Researcher

Dr Luciano Cardellicchio

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. Also, I am an expert in construction history, and I am now researching the untold Australian contribution in the making of the Sydney Opera House.

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, building engineer and architectural designer. I completed my Practice-based PhD in Architecture and Construction at the University of Rome Tor Vergata at the age of 26. 

At UNSW, I am a Senior Lecturer in Architectural Construction. My research interests rely on knowledge-creation within the design development and construction process of buildings. My research projects focus on accelerated ageing patterns of buildings, the...view more

I am a researcher, building engineer and architectural designer. I completed my Practice-based PhD in Architecture and Construction at the University of Rome Tor Vergata at the age of 26. 

At UNSW, I am a Senior Lecturer in Architectural Construction. My research interests rely on knowledge-creation within the design development and construction process of buildings. My research projects focus on accelerated ageing patterns of buildings, the contribution of construction culture in the assessment of heritage values, and building innovation led by design agencies. I am a reviewer for academic journals such as Buildings and Building Research and Information and also a member of the Construction History Society (UK).

My activities also include teaching courses in architectural technology and construction in the Architecture programme.

Before my appointment at UNSW, I was a Senior Lecturer in Technology and Environment at Kent School of Architecture and Planning in the UK. There, I took care of the Technology stream of the BArch program. In 2018, I was awarded the Leverhulme Research Fellowship for the project Our Future Heritage. This research focused on investigating the causes of premature decay of two contemporary structures in Rome designed respectively by award-winning architects Richard Meier and Zaha Hadid. 

While researching for my PhD, I lectured on and tutored in architectural design at the School of Engineering of 'Tor Vergata' University of Rome and coordinated many international summer school programs. I am an international assessor for the Research Evaluation System of the Russian Confederation (EURASIA) and the National Agency for Research Evaluation of the Italian Minister of Education and Research (ANVUR). In addition to my academic career, I practised extensively as an architectural designer and construction manager. I was Project Manager at Da Gai Architects and Senior Designer at Studio ArsenicoEVM in Rome, and Designer at Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects and Core Architects, both in Toronto, Canada. My accomplishments also include winning architectural competitions as Design Team Leader.


My Grants

  • 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

  • Leverhulme Research Fellowship (UK) - 2018
  • Awarded mention for the paper Ageing Pattern of Contemporary Concrete at the 8th International Conference in Construction Research, Eduardo Torroja Institute, Madrid
  • Smart Specialisation Strategy, Sustainable Living Award 2019 for the Innovative Temporary Wooden Housing Units to accommodate elders (CI M.Rossetti, IUAV)
  • UNSW Built Environment Learning and Teaching Award 2020, Covid-19 Course Design
  • Best Paper 2022, Frontieres 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 Researchhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2022.10.005

 

 


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


My Engagement


My Teaching

  • Convenor, lecturer and tutor of Integrated Building Design Case Studies (BEIL6009)
  • Convenor, lecturer and tutor of Architectural Fabrication (ARCH1331, BArch)
  • Convenor, lecturer and tutor of Structure and Construction 2 (ARCH1261, BArch)
  • Tutor of Integrated Design Studio (ARCH7161, MArch)
  • Tutor of Graduation Studio (ARCH7202, MArch)

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Location

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

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