Co-Presence in the Architectural Studio
A Study of Co-Presence in a University Architectural Studio using Bluetooth Contact Tracing Technology
environmental design, energy and buildings, smart living, urban microclimate, liveable cities, comfort and behaviour
Leonidas is currently working as a lecturer in the ImaginationLancaster (LICA) at Lancaster University. Leo undertakes interdisciplinary research related to environmental design, energy and the built environment. The work has a people based focus and includes user behaviour in the home and at work, alongside wider neighbourhood and city scale analysis. His research interests are in the interactions of urban living and digital technology with occupants’ behaviours and data interpretations, and how these socio-spatial interactions could enable sustainable future living with focus on energy, health and societal wellbeing.
His recent work focuses 1) on the implementation of IoT for smart future living, 2) the integration of digital technology into habitual behaviours towards connected resilient communities and adaptive buildings but also 3) on the conditions for acceptance of digital technology and connected devices, and the evolution of their uses (often unintended) after deployment. In ongoing parallel research work, he looks at the interaction of building occupants with building controls (such as windows), energy use and environmental conditions in social housing, thermal comfort in schools and mixed-mode office buildings, and the role of IoT and interfaces in adaptive building strategies and building systems operation.
His PhD thesis, “Microclimate adapted localised weather data generation: Implications for urban modelling and energy consumption of buildings”, looked at methods for adapting commonly available weather data files to the local microclimate and the impact from their use on building thermal simulations. The proposed methodology for the estimation of the urban heat island intensity of a specific location in a city, included the study of the urban design for different land uses, the anthropogenic heat emissions and the impact of the building materials and green space.
Leo has published articles in peer reviewed journals, conference papers and reports on the thermal comfort in office and residential buildings, the urban microclimatic design, the implementation of IoT for adaptive buildings, and the city engineering and wellbeing.
He has worked as a researcher in a multidisciplinary research programme (Liveable Cities – “Transforming the Engineering of Cities for Global and Societal Wellbeing”) and 3 project grants (EU, EPSRC and Innovate UK funded).