Arman Hashemi

Dr Arman Hashemi

Senior Lecturer

Sustainability Research Institute (SRI), Environmental Design and Performance Research Group (EDPRG)

Department of Architecture & Visual Arts , School Of Architecture, Computing And Engineering

Dr Hashemi is the Programme Leader for BSc (Hons) Architectural Design Technology (ADT). He has over 20 years of experience in practice and academia in the UK and overseas. He has been involved in numerous award-winning research, design and construction projects. His primary research is on building performance evaluation with a focus on energy, thermal comfort and indoor air quality in buildings. He is leading/co-leading two multidisciplinary research groups at University of East London, namely the Environmental Design and Performance Research Group and the Resilient Built Environment Research Group. Dr Hashemi is also the Regional Director of the ZEMCH Network in England. He has served as an Expert Panel Member on the UKRI/NERC Strategic Priorities Fund on Clean Air and is also a panel member of the CIAT Climate Change Group that aims to prepare an industry Climate Change Action Plan to respond to climate challenges, in response to CIAT commitment to reaching Net Zero Carbon by 2050. He has been acting as a guest editor, scientific chair and as a member of the editorial boards and scientific committees of numerous international journals and conferences.

Qualifications

  • PhD
  • MSc
  • BSc
  • CMI Dip
  • PGCert

Areas Of Interest

  • Building Performance Evaluation/Simulation
  • Modern/Offsite Methods of Construction (MMC)
  •  
Arman Hashemi

OVERVIEW

Dr Hashemi is the Programme Leader for BSc (Hons) Architectural Design Technology. Prior to this position, he was a Senior Lecturer in Architectural Technology at University of Brighton. He has been responsible for the first Full Accreditation of the ADT Course by the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT) and is currently leading on the Initial Accreditation of the ADT course by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).

Dr Hashemi holds a PhD from the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University, UK and an MSc and BSc in Architecture from University of Tehran, Iran. After completing his PhD, he joined the Bartlett School of Architecture at UCL as a postdoctoral research associate and designed and built an award-winning patented automated Thermal Shutter System. He then joined the University of Cambridge as the lead postdoctoral researcher working on a £0.75m EPSRC/DFID/DECC funded research project: "Energy and Low-Income Tropical Housing".

Dr Hashemi is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), a Member of the Chartered Management Institute (MCMI), an Associate Member of the Chartered institute of Architectural Technologists (ACIAT), and a Member of the Iranian Construction Engineers Organisation. 

He is currently supervising three funded PhD projects including: Healthy Homes: Design and retrofit strategies for improved occupants' health and wellbeing; and EPSRC funded PhD project on 'Retrofitting space heating systems for historic churches: meeting the needs of conservation, community and environmental sustainability.' SEAHA (Science and Engineering in Arts Heritage and Archaeology) is an EPSRC funded PhD research training programme as a collaboration between UCL, Oxford and Brighton. 

CURRENT RESEARCH

The results of Dr Hashemi's research have been documented in numerous publications including refereed journal articles, conference papers, book chapters, edited books and patents. His research interests can be classified under two main areas:

Building Performance Evaluation

Dr Hashemi's primary research is on building performance evaluation/simulation with a focus on energy efficiency and health and wellbeing in buildings. The key research areas include:

  • Indoor Air Quality
  • Thermal Comfort
  • Natural Lighting
  • Energy Efficiency; and
  • Performance Gap

His research on the above areas has been through various means and methods including physical tests, post occupancy evaluation, simulation and/or laboratory tests. Probably his most significant achievement during the recent years has been the design and development of an internationally-patented, multi-award winning thermal shutter system which can also act as a natural light reflector, solar shade and a secondary security device. The invented product benefits from innovative drive mechanisms and control strategies mixed with the most advanced materials to achieve significant savings of over 60 per cent in electric lighting and over 63 per cent in heat-losses through windows.

Energy and health and wellbeing in housing, and particularly in low-income housing, is another area of his research which he started at the University of Cambridge and is now continuing at UEL. The research intends to identify, and then begin to propagate, methods of reducing the energy consumption of low-income housing.

