City university recognised for leading role in sustainable design

SHEFFIELD University has been chosen to develop one of four new Centres of Excellence in Sustainable Building Design by the Royal Academy of Engineering.

It will work for the other three centres, based at University College London, Herriott-Watt University in Edinburgh and Loughborough University to form a new national network which shares teaching and research.

Experts in architecture and engineering will be working together to train students in the “principles of sustainable design.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Professor Fionn Stevenson, the co-director of the new centre and incoming head of the School of Architecture at Sheffield, said: ‘We are really delighted to be working with our colleagues in engineering to deliver socially engaged, technically excellent professionals in the built environment.

“This award of excellence recognises our position at the forefront of sustainable design, teaching and research in the built environment.”

Fellow co-director Dr Buick Davison. from the department of Civil and Structural Engineering, added: “Hosting a Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE) Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Design is a great endorsement of what we have managed to achieve in a very short period of time and will be a launch pad to develop further this exciting area of teaching and research.

“Working collaboratively as part of a network of RAE Centres of Excellence we seek to have a much greater influence in bringing about the changes needed in policy, practice and training in order to meet the considerable challenges associated with the design and delivery of sustainable buildings.”

The universities will work closely with the construction industry to develop engineering design courses that are as relevant as possible to the work students can expect to do in the workplace.