Gary Clark, principal of Science + Technology for HOK in London, and Julia Barfield, have joined John Cole as Honorary Professors at Queen’s University Belfast.
“The school looks forward to learning from the Professors’ vast experience and expertise, which will be of great benefit to both our research and teaching,” noted a Queen’s news story about the Nov. 2020 appointments. “In particular, we look forward to their support and input as we continue to develop our response to the climate and ecological emergency: a core focus across our architecture and project management courses.”
Founded as Queen’s College in 1845 and located in the heart of Belfast in Northern Ireland, Queen’s is one of the UK’s leading research-intensive universities. In 2019, the School of Architecture at Queen’s declared a climate emergency and began integrating climate action into every student module.
“Thanks to everyone at Queen’s, in particular Head of Architecture Dr. Sarah Lappin and Professor of Architecture and RIBA President Alan Jones, for making this happen,” said Clark. “I look forward to working with the department to inspire and equip our future generation of architects with the knowledge and skills required to deal with our climate emergency.”
Over his 30-year career as an architect, Clark has sought to bridge academic research, teaching and practice to create a more sustainable future. In his role as Science + Technology principal in HOK’s London studio, he works to define, develop, deliver and promote sustainability across the science and technology sector as well as the entire built environment.
Clark frequently advises the UK government on sustainable policy. As chair of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Sustainable Futures Group, he has helped shape its official policy and guidance on energy-efficient buildings and resilient design. He was lead author of the RIBA Sustainable Outcomes Guide developed to support the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge, an initiative to encourage RIBA Chartered Practices to achieve net zero whole life carbon for all new and retrofitted buildings by 2030.
In addition to his new role as Honorary Professor of Sustainable Architecture at Queen’s, Clark’s experience in academia includes teaching and research positions at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, the University of Cambridge, the University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh and Oxford Brookes University.