UCL’s Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering in partnership with Architype are seeking applications for a fully funded Studentship on topic in ‘Empirical assessment of health and wellbeing in low energy buildings’
This project will research key relationships between occupant health and wellbeing and low energy buildings. Firstly, how active building monitoring can ensure ongoing performance-gap-free energy performance. Secondly, the relationship between low energy buildings and the health and wellbeing of occupants.
Supervisors: Professor Anna Mavrogianni of UCL’s Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, Seb Laan Lomas and Mark Lumley of Architype.
Funding: The studentship will cover UK course fees and an enhanced tax-free stipend of approx. £22,000 per year for 4 years along with a substantial budget for research, travel, and centre activities.
Fees: ERBE CDT has very limited funding for applicants requiring coverage of overseas fees. We advise all interested applicants to be familiar with the changes to EU and International Eligibility for EPSRC/UKRI funded studentships
Dates: 4 years from September 2023
Context and Project description:
Existing research has demonstrated gaps between predicted and in-use energy performance in non-domestic buildings of 2-10 times. Low energy/carbon buildings can be achieved in practice through best practice to reduce the energy performance gap, using high levels of design and construction scrutiny. However, the performance of low energy buildings with regard to their indoor environmental quality is still poorly understood: this includes indoor temperature, moisture/humidity, air pollutants, and associated exposures that could impact on human health and wellbeing. Commissioning issues and user operation can still impact in-use energy demand and environmental conditions which can positively or negatively impact occupant health and wellbeing, along with their satisfaction and productivity. Building monitoring can potentially enable real-time and retrospective insights into these key conditions.
Architype Architects have been delivering industry-leading low energy buildings for almost 4 decades, with over 15 years of experience delivering Passivhaus projects. Their in-house Building Performance team have expert experience in these topics with an online portal for real-time monitoring of buildings. They have previously undertaken and supported multiple research projects in this area. The successful candidate will be supported by members of Architype’s building performance and research team and will be welcomed by the wider practice community.
Studentship aims:
The aims of the studentship are:
- To quantify the impacts of low energy buildings on occupant health and wellbeing, through indicators such as indoor environment quality, occupant comfort and satisfaction, cognitive performance, absenteeism, in comparison to conventional buildings.
- To explore the potential real-term benefits of a wide range of building monitoring techniques.
- To investigate the energy and wellbeing impacts of building commissioning.
- To support improved methodologies of low energy building performance analysis, construction industry guidance, and policy incentives for wider adoption of low energy methodologies and monitoring.
- To demonstrate and increase the acceptability of potential identified benefits.
- To further Architype’s insight and methodologies for future analysis.
Person specification:
The applicant should have an interest in building physics and technical aspects of buildings and/or environmental engineering, with strong quantitative and analytical skills but an openness to drawing on qualitative data and approaches. The applicant should have high levels of self-determination and discipline, with the ability to programme workflows, coordinate with relevant persons, and communicate key issues.
A minimum of an upper second-class UK Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, in a relevant subject (e.g. architecture, engineering, physics, mathematics), is essential. Exceptionally: where applicants have other suitable research or professional experience, they may be admitted without a Master’s degree; or where applicants have a lower second-class UK Honours Bachelor’s degree (2:2) (or equivalent) they must possess a relevant Master’s degree to be admitted.
Applicants must also meet the minimum language requirements of UCL
Applicants should be familiar with the changes to EU and International Eligibility for UKRI funded studentships.
How to apply
All CV’s and Cover Letters must be completely anonymised and not contain any references to protected characteristics, such as gender, ethnicity or race.
Please submit your application by email to the UCL ERBE Centre Manager (bseer.erbecdt@ucl.ac.uk) with Subject Reference: 4-year PhD studentship in ‘Empirical assessment of health and wellbeing in low energy buildings’
The application should include each of the following:
1) An anonymised Cover Letter clearly stating why you are applying and how your interests and experience relate to this project, and your understanding of eligibility according to these guidelines: EU and International Eligibility for EPSRC/UKRI funded studentships
2) An anonymised CV
3) Complete the CDT EPSRC Eligibility Questionnaire and EDI Questionnaire via the linked Microsoft Forms.
Only shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview.
• For the interview shortlisted candidates will be asked to show proof of their degree certificate(s) and transcript(s) of degree(s), and proof of their fees eligibility.
• The interview panel will consist of the project’s academic supervisors at UCL, industry supervisors at Architype and a representative of the ERBE CDT Academic management. The interview will include a short presentation from the candidate on their ideas of how to approach this PhD project.
Following the interview, the successful candidate will be invited to make a formal application to the UCL Research Degree programme for ERBE CDT.
Deadline for applications: Sunday, 14th May 2023 @ 23:59 (UK time)
Interviews week commencing: TBC
For further details about the admission process, please contact: bseer.erbecdt@ucl.ac.uk
For any further details regarding the project, contact Professor Anna Mavrogianni, a.mavrogianni@ucl.ac.uk
You will be undertaking this project:
- In UCL at the main (Bloomsbury) campus as part of the new EPSRC-SFI Centre for Doctoral Training in Energy Resilience and the Built Environment (ERBE CDT). This is a collaboration between UCL, Loughborough University and Marine and Renewable Energy Ireland (MaREI). For more information please see http://erbecdt.ac.uk
- You will be invited to use Architype’s offices to collaborate with their Building Performance team, to learn from their wider expertise, and to be a part of their wider community. Their new London office is a 4-minute walk from Borough tube station, with another two offices in Hereford and Edinburgh. Their workforce of over 100 professionals is shared across these three offices to best support the needs of individual projects.