Profile

Keith Bothwell is an architect with over 30 years experience and is Director of Learning and Teaching and Director of Technology and Environment within the department.

His teaching and research focus on the areas of environment and sustainability. He developed this interest while a student at the Bartlett School of Architecture, visiting pioneering autonomous houses and working as a volunteer at the fledgling Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales. In 1996 he completed an MSc in Bio-Climatic Architectural Design, undertaking research for the Building Research Establishment on the pedagogy of sustainable design.

Keith undertakes research on the passive environmental design of buildings, and is currently a partner on enterprise projects to retrofit housing to meet very low carbon standards.

Publications

Publications include:

• "The Architecture of the Passively Tempered Environment" book chapter in "Aesthetics of Sustainable Architecture", edited by Sang Lee with a foreword by Kenneth Frampton, to be published 2010
• "The merits of straw" article in "Canterbury School of Architecture Review" (KIAD), 1998
• "Towards a common specification for case studies using indicators of sustainability" oral paper published in proceedings of the Florence International Conference for Teachers in Architecture (TIA), 1997
• "A model format for case studies using common indicators of sustainability" poster presentation published in proceedings of the Florence International Conference for Teachers in Architecture (TIA), 1997
• "A package for teaching sustainability in schools of architecture and building" oral paper published in Proceedings of the Florence International Conference for Teachers in Architecture (TIA), 1995
• "The Culture of Timber" output of research contract with Hampshire County Council, 1994
• "Building materials" author, curator and designer of exhibition held at Canterbury Urban Studies Centre. First staged in 1992, and at regular intervals subsequently
• "Building in historic settings" joint curator and designer of exhibition staged at Canterbury Urban Studies Centre, in conjunction with a series of public talks by Sherban Cantacuzino, Richard Murphy and Roy Worksett. October – November 1991

Research

Research interests:

Keith’s research interests are focused on the passive environmental control of buildings – daylighting, and passive solar, cooling and ventilation – where the fundamental key first stages of low-carbon buildings are established. He is working towards a PhD thesis on the Architecture of the passively tempered environment.

Past projects include:

• In partnership with local sustainability businesses he has completed – in November 2009 – three Phase II feasibility studies for the Technology Strategy Board’s Retrofit under the Future programme – a pilot project to retrofit housing to meet extremely low carbon emissions standards. The outcome of three Phase III bids made under the programme is currently awaited.
  
• Organiser of the annual Sustainability Symposium at Canterbury School of Architecture 2001-2005, hosting leading academics and practitioners from the fields of sustainability and environmental design
• Development and delivery of various teaching exercises, at the BRE Course for Teachers of Architecture and Building 1994-1998 - based on BREEAM, the Green Guide to Specification and Envest.
• Research with NBA Tectonics on behalf of the government, on the feasibility of incorporating daylighting performance into the Building Regulations, 1995
• Research contract with the Building Research Establishment on teaching sustainable design to teachers, students and practitioners between 1994-1997, the conclusion of which was that case studies are an exemplar method for the teaching the subject. The work culminated in various published papers (see Publications section) delivered at the Florence International Conference for Teachers in Architecture in 1995 and 1997.
• Research for Hampshire County Council assessing the environmental impact of new timber schools, undertaken with colleagues at the University of Portsmouth and published as The Culture of Timber, 1994

Teaching

As Module Convenor/Lecturer/Tutor:

As Reviewer/Examiner:

• Crit panels throughout Kent School of Architecture

Contact Information