UNIVERSITY OF BATH
Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering
Professor of Structural Engineering
Further Particulars
The University
The University, which received its Charter in 1966, is situated on a campus of 200 acres,
surrounded by open countryside one and a half miles from the centre of Bath.
Communications are rapid and easy, with London being less than one and a half hours away
by train. The University is structured around 15 Departments which are organised into three
Faculties, with the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the Faculty of
Engineering and Design. The University has around 15,000 students and competition for
places is keen, resulting in an intake of exceptionally high quality. The University’s research
is similarly highly regarded internationally, with citations in civil and structural engineering
research at the University of Bath being ranked fifth worldwide in the 2013 QS University World
Rankings. The University of Bath was The Sunday Times’ University of the Year in 2012, in
recognition of its excellence in research, teaching and industrial links and it was recognised
as the ‘Best Campus University in Britain’ in The Times and The Sunday Times Good
University Guide 2014.
The Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering
The Department has a unique character with its particular combination of architecture and civil
engineering. Periods of joint teaching are spread throughout the first degree courses. The
first semester of the first year is common to both groups of students, and in subsequent years
there are periods of group design project work. This interdisciplinary approach has been
commended by accreditation bodies across the professions, as well as being recognised by
the award of many external prizes to graduates in both disciplines. The Department has been
rated as excellent for its teaching of both Architecture and Civil Engineering, and in national
league tables we are consistently ranked in the top three year after year. Indeed, architecture
at Bath is more often than not ranked first. The student standards are among the highest in
the country for both disciplines, both at entry and at graduation. Graduates are actively sought
by the very best employers, with the vast majority going on to careers in their chosen discipline,
either in research or in practice, many doing so after gap periods doing voluntary work
overseas.
The Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering was ranked equal first in the UK out of
45 submissions to Sub-Panel C16 Architecture, Built Environment and Planning in the 2014
Research Excellence Framework. In ACE's REF submission, 50% of its research was judged
to be 4* (internationally leading) and 90% of its research impact was judged to be 4*
(outstanding).
The Department occupies purpose-built accommodation on the campus, completed in 1989.
Further studio space is currently being built, ready for 2016 which will enhance further our
ability to conduct world class teaching and research activity. The current Department building
houses a range of laboratories and workshops on the ground floor, lecture theatres and
exhibition spaces on the first floor, and offices and design studios on the two upper floors.
There are currently about 800 undergraduate students, about 100 MSc students, over 60
research students and staff, and around 45 research and teaching academics. The intake
standard is high, being a minimum of A*AA for both disciplines. The undergraduate
engineering courses are the MEng in Civil and Architectural Engineering, the MEng in Civil
Engineering, and the BEng in Civil Engineering. The undergraduate architecture courses are
the BSc in Architecture (RIBA Part 1) and the Master of Architecture (RIBA Part 2). All can be
taken as sandwich courses with supervised industrial placements. The Department also offers
a PG Certificate in Professional Practice (RIBA Part 3).
The Department has laboratories for Structures, Concrete, Geotechnics, Materials,
Hydraulics, Water quality, Thermal comfort and Lighting. These cater for laboratory-based
teaching of all undergraduates, and for all laboratory-based research conducted by staff, as
well as augmenting a substantial timber workshop with three laser-cutters for model-making.
They are headed by the Chief Technician, with a further seven technicians working across all
the laboratories. The Department also has a dedicated Computer Technician.
In addition to the undergraduate courses, the Department offers the following postgraduate
programmes:










MSc in Civil Engineering: Innovative Structural Materials
MSc in Architectural Engineering: Façade Engineering
MSc in Architectural Engineering: Environmental Design
MSc in International Construction Management
MSc in Modern Building Design
MSc in the Conservation of Historic Buildings
MPhil in Digital Architectonics
MPhil in Architectural History & Theory
PhD by research
Practice-led PhD
Research is organised around three research centres and one research unit:
BRE Centre for Innovative and Sustainable Construction Materials
This Centre receives financial backing from the BRE Trust, and is hosted jointly by the
Departments of Architecture & Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. Its focus lies
in research leading to the appropriate use of innovative and sustainable construction materials
from an holistic standpoint of structural and environmental performance. Links with the other
research centres in the department are a very important part of the centre’s work, especially
in the field of building physics.
Engineering and Design of Environments (EDEn) Research Unit
EDEn focuses on research issues associated with climate change, sustainable development
and environmental modelling. In particular, research is conducted into building physics, façade
engineering, sustainable design and environmental modelling. These are major areas for
future staff collaboration at both Department and University level. EDEn draws on the
Department’s considerable links with industry and the professions in its promotion of energy
efficient and climate aware design.
