Dr Luciano Cardellicchio
- BEng in Building Engineering (First Class), Rome, Italy
- MSc in Building Engineering and Architecture (First Class), Rome, Italy
- PhD in Architecture and Construction, Rome, Italy
- Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE), University of Kent, United Kingdom
- Postgraduate Certificate in Fire Engineering, Home Office, Italy
I am a researcher and educator trained as a building engineer and designer, currently serving as Deputy Director of Architecture and Senior Lecturer in Architectural Construction at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). My research interests include ageing patterns and conservation issues in contemporary architecture, circular economy principles in the built environment, and construction history. I actively supervise PhD candidates in these areas.
At UNSW, I coordinate the Bachelor of Architectural Studies and teach courses in architectural technology and construction. My teaching expertise focuses on helping students embrace construction detailing as a way to expand their design thinking, with an emphasis on sustainability in the built environment. Additionally, I have international recruitment experience in the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia.
My accomplishments include winning design competitions and research awards, such as the 2024 Engineers Australia Colin Crisp Award, the 2024 National Trust Award and the 2022 Best Paper Award from Frontiers of Architectural Research for a co-led project on the contractor’s contribution to the making of the Sydney Opera House. Previously, I was a Senior Lecturer in Technology and Environment at the Kent School of Architecture and Planning in the UK, where I was awarded the Leverhulme Research Fellowship for my research on conservation issues in contemporary architecture in Rome, focusing on the premature decay of structures designed by Richard Meier and Zaha Hadid.
I earned my practice-based PhD in Architecture and Construction from the University of Rome in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Art History. I am also a reviewer for journals such as Buildings and Building Research and Information, and a member of the Construction History Society (UK).
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
- Dr AM Hertzberg AO Fellowship 2025, State Library of New South Wales. From caravan to schools, from airplanes to houses: plywood innovation in the post-war construction sector in Australia. Amount $30,000.00
- Sustainable Reform Hub Grant; Amount $20,000.00
- UNSW Arts Design Architecture (ADA) Faculty Research Grant, ARC Near Miss Scheme; Amount $7,000.00
- UNSW School of Built Environment (BE) Research Grant, New Staff; Amount $10,000.00
- Leverhulme Research Fellowship - 2018. Our Future Heritage: conservation issues of contemporary architecture in Rome; Funder: Leverhulme Trust; Capacity: PI; Amount: £55,000.00; Duration: 1 Year.
- European Regional Development Fund - 2018; Dismountable pilot houses for elderly people; Funder: Veneto Region; in collaboration with IUAV Institute (Venice); Capacity: Co-Investigator; Amount: €44,000.00; Duration 1 Year.
- Postdoctoral Scholarship - 2008. Recording and implementing the design and building process of the new Hertziana Library in Rome; Funder: Max-Planck Institute for Art History and Tor Vergata University of Rome; Amount: €42,000.00; Duration 3 Years.
- 2025 Working Residency at Can Lis, awarded by Utzon Foundation and Danish Arts Foundation.
- Dr AM Hertzberg AO Fellowship 2025, State Library of New South Wales.
- Colin Crisp Award 2024 awarded by Engineers Australia and Engineering Heritage Australia for the research project Construction Heritage and the Missing Drawings of the Sydney Opera House.
- 2024 National Trust Award for the research project Construction Heritage and the Missing Drawings of the Sydney Opera House. Winner in the Education & Interpretation category.
- Best Paper 2022, Frontiers of Architectural Research, awarded for 'Not really an aftermath. The role of actual construction in the design process of the Sydney Opera House roof', Frontiers of Architectural Research, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2022.10.005
- UNSW Built Environment Learning and Teaching Award 2020, Covid-19 Course Design.
- Smart Specialisation Strategy, Sustainable Living Award 2019 for the Innovative Temporary Wooden Housing Units to accommodate elders (CI M.Rossetti, IUAV).
