Our team

About me

My research focuses on understanding exposures to environmental hazards in the indoor and outdoor built environment, and how we can adapt our cities and buildings to be healthier, more energy efficient, and more resilient to future climates. My areas of expertise are in using building physics simulations, data-driven modelling, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to evaluate population-level exposure to heat, cold, air pollution, and moisture damage, for example, and quantifying the health consequences of this exposure. I have a BSc in Biological Sciences from Simon Fraser University, Canada, and a BEng in Geomatic Engineering and PhD in Environmental Building Science, both from University College London, UK. 

Responsibilities

I am the leader of the Urban Physics Research Group in the Department of Civil Engineering, where we apply a range of methods to understand the role of our urban built environment on our health and energy consumption. We aim to do impactful research that can support the sustainability transition in cities. You can learn more about the Urban Physics Research Group here , as well as about Urban Physics itself here .

I am currently the lead of the Sustainable Urban Development (SUD) international bachelors degree programme. Teaching responsibilities include Introduction to Sustainable Urban Development, Urban Physics, Fundamentals of GIS, and the SUD Bachelors Thesis and Seminar. I also supervise Masters and PhD students – please get in touch if you are interested in studying with us.

I currently act as the Faculty of the Built Environment TENK research integrity advisor.

Research topics

Examples of the research topics I work on are:

• Building physics modelling of indoor environmental quality
• Building stock modelling and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• Data-driven modelling of urban environments, for example using data from distributed environmental sensors
• The Global South, climate adaptation, and the health and climate benefits of the clean energy transition.

Field of expertise

environmental policy, urban planning, sustainable urbanisation, complementary construction, public participation, land use planning conflicts, co-created knowledge production, experiments

About me

I have been Professor in Social Policy at Tampere University since 2023. Before that, I worked as an Associate Professor in Social Research. My position is linked with Tampere University's profilation area STUE (Sustainable Transformation of Urban Environments) and to the question of socially sustainable cities. I have previously worked at the Universities of Turku and Oulu, and at Helsinki University of Technology. I have also served as a visiting professor/scholar in Nordic (NTNU, Roskilde University, Uppsala University) and North American universities (Simon Fraser University, University of Pennsylvania), and have been a Fulbright Senior Scholar at Syracuse University (USA). 

I am a docent at the University of Turku (urban geography) and at Åbo Akademi University (legal geography).

Responsibilities

I lead the Research Network for Justice, Space and Society (JUSTSPACES) and have recently served as a PI in four research projects: Spaces of Confinement in the Institutions of Care and Control in Finland (Academy of Finland 2017–2022), The RIght to Suburban Space (The Finnish Ministry of the Environment, Neighborhood Program 2020–2023), Space, Justice and Everyday Democracy (Kone Foundation 2022–2026) and Forest Rights (Kone Foundation 2024–2027).

I enjoy supervising dissertations and Master's theses related to my expertise, so feel free to contact in case you are intersted in the topics of our research team. We are also interested in new collaboration with researchers, cities, journalists, artists, communities and activists. 

Field of expertise

My main research interests include: 

- the right to (sub)urban space;

- socially sustainable and just cities; 

- urban inequality;

- everyday democracy and participation; 

- urban public spaces;

- urban margins and alternative communities; 

- everyone's rights;

- space/law relations; 

- the conceptualizations of social spaces, places and landscapes.

Field of expertise

environmental policy, urban planning, sustainable urbanisation, complementary construction, public participation, land use planning conflicts, co-created knowledge production, experiments

About me

Professor of industrial management, interested in the following themes (not limited to):

- digital platforms and new kinds of value creation mechanisms

- building ecosystems, especially in bio- and circular economy

 - technology management and innovations

- new business development and business transformation 

About me

My passion is for sustainable architecture and sustainable housing design teaching, practice and research that makes a difference and responds to current societal and environmental challenges. Originally born in Belgium, I am a UK chartered architect (ARB/RIBA) and have dedicated over 20 years to advancing sustainable architecture and creating more sustainable living environments.

Responsibilities

I am honoured to Chair the ASUTUT - Sustainable Housing Design research group. Our research group investigates and re-imagines new approaches to housing design and its spatial and architectural quality in an ever-changing world (e.g. climate change, finite resources, ageing populations, declining health and well-being, loneliness, pollution, urbanisation, affordability). ASUTUT aim to make meaningful societal change through holistic research in order to influence and support the design of sustainable living environments and resilient communities now, and in the future. The research group combine unique areas of expertise that include:

AGILE DESIGN: Spatially adaptable, flexible and user-centric housing design, transformations and housing solutions for a diversity of users, including solo-dwellers and older adults. It also includes climate chnage adaptations (e.g. overheating prevention).   