Centre for Advanced Studies in Architecture (CASA)
CASA is concerned with the integration of architectural history, computer modelling and the
interface between architectural design and construction. This work has resulted in CASA
being involved in the design of major exhibitions on the work of the architects Leon Battista
Alberti and Sir John Soane. Recent work on computational design involves parametric
modelling of stadia, and the use of subdivision surfaces to design stunningly slender
structures. The interface between design, construction, collaborative working and process
innovation is also an ongoing area of research.
Research Unit for Water, Environment and Infrastructure Resilience (WEIR)
WEIR conducts world-class research into broad issues related to the field of water within a
civil engineering context. The challenges of climate change, water and energy shortage are
the key drivers for the research undertaken in the Research Unit to inform and improve the
adaptability and resilience of built infrastructure, help improve water security, and accelerate
the progression of obtaining renewable energy from the sea and water. CFD is used for
research into hydraulics-related research, fluid-structure interaction, ventilation and urbanscale air flow. The Department houses a dedicated water quality research laboratory and an
Armfield Hydraulic Flume, which is used for both teaching and research.
In addition to these three Departmentally-based Research Centres, a fifth centre, CWCT, is
sponsored by industry and has strong links with the Department:
Centre for Window and Cladding Technology (CWCT)
CWCT is concerned with the design, manufacture, construction and maintenance of building
envelopes. The Centre is supported by clients, developers, architects, engineers, consultants,
main and specialist contractors, manufacturers, suppliers and other research and testing
organisations. Research includes work on the design and installation of façade systems, and
the environmental performance of building envelopes.
The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Decarbonisation of the Built Environment
(dCarb) is also housed within the Department. The built environment is responsible for 50
per cent of Carbon emissions in the developed world, making it the largest single emitter.
The Centre aims to address this by carrying out multidisciplinary research into the design
and creation of zero-carbon buildings and technologies that will potentially transform the
future of our built environment. This will bridge the gap between academic research and an
industrial and societal need. The research themes materials and structures, building physics,
construction management processes, control and digital systems, social science, resilience
and climate change, architecture, policy and economics. The CDT has received funding of
£3m from the University and industry partners enable this research.
General Information for Candidates for Appointment
The academic structure of the University is as follows:
Faculty of Engineering and Design
Architecture and Civil Engineering; Chemical Engineering;
Electronic and Electrical Engineering; Mechanical Engineering
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Economics; Education; European Studies and Modern Languages;
Psychology; Social and Policy Sciences; Health.
Faculty of Science
Biology and Biochemistry; Chemistry;
Computer Science; Mathematical Sciences;
Pharmacy and Pharmacology; Physics
School of Management
Several departments have developed their own self-financing centres for research and short
courses. The University has an enviable reputation for the standard of its intake, its graduate
employment record, its research, and its location in a World Heritage City.
As presently established, the University employs about 2,500 staff, and has an annual turnover
of nearly £200 million. Considerable use is made of computerised systems covering many
administrative procedures including financial reporting and budgetary control, student records,
human resources, and the planning and resourcing processes.
Location and Facilities
The University is based on a fine downland site of about 200 acres at Claverton Down, less
than two miles south-east of the city centre. The University has been developed on this site
over the last 47 years, so that all the buildings are relatively new and have been designed or
refurbished to modern standards. Physical working conditions are generally pleasant, with
many buildings commanding attractive views. The facilities on campus include a grocery
shop, newsagent, post office and bookshop, and sub-branches of three banks. There is also
a medical centre and dental practice, while those with sporting and other social interests will
find a variety of clubs and societies open to them. The University has extensively revamped
its Creative Arts provision and the English Institute of Sport in the south west is now based at
the University in extensive new facilities.
In addition to those buildings used for research, teaching and for administration, there are
residential buildings on campus in which almost all first-year students reside. Around five
hundred further residential places are located in the city. Full-time members of staff may apply
to become resident Tutors within the on- or off-campus residences – further details are
available from the Department of Human Resources.
Westwood Nursery, which is on site at Claverton Down, offers competitively priced nursery
care for babies and children of staff and students from the age of 6 months until they start
school. The nursery is open throughout the year and children may attend on a full or part time
basis. Places are, of course, subject to availability and there are long waiting lists for some
age groups – you are encouraged to contact the Nursery for up to date information. For
children of primary school age the University play-scheme aims to organise provision during
some half terms and other holidays.
Appointments in the University are offered subject to the University receiving a satisfactory
report on your health from the University Medical Officer. This is normally undertaken on the
basis of a review of a confidential medical questionnaire. Smoking of any kind is prohibited in
all University buildings.
The City of Bath is recognised as being architecturally one of the finest in Europe and is a very
pleasant place in which to live. The communications network is good. Trains run half-hourly
to London and the journey time is about 1 hour 30 minutes. The M4 motorway runs 10 miles
north of Bath and provides a convenient road network to London, the Midlands, Wales and
South West England.
Further information: please visit our website at www.bath.ac.uk.