Biography
Dr Carolina Vasilikou is Assistant Professor in Architecture and Design at the Department of Architecture in the University of Cambridge and a member of the Future Observatory, the Design Museum's national research programme for the green transition. Her research interests lie at the intersection of lived experience and inclusive sensory environments, wayfinding and navigation and participatory design by making practices. Carolina is an expert reviewer for the Swedish National Research Council for Sustainable Development and she believes that systemic and adaptive approaches offer a meaningful future in architecture education and practice, putting the planet, people and places at the centre of spatial design.
Carolina is a trained architect (EU-registered), researcher and educator with more than 10 years' experience in HE in the UK. She teaches and supervises both in UG and PG courses and her current research focuses on sensory navigation and participatory climate emergency literacies for under-served communities. Prior to joining the University of Cambridge she was a member of the Continuity Atelier at Manchester School of Architecture, leading M.Arch. courses and teaching design studio, while leading the EDI strategy for the MSA. Before that she landed at the then new School of Architecture at the University of Reading, joining since its first year of operation, where she led the second year UG design studio and technology, while coordinating the Live Build Projects for the undergraduate curriculum, among many other things. Carolina holds a degree in architecture and urban design from NTUA (GR), a MSc in Engineering from the University of Bath (UK) and a PhD in Sustainable Architecture from the University of Kent (UK). She is currently a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Carolina is fascinated by creative spatial practice that investigates the re-definition of inclusive sensory space and public participation. She investigates the innovative exchange of practices and lived experiences, exploring multisensory, socio-cultural and heritage values of architecture through the lens of urban climate literacies and community-led practices. Her latest work investigates the corpo-sensorial dimensions of neurodiversity and everyday wayfinding, that aim to redefine the design frameworks of navigation in the public built environment.
Next to her academic work, Carolina is trained in improvisation, collaborates with theatre companies on architectural and workshop facilitation and has recently founded Feelia Lab, an experimental design and research practice, engaging with architectural improvisations. She volunteers for community-led adaptive reuse and traditional building projects.
Carolina invites expressions of interest for PhD supervision in the fields of sensory urbanism, neurodiversity and spatial design, the intersection of movement and|with architecture and the making of participatory inclusive spaces.
Publications
Journal Publications
R. Al Qutub, Z. Luo, C. Vasilikou, T. Tavassoli, E. Essah, H. Marcham (2024). Impacts of school environment quality on autistic pupil's behaviours – A systematic review, Building and Environment, 265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.111981
Moys, J.-L., Hwang, F., Marsili, U., Nunes, R., Tagg, A., & Vasilikou, C. (2023). ‘The inclusive way’ hackathon – inclusive wayfinding and pedagogy. InfoDesign - Revista Brasileira De Design Da Informação, 20(2). https://doi.org/10.51358/id.v20i2.1091
Vasilikou, C., Nikolopoulou, (2020) M. Outdoor thermal comfort for pedestrians in movement: thermal walks in complex urban morphology. Int J Biometeorol 64, 277–291. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-019-01782-2
Lenzholzer, Sanda & Klemm, Wiebke & Vasilikou, Carolina. (2018). Qualitative methods to explore thermo-spatial perception in outdoor urban spaces. Urban Climate 23. 10.1016/j.uclim.2016.10.003
Vasilikou C. (2018) Multi-sensory Navigation in a Heritage City: walking atmospheres in Canterbury. International Journal of Bio-Urbanism. VII (1).
Book Chapters
Vasilikou C. (2024) Micro-environments of care and discomfort, capturing and measuring atmospheres. In: Damien M., Rainer K., Martin W. & Wieszorek I. (eds.) The Routledge Handbook on Ambiances and Atmospheres. Routledge [under publication]
Vasilikou, C. (2019) The doors of dynamic thermal perception: towards environmental quality in urban design. In: Aletta, F. and Xiao, J. (eds.) Handbook of Research on Perception-Driven Approaches to Urban Assessment and Design. IGI Global, pp. 182-205. ISBN 9781522536376
Conference Proceedings
Vasilikou, C., Bennett, J. (2024). The neurodivergent body in motion: mapping the autistic sensory experience of the walkable urban space. In: Proceedings of the 5th International Congress on Ambiances, Lisbon-Rio de Janeiro.
Vasilikou, C., Papamanousakis, Y., Lanuza, F. (2023). The Story of the Design Partnership Behind ZeroCityPlus: A Community Game for Participation and Local Governance Beyond Net Zero Goals. In: Hilal, S., Bedir, M., Ramsgaard Thomsen, M., Tamke, M. (eds) Design for Partnerships for Change. UIA 2023. Sustainable Development Goals Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-36993-3_4
Social Media
