About me
Throughout my work I seek out and thrive in truly collaborative environments that put diversity, equality, inter-disciplinarity and co-creation at the centre. It is with this spirit that I intend to direct Tampere University's multi-disciplinary Institute for Advanced Study with colleagues across the university and beyond (from August 2026-Dec 2028, 50%).
After dedicating over 20 years to teaching, designing and researching sustainable architecture, I was promoted to (full) Professor of Sustainable Housing Design in 2023. As part of my Professor's role, I co-chair the ASUTUT - Sustainable Housing Design research group, located in the Architecture unit (Faculty of the Built Environment).
Responsibilities
Our research group ASUTUT - Sustainable Housing Design 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. Sustainable Architecture (EN, Masters)
4. Sustainable Masters Thesis Studio (samples of work here)
Other responsibilities include:
Director of Tampere University's multi-disciplinary Institute for Advanced Study (from August 2026-Dec 2028, 50%) - A140 Päätalo City Centre Campus
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 living 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 teaching, practice and research that makes a difference and responds to current societal and environmental challenges. 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 more see https://researchportal.tuni.fi/en/persons/sofie-pelsmakers
Research topics
Generally, my research spans across (and often combines) several 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.
Research unit
ASUTUT - Sustainable Housing Design - www.sustainablehousingdesign.com
Research fields
see www.sustainablehousingdesign.com.
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 and in 2019 I joined Tampere University where I co-lead the Sustainable Housing Design research group at Tampere University and direct the multi-disciplinary Institute for Advanced Study (from August 2026).
Funding
Academy of Finland, EU (Horizon Europe, Erasmus+), Erkko Foundation, YH Kodit Housing company and Foundation, TAU PROFI 5 Sustainable Welfare Systems (SWS), EDUFI
Mission statement
The research group strives to make a difference through holistic real-world research, in order to influence and support the design of sustainable housing environments and resilient communities now, and in the future. We do this by investigating and re-imagining responses to current and predicted societal and environmental challenges, such as climate change, finite resources, ageing populations, declining health and well-being, loneliness, pollution, urbanization, affordability.
The Sustainable Housing Design research group combines research and practice and merges unique areas of expertise. This includes adaptable, flexible and inclusive housing design, energy efficient and zero energy and zero carbon design, user satisfaction and performance evaluation, and the impact of these diverse aspects on spatial and architectural quality and dwellers health and well-being.
Our research explores and validates the implications of these challenges on the making of space, and their relevance to housing design and their communities. In doing so, our research also unfolds the value of innovative, sustainable housing design and the role of different stakeholders within this.
We thrive on genuine collaboration within our group and with residents and citizens as key stakeholders, as well as with colleagues in industry and in other disciplines at the university and with colleagues elsewhere who are also striving to make the world a better and more sustainable place.
