News

Harnessing AI for addressing air pollution in cities

14 May 2025

The Department would like to congratulate Dr Ramit Debnath, Assistant Professor, on the publication of ‘Physics-based machine learning for predicting urban air pollution using decadal time series data’ in Environmental Research Communications. In this collaborative work with Caltech, researchers develop a new model and...

The Faculty of Architecture and History of Art is proud to retain our Athena Swan Bronze Award for Gender Equality

13 May 2025

The Athena Swan award is a national framework used in higher education and research to promote gender equality and advance the careers of women in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine) and other fields. It recognises institutions and departments that demonstrate a commitment to creating a more...

The department congratulates our first-ever MPhil (MAUS) students from Bhutan, Pema Yangzom and Sonam Choden, on publishing their MAUS dissertation in a top urban planning journal, Cities

12 May 2025

This dissertation was supervised by Dr Ronita Bardhan and can be read in full here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264275125001878 . This research empirically shows that in Bhutan, happiness isn't just a philosophy—it shapes policies, communities, and even housing. The paper ‘Residential Satisfaction...

Celebrating the publication of “Arctic Practices: Design for a Changing World”

24 April 2025

The Department would like to congratulate Dr Sofia Nivarti, Assistant Professor of Architecture, on the publication of Arctic Practices: Design for a Changing World . The collected volume, edited by Bert De Jonghe and Elise Misao Hunchuck and published by Actar , assembles forty-six contributors—designers, educators...

Join us on Wednesday, 30 April, at 5:30pm in LR1 for the first ‘Siteseeing’ film forum screening this term, featuring 'is this an architectural documentary?'

23 April 2025

The screening will be followed by a conversation with Prof. Tariq Jazeel (UCL Department of Geography) and Sumedha Kelegama (film director). is this an architectural documentary? (Irushi Tennekoon, Sumedha Kelegama and Sumudu Athukorala, 2023, 60 minutes) explores a housing scheme designed by Minnette De Silva (1918-1998)...

Research by Dr Ronita Bardhan is now part of University of Cambridge’s flagship initiative on Using AI to Protect Nature and Climate

22 April 2025

Dr Ronita Bardhan, Associate Professor and Deputy Head of the Department of Architecture at the University of Cambridge, has been featured in the University’s flagship initiative on Using AI to Protect Nature and Climate . Her research is recognised for its pioneering use of artificial intelligence to address the dual...

We are pleased to announce that Professor Flora Samuel, Dr Irit Katz, Dr Caitlin Shepherd and the Public Map Platform team have been invited to the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, curated by Carlo Ratti

13 March 2025

The 19th International Architecture Exhibition will take place from 10 May to 23 November 2025, curated by the architect and engineer Carlo Ratti. David Hurtado, a recent alum of our M.Arch course, has also been invited to participate with the project 'Wine Country'. For more information about the Exhibition visit: https...

'Pistols in St Paul's: Science, Music, and Architecture in the Twentieth Century' a new book by Dr Fiona Smyth has been shortlisted for the 2025 Architectural Book Awards

6 March 2025

Dr Smyth's book is a study of the science of architectural acoustics in the first half of the twentieth century. For more information visit: https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526180209/ Alumnus Dr Amy Boyington has also been shortlisted for 'Hidden Patrons: Women and Architectural Patronage in Georgian Britain'...

Professor Flora Samuel will be giving a talk on 'Building an Inclusive and Participatory Planning System' at Lucy Cavendish College from 6pm on Thursday March 20

6 March 2025

You are warmly invited to a thought-provoking talk by Flora Samuel , Professor of Architecture and Head of Department at the University of Cambridge. The discussion will focus on a key topic at present: "Building an Inclusive and Participatory Planning System." There will also be an opportunity for Q&A. Date: Thursday...

The Cambridge Room, a consultation space for the region, is opening in the Grafton Centre on 4 March 2025

27 February 2025

On a good day 3% of people will comment on planning proposals in their area meaning that vital decisions are being made about our places without the input of 97% of the population. Planning engagement tends to be very technical and dry. Often communities get fed up with being asked what they want only to discover that...