July 2022
Charlotte Cambier, a new doctor at ARCH
On July 5, 2022, Charlotte Cambier publicly defended her doctoral thesis 'Actions for circular architecture: the development of actionable knowledge on circular economy for architectural designers through participatory action research'. This PhD was carried out under the supervision of prof. Niels De Temmerman and prof. Waldo Galle, and was funded by the FWO Flanders.
Circular actions
Charlotte her thesis puts forward 26 interventions; hands-on actions that a design team can take to shape a building that fits the circular construction economy. Charlotte's research has shown that each intervention must be done at the right moment of the design process. That is why they are structured in a framework, guiding architectural designers and advising engineers through a growing body of knowledge and methods.
For and with practitioners
To achieve this result, Charlotte intensively collaborated with architectural designs, advising engineers and product manufacturers. By testing actions at the design table while making observations and collecting feedback, Charlotte has shown how collaboration and participation of practitioners result in valuable knowledge and insights. The results are now shared widely, and ready to be improved further.
Charlotte so obtained the title of Doctor in Engineering Sciences at Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
Congratulations Charlotte!
Read Charlotte her doctoral thesis soon on researchportal.vub.be,
or check the 26 actions for circular architecture at