People

About me

My passion is for sustainable architecture and sustainable housing design teaching, practice and research that makes a difference and responds to current societal and environmental challenges. Originally born in Belgium, I am a UK chartered architect (ARB/RIBA) and have dedicated over 20 years to advancing sustainable architecture and creating more sustainle living environments.

Responsibilities

I am honoured to Chair the ASUTUT - Sustainable Housing Design research group. Our research group investigates and re-imagines new approaches to housing design and its spatial and architectural quality in an ever-changing world (e.g. climate change, finite resources, ageing populations, declining health and well-being, loneliness, pollution, urbanisation, affordability). ASUTUT aim to make meaningful societal change through holistic research in order to influence and support the design of sustainable living environments and resilient communities now, and in the future. The research group consists of 3 full-time and over 7 part-time researchers at different levels, and they combine unique areas of expertise that include:

AGILE DESIGN: adaptable, flexible and dweller-oriented housing design and housing solutions.

ECOLOGICAL DESIGN: energy efficient and zero energy and zero carbon design, user satisfaction and performance evaluation, and the impact of these diverse aspects on spatial and architectural quality and dwellers health and well-being.

INCLUSIVE DESIGN: accessibility, inclusive housing design, including and encountering human diversity in design practices and environments (including various models of co-housing and shared spaces). 

In addition to PhD, Masters thesis supervision and guest lectures elsewhere, I chair and teach (togerer with colleagues) 4 courses in the architecture unit: 

1. Fundamentals of Urban Housing Design (FIN, year 3) 

2. Societally Responsive Housing Design (EN, year 4) 

3. Experimental Architectural Design (EN, year 5) 

4. Sustainable Architecture (EN, Masters)(recipient of Tampere University’s 2021 Honorable Mention for Good Teaching and Teaching Development)

Other responsibilities include:

# Visiting Professor at the Sheffield School of Architecture (on the Sustainable Architecture Studies Masters course)

# Associate Editor of Buildings and Cities - an Independent, not-for-profit OA peer-review transdisciplinary journal.

# Member of PROFI 6 STUE Research Platform (Sustainable Transformations of Urban Environments) 

# BEN Faculty Representative on the Professor's Council 

# Tampere University representative for construction theme at the Climate Leadership Coalition (CLC, the largest non-profit climate business network in Europe)

# Founding member of ACAN Finland (Architects Climate Action Finland, www.acan.fi ).

Field of expertise

Together with colleagues, I strive to make a difference through holistic real-world research and teaching, in order to influence the design of sustainable housing environments and resilient communities now, and in the future. My focus is on ’every day’ housing architecture with specialty in ecological, low energy and low carbon, affordable housing design and housing adaptability. I am particularly interested in how homes and spaces work in reality and how they are used and change over time (i.e. actual performance and user satisfaction (BPE and POE)). 

My current research focuses on the resilience and capacity of residents and their living environments to respond to and adapt to current and anticipated societal and environmental challenges and changes. This includes spatial and environmental adaptations to respond to residents’ needs, changing demographics and a changing climate.

Projects include 'Housing in Change' (2020-2022), funded by YH Kodit Hosuing Company and Foundation; Working from Home (2020-2022, with Aalto University and Milan Polytech University), Nordic Sustainable Housing Design (with colleagues in Denmark), Carbon Neutral Development Through Net Zero and Net Impact Design (2021-2022, with Ming Hu, Fulbright visiting scholar), and RESCUE: Real Estate and Sustainable Crisis Management in Urban Environments (2020-2023), Academy of Finland funded research led by Aalto university. We also focus on older adults and accessibility, inclusivity and healthy ageing; for example the connection between their homes and welfare (including perceptions of loneliness) is part of the Finnish home and interconnections with well-being and welfare project (2021-2022). Our interdisciplinary SOL-TECH project (2022-2024) focuses on human-centered solar smart technology design for healthy aging with collegaues in Natural Sciences, Social Sciences and Nursing Sciences. The GREENERAGE Erasmus+ project (2021-2024) focuses on climate literacy and green living for older adults. 

In our HOMES4FUTURE project we investigate the impact of a warming world on overheating in Finnish housing and adaptations needed to new and existing housing design. DIGI4GREEN (Academy of Finland Mobility Funding) expands on this and focuses on smart-home technology to manage green living in Finland and China. Linked to this is our INPERSO Horizon Europe project (2022-2026) where we focus on Industrialised and Personalised Renovation for Sustainable Societies with colleagues in ICT and Civil Engineering, and where I lead WP4: New human-centric and inclusive models for deep low carbon renovation of housing.