ECOLOGICAL DESIGN: Energy efficient and zero energy/zero carbon design, user well-being, designing for good indoor environmental quality (IEQ, e.g., thermal and visual comfort). Building performance and post-occupancy evaluation (POE and BPE).  

INCLUSIVE DESIGN: Including and encountering human diversity in design cultures, practices and environments, including various models of co-housing and shared spaces. Includes designing for ageing populations (older adults) and the inclusion of nature and non-humans in living environments. 

SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE PEDAGOGY: values, integration of sustainability in design studio, peer-learning, blended learning, democratic processes, transformational learning.

In addition to PhD, Masters thesis supervision and guest lectures elsewhere, I chair and teach (together with colleagues) 4 courses in the architecture unit: 

1. Fundamentals of Urban Housing Design (FIN, year 3) 

2. Societally Responsive Housing Design (EN, year 4) 

3. Experimental Architectural Design (EN, year 5) 

4. Sustainable Architecture (EN, Masters)(recipient of Tampere University’s 2021 Honorable Mention for Good Teaching and Teaching Development)

Other responsibilities include:

# Visiting Professor at the Sheffield School of Architecture (on the Sustainable Architecture Studies Masters course)

# Member of PROFI 6 STUE Research Platform (Sustainable Transformations of Urban Environments) 

# BEN Faculty Representative on the Professor's Council 

# Founding member of ACAN Finland (Architects Climate Action Finland, www.acan.fi ).

Field of expertise

Together with colleagues, I strive to make a difference through holistic real-world research and teaching, in order to influence the design of sustainable housing environments and resilient communities now, and in the future. My focus is on ’every day’ housing architecture with specialty in ecological, low energy and low carbon, affordable housing design and housing adaptability. I am particularly interested in how homes and spaces work in reality and how they are used and change over time (i.e. actual performance and user satisfaction (BPE and POE)). 

My current research focuses on the resilience and capacity of residents and their living environments to respond to and adapt to current and anticipated societal and environmental challenges and changes. This includes spatial and environmental adaptations to respond to residents’ needs, changing demographics and a changing climate.

Alternate description

My passion is for architecture teaching, practice and research that makes a difference and responds to current societal and environmental challenges. My specialty is low energy, adaptable, affordable housing design and housing retrofit. I am particularly interested in how buildings and spaces work in reality, and how architecture exists and changes over seasons and time. This includes how building use and users change and adapt buildings (i.e. actual performance and user satisfaction (POE/BPE)), and how architecture shapes uses and users. I am also interested in pedagogical methods for embedding transformational values and holistic sustainability approaches in architecture education. In my work I attempt to bridge the information gap between research and architectural practice. 

I thrive on genuine collaboration with others who are also striving to make the world a better and more sustainable place. For projects, outputs and activities see https://researchportal.tuni.fi/en/persons/sofie-pelsmakers  

Research topics

Generally, my research spans across (and often combines) three areas, all of which are co-researched with scientists in our sister disciplines (e.g. social sciences, engineering, gerontology, geography etc.):

1) sustainable living environments (e.g. low energy/low carbon and nZEB homes, climate change adaptability, building performance and user satisfaction (POE/BPE), and health and well-being)

2) basic housing design research (e.g. accessible and inclusive design, designing for ageing population, adaptable and dweller-oriented housing design and flexible housing solutions, shared spaces and new co-housing models)

3) sustainable architecture pedagogy (values, integration of sustainability in design studio, peer-learning, blended learning)

For research projects see www.sustainablehousingdesign.com.   

Core team members (*part-time researchers in our group):

Post-docs: Jyrki Tarpio*, Tapio Kaasalainen*, Raul Castano de la Rosa 

PhD researchers: Katja Maununaho*, Sini Saarimaa,* Taru Lehtinen*, Anna Helamaa*, Troels Rugbjerg (DK based), Mo Elsayed (Venice University funded double PhD degree), Lena Jegard, Essi Nisonen 

Research assistants: Heini Järventausta*, Karoliina Kivimäki

Other close associated BEN researchers*: Jonathon Taylor, Teemu Hirvilammi, Jenni Poutanen 

Research unit

ASUTUT - Sustainable Housing Design - www.sustainablehousingdesign.com

Research fields

1) sustainable living environments (e.g. low energy/low carbon and nZEB homes, climate change adaptability, building performance and user satisfaction (POE/BPE), and health and well-being)

2) basic housing design research (e.g. accessible and inclusive design, designing for ageing population, adaptable and dweller-oriented housing design and flexible housing solutions, shared spaces and new co-housing models)

3) sustainable architecture pedagogy (values, integration of sustainability in design studio, peer-learning, blended learning)

Research career

In addition to my bachelor and masters architecture degree, I hold 2 specialist masters degrees: an MSc Architecture: Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies (UEL, 2000), and a Masters in Research (MRes) in Building Energy Demand from UCL (2012). After practicing sustainable housing design as a project architect for several years at Levitt Bernstein Architects in London, and while also teaching sustainable architecture part-time at the University of East London (2001-2011), I completed my PhD at the Bartlett, UCL's Faculty of the Built Environment on the retrofit of the UK's existing pre-1919 housing stock, in particular investigating ground floor heat loss (2012-2016). I used in-situ U-value measuring techniques and undertook pilot studies to validate the effect of insulation interventions on floor heat loss. 

