Architecture
The School of Architecture enjoys an international reputation in research, in areas ranging from sustainable design to vernacular architecture. Staff regularly secure research funding from the UK’s research councils, the European Union and industry. This research expertise feeds directly into the teaching programme at all levels.
We offer the following research degrees:
- MPhil
- MPhil transferring to PhD
- PhD direct
- PhD by published work
Support and Supervision
You can expect:
- Supervision from at least two experts in the field and to meet with them regularly (eg every three weeks), meeting all together as a team at least once a semester.
- Involvement in one of the school’s research groups carrying out activities such as submitting research grant proposals and undertaking hourly paid consultancy work.
- The opportunity to attend a faculty- wide taught research training course (part of a Master’s in Research programme). A more flexible, open research methods course is also available for part-time students.
- Weekly meetings with research students and supervisors over lunch, taking turns to present research ideas, methods, problems and findings. Monthly research seminars are also organised by some research groups.
- The opportunity to present work in a formal setting and to learn from the work of other students at events such as the yearly research student conference run by the faculty.
- Participation in the research activities of the school and faculty, for example, the weekly Breakfast Seminars in which members of staff and visiting scholars present their findings.
- A lively, vibrant community for research degree study is created by 100 research students across the faculty.
Research Areas
You can undertake research degrees in the following areas:
- Energy assessment of buildings, both new build and refurbishment
- Carbon foot-printing and carbon mapping of buildings, both new build and refurbishment
- Thermal comfort surveys and the statistical analysis of data from surveys
- Design of low-carbon buildings particularly using passive, bioclimatic methods
- Post-occupancy evaluation of buildings
- Photovoltaic and other passive and active approaches to solar architecture
- Computer simulation of buildings
- Guidance on sustainable design
- Sustainable use of construction materials
- Modern methods of construction and prefabrication
- Sustainable building design
- Construction and life cycle costing
- Steel, concrete, timber, masonry and glass construction
- Construction design guidance and regulation
- Building physics including: thermal, acoustic, structural and air-tightness testing and analysis
- Building envelope systems
- Product and systems development
- CAD and computer modelling
- Interdisciplinary, cross-cultural and comparative study of vernacular architecture traditions all around the world
- Transmission of indigenous, traditional and vernacular skills, expertise and knowledge
- Conservation, regeneration and sustainability of the vernacular building heritage worldwide
- Historic towns, tourism and heritage management
- Thermal comfort in vernacular architecture
- Cultural geography and mapping of vernacular architecture traditions
- Design in a vernacular context
- Development and emergency practice
- Shelter after disaster
- Space and society.
Research Centres
- Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development (OISD).
- Centre for Development and Emergency Practice (CENDEP).
