Morten Gjerde

My teaching and research reflect my background as a practicing architect and urban designer.From this perspective I view the built environment holistically, across space and time. Details and discrete development projects should connect with and reinforce ideas at progressively larger scales, up to that of the city. In this area of my work I am concerned with the way individual projects, often undertaken by private interests, can be managed to meet the needs of the project sponsor as well as to contribute to wider social aims. Included in these wider aims are those associated with streetscape appearances and aesthetics

Ongoing viability of the built environment over time is also an area that drives my research and teaching agendas. In this respect I look for evidence that can suggest better ways of building to optimise the lifecycle value of the initial investment. At a building scale I am interested in how material choices and detailing can influence the life cycle performance of the facility. Where building maintenance and renewal are undertaken, how can this be done in ways that improve building performance so as to extend their useful life? At an urban scale I’m also interested how the material qualities and maintenance influence people’s perceptions of the setting. It is increasingly clear that decisions made by the owners of buildings on individual sites influence people’s feelings for a place.