The Centre for Urban and Built Ecologies (CUBE) brings together architects, urbanists, artists and designers with collective research interests in environmental, social and cultural ecologies of cities. CUBE investigates relations between spatial contexts, social dynamics and sustainable urban environments, adopting methods of analysis that build upon the critical approaches to the history, theory and practice of architecture. These develop modes of understanding that are responsive to the complexity, slipperiness and interdisciplinary nature of urbanity today. Research draws upon a wide range of themes, topics and issues that emerge through productive exchanges between architecture and urban design, critical ecological studies in the visual arts, and architectural hermeneutics. CUBE provides a creative and intellectual platform for cultivating dialogues between historical, philosophical and critical perspectives on the city.
Three research groups sit within CUBE, each focused on specific topics or areas of enquiry:
Architecture of Rapid Change and Scarce Resources (ARCSR) is a teaching and research area investigating shared city making in low-income settlements and fragile urban environments.
Cities is an academic research area that strives to address critical urban challenges through a creative and collaborative approach.
Ecological, Architectural and Civic Humanities in Design (EACHiD) is an interdisciplinary research area at the intersection of architectural, artistic and urban design practice and the humanities.
CUBE Leadership team:
