Ms Eleni Tracada

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Job title: Lecturer in Architecture

Email: e.tracada@derby.ac.uk
Phone No: 01332 593137
Room: Markeaton Street 204

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Recent publications

1.       Eleni Tracada, 'The city of Manchester and the Hulme area' in Corrado Marcetti, Nicola Solimano, Antonio Tosi (ed.s), Living in City and Urban Cultures (Florence, Ed. Polistampa, 2000).
2.       Eleni Tracada, 'Manchester' in Migrant Integration in European cities -Ethnobarometer: Second Report October 2003 (Rome, Ethnobarometer, 2003).
3.       Eleni Tracada, 'The Procession of Maria's Servants and a huge proliferation of art and architecture in the Santa Maria Nuova Hospital in Florence' in Peter Martyn, Piotr Paszkiewicz, Francis Ames-Lewis (ed.s), Art-Ritual-Religion (Warsaw, Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IS PAN, 2003).
4.       Eleni Tracada, 'Le architetture scultoree e sacre di Giovanni Michelucci come consacrazione della Madre Terra Etrusca' in Veronica Ferretti & Eleni Tracada, Vivarelli e Michelucci: scultura e architettura a confronto nella Chiesa dell' Autostrada del Sole (Pescia, Pistoia, Edimedia, 2006).
5.       Eleni Tracada, 'Self and peer assessment as means to encourage deep learning: a case study' in University of Leeds Learning and Teaching Bulletin, June 2006, p11.
6.       Eleni Tracada & Bruce Paget, 'Reading Buildings and Translating Places: A Place to ...' in Luciano Crespi, Giovanna Piccino & Agnese Rebaglio (ed.s), Books: the future of reading? (Milan, Libreria CLUP Soc. Coop., 2006)
7.       Eleni Tracada, 'Chapter 3: Reading buildings and translating places: 'a place to...' in John Stell, Lynne Cameron & Kenneth G. Hay (ed.s) Explorations in Spatiality (Leeds, University of Leeds, Spatiality in Design, 2006).
8.       Eleni Tracada, 'Florence: the city that signed the genesis and death of architecture' in Peter Martyn The City in Art (Warsaw, Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IS PAN, 2007).
9.       Eleni Tracada & Niall O' Leary, 'Deep Learning and Understanding Lighting in Interiors: Focusing on 'the Concepts' rather than 'the Signs' in Maurizio Rossi, Francesco Scullica Designing Designers: Light as an architectural matter - Lighting design (Milan, Edizioni POLI.design, 2008)
10.    Eleni Tracada, 'Design Codes and Design Language' in Kate Hatton (ed.) Design-Pedagogy-Research, Leeds 2007, (Huddersfield, Jeremy Mills Publishing Ltd, 2008)
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=8TUyF4VhElIC&pg=PA37&lpg=PA37&dq=Eleni+Tracada&source=bl&ots=euEg1vMzzm&sig=WsJrgDiH5_Pv6GXMh8GYHLYZfJ8&hl=en&ei=NIeFS8ebI4uOjAen3-SKAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CBUQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=Eleni%20Tracada&f=false
11.    Eleni Tracada, 'La Chiesa sull'Autostrada di Giovanni Michelucci e Jorio Vivarelli' in Veronica Ferretti (ed.) Jorio Vivarelli - La Materia della Vita, Catalogue of the exhibition, Sala d'Arme Palazzo Vecchio - Firenze (15 January-8 February 2009) (Verona, Edizioni d'Arte Ghelfi, 2009).
12.    Eleni Tracada, 'Abstract: Assessment of International Collaborative Undergraduate and Postgraduate Courses in Art, Design and Architecture: Learning without barriers' in Peter Barrett, Dilanthi Amaratunga, Richard Haigh, Kaushal Karaminiyage & Chaminda Pathirage Programme & Book of Abstracts: CIB Congress 2010 - Building a Better World, (Salford, University of Salford, 2010)
13.    Eleni Tracada, 'Assessment of International Collaborative Undergraduate and Postgraduate Courses in Art, Design and Architecture: Learning without barriers' in W089 Commission of Building Research and Education Papers, Paper Nr 1231, in Peter Barrett, Dilanthi Amaratunga, Richard Haigh, Kaushal Karaminiyage & Chaminda Pathirage Congress Proceedings of CIB Congress 2010 - Building a Better World in The Lowry, Salford Quays, United Kingdom, 10-13 May 2010, in http://www.cib2010.org/post/files/papers/1231.pdf
14.    Eleni Tracada, 'Reformation Places and the use of Senses in their Design: Seclusion Spaces and Heightened Sensory Awareness/Responsiveness' in the International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, Volume 5, Number 10, 2011, pp355-370.

