Dr Giacomo Damiani

Dr Giacomo Damiani is an architectural historian, ARB registered architect (UK) and engineer (Italy), RIBA Chartered Member and Certified Passive House Designer. Giacomo’s research focuses on the relevance of historical architecture for contemporary design, with particular interest in sustainability, circular design strategies and energy conscious design. Giacomo held research fellowships in Rome (Italy) and published in peer-reviewed journals such as Papers of the British School at Rome.

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Background

After a combined Bachelor and Master's in Architecture and Building Engineering at the University of Bologna, and several years in practice in Bologna and London (Walters & Cohen Architects), Giacomo completed an Arts and Humanities Research Council (CHASE) funded PhD at the University of Kent. Prior to joining ARU in September 2023, Giacomo taught several history and design modules at the University of Kent – School of Architecture and Planning (2018-2023). Giacomo was also invited critic at the University of Westminster – School of Architecture and Cities.

Giacomo’s research focuses on the relationships between architectural theory and practice from historical contexts to the present. Giacomo’s research has developed through his PhD thesis ‘Geometrical Bodies as Material Forms’ focusing on the works of the Renaissance mathematician and natural philosopher Luca Pacioli and the architect Donato Bramante, and during research fellowships at the Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max Planck Institute for Art History and British School at Rome. Giacomo is keen to supervise students interested in architectural history and theory, sustainability, circular design strategies and related areas of research.

Spoken Languages

• English
• Italian

Research interests

• History and theory of architecture
• Traditional and vernacular architecture
• Sustainability, circular design strategies and energy conscious design
• Passive House design and retrofit
• Architecture and wellbeing
• Philosophy and psychology of perception
• Drawing and methods of architectural representation

Areas of research supervision

• History and theory of architecture
• Traditional and vernacular architecture
• Passive House standard and its implementation in the UK
• Sustainability, circular design strategies and energy conscious design

Teaching

Giacomo teaches History and Theory and Design modules in the BA/BSc (Hons) Architecture course. Modules taught include

• Essential Skills
• Cultural Context B: Histories and Theories of Architecture
• Design Studio A1 and A2

Giacomo also acts as supervisor for PhD thesis and third-year students’ dissertations and delivers masterclasses on Passive House design at all year levels.

Qualifications

• Master’s in Architecture and Building Engineering (Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, Italy)
• PhD in Architecture (University of Kent, Canterbury, UK)

Memberships, editorial boards

• Registered Architect in the UK – ARB (Architects Registration Board)
• Registered Engineer (Ingegnere) in Italy – Ordine degli Ingegneri Forlì-Cesena, Settore Civile ed Ambientale
• RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) Chartered Member
• Certified Passive House Designer

Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

• Giles Worley Fellow at the British School at Rome
• Scientific Guest – Research Placement at the Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max Planck Institute for Art History, Rome

Selected recent publications

“Giles Worsley Rome Fellowship: Learning from Bramante: Donato Bramante’s Geometrical Forms in Renaissance Rome and the Digital Revolution in Architectural Design,” Papers of the British School at Rome, vol. 90 (October 2022), 371–2. DOI: 10.1017/S006824622200023X.

“Geometrical Bodies as Material Forms: Luca Pacioli’s Summa, Divina proportione, Euclid’s Elements and the Architecture of the Late Fifteenth-Early Sixteenth Century.” PhD thesis, University of Kent 2022. DOI: 10.22024/UniKent/01.02.95821.

“The Mathematical-Geometrical Episteme of the Twelfth-Early Thirteenth Century Southern Italy and Its Relationship with Architectural Forms and Concepts of Sacred Space,” in Statusbericht 2019-2021 (Rome: Bibliotheca Hertziana, 2022), 177. URL: https://www.biblhertz.it/3237508/BHMPI_Statusbericht_digital_2019-21.pdf [Article – Research Report].

“Bramante’s Design Process in the Tempietto at San Pietro in Montorio and Three Methods of Architectural Representation in Early Sixteenth-Century Rome” [Forthcoming].

“Form and Matter of Regular Geometrical Bodies in Luca Pacioli’s Summa (1494) and Compendium de divina proportione (1498)” [Forthcoming]

Recent presentations and conferences

“Learning from Bramante: Donato Bramante’s Tempietto at San Pietro in Montorio and the Digital Revolution in Architectural Design”. Architecture at the British School at Rome Alumni and Supporters Evening, Allies and Morrison Studios London, UK [2022].

 “Lessons on Architectural Design Process from Historic Buildings to Contemporary Practice: Sacred Architecture”. Invited Presentations and Design Workshops. Studio Verve Architects and Walters & Cohen Architects, London, UK [2022].

 “Cleonides, Vitruvius, Frontinus, Poliziano: Macrotextual Design and Architectural Theory in the Late Fifteenth Century” [presented with Simon Smets (UCL/Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Neo-Latin Studies)]. Filling in the Blanks: A Symposium on Sharing Expertise within the Humanities, Yale Department of Classics, New Haven, USA and online [2022].

Media experience

Giacomo took part in an online conference held by the CNR (Consiglio Nazionale della Ricerca), the Italian equivalent of the UK Research Council. The event titled, ‘Culture and Research in Great Britain’ showcased leading Italian researchers living in the UK. The event went live on the CNR channels, and a recording is available to watch online via the Comunicazione CNR’s YouTube channel [December 2020].