- Awarded mention for the paper Ageing Pattern of Contemporary Concrete at the 8th International Conference in Construction Research, Eduardo Torroja Institute, Madrid.
- Leverhulme Research Fellowship (UK) - 2018.
- 2016 Teaching Award Nominee, University of Kent, UK
- 2015 Teaching Award Nominee, University of Kent, UK
Luciano's research areas and interests are:
- Ageing patterns and conservation issues of contemporary architecture;
- Technical development and building process of non-standard buildings;
- Circular Economy principles applied to office and educational buildings;
- Construction culture.
- Member of the Construction History Society (UK)
- Article on Architectural Bulletin: https://www.architecture.com.au/explore/reading-architecture/architecture-bulletin
- Casabella 946, Sydney Opera House. The Construction: An Australian Story. https://casabellaweb.eu/2023/06/27/946-giugno-2023-june/
- SJB Architects Office Talk. The construction history of the Sydney Opera House.
- Engineers Australia. The Sydney Opera House: the story of an icon. https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/event/2022/05/sydney-opera-house-story-icon-05df1359
- Museum of History New South Wales. Sails, Octopuses, and Telescopic Cranes. https://mhnsw.au/whats-on/events/building-the-sydney-opera-house/
- Sydney Opera House, BUILD Conversation Night. https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/learn/sydney-opera-house-build/soh-build-conversation-series
- ArchitectureAU, Sydney Opera House. Concept, Innovation and Renewal. https://architectureau.com/calendar/symposium/sydney-opera-house-concept-innovation-and-renewal/
- Yale School of Architecture. Gordon Smith Lecture. https://www.architecture.yale.edu/calendar/632-sails-octopuses-and-beds-the-sydney-opera-house-turns-50
- Sydney Morning Herald. The 10,000 people and 5000 drawings that built our $102 million Opera House. https://www.smh.com.au/culture/art-and-design/the-10-000-people-and-5000-drawings-that-built-our-102-million-opera-house-20231016-p5ecmq.html
- SBS. The first fifthy years of the Sydney Opera House. https://www.sbs.com.au/language/italian/it/podcast-episode/i-primi-50-anni-della-sydney-opera-house/gt7gzihef
- State Library of Queensland, Heritage Talk. Queensland Ingenuity and the Sydney Opera House. Heritage talks | State Library Of Queensland (slq.qld.gov.au)
- ICOMOS Heritage Expo. Digital Heritage Construction VR Exposition. https://icomosga2023.org/heritage-exposition/
- The National Tribune. Australia’s hidden Sydney Opera House history | The role of local ingenuity in construction. https://www.nationaltribune.com.au/australia-s-hidden-sydney-opera-house-history-the-role-of-local-ingenuity-in-construction/
- Mashable. How the Sydney Opera House changed the world of architecture. https://mashable.com/video/sydney-opera-house-architecture-50-years-design-technology
- Arup Event. Trilogy: the architect, engineer and contractor. https://www.arup.com/news-and-events/trilogy-the-architect-engineer-and-contractor
- Tecnoscape Exhibition, Rome. https://www.maxxi.art/en/events/technoscape-larchitettura-dellingegneria/
My Research Supervision
- Louise O'Brian, How can Utzon's study of nature inspire contemporary and interdisciplinary practice for a low-carbon future?
- Past Supervisions:
- Eunike Kristi Julistiono, Reducing Embodied Carbon of Vertical Residential Buildings in Asia
My Teaching
Current Teaching Activities
- Convenor, lecturer and tutor of Architectural Fabrication (ARCH1331, BArchSt)
- Convenor, lecturer and tutor of Advanced Construction and Structures (ARCH7161, MArch)
- Technology Tutor of Design Graduation Studio (ARCH7202, MArch)
Past Teaching Activities
- Tutor of Integrated Design Studio (ARCH7161, MArch)
- Convenor, lecturer and tutor of Construction and Structures 2 (ARCH1261, BarchSt)
-
Convenor, lecturer and tutor of Integrated Building Design Case Studies (BEIL6009)