Faculty: Arts, Design and Technology

School: School of Technology

Subject Area: Architecture and Built Environment

I am a full time Senior Lecturer in Architecture and in July 2010, I was awarded the title of University Principal Tutor in the Built Environment (Architecture).

Programme Leader in Joint Honours Architectural Design.

Leader of the Built Environment Research Group.

Teaching responsibilities

o        Programme Leader in Joint Honours Architectural Design.
o        Founder and Leader of the Built Environment Research Group (since May 2010) in the University of Derby, Faculty of Art, Design and Technology, School of Technology.
o        Lecturer and studio support in Studio Design 1 (Module Leader).
o        Lecturer in Architectural History at Level 4 (Module Leader).
o        Lecturer in Theory & Context 1 at level 4 and Theory & Context 2 at Level 5.
o        Lecturer in Innovations in Design & Technology in Level 6 (Module Leader).
o        Face-to-face tutorial support, Levels 4, 5 & 6; personal tutor to students in Joint Honours Architectural Design
o        Supervision of Independent Studies/Dissertations at Level 6 (Module Leader)
o        Assessment of collaborative course work abroad as a moderator in the George &Eleni Vakalo' School of Arts in Athens, Greece; assessment of undergraduate and postgraduate architectural courses.
o        Lecturer in Designing Environments (Module Leader), Level 7 module for MSc Sustainable Design and Innovation & MSc in Sustainable Architecture and Healthy Buildings.
o        Director of Studies to one overseas PhD students currently and recently recruited (with two more students at stage of application to start summer 2011); 2^nd Supervisor of 2 PhD students (one student completed successfully in 2010 and the second one is to complete in 2011/12).

Professional interests

I graduated in Architecture from the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Florence, Italy in 1983. As a student, I had the opportunity to take part in very active research groups guided by distinguished specialists in Architectural Design (Leonardo Savioli, Adolfo Natalini, Giovanni Michelucci), Conservation and Restoration (Marco Dezzi-Bardeschi), History of Architecture (Emilio Battisti, Klaus Coening), Urban Planning and Social Architecture (Edoardo Detti).

I qualified and worked as a self-employed architect in Florence from 1983 to 1993. From 1993 to 1996 I studied at the Manchester Metropolitan University and was awarded a Masters of Arts in Interior Design. From 2001 to 2007 I taught a range of modules in Interior Design at the Leeds College of Art and Design; I promoted shared research interests (GIDE international programme) with my students, with several students shortlisted or winning design competitions (Formica, Satelliet).

I studied at the University of Leeds for a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education from 2003 to 2007 and used the latest learning and teaching processes in my teaching, such as student peer assessment and personal development portfolios.

Currently I am involved in teaching on the following courses: BSc (Hons) Architectural Technology and Practice, BA (Hons) Architectural Venue Design, FdSc Architectural Studies, the Joint Honours Scheme; I am Director of Studies and/or 2nd Supervisor of PhD Students and teach Designing Environments in MSc in Sustainable Architecture and Healthy Buildings.

Research interests

(a) 'Giovanni Michelucci and architecture and politics in Italy between 1922 and 1942'.

The materials are being published as independent research and/or conference papers.

(b) Member of the Spatiality in Design cluster, one of 21 research clusters set up in 2005 by the Designing for the 21 Century Initiative and funded by EPSRC and AHRC. The cluster was based at the University of Leeds (Official site of the cluster was in www.leeds.ac.uk/SiD). My special contribution into the work of this cluster has been acclaimed in Dr John Stell, Prof. Lynne Cameron & Prof. Kenneth G. Kay 'Spatiality in Design' in Prof. Tom Inns (ed.)(2007) Designing for the 21^stcentury: Interdisciplinary Questions and Insights, Aldershot, England: Gower Publishing Limited & Burlington, USA: Ashgate Publishing Company, pp226-227.