Indoor air quality and air pollutants, in general, and moisture, dampness and the risk of mould growth, in particular, are the other areas of his research. Dampness is affecting a significant share of buildings in Europe, North America, Australia, India and Japan making it a major issue around the world. Dr Hashemi's research aims to improve energy efficiency while reducing the risks of dampness and mould growth in buildings.

Offsite/Modern Methods of Construction

In his PhD, Dr Hashemi studied the relevance of Modern/Offsite Methods of Construction to delivering sustainable housing in the UK and in developing countries. His research then expanded into more recent issues such as Mass Customisation and Building Information Modelling (BIM) in offsite construction. He has been doing research and publication in these areas along with a team of experts in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the Middle East. The main objectives are to investigate the reasons for the success and failure of prefabricated methods in different countries and to address housing shortages in both developed and developing countries.

RESEARCH AND IMPACT

Dr Hashemi's research and R&D activities have been commended for their potential impact on the construction industry. He has received multiple awards on his construction and research projects including the CIOB International Innovation & Research Premier Award; and the CIOB International I&R Innovation Achiever's Highly Commended Award in 2015.

PUBLICATIONS

For the latest list of publications see: Arman Hashemi.

Patents

  • Hashemi, A. (2012). Thermal Shutter System, International Patent No. PCT/EP2012/051803, WIPO. (also filed in (2013-14) and published as: CN103443382A, EP2673445A1, US20140000164.)

Journal and editorial papers

  •  
  • Hashemi, A., Alam, K., Ip, K. (2019). Comparative performance analysis of Vacuum Insulation Panels in thermal window shutters, Energy Procedia, 157: 837-843. (doi: 10.1016/j.egypro.2018.11.249)
  • Jin, R., Zhong, B., Ma, L., Hashemi, A. & Ding, L. (2019). Integrating BIM with building performance analysis in project life-cycle, Automation in Construction: 106,102861.
  • Hashemi, A. (2018). Assessment of solar shading strategies in low-income tropical housing: the case of Uganda. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Engineering Sustainability. (doi.org/10.1680/jensu.17.00072)
  • Bhikhoo, N., Hashemi, A., Cruickshank, H. (2017). Improving Thermal Comfort of Low-Income Housing in Thailand through Passive Design Strategies Sustainability, 9 (8). (doi:10.3390/su9081440)
  • Mohareb, E., Hashemi, A., Shahrestani, M., Sunikka-Blank, M. (2017). Retrofit Planning for the Performance Gap: Results of a Workshop on Addressing Energy, Health and Comfort Needs in a Protected Building, Energies, 10 (8). (doi:10.3390/en10081177)
  • Hashemi, A. (2017). Effects of Thermal Insulation on Thermal Comfort in Low-income Tropical Housing, Energy Procedia, 134:815-824.
  • Pomfret, L., Hashemi, A. (2017). Thermal Comfort in Zero Energy Buildings, Energy Procedia, 134:825-834.
  • Hashemi, A., Khatami, N. (2017). Effects of Solar Shading on Thermal Comfort in Low-income Tropical Housing, Energy Procedia, 111:235-244.
  • Khatami, N., Hashemi, A. (2017). Improving thermal comfort and indoor air quality through minimal interventions in office buildings, Energy Procedia, 111:171-180.
  • Hashemi, A. (2016). Climate Resilient Low-income Tropical Housing, Energies, 9 (6), 486, 1-15. (doi:10.3390/en9060468)
  • Hashemi, A., Cruickshank, H., Cheshmehzangi, A. (2015). Environmental impacts and embodied energy of construction methods and materials in low-income tropical housing, Sustainability, 7(6):7866-7883. (doi:10.3390/su7067866)
  • Hashemi, A., Khatami, N. (2015). The effects of air permeability, background ventilation and lifestyle on energy performance, indoor air quality and risk of condensation in domestic buildings, Sustainability, 7(4): 4022-4034. (doi: 10.3390/su7044022)
  • Hashemi, A., Cruickshank, H. (2015). Delivering Sustainable Low-income Housing in Uganda, Challenges and Opportunities, OIDA International Journal of Sustainable Development 8(10):47-60.
  • Hashemi, A. (2015). Guest Editorial Preface: Special Issue on Building Information Management (BIM) and Housing, International Journal of 3-D Information Modeling, 4(1): iv-v.
  • Hashemi, A. (2015). Offsite Manufacturing: A Survey on the Current Status and Risks of Offsite Construction in Iran, Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture, 9(2):141-152. (doi: 10.17265/1934-7359/2015.02.003)
  • Hashemi, A. (2014). Mitigating the Risks of Offsite Manufacturing through the Application of BIM, International Journal of 3-D Information Modeling 10/2014; 3(4):26-35. (doi: 10.4018/ij3dim.2014100102)
  • Hashemi, A. (2014). Guest Editorial Preface: Special Issue on Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Housing, International Journal of 3-D Information Modeling, 3(4): iv-v.
  • Hashemi, A. (2014). Daylighting and solar shading performances of an innovative reflective louver system, Energy and Buildings, 82:607-620. (doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2014.07.086)
  • Hashemi, A. (2013). Review of the UK housing history in relation to system building, Alam Cipta International Journal of Sustainable Tropical Design Research and Practice, 6(1):47-58.
  • Hashemi, A., Gage, S. (2012). Technical issues that affect the use of retrofit panel thermal shutters in commercial buildings, Building Services Engineering Research and Technology, 35(1):6-22. (doi: 10.1177/0143624412462906)
  •  

