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Dr Luis Fernando Zapata Montalvo is Senior Lecturer at the Leicester School of Architecture. In the course of his practice experience he has developed advanced skills in architectural design and construction of residential, commercial, industrial and public buildings working in several architectural projects as a freelance architect and in architecture firms. Dr. Zapata has lectured at the University of the Valley of Mexico and the School of Architecture, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education in Mexico City Mexico, where he was architecture program director. He also worked as tutor and lecturer in architecture and construction technology and management at the University of Melbourne and at Deakin University in Australia.

Dr. Luis Zapata joined DMU in 2017 and is the BSc (Hons) Architectural Technology programme leader. He was Programme leader of the BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying and Construction. Dr. Zapata’s teaching philosophy places emphasis on evidence-based design, critical inquiry, and active and experiential learning. His position in teaching is that architecture and technology architecture education is not simply the imparting of knowledge and skills necessary for practice, but it also involves development of values, ideologies, cultural and philosophical positions. It also emphasizes the importance of understanding the environment as having multiple realities by understanding not only sustainable and technological principles of design and construction but also values, preferences, and lifestyles of people.

Dr Zapata is currently supervising 2 PhD students and welcomes PhD applications in Sustainable design and construction processes and their impact in the built environment, Vernacular Architecture and heritage conservation, disaster resilience, emerging building practices and disaster relief shelters.

Institute of Architecture: Sustainable Cities and Communities

• Zapata Luis, 2024. “Visual Pollution and its Impact in the Built Environment". International conference "Networks, Markets and People” in May 2024, Reggio Calabria, Italy.

• Zapata Luis, 2024. “A ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Approach into the Study of the Indigenous Dwelling”, Paper accepted to be presented at the international conference "Multidisciplinary Social Studies, Anthropology, Archaeology, History and Philosophy (ICMSSAAHP-19)".

• D. Aghimien, L. Zapata, T. Osunsanmi, C. Aigbavboa, A. Taki, 2024. Meliorating Construction Organisations' Ambidexterity Through Digitalisation. Journal: Construction Innovation. To be published in April 2024.

• Onyenokporo, N, A. Taki, L. Zapata, M. Oyinola., 2024. Exploring the impact of Rice Husk Ash Masonry Blocks on Buildings. Journal: Buildings, currently under peer review.

 • Onyenokporo, N; Zapata L; A. Taki, 2023, Reuse of Landfilled Rice Waste for Low-Carbon Construction of Dwellings, N. C., Taki, CEES 2023 | 2nd International Conference on Construction, Energy, Environment & Sustainability 27-30 June 2023, Funchal – Portugal.

• Zapata Luis, 2020, So Close Yet So Far: Divided Contexts on the Mexico-Guatemala Border, ASTRÁGALO. Cultura de la Arquitectura y de la Ciudad, 29 (2021). ISSNe: 2469-0503. Article https://dx.doi.org/10.12795/astragalo.2021.i29.12

• Zapata Luis, 2020, Urban Art as a Popular Expression in the Historic Centre of Mexico City, NMP – New Metropolitan Perspectives, Reggio Calabria, Italy

• Zapata Luis, 2019. Post-occupancy evaluation of architecturally-designed low-income housing in Ahmadabad, India, 9th International Conference of SuDBE 2019, Reading, UK

• Zapata Luis, 2018. Furniture and other household objects as integrative elements of the house form, published in Green Lines Institute, Journal. Granada, Spain.

• Zapata Luis, 2016. Hey Amigo! Do you want to go on a trip? Do you want Mushrooms? Published in the Australasian Journal of Popular Culture.

• Zapata Luis, 2014. Ritualised architecture in Eastern Mexico published in Green Lines Institute/REHAB, Journal. Tomar, Portugal.

• Zapata Luis, 2013. “For Kitsch’s sake!!!” published in PopCAANZ Conference, Journal, Brisbane, Australia. http://popcaanz.com/popcaanz-2013-conference-program/

• Zapata Luis, 2012. “Architecture Behind the Mask”, published in PCACA, Popular Culture Association, American Culture Association, Journal, Boston, USA. http://pcaaca.org/

• Zapata Luis, 2008. “The window, reminiscence of a past that is present”. V & V Windows and Glasses, Magazine, Mexico City.

• Zapata Luis, 1996. “ECO + Technology”, published in PLEA - Passive and Low Energy Architecture, Journal, Louvain La Neuve, Belgium. http://plea-arch.

• Typological transformations in traditional architecture
• Sustainable design and construction processes and their impact in the built environment
• Vernacular Architecture and heritage conservation.
• Disaster resilience, emerging building practices and disaster relief shelters.

