Arch+ (Architecture+) Research Group

Arch+ (Architecture+) Research Group is a dynamic platform and incubator that explores the boundaries and possibilities of design within the built environment. Arch+ — the plus symbolising the encounter with other disciplines and expertises — represents the fertile intersection where architectural practice meets creative disciplines, technological sciences, humanities, and urban planning.

Rather than a conventional research unit, Arch+ operates as a collaborative testing ground — a space to share, critically debate, and launch emerging research trajectories. We foster a highly inclusive research ecosystem that bridges the gap between theory and practice, bringing together senior academics, early-career researchers, and postgraduate students. Working across all scales of design, the group actively encourages cross-disciplinary hybridisation and collaborations both internally and with external regional and international partners.

Core Research Themes

Our investigation moves beyond traditional boundaries, examining the technical, social, and political dimensions of space through four main axes:

• Urban and Territorial Mapping: Investigating spatial representation, territorial transformation, and contextual analysis.
• Sustainability of the Built Environment: Advancing holistic and ecological approaches to design, climate resilience, and technology.
• Design Pedagogy: Researching the history, theory, and evolving practices of how architectural design is taught and learned.
• Critical Studies, Standards, and Coloniality: Examining how institutional standards, regulations, and colonial legacies shape contemporary architectural production.

ARCH+ research group works in close alignment and collaboration with the Future Societies Research Centre, contributing to a shared vision of resilient and adaptive human habitats.

Get in touch

For more information on our research, please contact:
Dr Davide Pisu PhD ARB FHEA , Arch+ coordinator
Associate Professor Dr Luigi Pintacuda PhD RIBA ARB SFHEA FRSA, Head of Architecture and Design