In October 2015, I took up a part-time Environmental Design lectureship at Sheffield University School of Architecture where I also co-led the MSc in Sustainable Architecture Studies and undertook UK industry and government funded research. I was also part-time Head of Research at ECD Architects (London + Glasgow) where I supported architects with evidence-based design. 

Following the UK Brexit referendum, I joined the Aarhus School of Architecture (Denmark, 2018-2019) as Assistant Professor in Sustainable Architecture where I co-founded a collaborative and transnational research group 'Nordic Sustainable Architecture' with Elizabeth Donovan and Ula Kozminska. I now chair the Sustainable Housing Design research group at Tampere University (2019-present). 

About me

I am a full professor of management and organizations. My research interests relate to strategic management, organization theory, and international business. I also work on questions related to configurational theory and set-theoretic methods. I have published my research e.g. in Business & Society, Innovation, International Business review, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Management Studies, Organization Studies, Human Relations, Small Business Economics, Socio-Economic Review, and other journals. See more from Google Scholar.

About me

My research focuses on understanding exposures to environmental hazards in the indoor and outdoor built environment, and how we can adapt our cities and buildings to be healthier, more energy efficient, and more resilient to future climates. My areas of expertise are in using building physics simulations, data-driven modelling, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to evaluate population-level exposure to heat, cold, air pollution, and moisture damage, for example, and quantifying the health consequences of this exposure. I have a BSc in Biological Sciences from Simon Fraser University, Canada, and a BEng in Geomatic Engineering and PhD in Environmental Building Science, both from University College London, UK. 

Responsibilities

I am the leader of the Urban Physics Research Group in the Department of Civil Engineering, where we apply a range of methods to understand the role of our urban built environment on our health and energy consumption. We aim to do impactful research that can support the sustainability transition in cities. You can learn more about the Urban Physics Research Group here , as well as about Urban Physics itself here .

I am currently the lead of the Sustainable Urban Development (SUD) international bachelors degree programme. Teaching responsibilities include Introduction to Sustainable Urban Development, Urban Physics, Fundamentals of GIS, and the SUD Bachelors Thesis and Seminar. I also supervise Masters and PhD students – please get in touch if you are interested in studying with us.

I currently act as the Faculty of the Built Environment TENK research integrity advisor.

Research topics

Examples of the research topics I work on are:

• Building physics modelling of indoor environmental quality
• Building stock modelling and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• Data-driven modelling of urban environments, for example using data from distributed environmental sensors
• The Global South, climate adaptation, and the health and climate benefits of the clean energy transition.

About me

I have been Professor in Social Policy at Tampere University since 2023. Before that, I worked as an Associate Professor in Social Research. My position is linked with Tampere University's profilation area STUE (Sustainable Transformation of Urban Environments) and to the question of socially sustainable cities. I have previously worked at the Universities of Turku and Oulu, and at Helsinki University of Technology. I have also served as a visiting professor/scholar in Nordic (NTNU, Roskilde University, Uppsala University) and North American universities (Simon Fraser University, University of Pennsylvania), and have been a Fulbright Senior Scholar at Syracuse University (USA). 

I am a docent at the University of Turku (urban geography) and at Åbo Akademi University (legal geography).

Responsibilities

I lead the Research Network for Justice, Space and Society (JUSTSPACES) and have recently served as a PI in four research projects: Spaces of Confinement in the Institutions of Care and Control in Finland (Academy of Finland 2017–2022), The RIght to Suburban Space (The Finnish Ministry of the Environment, Neighborhood Program 2020–2023), Space, Justice and Everyday Democracy (Kone Foundation 2022–2026) and Forest Rights (Kone Foundation 2024–2027).

I enjoy supervising dissertations and Master's theses related to my expertise, so feel free to contact in case you are intersted in the topics of our research team. We are also interested in new collaboration with researchers, cities, journalists, artists, communities and activists. 

Field of expertise

My main research interests include: 

- the right to (sub)urban space;

- socially sustainable and just cities; 

- urban inequality;

- everyday democracy and participation; 

- urban public spaces;

- urban margins and alternative communities; 

- everyone's rights;

- space/law relations; 

- the conceptualizations of social spaces, places and landscapes.