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University of Reading University of Reading
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Research within Architecture, Built Environment and Real Estate and Planning aims to support and enhance the development and management of sustainable built environments within an environmental, socio-economic and policy context. We aim to address current questions such as the climate emergency, COVID-19, the financial crisis and construction risk (e.g. Grenfell) – and we have considerable experience in contributing to changes in policy and practice within commercial and residential real estate appraisal and finance, neighbourhood planning, energy supply and demand management, and sustainable buildings.

  • Ranked 6th in UK for research power.
  • Ranked 9th in UK for research impact.
  • 94% of our research overall rated 4* (world-leading) and 3* (internationally excellent).
UOA 33: Architecture, Built Environment and Planning, overall profile. The pie chart shows that 40% of research was recognised as world-leading, 54% as internationally excellent, and 6% was recognised internationally.

Overall Quality profile

Subprofiles

World-leading
(4*) 		 Internationally excellent
(3*) 		 Recognised internationally
(2*) 		 Recognised nationally
(1*) 
Research outputs 27% 63%  9%   0%
Research impacts 60%  40%  0%  0% 
Research environment 63% 38%  0%  0% 

Our research

Our work is organised in six broad research groupings situated within Real Estate and Planning, part of Henley Business School, and the School of the Built Environment.

  • Urban Living: focuses on designing environments for healthy lives and wellbeing, including urban environments and housing, mapping social and cultural value and social sustainability, technological change and smart cities.
  • Organisation, People and Technology: focuses on applied research in global and national design and construction management, including productivity and sustainability, construction economics and innovation, business processes and professionalisation.
  • Energy and Environmental Engineering: applies combined expertise on energy and environment to research issues associated with energy transitions, climate mitigation and resilience, and environmental quality and health.
  • Real Estate Valuation, Leasing and Market Practice: concentrates primarily on commercial property market analysis, investment, development and appraisal/valuation, and work on affordable housing and viability.
  • Real Estate Finance and Investment: covers direct and indirect real estate investment markets, finance, and alternative asset markets, including studies of housing, banking, and debt.
  • Environment, Sustainability and Participation: research includes an array of sustainability challenges, including community engagement and neighbourhood planning, planning policy, economic change and resilience, healthy urban living, urban density, and the environment.

Staff and doctoral students

We submitted 63 staff (FTE 58.9) in UOA13, including 21 Professors, 14 Associate Professors and 25 Lecturers; overall 25% are ECRs.

Over the assessment period for REF2021, 135 students were awarded their doctorate. Our 78 doctoral students in 2019/20 came from 34 different countries. We are members of the ESRC’s South-East Network for Social Sciences Doctoral Training Centre.

Research centres and partnerships

Much of our research is user-oriented, and builds on long-term engagement with academic partners, with policy and industry bodies (e.g. RIBA, RICS, RTPI, IVSC).

Sector recognition

Selected examples of national and international recognition between 2014 and 2020:

  • Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (Professor Neil Crosby; Professor Gavin Parker)
  • Vice-President (Research) of RIBA (Professor Flora Samuel, 2017-20)

Impact Case studies

Examples of the impact our research has had at local, national and global levels.

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