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In this fascinating and thought-provoking Subject Spotlight, join Dr Tulika Gadakari as she explores the importance of sustainability within architecture. Tulika unpacks what environmental, social and economic sustainability means, and how they go hand and hand within architectural design. She then presents the importance of user-centred design. By exploring user-centred design strategies like phenomenology, bioclimatic design and careful material selection, she showcases how peoples’ experience ties directly into sustainable design. Tulika applies this learning to three impressive examples from world-renowned Architects Peter Zumthor, Sarah Wigglesworth and Kengo Kuma. By analysing their work, she displays the real-life use of user-centred sensory design, community engagement, passive design, and sustainable material selection. Finally, Tulika gets you to have a go at analysing the sensory experience of your own home. She emphasises how the design of all spaces impact how we feel, and how user-centred architectural design is the key to a sustainable future.
Dr Tulika GadakariCoventry UniversityArchitecture, building, and planning
All episodes
1. How can architects contribute to positive change?
2. The sensory experience of spaces
3. Case studies: renowned architects
4. Activity: the sensory experiences of home
About the university
Coventry University
Coventry University is a place where you can achieve your ambitions. Our Phoenix+ programme offers extra and co-curricular activities to help you build core life skills and prepare you for your future career. The university is home to students from over 150 different nationalities, you will be part of a truly international community. Coventry was ranked as a top 10 Student City in England for Affordability in the QS Best Student Cities Index Ranking Indicators 2024. The city offers so much to do, see, and experience with affordable student living and accommodation, shops, entertainment venues and restaurants all within walking distance of the campus. Coventry University Group has received Gold for Student Experience and Silver for Student Outcomes in the latest Teaching Excellence Framework, demonstrating our capability to deliver excellence and positive student outcomes.
Coventry University profile →Meet the academic
Dr Tulika Gadakari
Dr Tulika Gadakari is the Course Director for Architecture at Coventry University. She is a researcher and practitioner with a growing international reputation in the area of using inclusive design, sustainable architecture and intelligent building technologies as a means of promoting ageing-in-place and achieving energy-efficient, cost-effective and user-centred environments. Through her research she explores varied themes including, design for health and well-being, sustainable design strategies, impacts of intelligent building technologies on users, energy performance gap and development of building rating systems. Improving health & wellbeing through co-creation and participatory design approaches encapsulates one of Tulika’s main research ethos for creating better futures, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. She has recently finished working on an ESRC-funded, Euro-China collaborative (UK, France and China) €1 million research project, to find new and innovative ways of adapting an older person’s home so that they can live independently for longer and avoid going into residential care as well as making it easier for them to access public services such as health and social services.
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