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Centre

Centre for Architecture, Urbanism and Global Heritage

Unit(s) of assessment: Architecture, Built Environment and Planning

Research theme(s): Safety and Sustainability

School: School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment

Overview

The Centre for Architecture, Urbanism and Global Heritage focuses on the investigation of human aspects of architecture, spatial practices, urban heritage, material culture and the built environment within the ever-changing urban and social structures of contemporary cities forcing new territories of interaction, innovation, creativity and analysis. Our research team approaches design as a comprehensive process that take account of the influence and impact of human actors, either as individuals, groups, or communities.

Based at NTU's School of Architecture, Design, and the Built Environment, our architectural, urban planning and heritage preservation work is world-leading, with several pioneering projects taking place on virtual and interactive environments for heritage preservation, virtual museums, and novel models of urban conservation and regeneration. CAUGH research projects and activities cover the recording of several architectural history and heritage sites in Belfast, Nottingham, Lisbon, Wolverhampton, Cairo, Berlin, Mexico City, Rome, Umm Qais Mosul, and Baghdad, amongst many others.

At CAUGH, we approach design as a comprehensive and inclusive process that takes into account the influence and impact of human actors; either as individuals, groups, or communities on the shaping of architecture, urban design, and the preservation and development of heritage sites. The Centre is a global research hub of creative thinking and scientific innovations with three joint research centres with world-leading institutions in China, India, and Egypt, and regional collaborative hubs in Iraq, Tunisia, and India.

Our research activities include projects, partnerships, and collaborations in the United Kingdom, Europe, South Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and North and South America.

Key areas of interest:

The key areas of interest and research expertise & PhD supervision are:

  • architectural history and theory, design
  • architectural & cultural heritage
  • identity, place and memory, modernity and regionalism
  • smart and virtual heritage technologies
  • landscape, urbanism and settlements
  • sustainable heritage management.

Given the nature of the sphere of interest, the group is committed to an integrated approach to academic research and design creativity, closely working on staff and postgraduate research projects, design consultancy and its wider dissemination through publications, exhibitions, conference organisation and a strong web-based presence.

For enquiries, please contact the Centre’s Director, Professor Gamal Abdelmonem, email: gamal.abdelmonem@ntu.ac.uk.

Queen's Anniversary Prize 2021

Nottingham Trent University has been awarded the highest national honour for cultural heritage science research.

Learn more about our achievement

Publications

Books

Policy Documents

  • EGYPT: Abdelmonem, M.G. 2017, “Managing Cultural Heritage in the Digital Age: Research Policy Document on the Development of Virtual Heritage for Egypt and the Middle East”. Nottingham: NTU.
  • European Commission: Krawczyk, E., Abdelmonem, M.G., 2013, “ICT developments impacting on older people’s living conditions and environment”, Value Ageing, EU-FP7 Marie Curie research Project.
  • Ireland: Abdelmonem, M.G., et al., 2012, “Local Area Plans: Planning Guidelines”. A Government policy document. Dublin: The Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government (DEHLG).
  • Ireland: Abdelmonem, M.G., et al., 2012, “Local Area Plans: Best Practice Manual”. A Government policy document. Dublin: The Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government (DEHLG).

Flagship projects

The gallery below showcases our flagship projects; featuring collaborations spanning across multiple academic disciplines focusing on the preservation, rehabilitation, and reconstruction of historic cultural heritage sites.

Smart Preservation of Middle Eastern Urban and Cultural Heritage: Shaping Policy and Practice

The ‘Smart Preservation of Middle Eastern Urban and Cultural Heritage: Shaping Policy and Practice’ impact case study is led by Professor Gamal Abdelmonem and Professor Soumyen Bandyopadhyay, and is linked to the Centre for Architecture, Urbanism and Global Heritage Research Centre. 

Restoring Pugin

This project is using advanced digital technologies, internet of things and real-time data, to pave the way to new pedagogical tools for educating young people from diverse communities in heritage and conservation. Additionally, it aims to support Nottingham Cathedral conservation through real-time monitoring.

REF 2021

Research submitted by the Centre for Architecture, Urbanism and Global Heritage has been rated 100% in the latest Research Excellence Framework. Discover the real-world impact of their research.

Find out more our REF 2021 research

To find out more about each flagship project, please see the below links.

Research Partners

We work with partners and collaborators on shared interests and projects that ensure innovation, applications and new solutions. We partner with governments, local authorities and national institutions to offer informed research-led policies, best practices guidelines and decision making procedures. We also work with architectural practices, heritage associations and civic trusts to engage communities and local charities to advance and exchange knowledge of architecture, history and identity of the built environment and urban spaces.

We are happy to collaborate on areas of our research interests and supervise researchers and Practitioners through PhD Projects (PhD by research, & Professional Doctorate). Please see below for an extensive list of our current research partners.

