Eleni obtained an MEng in Biochemical Engineering from UCL in 2018. She has since gained experience working in communications, helping to manage public engagement for high-profile clients in the biopharmaceutical sector. She also worked as a technology consultant for a UCL tissue engineering start-up at the Royal Free Hospital, building a technological solution to complex tissue donation pathways. Eleni decided to pursue her ongoing interest in Architecture and Sustainable Design and recently started a PhD with an innovative architecture company holding a deep interest in sustainability. She hopes to draw on her broad range of experiences, both communicative and technical, in this well-balanced project.

Project Abstract:

The impact of a changing climate on the diverse architectural typologies that comprise the higher education (HE) building stock has not yet been investigated at scale. This research aims to assess the resilience of the HE building stock to future climate conditions, in relation to overheating and energy use. Two separate boundary conditions are proposed to model overheating mitigation strategies over the next century, with variables being appraised against the objectives of minimising the life-cycle carbon impact whilst upholding the demanding environmental requirements of learning spaces. The boundaries are defined as; (1) building-level, providing evidence on the climate adaptability of specific building types and functions that are typical of the UK HE sector and (2) campus-level, providing a tested methodological framework to deliver overheating mitigation at the estate scale. The overarching aim is to work towards a stock-level solution for the HE sector to adapt to future climates sustainably.