Researcher

My Expertise

I am an expert in building defects and conservation issues of contemporary architecture. I am interested in the role of architects in promoting construction innovation, and I work to understand how to capture and share the knowledge created in any technical development and construction process of buildings. 

Keywords

Fields of Research (FoR)

Architecture management, Architectural heritage and conservation, Building construction management and project planning, History and theory of the built environment (excl. architecture)

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Biography

I am a researcher and educator trained as a building engineer and currently serve as Associate Professor of Architectural Construction at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). In parallel with my academic appointment, I serve as Director of the Architecture Discipline, overseeing academic strategy, curriculum coherence, and teaching quality across all architecture programs, from undergraduate studies through to the accredited Master of...view more

I am a researcher and educator trained as a building engineer and currently serve as Associate Professor of Architectural Construction at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). In parallel with my academic appointment, I serve as Director of the Architecture Discipline, overseeing academic strategy, curriculum coherence, and teaching quality across all architecture programs, from undergraduate studies through to the accredited Master of Architecture.

My research investigates the technical, cultural, and economic dimensions of complex architectural projects, with a particular focus on construction history, innovation, and sustainable construction knowledge. I am especially interested in how design narratives, procurement models, and construction processes shape the life cycle and long-term performance of non-standard buildings.

My teaching and curriculum leadership span large, high-impact courses in architectural technology and construction. I emphasise the integration of detailing, systems thinking, and technical intelligence within design education, and have developed AI-resilient assessment models and scalable feedback systems that support more than 300 students annually across core subjects. I also have extensive global recruitment experience through in-country academic representation across Southeast Asia, India, and the Middle East.

My research has been recognised nationally and internationally through multiple awards and fellowships, including the Powerhouse 2026 Scholar appointment, the 2025 Dr A.M. Hertzberg AO Fellowship from the NSW State Library, the 2024 Engineers Australia Colin Crisp Award, the 2024 National Trust Heritage Award, and the 2022 Best Paper Award from Frontiers of Architectural Research. Previously, I was Senior Lecturer in Technology and Environment at the University of Kent (UK), where I was awarded a Leverhulme Research Fellowship for research on premature ageing in contemporary architecture.


My Grants

  • Dr AM Hertzberg AO Fellowship 2025, State Library of New South Wales. From caravan to schools, from airplanes to houses: plywood innovation in the post-war construction sector in Australia. Amount $30,000.00 
  • Sustainable Reform Hub Grant; Amount $20,000.00 
  • UNSW Arts Design Architecture (ADA) Faculty Research Grant, ARC Near Miss Scheme; Amount $7,000.00 
  • UNSW School of Built Environment (BE) Research Grant, New Staff; Amount $10,000.00
  • Leverhulme Research Fellowship - 2018. Our Future Heritage: conservation issues of contemporary architecture in Rome; Funder: Leverhulme Trust; Capacity: PI; Amount: £55,000.00; Duration: 1 Year.
  • European Regional Development Fund - 2018; Dismountable pilot houses for elderly people; Funder: Veneto Region; in collaboration with IUAV Institute (Venice); Capacity: Co-Investigator; Amount: €44,000.00; Duration 1 Year.
  • Postdoctoral Scholarship - 2008. Recording and implementing the design and building process of the new Hertziana Library in Rome; Funder: Max-Planck Institute for Art History and Tor Vergata University of Rome; Amount: €42,000.00; Duration 3 Years.

My Qualifications

  • BEng in Building Engineering (First Class), Rome, Italy
  • MSc in Building Engineering and Architecture (First Class), Rome, Italy
  • PhD in Architecture and Construction, Rome, Italy
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE), University of Kent, United Kingdom
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Fire Engineering, Home Office, Italy