My teaching is student-centred and with students we explore the use of context and sustainability as a generator of housing and architecture concepts and spatial delight. I also pursue pedagogical methods to challenge and transform traditional inter-subjective values and positions in architecture education and for embedding holistic sustainability approaches in design courses; some of this work has been published. Aligned with this is our Erasmus+ funded transnational project ARCH4CHANGE: Digital climate emergency curriculum for architectural education - methods towards carbon neutrality. It aims to tackle students’ and educators’ skills gaps. ARCH4FUTURE (EDUFI) extends this to the China context with our partners in South-East University .

In my work I attempt to bridge the information gap between research and architectural practice. As such, I single authored ‘The Environmental Design Pocketbook, a comprehensive publication which distils environmental science, legislation and guidance into one easy to use single source, now in its 2nd edition (3rd edition due in 2023). This publication received commendation by the RIBA President's Medals for ‘Outstanding Practice-located Research' (2012) and was ‘Highly Commended’ for the UKGBC/PRP ‘Rising Star award’ 2013. For selected endorsements see here. Together with Judit Kimpian and Hattie Hartman, I co-authored a 50,000 word peer-reviewed book 'Energy, People, Buildings: Making Sustainable Architecture Work' (RIBA, 2021). I also guest-edited the first issue of RIBA DESIGN STUDIO 'Everything needs to Change: Architecture and the climate Emergency ', together with Nick Newman (RIBA, 2021). With Liz Donovan, Aidan Hoggard and Ula Kozminska I am lead author of a 100,000 word peer-reviewed book: 'Designing for the Climate Emergency: A Guide for Architecture Students ', Riba Publishing (2022).

Alternate description

My passion is for architecture teaching, practice and research that makes a difference and responds to current societal and environmental challenges. My specialty is low energy, adaptable, affordable housing design and housing retrofit. I am particularly interested in how buildings and spaces work in reality, and how architecture exists and changes over seasons and time. This includes how building use and users change and adapt buildings (i.e. actual performance and user satisfaction (POE/BPE)), and how architecture shapes uses and users. I am also interested in pedagogical methods for embedding transformational values and holistic sustainability approaches in architecture education. In my work I attempt to bridge the information gap between research and architectural practice. 

I thrive on genuine collaboration with others who are also striving to make the world a better and more sustainable place.

Research topics

Generally, my research spans across (and often combines) three areas, all of which are co-researched with scientists in our sister disciplines (e.g. social sciences, engineering, gerontology, geography etc.):

1) sustainable living environments (e.g. low energy/low carbon and nZEB homes, climate change adaptability, building performance and user satisfaction (POE/BPE), and health and well-being)

2) basic housing design research (e.g. accessible and inclusive design, designing for ageing population, adaptable and dweller-oriented housing design and flexible housing solutions, shared spaces and new co-housing models)

3) sustainable architecture pedagogy (values, integration of sustainability in design studio, peer-learning, blended learning)

For research projects see here.  

Core team members (*part-time researchers in our group):

Post-docs: Jyrki Tarpio*, Tapio Kaasalainen*, Raul Castano de la Rosa 

PhD researchers: Katja Maununaho*, Sini Saarimaa,* Taru Lehtinen*, Anna Helamaa*, Troels Rugbjerg (DK based), Mo Elsayed (Venice University funded double PhD degree)

Research assistants: Heini Järventausta*, Elina Luotonen*, Essi Nisonen

Other close associated BEN researchers*: Jonathon Taylor, Teemu Hirvilammi, Jenni Poutanen 

Research unit

ASUTUT - Sustainable Housing Design - www.sustainablehousingdesign.com

Research fields

1) sustainable living environments (e.g. low energy/low carbon and nZEB homes, climate change adaptability, building performance and user satisfaction (POE/BPE), and health and well-being)

2) basic housing design research (e.g. accessible and inclusive design, designing for ageing population, adaptable and dweller-oriented housing design and flexible housing solutions, shared spaces and new co-housing models)

3) sustainable architecture pedagogy (values, integration of sustainability in design studio, peer-learning, blended learning)

Research career

In addition to my bachelor and masters architecture degree, I hold 2 specialist masters degrees: an MSc Architecture: Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies (UEL, 2000), and a Masters in Research (MRes) in Building Energy Demand from UCL (2012). After practicing sustainable housing design as a project architect for several years at Levitt Bernstein Architects in London, and while also teaching sustainable architecture part-time at the University of East London (2001-2011), I completed my PhD at the Bartlett, UCL's Faculty of the Built Environment on the retrofit of the UK's existing pre-1919 housing stock, in particular investigating ground floor heat loss (2012-2016). I used in-situ U-value measuring techniques and undertook pilot studies to validate the effect of insulation interventions on floor heat loss. 

In October 2015, I took up a part-time Environmental Design lectureship at Sheffield University School of Architecture where I also co-led the MSc in Sustainable Architecture Studies and undertook UK industry and government funded research. I was also part-time Head of Research at ECD Architects (London + Glasgow) where I supported architects with evidence-based design. 