• Architectural Design
• Architectural and Construction Technology
• Environmental design

• Bachelor of Architecture (Hons), University of the Valley of Mexico.
• Master of Science in construction technology (MSc), National Autonomous University of Mexico.
• Master of Architecture (March), Polytechnic of Turin, Italy.
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Melbourne, Australia. 

• Architecture Design Studio 1 and 2
• Sustainable Building Principles
• Building Performance and Technology 2 and 3
• Building Technology 2
• Building Design 2
• Comprehensive Dissertation
• Building Project 2
• Integrated Project
• Building Information Technology and Modelling.
• Design ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Laboratory 1 and 2 (Msc)

• Scholarship awarded by the government of Mexico and the University of Melbourne, Australia / (2011) to carry out PhD studies in architecture.
• Scholarship awarded by the Government of Japan and the Japan International Cooperation Agency – JICA / (2005) to carry out training in Energy efficiency and conservation in buildings.
• Distinction of Academic Excellence / (1999), University of the Valley of Mexico, best Professor Award, granted by the Division of Arts and Humanities. Mexico.
• Cum Laude in architecture. Master’s Degree / (1996) awarded by the Polytechnic of Turin – Italy.
• Scholarship awarded by the Polytechnic of Turin, Italy / (1995) to carry out Master Degree studies in Technology, Architecture and Urban Planning.
• Scholarship awarded by the government of Mexico – CONACYT / (1994) to carry out master degree studies in architecture at the Polytechnic of Turin, Italy.
• Academic excellence award by the University of the Valley of Mexico- Mexico / (1993) in recognition of outstanding performance in undergraduate study.

• Colegio de Arquitectos de la Ciudad de México – CAMSAM (Professional Board of Architects Mexico) – Chartered Member

• The Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (MCIAT)

• Chartered Association of Building Engineers CABE - Fellow Chartered Building Engineer (FCABE)

• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), UK - 2023

The Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (MCIAT)

• NMP - The international conference "Networks, Markets and People”, Reggio Calabria, Italy May 2024.
• NMP – New Metropolitan Perspectives, Reggio Calabria, Italy 2020, Presentation: Urban Art as a Popular Expression in the Historic Centre of Mexico City
• HERITAGE- 6th International Conference on Heritage and Sustainable Development, Granada, Spain 2018, Presentation: Furniture and other household objects as integrative elements of the house form
• REHAB - The International Conference on Preservation, Maintenance and Rehabilitation of Historic Buildings and Structures, Tomar, Portugal 2014. Presentation: Ritualized architecture in East Mexico
• POP/CAANZ - Popular Culture Association of Australia and New Zealand, Brisbane, Australia 2013, Presentation: For Kitsch’s sake!!!

• PCACA - Popular Culture Association / American Culture Association, Boston, Massachusetts, USA 2012, Presentation: Architecture behind the Mask
• ACAH –IAFOR - The Asian Conference on Arts and Humanities- The International Academic Forum, Tokyo, Japan, 2010. Presentation: The architecture of colour in the Buildings of Luis Barragan
• PLEA - Passive and Low Energy Architecture, Louvain La Neuve, Belgium, 1996, Presentation: Eco technologies

• Vigisha Gopalakrishnan: “Integrating Sustainable Urban drainage systems in Mumbai’s Flood management: A Resilience approach against climate-induced flash floods.”, Full-time mode, 1 st Supervisor.
• Miss. Mah Noor Shoaib: “Addressing socio-cultural barriers in residential buildings for improved quality of life". Full-time mode,  1st Supervisor.

Frontrunner 2022/2023 

VC2020 development fund 2019/ 2020 

VC202 fund 2017

GCRF (Global Challenges ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Fund) award (Co-awarded with Mr. Simon Bradbury and Prof. Ahmad Taki) for the project Socio-cultural and environmental experiences in low-income, tropical housing. 

I was Co-editor for the Journal New Frontiers, of the special issue Climate-Resilient Communities in the Context of Developing Countries.

I am External Examiner of Birmingham City University for the BSc (Hons) Building Surveying and the MSc Building Surveying with Facilities Management and also, and I am external examiner for their TNE partner at the Hong Kong Continuous Professional Education Centre for the programme MSc Building Surveying with Facilities Management (Birmingham City University TNE).

I am also External Examiner of London Southbank University for their TNE partner programme BSc (Hons) Architectural Engineering at the British University in Egypt.

I am link tutor of  DMU_ the Skills College of Technology, Sri Lanka (SCoT) fior the BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying and Construction Top up L6 programme. 

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