), the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, U. of London (James Milner, Shakoor Hajat, Luke Vale), and Oxford Brookes University (Rajat Gupta) and collaborators at the London Borough of Waltham Forest and Oxfordshire County Council. The team will work closely with the Met Office and a number of project partners, including the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, the Greater London Authority, Greener NHS, CIBSE, Good Homes Alliance, Shade the UK and construction industry partners specialising in passive cooling solutions, Solar-Shield Exterior Shading Solutions and Shaded. The project's advisory board will be chaired by Agostinho Moreira de Sousa, Head of Extreme Events and Health Protection at the UK Health Security Agency. ARCADE is part of the 'Maximising UK Adaptation to Climate Change' (MACC) programme, a UKRI-Defra £15 million investment in research to help the UK prepare for climate change. The ARCADE team will work directly with the Maximising UK Adaptation to Climate Change Hub, funded within the same programme, to ensure knowledge exchange between research and policy.