(c) Participation in the research Workshop 4: Recovered Landscapes on Thursday, 30 March 2006 in the Gunpowder Park, Essex and organised by CCASE-NET, Network for Creative Collaboration in Arts, Science and Engineering, University of Leeds, EPSRC Culture and Creativity Programme 2004 -2006.

(d) Participation in the research Workshop 5: Sublime Engineering on Wednesday 6 September 2006 in the Drax Power Station, Selby, N. Yorkshire and organised by CCASE-NET, University of Leeds.

(e) Participation in the research Workshop 6: Special meeting 'Reflections, findings and outcomes' at the National Museum of Photography, Film and TV, Bradford on Wednesday, 22 November 2006 organised by CCASE-NET, University of Leeds.

(f) Currently involved in independent research on the links between sculpture, architecture and urban planning in the Intrarrealists' movement (Italy and USA). The research has been supported until now by the materials provided by the Giovanni Michelucci Foundation (Fiesole, Florence) and the Jorio Vivarelli Foundation (Pistoia) in Tuscany.

(g) Currently involved in research in History and Philosophy of Architecture; active member of East Midlands Philosophy and History of Architecture Research Network (other participating Universities: University of Nottingham, Nottingham Trent and Lincoln Universities). The applicant organised a meeting of this network for the first time in the University of Derby on 14^th June 2010 during which, the activities of the research network were presented to colleagues from the Faculty of Art, Design and Technology, interested in joining and participating in near future events (symposia, conferences, etc). Also linked to East Midlands Research Network in Environmental Technology with joint membership (with another member of the Built Environment Research Group of the University of Derby) and participating in the East Midlands Research Group in Architectural Education.

(h) I have been actively involved in the formation of the Built Environment Research Group in the School of Technology as a leading member; I have organised the application documents for the approval of the group; approval was obtained in September 2010. I have organised the programme of the group for the next three-four years and I am Leader and Principal Researcher in the same group. Main aspiration has been to create a strong research group with a view to be part of a stronger Research Centre of the School of Technology in the years to come.

(i) I am also Associated Researcher in the Academic Practice Research Group and active member of the cluster in Transformative Learning; I am currently having examinations to attain Higher Education Academy Standard 3 (viva on 19/04/2011)

(j) After having submitted an application to the competition for conferment of academic award in the University of Derby in May 2010, I was awarded the title of University Principal Tutor in the Built Environment (Architecture) on 7^th July 2010.

(k) Since 2008/09, I started applying new methods in Studio Design learning and teaching by embedding Personal Development Planning (PDP) in studio activities and also assessing professionalism through the same activities; as personal research in architectural education I am currently developing materials of continuous monitoring of developing students' professional skills by use of specific targets agreed by students and tutor during studio time. The outcomes of this educational research programme have been disseminated during specialist conferences and congresses and are still being tested and further developed. In fact during the latest revalidation of the architectural courses in the University of Derby to comply with Higher Education Blueprint, the external peer chairing the panel praised such PDP developments and especially because I have inserted PDP to all new Studio Design modules as well as in Level 6 Independent Study. Several modules in the architectural courses have been re-written and/or recently written (such as Theory and Context 1 & 2) by me and by considering further developments to write a new course in architecture for the School of Technology in the University of Derby.

(l) Research in Recycling Materials in new architectural designs dealing with social issues, such as ageing population and shortage of housing have been my main focus in the last couple of academic years and especially in writing and delivering Studio Design 1. During the second semester of 2010/11, I introduced a brief in synchrony with the theme 'Articulating Design Thinking' for the Design Thinking Research Symposium (DTRS9) to be held in the University of Northumbria in spring 2012. An abstract has been submitted and accepted in January 2011 and the first draft on our research project shared with the students at level 4 will be submitted by 30/05/2011.

(m) On 10/02/2011, an application was submitted to European Lifelong Learning Programme, Leonardo da Vinci partnerships to obtain collaborative mobility funds for international partners from Italy, France and Belgium and UK (University of Derby). I was proposed by the Giovanni Michelucci Foundation (main partners) to be the main contact for Derby for the B.E.S.T. project which is related to 'self build' training and qualifications for young vulnerable people from local communities seeking to solve their problems of homelessness and lack of employability at the same time.

