Dr Richard Watkins

Qualifications: BSc (Hons), PhD

Richard Watkins graduated with a joint degree in Physics and Environmental Sciences from Warwick University and has worked on passive solar energy, passive ventilation, air movement, indoor pollution, building energy modelling, daylighting, and refrigeration. While at Brunel University and BRE (Building Research Establishment), he set up in 1999 the largest heat island assessment array in the UK, using 85 measurement stations, which led to detailed information on the properties of the London heat island, and his doctoral thesis on the impact of the heat island on the energy used for cooling buildings. This work led to guidance for building designers which was published in the CIBSE Guide A.

Work on retail refrigeration for Defra and the EPSRC at Brunel University culminated in design changes to reduce the environmental impact of open refrigerated display cabinets and improve their in-use efficiency. He was subsequently a senior lighting consultant at BRE working on the impact of the EU directive to reduce the use of low efficacy lamps through the Market Transformation Programme and also providing daylight impact assessments of proposed developments in London and throughout the UK.

He later worked at the University of Manchester on an EPSRC funded project on future climate data. The work developed a methodology to transform the voluminous probabilistic weather data from the UK Climate Impact Programme ’s future climate projections (CP09) into the more readily accessible standard Test Reference Years, Design Summer Years, and an innovative Design Reference Year, for use in the building simulation arena. A paper from this project led to the CIBSE Napier Shaw Bronze Medal being awarded in 2013.

He is currently a lecturer in Sustainable Architecture teaching environmental and climate design issues to Stage-1 and Stage-2 students and also teaching the Principles of Environmental Design module to MSc students. He has reviewed and refereed papers for Building & Environment, Building Services Environment & Technology, and assessed research proposals for the Australian Research Commission.

Richard Watkins welcomes applications from any potential PhD students interested in researching, e.g. aspects of the use of daylight in sports halls; exploiting the urban heat island to our advantage; urban heat mitigation; microclimate prediction for building design; enhancing the performance of the cold chain (commercial refrigeration); controlling daylight; future weather data for building performance simulation; façades as modifiers of urban comfort.

• Exploiting the urban heat island to our advantage – it’s not all negative.
• Microclimate prediction for building design.
• Enhancing the performance of the cold chain (commercial refrigeration).
• Daylighting controls
• Future weather data for building performance simulation
• Façades as modifiers of urban comfort

PhD Supervision

• Koutheir Brigui
• Parin Mohajerani
• Sukanya Ravi
• Mohamed Telli
• Muhammed Yeninarcilar