Books and book chapters

  •  
  • Hashemi, A. (Ed.) (2018). Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation - ZEMCH 2016, MDPI. ISBN 978-3-03842-965-4
  • Hashemi, A. (Ed.) (2017). ZEMCH 2016 International Conference Proceedings, ZEMCH Network. ISBN: 978-967-11236-9-0
  • Altan, H., Padovani, R., Hashemi, A. (2016). Building Performance and Simulation In: Noguchi, Masa, ed. ZEMCH: Toward the Delivery of Zero Energy Mass Custom Homes. Springer Tracts in Civil Engineering. Springer International Publishing, Switzerland, pp. 311-338. ISBN 9783319319650.
  • Hashemi, A., Kim, U.K., Bell, P., Steinhardt, D., Manley, K., Southcombe, M. (2016). Prefabrication In: Noguchi, Masa, ed. ZEMCH: Toward the Delivery of Zero Energy Mass Custom Homes. Springer Tracts in Civil Engineering. Springer International Publishing, Switzerland, pp. 65-94. ISBN 9783319319650.
  • Aelenei, L., Frattari, A., Riscala, L., Altan, H., Hashemi, A., Tabet Aoul, K. A., Noguchi, M. (2016). Zero Energy Homes In: Noguchi, Masa, ed. ZEMCH: Toward the Delivery of Zero Energy Mass Custom Homes. Springer Tracts in Civil Engineering. Springer International Publishing, Switzerland, pp. 275-310. ISBN 9783319319650.
  •  

