Sustainable Architecture and Cities
Design for Health and Wellbeing
Circular Cities and Urban Makers
Biography
Koen's current research addresses the architectural and urban implications of environmental issues ranging from sustainability and energy use to human behaviour and well-being. He was Head of Department (2009-14) and Head of Research as Director of the Martin Centre (2003-08). He is an architect and environmental design specialist and was listed as one of the "top 50 most influential people in UK sustainability" by Building Design.
Koen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws "in recognition of his distinguished career and his international standing as one of the world's experts on sustainable building design".
Research
Koen's academic activities are focused on the environmental performance of buildings and cities - with a particular interest in human health, perception and behaviour - which are the topics of funded research projects and his PhD students. His academic record and a list of his research projects can be found on ORCID. Selected research activities and projects include:
- "BBP-lab" - Behaviour and Building Performance Laboratory - Research group.
- "HS4U" - Research project on healthy design (Sept 2022 - Sept 2025) - EC, 6.25m Euros.
- "Pop-Machina" - Maker spaces and the circular economy (July 2019 - Nov 2023) - EC, 10m Euros.
- "MAGIC" - Managing Air for Green Inner Cities (Dec 2015-2020) - EPSRC, £4m.
- "Bayesian building energy model" (Sep 2014 - 2017) - EPSRC, £450k.
- "Energy Efficient Cities" (Sep 08 – Aug 13) - EPSRC, £2.9m.
- "ReVISIONS: Regional visions of integrated sustainable infrastructure optimized for neighbourhoods" (Apr 08 – Sept 12) - EPSRC, £3.3m.
- "Low Carbon Urban Design" (July 12 – June 14) - Tsinghua, $600k.
Publications
Key publications:
Koen has 200+ outputs (ca. 13,500 citations) and 10 books including "Healthy Homes" (2019), "Energy and Environment in Architecture" (2000), "Daylight Design of Buildings" (2002), "Environmental Diversity in Architecture" (2004) and "Sustainable Urban and Architectural Design" (2006). Click on the titles for further information or access to the publications.
For a comprehensive up-to-date list of publications see Google Scholar or Open Access Cambridge for copies of key papers.
Selection recent research papers:
- Gath-Morad, M., Grübel, J., Steemers, K. et al. (2024) The role of strategic visibility in shaping wayfinding behavior in multilevel buildings. Sci Rep 14, 3735.
- Schroder I, Elwakil R, Steemers K. (2024) Hybrid Makerspaces and Networks for the Circular City: A Case Study of Leuven, Belgium. Buildings, 14(1):137.
- Elwakil R, Schroder I, Steemers K. (2023) Circular Maker Cities: Maker Space Typologies and Circular Urban Design. Buildings, 13(11):2894.
- Boldina, A., Chung, H. C., Santos, A. M. C., & Steemers, K. (2023). Active urbanism: heart rate and oxygen consumption comparison when walking on imitation steppingstones versus a plain surface. Cities & Health, 7(3), 398–415.
- Boldina, A., Hanel, P. H. P., & Steemers, K. (2023). Active urbanism and choice architecture: encouraging the use of challenging city routes for health and fitness. Landscape Research, 48(3), 276–296.
- Li D, Xu H, Kang Y, Steemers K. Li D, Xu H, Kang Y, Steemers K. (2023) Systematic Review: Landscape Characteristics Correlated with Physical Activity of the Elderly People. Land. 12(3):605.
- Gunawardena, K., Steemers, K. (2023). Assessing the influence of neighbourhood-scale vertical greening application. Buildings and Cities, 4/1.
- Peng Z, Bardhan R, Ellard C, Steemers K. (2022) Urban climate walk: A stop-and-go assessment of the dynamic thermal sensation and perception, Building and Environment, 221.
- Boldina, A., Gomes, B., & Steemers, K. (2022). Active urbanism: The potential effect of urban design on bone health. Cities & Health, 6(2), 389–403.
- Krangsås SG, Steemers K, Konstantinou T, et al. (2021) Positive Energy Districts: Identifying Challenges and Interdependencies. Sustainability, 13(19):10551.
- Gholami H, Nils Røstvik H, Steemers K. (2021) The Contribution of Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) to the Concept of Nearly Zero-Energy Cities in Europe. Energies, 14(19):6015.
- Chatzipoulka C, Steemers K, Nikolopoulou M. (2020) Density and coverage values as indicators of thermal diversity in open spaces: Comparative analysis of London and Paris based on sun and wind shadow maps, Cities, 100.
- Sharmin, T., Steemers, K. (2020) Effects of microclimate and human parameters on outdoor thermal sensation in the high-density tropical context of Dhaka. Int J Biometeorol 64, 187–203.
