New profs and PG courses in architecture and built environment

Thu, 16 Apr 2015 12:02:00 BST

Four new postgrad courses and four new professors establishes Huddersfield as a force in the field of architecture and the built environment

THE University of Huddersfield is building on established foundations of excellence in the study of architecture by creating a range of postgraduate courses covering key areas of construction, sustainability and urban design. New professors and lecturers who are leading experts in their fields have been appointed, and the first cohorts of MA and MSc students will arrive in September 2015.

The development is a major expansion in the portfolio of the University’s School of Art, Design and Architecture (ADA) (pictured right). There are now seven taught Master’s programmes available in the field of architecture and the built environment.

The new programmes are:

Advanced Architectural Design (MA) is based on foundations of traditional design knowledge and skills as well as addressing contemporary issue of architectural design and construction;
Advanced Project Management in Construction (MSc) is designed to develop advanced skill levels for students aiming to take on senior roles as project managers in the construction industry;
Design Integration and Building Information Modelling (MSc) will focus on new digital technology that is having a massively-transformative impact on the construction industry;
Urban Design (MA) is an innovative course that enables students to make a critical evaluation of the shortcomings of urban design policy and develop new strategies for towns and cities.

In addition to the wide range of taught courses, there are also increasing numbers of postgraduate students – from the UK and overseas – who undertaking research-based Master’s degrees and PhD projects in the fields of construction and the built environment.

New profs and researchers

The School has also made a number of senior appointments, including four new professors.

Professor Angela Lee has recently arrived at the University as the School’s Director of Research and Graduate Studies. An expert in the fields of process, performance and design management, she said that the goal was to building on the school’s existing excellence in architecture by adding a range of courses covering fields that included construction, surveying and building design. It is also intended that these subject areas will enhance the University’s research profile and Professor Lee will oversee the research-based postgraduate courses.

Professor Patricia Tzortzopoulos Fazenda joined the University last year and has taken the role of Head of the Department of Architecture and 3D Design. Professor Tzortzopoulos Fazenda is an architect with industrial experience in collaborative design integration and management and she will take overall responsibility for the new range of taught Master’s courses.

‌ ‌The newly-appointed Professor of Construction and Project Management is Lauri Koskela, who has long-established expertise in the field of ‘lean construction’. Professor Koskela is a founding member of the International Group for Lean Construction and his research has focused on the underlying theories of production management as well as project management.

Song Wu has been appointed Professor in Surveying and IT and he is an expert in computer modelling and simulation in the built and human environment. In 2012, he was awarded Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors education trust funds to investigate how building information modelling supports cost estimating practice in UK. In 2015, he was awarded a Newton Research Collaboration Grant by the Royal Academy of Engineering to work on human behaviour modelling on people movement and energy simulation with leading Chinese institutions. His research works have been widely published in over 80 academic publications.

Alongside the professorial appointments, the School has also appointed Dr Ioanni Delsanti, who has become Reader in Urban Design, Dr Lucy Montague, as Senior Lecturer in Urban Design, and Dr Kaushal Keraminyage, a Senior Lecturer whose principal teaching interests are in quantity surveying and related subjects.

‌‌Professor Mike Kagioglou, (pictured right) who is Dean of Art, Design and Architecture at the University of Huddersfield, is delighted that his school’s portfolio of courses has been expanded.

“The uniqueness of our courses is the innovative approach to the traditional subject areas to reflect the needs of the modern and changing architecture and built environment industry,” he said.

“New and innovative course content provides the skills and develops the abilities to meet the industry and government requirements. Digital technology, lean construction and multidisciplinary working are main themes that cut across our courses,” he added.