Conference papers

  1. Ficini, G., Hashemi, A., Senatore, A. and Zandi, S. (2021). Thermal comfort in traditional dwellings, a comparison between physical measurements and simulated data. 8th Zero Energy Mass Custom Home (ZEMCH) 2021 International Conference. Dubai, UAE 26 - 28 Oct 2021 ZEMCH Network.
  2. Talbot, R., Hashemi, A., Ashton, P. & Picco, M. (2021). Identifying Heating Technologies suitable for Historic Churches, Taking into Account Heating Strategy and Conservation through Pairwise Analysis, E3S Web Conf. 246 07006. DOI: 10.1051/e3sconf/202124607006
  3. Serroukh, J. and Hashemi, A. (2021). Comparative performance analysis of Passivhaus and building regulation certified properties built in the United Kingdom. 8th Zero
  4. Energy Mass Custom Home (ZEMCH) 2021 International Conference. Dubai, UAE 26 - 28 Oct 2021 ZEMCH Network.
  5. Fahmi, G. and Hashemi, A. (2021). Exterior refurbishment and fire safety strategies for high-rise council estates in the UK. 8th Zero Energy Mass Custom Home (ZEMCH) 2021 International Conference. Dubai, UAE 26 - 28 Oct 2021 ZEMCH Network.
  6. Minihane, C. and Hashemi, A. (2021). Implementation of Passive House standards in the UK, a roadmap for the local authorities. 8th Zero Energy Mass Custom Home (ZEMCH) 2021 International Conference. Dubai, UAE 26 - 28 Oct 2021 ZEMCH Network.
  7. Chapi, J., Hashemi, A., Senatore, A. and Zandi, S. (2021). Improving energy performance of the UK housing through the implementation of Passive House standards. 8th Zero Energy Mass Custom Home (ZEMCH) 2021 International Conference. Dubai, UAE 26 - 28 Oct 2021 ZEMCH Network.
  8. Hashemi, A. (2019) Effects of Natural Ventilation on Thermal Comfort in Low-income Tropical Housing, Zero Energy Mass Custom Home (ZEMCH 2019) International Conference, Seoul, South Korea. (In Press)
  9. Butt, T., Mohareb, E. & Hashemi, A. (2019). Reducing GHGs From UK Households - An Examination of Local Authority-Level Data, Zero Energy Mass Custom Home (ZEMCH 2019) International Conference, Seoul, South Korea. (In Press)
  10. Hashemi, A., Alam, M. & Mohareb, E. (2019). Thermal Performance of Vacuum Insulated Window Shutter Systems, Zero Energy Mass Custom Home (ZEMCH 2019) International Conference, Seoul, South Korea. (In Press)
  11. Katri, S., Ip, K., Picco, M. & Hashemi A. (2019). Potential and Impact of Incorporating Roof Photovoltaic to Enhance Environmental Sustainability of Historic English Churches in the United Kingdom, Central Europe towards Sustainable Building 2019 (CESB19). (IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science; vol. 290, no. 1), p.1-9
  12. Coombs, B., Hashemi, A., Cruickshank, H., (2017) Energy and low-income tropical housing in Tanzania, ZEMCH 2016 International Conference, 20-23 December 2016, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (ISBN: 978-967-11236-9-0)
  13. Eyre, M., Hashemi, A., Cruickshank, H., Jordan, M. (2017) Transition in housing design and thermal comfort in rural Tanzania, ZEMCH 2016 International Conference, 20-23 December 2016, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (ISBN: 978-967-11236-9-0)
  14. Bhikhoo, N., Hashemi, A., Cruickshank, H. (2017) Evaluating the thermal performance of low-income housing in Thailand, ZEMCH 2016 International Conference, 20-23 December 2016, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (ISBN: 978-967-11236-9-0)
  15. Hashemi, A., Sunikka-Blank, M., Mohareb, E., Vakhitova, T., Dantsiou, D., Ben, H., Sharmin, T, (2017) Performance gap? energy, health and comfort needs in buildings, ZEMCH 2016 International Conference, 20-23 December 2016, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (ISBN: 978-967-11236-9-0)
  16. Alonso-Zandari, S., Hashemi, A. (2017) Prefabrication in the UK housing construction industry, ZEMCH 2016 International Conference, 20-23 December 2016, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (ISBN: 978-967-11236-9-0)
  17. Hashemi, A., Cruickshank, H., Cheshmehzangi, A. (2015). Improving Thermal Comfort in Low-income Tropical Housing: The Case of Uganda, ZEMCH 2015 International Conference, 22-25 September 2015, Lecce, Italy. (ISBN: 978-88941-52609)
  18. Hashemi, A., Noguchi, M., Altan, H. (2015). Feasibility of Application of Modern Methods of Construction in Iran, ZEMCH 2015 International Conference, 22-25 September 2015, Lecce, Italy. (ISBN: 978-88941-52609)
  19. Hashemi, A., Cruickshank, H. (2015). Delivering Sustainable Low-income Housing in Uganda, Challenges and Opportunities, International Conference on Sustainable Development 2015, 2-3 September 2015, Athens, Greece. (developed into a journal paper)
  20. Hashemi, A., Cruickshank, H. (2015). Embodied Energy of Fired Bricks: The Case of Uganda and Tanzania, 14th International Conference on Sustainable Energy Technologies, SET 2015, 25-27 August 2015, Nottingham, UK
  21. Cheshmehzangi, A., Gálvez, L., Hashemi, A., Cruickshank, H. (2015). Housing and Energy: Review of Cases in China, ACSEE2015, June 2015, Kobe, Japan
  22. Hashemi, A., Hadjri, K. (2014). Offsite construction, a potential answer to the Iranian housing shortages, Construction Technology and Management CTM 2014 International Scientific Conference, 9-11 September 2014, Bratislava, Slovakia, 189-199. (ISBN: 978-80-227-4243-6)
  23. Hashemi, A., Liyanage, C., Hadjri, K., Khatami, N. (2014). Assessing the risks of dampness and mould growth in renovated properties, ZEMCH 2014 International Conference: Mass Customisation and Sustainability in Housing, 4-6 June 2014, Londrina, Brazil, 30-44. (ISBN: 978-0-9910608-1-8)  
  24. Khatami, N., Hashemi, A., Cook, M., Firth, S. (2014). Effects of manual and automatic natural ventilation control strategies on thermal comfort, indoor air quality and energy consumption, ZEMCH 2014 International Conference: Mass Customisation and Sustainability in Housing, 4-6 June 2014, Londrina, Brazil, 210-222. (ISBN: 978-0-9910608-1-8)
  25. Hashemi, A., Hadjri, K. (2013). Code for Sustainable Homes: opportunities or threats for offsite manufacturing and mass-customization?, ZEMCH 2013 international conference: The Visibility of Zero-Energy Housing, 30 October - 1  November 2013, University of Miami, Miami, USA, 111-122. (ISBN: 978-0-9910608-0-1)
  26. Hashemi, A. (2008). Architectural profession and offsite methods of construction. Fourth Research Student Conference, Cardiff, UK
  27. Hashemi, A. (2006). Modern Methods of Construction in the UK Housing Industry. Second Research Student Conference, Cardiff, UK
  •  

