Edward Barsley (2010) read for an MPhil in Environmental Design for Architecture and began a PhD at Queens’ before founding his firm The Environmental Design Studio. In 2016, the practice won the Sunday Times ‘Resilient Home’ design competition with their ‘Home for all Seasons’. Edward’s new book, Retrofitting for Flood Resilience: A Guide to Building & Community Design, published by the Royal Institute of British Architects is available for order from the RIBA bookshop and Amazon.
Edward says:
“I wanted to create a resource that would clearly explain the causes and impacts of different types of flooding whilst also showcasing the vast array of different strategies that can be used to help make communities and buildings resilient to this threat.
Throughout my career and education I’ve always been passionate about environmental issues and sustainable design. At Cambridge, I chose to focus my research on flooding as it is an increasingly pertinent topic and one in which I felt there was huge scope and necessity for innovation at a variety of scales and with regards to both new build and existing contexts.”
Within the book Edward has featured a number of different projects that he worked on during his time at Queens’, including:
- His MPhil research, the ‘Shifting Shorelines’ study which explores the design and viability of a flood-resilient coastal settlement in Cornwall.
- The 'Flood Narratives' study he ran with Public Health England and the Environment Agency that developed new methods and tools for communicating flood risk.
- His PhD, the ‘Retrofitting Resilience’ study, in which he is creating a framework for evaluating the flood resilience of existing communities.
These studies are showcased alongside Edward’s own studio’s design work and an array of good practice precedents from around the world. His book features over 300 original illustrations and provides a highly visual guide to the ways in which the built and natural environment can be adapted to be flood resilient. This timely guide equips homeowners, design professionals and policy makers with a comprehensive understanding of the topic and the practical knowledge to make a difference.
If any Fellows, students, staff or alumni have news items they would like to be featured on the College website, please send them to the Development Officer (Communications)
Alice Webster acw69@cam.ac.uk and 01223 (7)46980
T6 Fisher Building