Place, Culture and Identity
Group Leader(s): Professor Marcel Vellinga
About us
Space and architecture are shaped by the culture and the identities of communities as much as those communities are shaped by their perception and use of space and architecture.
Members of the group investigate this dynamic dialectical relationship from different disciplinary perspectives, including (interior) architecture, anthropology, urban conservation and history.
Focusing on different types of places in various parts of the world (including urban, rural, contemporary, historic and vernacular ones), the aim of the Place, Culture and Identity group is to gain a better theoretical understanding of both the nature of the process of place-making and the way it dialectically relates to aspects of culture, identity, aesthetics, memory, tradition, representation and architectural practice.
Related courses
- Architecture (MPhil / PhD / PhD by Practice / PhD by Published Work / Research Degree involving Creative Work)
Research impact
Our research had significant academic impact in a range of fields and disciplines, including vernacular architecture studies and urban conservation and regeneration. In terms of wider impact, research outcomes are disseminated to a wider audience via exhibitions, social media platforms and open access databases.
Leadership
Professor Marcel Vellinga
Professor of Anthropology of Architecture
Staff working on the theme of anthropology of architecture set out to provide an understanding of the social and cultural importance of architecture, as well as of the characteristics of an anthropological approach to its study.
Staff working on the theme of architecture and conflict investigate the impact that conflict has on the production and perception of architecture, space and place making, as well as the effects that architecture, space and place have on conflict.
Researchers working under this theme are collectively investigating the relationship between people and places across several continents, spanning the period from the seventeenth to the twenty-first century.
The work of staff members working on the theme of urban conservation and regeneration focuses on the conservation, regeneration and management of the historic built environment.
Staff working on the theme of therapeutic environments evaluate the effects of the built environment on people and the contributions of architecture and interior design to well-being.