FUNDING

Dr Hashemi has led and contributed to several research projects with values up to £750K. He is currently leading on a few funded projects as the PI including:

  • Health Energy Efficient Dwellings (HEED) (PI, UKRI/MRC-£187K)
  • Robotic Construction in the UK and China (PI, British Council-£50K)
  • Pre-retrofit assessments on energy and indoor air quality in Newham Council properties (PI, LBN-£44K)
  • Sustainability Decathlon (Co-PI, OCSD-$100K)
  • Zero-Carbon Mass Customised Housing (PI, UEL-£62.5K)
  • East London Impact Scholars Awards 2022/23 (PI, UEL-£6K)

Dr Hashemi is currently collaborating with the Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) at UEL on the Eastern New Energy (ENE) project that has received funding from ERDF as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme. He is involved in multiple Knowledge Exchange projects with the industry on subjects related to Energy Modelling, R&D and Product Development. Dr Hashemi's previously funded research projects include:

  • 2021-22 (PI-£30,450): Buildings in Russia- Adaptation and Mitigation for Climate Change
  • 2019 (Co-I, €100K): Solar Decathlon Europe 2019 (British Council).
  • 2015-16 (PI, £19.5K): SETRIF 2015-16 grant. Energy Efficient Healthy Homes (UoB).
  • 2013-14 (PI, £30K): Innovation Voucher on mitigating risks of condensation, dampness, and mould growth in renovated properties (UCLan & Mistoria).
  • 2014-16 (RA & Collaborator, £750K): Energy and Low-Income Tropical Housing, University of Cambridge (EPSRC/DFID/DECC)
  • 2009-11 (RA, £150K): Automated Thermal Shutter System, University College London (KTP project).

TEACHING

BSc (Hons) Architectural Design Technology (Accredited By CIAT)

Architectural Design Technology is an interdisciplinary course that blends architecture with building engineering, building technology and construction management.

Read more about this course

MODULES

Dr Hashemi has been teaching and supervising undergraduate and postgraduate students on subjects related to architectural design; construction methods and technologies; virtual design and fabrication; and building performance evaluation.

Dr Hashemi uses examples from research and building projects to make difficult subjects more interesting and understandable for students. Students are encouraged to pay attention to details and critically evaluate, and present their design works.

Dr Hashemi also encourages students to take on new challenges and, when applicable, present/publish the results of their research projects in international conferences and journals. In addition to access to library and online resources, students use drawing studios; computer labs; energy modelling, design and fabrication software packages; modelling workshops, 3D printers and laser cutters to deliver their projects.