Alan Mark Forster

Biography

I am a university Associate Professor and programme leader for MSc in Building Conservation (Technology & Management) with 10 years industrial experience in general construction, building surveying, and building conservation practice. My research activities are undertaken within the Royal Academy of Engineering Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Design; Investigating traditional & low carbon building materials & architectural technologies; Building pathology, fabric repair & maintenance; Survey & evaluation of buildings; Building resilience to climate change; Heritage Building Information Modelling; Building conservation philosophy; & construction education. My research was returned in a joint submission with the University of Edinburgh for unit of assessment ‘Architecture, Built Environment & Planning’ for RAE (2008) and REF (2014 & 2021). I was awarded the Sir Edmund Happold Senior Visiting Research Fellowship at the University of Bath in 2011, and the Royal Society of Edinburgh visiting Research Fellowship in 2014 in collaboration with the Academy of Sciences for the Czech Republic. I have attained cumulative research funding as PI & CI totalling £1.14M [FEC] across 23 projects from major funding councils including, EPSRC, AHRC, TSB, RSE, RAE & British Council. Dissemination of these projects and my broader research portfolio has led to 90+ published outputs, several of which were recipient of outstanding and highly commended journal paper awards.

I have been delivering teaching and learning in building conservation, architectural tectonics/construction technology, multi-disciplinary design projects (technology and environmental assessment) and building surveying-oriented subjects. I was awarded the 2010 Graduates Teaching Prize for lecturer of the year, the 2010 ‘Spirit of Heriot-Watt University’ award for Pursing Excellence and shortlisted for the 2011 & 2015 Teaching and Learning Oscars, ‘Switched on’ - most engaging lecturer award. In addition to my MSc programme leader role my administrative duties include, 4th year undergraduate student co-ordinator, undergraduate dissertations coordinator, health & safety officer for the materials laboratory. Former Construction Management & Surveying Programmes administrative roles have included admissions tutor (2009-2012), 1st year undergraduate coordinator (2015-2021), & postgraduate dissertation coordinator (2018-2021). I have held several external programme examiner appointments, including the MSc in Built Environment Courses & MSc Conservation of Buildings, Anglia Ruskin University (2012–2017); and BSc (Hons) in Construction Project Management, Northumbria University (2015-2020). Professionally, I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy; a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building; a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Building Engineers; a full member of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) and an associate member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Additionally, I am an elected member of the RICS Building Surveying Professional group (Scotland); a member of the Editorial Advisory Group for the RICS Building Conservation Journal; a member of the IHBC technical committee; and a member of the Editorial board for the Journal of Building Pathology.