Neveen Hamza (Reader in Architecture, Energy and Wellbeing at Newcastle University)
Abstract: ‘Air’, beyond its scientific definition as ‘gaseous material that surrounds the earth and that we breathe’, to an element that tells a story of human designed environments. Beyond being captured, circulated, and quantified by compliance to scientific building regulations to the creation of memorable environments of alliesthesia. This lecture looks into an architectural legacy of how air is architecturally expressed to support human well-being and alleviate climate change, from ‘air’ circulated in vernacular expressions, to trapped ‘air’ in sealed envelopes to contemporary architectural building skins. This invisible building material, in need of visualization at design stage, challenges building and urban performance simulation tools.
Bio: Neveen looks at architecture as an interface between healthy and sustainable indoors and outdoors environments. With a background in architecture and urban design, she integrates her research into teaching in the design studio and environmental design lectures at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She is currently interested in the impact of the built environments on memory and well-being and the implementation of Salutogenic theories in design. She has over 100 publications linking building and urban performance modelling to architectural design and wellbeing in and around buildings.