  • The Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government (DEHLG), Republic of Ireland.
  • National Built Heritage Forum, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • Nottingham Heritage Partnership (City Council), UK
  • Hosta Consulting
  • CTARA (Carrington Tenants and Residents Association)
  • Sneinton Alchemy
  • Glasgow School of Art
  • University of Nicosia, Cyprus
  • Universidad de Sevilla, Spain
  • Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Government of Egypt
  • Home Renaissance Foundation, UK
  • National Heritage, UK
  • Centre for Middle Eastern Studies, University of California, Berkeley, USA
  • National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation, Egypt
  • Queen’s University Belfast, UK
  • Ironbridge International Institute of Cultural Heritage, University of Birmingham, UK
  • Chair of Prince Sultan Bin Salman for Architectural Heritage at King Saud University, Saudi Arabia
  • National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, Egypt
  • Soluis Heritage, Soluis Technologies, UK
  • British University in Egypt (BUE), Egypt
  • International Association for the Study of Traditional Environments (IASTE), USA
  • Digital Heritage Foundation, USA
  • LP Architecture
  • Bentley Systems
  • Gleeds
  • Vinci
  • Broadway Cinema
  • Nottingham City Council
  • Nottingham Energy Partnership
  • Nottingham City Homes
  • RIBA
  • CABE
  • University of Cardiff (BRE Institute in Sustainable Engineering)
  • University of Bath
  • University of Nottingham
  • University of Cambridge
  • University of Liverpool
  • Ecole Centrale de Paris
  • Politecnico Di Torino
  • Bremen University of Applied Sciences

Prospective students and researchers wishing to undertake research in the above areas and businesses wanting to collaborate are encouraged to contact the centre by email: caugh@ntu.ac.uk

Awards, recognitions, and exhibitions

  • ABDELMONEM, M.G., 2020, Vice Chancellor Outstanding Researcher Award, Established Researcher, 2020, Nottingham Trent University.
  • ABDELMONEM, M.G., 2020, Newton Prize 2020, Shortlisted, UNESCO-UK on behalf of Newton Fund, UK’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
  • ABDELMONEM, M.G., 2014, Jeffrey Cook Award, Research Award of the International Association for the Study of Traditional Environments (IASTE) for the best and Ground-breaking paper by a scholar in the field of Traditional Environment and urbanism.

  • ABDELMONEM, M.G. et. al, 2019, “Lace Market Architecture & History”, St Mary’s Cathedral (Sep-Nov 2019), & Nottingham Conference Centre, Nottingham, UK.
  • ABDELMONEM, M.G. 2018. “5D Virtual Heritage Preservation and Practices”, Digital Heritage Congress and Expo, Fort Mason, San Francisco, USA, Oct-Nov 2018.
  • SOUTO, A., 2016. Architecture encaged – engaged architecture. University of Nicosia, School of Architecture, Nicosia, Cyprus, 7-11 November 2016.
  • SOUTO, A. and SPASOJEVIC, D., 2016. Mapping Nottingham’s identity. MapNott Exhibition and Workshops, Phase 1, Nottingham Central Library, Nottingham, September 2016.
  • ABDELMONEM, M.G. et. al, 2021, "STRATA - Layered Histories, Imagined Futures", Nottingham Castle (Sep-Oct 2021), Nottingham, UK.

Dr. Marisela Mendoza has recently been appointed as Chair of the International Association of Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS) Working Group 17: Historic Spatial Structures. Marisela has been member of the scientific committee of the IASS symposia for many years and have also participated and organised the invited sessions: Conservation and preservation of 20th Century historic concrete shells.

PhD Studentships

We're looking for talented researchers who can join us in a range of interdisciplinary projects. Find out more about our fully-funded PhD Cultural Heritage Research Peak studentships.

Related staff

  • Professor Mike Robinson; Visiting Professor of Cultural Heritage
  • Professor Huaping Shen; Visiting Professor of Cultural Heritage
  • Dr. Sabeeh Farhan; Visiting Professor of Heritage Preservation in Iraq

  • Dr. Khairi Abdulla
  • Dr. Bernadette Devilat
  • Dr. Omar Al-Hafith
  • Dr. Felipe Lanuza
  • Mr. Antony Pidduck

  • Yousif All-Deffaie
  • Huijun Chen
  • Farres Yasser

  • Yousef Al-Daffie; "The Preservation of Iraq's Architectural and Urban Heritage in the City of Mosul; Valuing Heritage in Urban Redevelopment."
  • Abdalhakim AlMakkas; "The role of activities in shaping place identity."
  • Jemma Browne; "Constructing peripheral public space."
  • Eileen Diaz-Lamboy; "(Re)measuring (LEED) Sustainability: from a Global Rating System to Tropical Specificity."
  • Guillermo Garma; "Architectural Theory + Practice: The study of the role of theory post Jose Villagran in contemporary Mexican architecture."
  • Katy Hawkins; "The role of Architecture in Urban Regeneration."
  • Noha Hussein; "The Role of Quranic Epigraphy and its Ideological Implications in contemporary Mosque Architecture."
  • Andrew Langley; "The Role of Architecture in Urban Regeneration."
  • Miguel Meija; "Challenging perspectives: Regeneration in Broadmarsh, Nottingham."
  • Kevin Osbon; "Developing a best practice framework for publicly funded Cultural Quarters."
  • Anthony Pidduck; "Using today's technology to support yesterday's asset for tomorrow: A framework for a Heritage Building Information Model."
  • Christina Pieri; "Selective heritage management in divided cities: focusing on Nicosia's walled city centre."
  • Farida Waheed; "Integrating cultural heritage informatics and virtual heritage as a means of preserving heritage sites: Application on Hawara Pyramid and Labyrinth."

Contact Us

If you would like to find out more about the Centre's work or any requests or interests of Collaboration, please email, phone us or get in touch via our social media channels.

Email: caugh@ntu.ac.uk

Telephone: +44 115 848 6020

Twitter: Centre for Architecture, Urbanism and Global Heritage (@CAUGH2018)

Facebook: Centre for Architecture, Urbanism and Global Heritage

YouTube: Centre for Architecture AND Global Herit CAUGH

Key staff