Following the UK Brexit referendum, I joined the Aarhus School of Architecture (Denmark, 2018-2019) as Assistant Professor in Sustainable Architecture where I co-founded a collaborative and transnational research group 'Nordic Sustainable Architecture' with Elizabeth Donovan and Ula Kozminska. I now chair the Sustainable Housing Design research group at Tampere University (2019-present). 

About me

I am currently doing my doctoral research and teaching at the School of Architecture at Tampere University. My background is in architecture and my research lies at the intersection of architecture and critical urban studies, focusing on the appropriation and transformation of abandoned urban spaces in Latin America. I am particularly interested in critical, feminist, decolonial and postcolonial urban theory, insurgent and alternative spatial practices, urban activism, and the social production of space. I am a working-group (3) co-leader in the COST Action (CA18126) Writing Urban Places, which engages with narrative methods to understand urban phenomena. I am also an active member of the Democracy Research Network at Tampere University, the Tampere Urban Research Network for Sustainability (TURNS), the Architects Climate Action Network (ACAN) Finland, and the Future Finders network that helps build bridges between the Tampere University community and beyond. In addition, I run the feminist blog Interrogativa, which engages different women to discuss issues related to gender, urban space, and democracy.

Responsibilities

At the moment, I am a doctoral researcher, co-coordinating teacher of the multidisciplinary course Urban Activism, and the coordinating teacher of Sustainable Architecture, and part of the teaching corps of Planning Theory II. Since 2019, I coordinate of the IFHP Urban Planning and Design Summer School in Finland . 

Alternate description

Before moving to Finland, I worked as an architect and lecturer in Mexico at the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro. As a practicing architect, my work focused on public buildings, particularly learning environments. This continues to be one of my passions and an arena I continue to explore while teaching - today under the conditions of online learning.      

Research unit

Architecture

About me

I am a Spanish interdisciplinary building engineer with over 6 years of experience in the non-academic (QuEST Global) and academic sector (Department of Building Construction II, University of Seville) where I have played a key role in teaching, researching, mentoring and exchanging knowledge on sustainability, buildings, innovative solutions and people’s quality of life. In 2019, I became an affiliated research fellow at Tampere University, ASUTUT Sustainable Housing Design research group. In 2020, I started a new position as a posdoctoral researcher at the University Carlos III of Madrid and, in June 2021, I moved to Tampere where I have been working as a postdosctoral researcher at TAU.

I completed my PhD in 2018, which focused at developing a better understanding of the relationship between building performance and households’ quality of life based on the analysis of monetary, energy and thermal-comfort factors. A major component of my work has been to develop a novel model to assess the level of energy vulnerability based on these factors.

There are several novel aspects of my research that should be highlighted. Firstly, I go beyond the use of single self-reported subjective indicators of thermal comfort, and instead I use the adaptive thermal-comfort model defined in the normative UNE EN 15251:2007, which presents a broader assessment of thermal comfort in relation to energy poverty. Secondly, the model defined in my research has the potential to achieve significant societal impacts by optimally targeting energy efficiency measures towards the most vulnerable households, thus reducing the prevalence of energy poverty.

Furthermore, I am actively involved with European projects (member of the EU Energy Poverty Observatory’s advisory group, member of the management committee substitute within the ENGAGER Action), and my work has been influential in shaping new measures and definitions on the issue of energy poverty. In this sense, highlight my extensive network of contacts in academic and non-academic institutions across the European Union, as well as Chile, India, Mexico, Canada, and Japan.

Ongoing activities focus on: Climate Change and Summer Energy Poverty; Transport Energy Poverty; Sustainable, Smart and Affordable Cities, Urban Shrinkage.

About me

The driving force which has pushed me all the way to the last years of my Masters studies in architecture must be curiosity. I have a passion for asking questions and finding alternative approaches to thigs we consider self-evident.

I wrote my Bachelor’s thesis on the social sustainability of two-room apartments built in 2020 in Tampere, and had the honour of receiving the award for the Best Bachelor’s Thesis in the Department of Architecture (TAU) for it. Besides sustainable housing I am extremely passionate about envisioning holistically sustainable architecture education.

At the moment I’m most interested in tackling the question of implementing the knowledge around sustainability to architecture education through design processes & tools. Before starting my studies in TAU I had worked with the concept of Design Thinking in Aalto University. For me connecting vast and complex entities to each other is a matter of tools. An iterative and empathic design process like Design Thinking can be used as a bridge between the present situation and the architecture education of the future. We need tools for reflection, exploring, empathising, innovating and testing our ideas. In my Masters’ thesis I will be looking into the possibilities of Design Thinking as a tool for holistically sustainable architecture education.

B. thesis: http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202004284231

https://essinisonen.com/