Supervisors: Professor Monica Lavagna (POLIMI) and Associate Professor Paul Minifie (RMIT) with Industry Mentor Giulia Galluccio (CMCC)
Project 1: Vernacular architecture and climate change
The project focuses on climate change adaptations of Indigenous architecture in fragile settings. Indigenous and local knowledges play significant roles in maintaining the socio-ecological resilience of local built environments. Climate change vulnerability of Indigenous contemporary and traditional architectures and settlement planning requires the definition of strategies strengthening the adaptive capacity in the context of climate change, in balance with local culture/s and global adversity.
Project 2: Housing design for climate change adaptation
The project focuses on housing and settlement design for climate change adaptation and mitigation in fragile settings (coastal areas or inland areas) in Europe or Oceania. Sustainable strategies for impact prevention and new design paradigms/strategies for mitigation, adaptation and resilience of residential building and housing settlements, ecologically attentive to particularities of each setting, are required to overcome built environment vulnerability to climate change.
Project 3: Housing and cultural resilience
The project focuses on housing and cultural resilience to climate change. Architecture is an expression of cultural practices, traditional knowledges, available materials, resources, socio-spatial norms and belief systems in response to local climates. The aim of the project is to develop strategies with groups in areas imminently threatened by climate change to develop housing models which embody cultural needs leading to greater resilience. Projects working with Indigenous groups in fragile settings are encouraged.