My Awards

  • 2026 Powerhouse Scholar, Powerhouse Museum.
  • 2025 Working Residency at Can Lis, awarded by Utzon Foundation and Danish Arts Foundation.
  • Dr AM Hertzberg AO Fellowship 2025, State Library of New South Wales.
  • Colin Crisp Award 2024 awarded by Engineers Australia and Engineering Heritage Australia for the research project Construction Heritage and the Missing Drawings of the Sydney Opera House.
  • 2024 National Trust Award for the research project Construction Heritage and the Missing Drawings of the Sydney Opera House. Winner in the Education & Interpretation category. 
  • Best Paper 2022, Frontiers of Architectural Research, awarded for 'Not really an aftermath. The role of actual construction in the design process of the Sydney Opera House roof', Frontiers of Architectural Research, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2022.10.005
  • UNSW Built Environment Learning and Teaching Award 2020, Covid-19 Course Design.
  • Smart Specialisation Strategy, Sustainable Living Award 2019 for the Innovative Temporary Wooden Housing Units to accommodate elders (CI M.Rossetti, IUAV).
  • Awarded mention for the paper Ageing Pattern of Contemporary Concrete at the 8th International Conference in Construction Research, Eduardo Torroja Institute, Madrid.
  • Leverhulme Research Fellowship (UK) - 2018.
  • 2016 Teaching Award Nominee, University of Kent, UK
  • 2015 Teaching Award Nominee, University of Kent, UK

My Research Activities

Luciano's research areas and interests are:

  • Ageing patterns and conservation issues of contemporary architecture;
  • Technical development and building process of non-standard buildings;
  • Circular Economy principles applied to office and educational buildings;
  • Construction culture.

My Research Supervision


Supervision keywords


Areas of supervision

  • Practice-based PhDs
  • Building defects
  • Construction culture
  • Circular economy in the built environment
  • Knowledge-creation within the building process
  • Building decision-making process

Currently supervising

  • Louise O'Brian, How can Utzon's study of nature inspire contemporary and interdisciplinary practice for a low-carbon future?
  • Past Supervisions:
  • Eunike Kristi Julistiono, Reducing Embodied Carbon of Vertical Residential Buildings in Asia

My Engagement


My Teaching

Current Teaching Activities

  • Convenor, lecturer and tutor of Architectural Fabrication (ARCH1331, BArchSt)
  • Convenor, lecturer and tutor of Advanced Construction and Structures (ARCH7161, MArch)
  • Technology Tutor of Design Graduation Studio (ARCH7202, MArch)

Past Teaching Activities

  • Tutor of Integrated Design Studio (ARCH7161, MArch)
  • Convenor, lecturer and tutor of  Construction and Structures 2 (ARCH1261, BarchSt)

  • Convenor, lecturer and tutor of Integrated Building Design Case Studies (BEIL6009)

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Location

Arts, Design & Architecture
School of Built Environment, Anita B. Lawrence Centre (West Wing), Room 2007, Level 2
UNSW Kensington NSW 2052 AUSTRALIA

Map reference (Google map)

Contact

+61-2-9385 6274

Follow

My LinkedIn
My ResearchGate
My Google Scholar

ORCID as entered in ROS

orcid_icon https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1998-7584

Videos

‘Beyond the Spherical Solution’ is a research project investigating the forgotten contribution of Australian contractor Hornibrook in making the Sydney Opera House. This virtual reconstruction focuses on Hornibrook’s design for the casting procedure of the roof segments, showcasing the local ingenuity that empowered the fabrication of the iconic roof of this architectural masterpiece.
Presented by Australian Design Centre, Revisiting Shoei Yoh is an exhibition by the University of New South Wales and Kyushu University that draws from the archive of Japanese architect and late 20th century pioneer of digital design, Shoei Yoh.
If you know one story about how the Sydney Opera House was built, the odds are that it's the one featuring Danish architect Jørn Utzon's brilliant design that, almost impossible to build, stirred some serious architectural drama.

50 years after the completion of one Australia's most famous landmarks, we look at a different story. One of invention, technological experimentation, and human ingenuity that changed the world of architecture.

In this Mashable Original, we speak to Arup deputy chair Tristram Carfrae and Luciano Cardellicchio, senior lecturer in Architectural Construction at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) about the legacy of the Sydney Opera House, built on the point of Tubowgule, the name of the land as known by its Traditional Custodians, the Gadigal, of the Eora nation.
The Australian contribution in making the Sydney Opera House – The Casting Procedure
Heritage values and building process. A digital investigation into the shop drawings of the Sydney Opera House.
How the Sydney Opera House changed the world of architecture

UNSW Sydney NSW 2052 Australia Telephone +61 2 93851000
Authorised by Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)
UNSW CRICOS Provider Code: 00098G ABN: 57 195 873 179

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