(n) As a moderator of the architectural design courses of George and Eleni Vakalo' School of Arts in Athens, Greece, I managed also to be creating ideas of developing collaborative research projects with my colleagues in that School as well. In early March 2011, we managed to submit an Erasmus bid between us, the School of Architecture of Montpellier and the Institute of Architecture of Venice to run a research project on special performance spaces with the title 'Dance and Architectural Space'. If successful, we are going to run the first workshop in Athens in July 2012 in the Temple of Artemis in Vravrona and with the participation of the Dance School of Isidora Duncan. (Outcome to be announced by July 2011).

Membership of professional bodies and advisory committees

RIBA membership PART 3 approved on 16/03/2005. Membership No. 11405842.
ARB (Architects Registration Board). Registration No. 064848E from 17/01/2001.
Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain. Membership from 01/01/2000.
East Midlands Research Network in History and Philosophy of Architecture. Member of the Steering Group since October 2009.
European Architectural History Network. Membership from 01/11/2010.
International Society of Biourbanism. Member of the Executive Committee from summer 2010.

Recent Conferences

-Paper title: From Convent/Hospice To A Prison To Modern Architecture School: The Murate In Florence

Conference: 'Architecture and Justice' in the University of Lincoln, UK, 25-27 November 2009.

Presented: On 26 November 2009.

-Paper title: Urban fabric and emergent architecture following the rules of social

historical indexes - hidden agenda in urban sprawl.

Meeting: East Midlands Philosophy and History of Architecture Research Network in Nottingham Trent University, 16 December 2009.

Presented: On 16 December 2009.

-Paper title: Collaborative activities between universities by using online simultaneous teaching methods: Eleni Tracada collaborating with other Universities abroad (to be programmed from 2010/11).

Meeting: East Midlands Philosophy and History of Architecture Research Network in the University of Lincoln, 14 April 2010.

Presented: On 14 April 2010.

-Paper title: Assessment of international collaborative undergraduate and postgraduate course in art, design and architecture: learning without barriers.

Congress: CIB World Congress, Salford, 11-13 May 2010

Presented: On 11 May 2010 in the Lowry Centre in Salford, Greater Manchester. The paper was inserted in a special publication of the congress proceedings and is available online. The abstract has been published in a book distributed during the duration of the congress.

-Paper title: Generating and maintaining CPD culture in LTA embedded in PDP

Studio activities: a formula which equals success in employment

Conference: 'Learning Teaching and Assessment Conference: Maintaining

Momentum', University of Derby, Buxton, 8 July 2010.

Presented: On 8July 2010, as a special workshop se

- Paper title: From Modernism and under the Fascist flag of Italian Nation to Post-modernist urban sprawl: the emergence and the power of the Schools of Architecture in

Conference: International conference: 'Theoretical Currents: Architecture, Design, and the Nation'. Theme: 'Historical Perspectives'. Conference organised by the Nottingham Trent

University and the University of Nottingham to be held in Nottingham on 13-15 September 2010.

Accepted: On 28 April 2010 and without conditions. The paper has been edited and refereed (to be published in a collection of essays in 2011/12)

-Paper title: Landscape and Urban History leading to the Detection of Hidden

Codes for Contemporary Urban Sprawl. Is this the Way Forward for

the 21^st Century Urbanism?

Keynote Lecture: Special invitation by the Faculty of Engineering, University "La

Sapienza" to present a paper on the occasion of the Round Table for 150

years of the Union of Italy, special anniversary in Rome. The lecture is

going to be held in the Main Lecture Theatre of the La Sapienza

University on 7 April 2011 and will be transmitted live in

www.livestream.com/biourbanism

Additional Interests and Activities

I am currently interested in studies in innovations in design and technology related to green architecture and also in urban design and planning.

Media experience

I was interviewed for Biourbanism.

Undergraduate qualifications

Laurea in Architettura (Diploma) , University of Florence

Postgraduate qualifications

Master of Arts in Interior Design, Manchester Metropolitan University
Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, University of Leeds

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