Research

When I started my post at the University of Dundee in 2004, I established the Environmental Design of Buildings research unit (EDoB) to promote the environmental sustainability in the school through research, teaching and practice. Great emphasis was placed on practice led research. The research done to date had led the environmental design teaching across the school on both the undergraduate and the postgraduate levels in this area.

EDoB is concerned with a wide range of aspects related to environmental design of buildings including climatic responsive architecture, passive design and the environmental design of complex buildings. A methodology to quantify the effectiveness of passive measures and strategies in terms of human comfort and energy efficiency has been developed within the unit and is being employed to investigate a number of research projects.

EDoB recruited four overseas PhD students who are investigating the environmental performance of primary schools, natural ventilation in desert housing, human dimensions in desert settlements, and sustainable cities.