Dr. Tim Forman (BA MSc PhD) is a Research Associate and Teaching Fellow at the Centre for Sustainable Development. He also serves as Deputy Course Director of the ‘Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment’ MSt course, which is delivered by the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.
Tim’s research, teaching and professional backgrounds relate to the design, construction and renovation of buildings and to improving sustainability and resilience in the built environment under current and future climate conditions.
Tim holds a PhD (2016) and an MSc (2011) in ‘Theory and Practice of Sustainable Design’ from the Welsh School of Architecture at Cardiff University and a BA (2003) with a focus in architectural theory and sustainability from Hampshire College (USA). His academic background includes design, building science, sustainability theory, and socio-technical analysis. Tim has broad professional experience in a range of construction practices, including conventional and sustainable approaches, and has extensive experience in residential construction.
Tim’s research addresses technical, social and policy issues in the context of energy demand reduction in existing buildings and built environments. His current work is focussed on thermal insulation retrofit of solid masonry walls and the potential for unintended accumulation of moisture and related consequences. He is working with partners to develop novel sensor technology and building monitoring techniques and employ hygrothermal modelling software to study risk factors.
Tim has led and supported teaching of a range of topics in architecture and engineering at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including: energy demand in buildings, environmental design, urban design, retrofit of existing buildings and systems, sustainability and building conservation, advanced building management, building information modelling, and policy analysis. He has presented to numerous industry and policymaker audiences and is a regular participant in debate and public-academic forums. He is a member of the UK Centre for Moisture in Buildings and serves on its technical working group for retrofit. He is also a member of the Edge think tank, the Association of Researchers in Construction Management and the Association for Studies in the Conservation of Historic Buildings.