- Gunawardena K, Steemers K. (2019) Adaptive comfort assessments in urban neighbourhoods: Simulations of a residential case study from London, Energy and Buildings, 202.
- Sharmin T, Steemers K, Humphreys M. (2019) Outdoor thermal comfort and summer PET range: A field study in tropical city Dhaka, Energy and Buildings, 198, 149-159.
- Lugten M, Karacaoglu M, White K, Kang J. Steemers K. (2018) Improving the soundscape quality of urban areas exposed to aircraft noise by adding moving water and vegetation, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 144, 2906–2917.
A sample of previous journal articles (prior to 2016) can be found under 'Other publications' below.
Other publications:
A sample of previous journal articles (prior to 2016):
- Anderson, J., Ruggeri, K., Steemers, K., & Huppert, F. (2016). 'Lively Social Space, Well-Being Activity, and Urban Design', Environment and Behaviour, 1-32 (Open Access link).
- Yun, G. Y., Lee, J. H., & Steemers, K. (2016). 'Extending the applicability of the adaptive comfort model to the control of air-conditioning systems'. Building and Environment, 105, 13-23. (Open Access link)
- Hargreaves, A., Cheng, V., Deshmukh, S., Leach, M., Steemers, K. (2016). 'Forecasting how residential urban form affects the regional carbon savings and costs of retrofitting and decentralized energy supply', Applied Energy, available open access online 28 March 2016 (Open Access link). See also this link for highlights.
- Steemers, K. (2015). 'Architecture for Well-being and Health', Daylight & Architecture, 23 (July), 1-22 (available online).
- Sharmin, T., Steemers, K., & Matzarakis, A. (2015). 'Analysis of microclimatic diversity and outdoor thermal comfort perceptions in the tropical megacity Dhaka', Bangladesh. Building and Environment, 94 (2), 734-750. (Open Access link)
- Godoy-Shimizu, D., Armitage, P., Steemers, K., & Chenvidyakarn, T. (2014). ‘Using display energy certificates to quantify pulic sector office energy consumption'. Building Research and Information, Published online 5 Nov 2014.
- Hui, B., & Steemers, K. (2014). 'Energy retrofit and occupant behaviour in protected housing: A case study of the Brunswick Centre in London'. Energy and Buildings, 80 120-130. (Open Access link)
- Sarralde, J. J., Quinn, D. J., Wiesmann, D., & Steemers, K. (2015). 'Solar energy and urban morphology: Scenarios for increasing the renewable energy potential of neighbourhoods in London'. Renewable Energy, 73, 10-17 (Open Access link)
- Armitage, P., Godoy-Shimizu, D., Steemers, K., & Chenvidyakarn, T. (2014). 'Using Display Energy Certificates to quantify public sector office energy consumption'. Building Research and Information, 43 (6), 691-709. (Open Access link)
- Chen, J., Wang, X. & Steemers, K. (2013). ‘A statistical analysis of a residential energy consumption survey study in Hangzhou, China’, Energy and Buildings, 66, Nov., 193-202.
- Godoy-Shimizu, D., Armitage, P., Steemers, K., & Chenvidyakarn, T. (2011). ‘Using display energy certificates to quantify schools' energy consumption'. Building Research and Information, 39(6), 535-552.
- Cheng, V. & Steemers, K. (2011). ‘Modelling domestic energy consumption at district scale: A tool to support national and local energy policies’, Environmental Modelling and Software, 26(10), 1186-1198.
- Steemers, K. & Manchanda, S. (2010). ‘Energy efficient design and occupant well-being: Case studies in the UK and India’, Building and Environment, 45(2), 270-278.
- Steemers, K. & Yun, G.Y. (2009). 'Household energy consumption: a study of the role of occupants', Building Research and Information, 38(1), 625 – 637.
- Ratti, C., Baker, N. & Steemers, K. (2005). ‘Energy consumption and urban texture’, Energy and Buildings, 37(7), 762-776.
-
Nikolopoulou, M. & Steemers, K. (2003). 'Thermal comfort and psychological adaptation as a guide for designing urban spaces', Energy and Buildings, 35(1), 95–101.
- Steemers, K. (2003), ‘Energy and the City: Density, buildings and transport’, Energy and Buildings, 35(1), 3-14.
- Nikolopoulou, M., Baker, N. & Steemers, K. (2001). 'Thermal Comfort in Outdoor Urban Spaces: Understanding the human parameter', Solar Energy, 70(3), 227-235 (winner of the ISB (International Society of Biometeorology) Scientific Award in Human Biometeorology).
