The Danish Council for Independent Research has awarded a PhD fellowship to the architect, Albert Algreen-Pedersen for his project, ‘Patination and Degradation - Detail and Material Composition of Architectural Surfaces’. The project will be conducted at KADK.
The grant comes from the ‘Researcher Education Outside Universities’ fund. This year, only eight candidates received a scholarship from this fund.
Henrik Oxvig, Head of Research and Director of KADK’s PhD school, says:
“ Today, competition for research funding is extremely tough. That is why we are delighted that Albert Algreen-Pedersen’s PhD project was successful, and we can now welcome him as a PhD student at KADK. We will do our best to see that Albert develops his talent. He will be given an opportunity to contribute to the development of important research and teaching in the transformation and preservation of materials.”
Durable buildings with beautiful patina
The purpose of Albert Algreen-Pedersen’s project is to investigate how, in a contemporary architectural context, in terms of restoration and new construction, we can use materials in a building to retard its degradation and control its processes of patination. That is how to support and elevate architecture when a building is used and gets old.
The project raises questions such as:
- Over the centuries, how have architects delayed the degradation of buildings and controlled their patination, and how can architects use this knowledge today?
- How can the choice of materials and detailing of a façade and façade elements be part of a holistic sustainability strategy in a contemporary architectural context?
- How can this knowledge be used to strengthen principles of material composition and detail in contemporary architecture, so the processes of ageing, which a building undergoes over the years, can support and elevate architecture in the face of everyday wear and tear?
Albert Algreen-Pedersen will be enrolled in the KADK PhD School and appointed at the Institute of Architecture and Culture to teach on the Master’s programme, Cultural Heritage, Transformation and Restoration.
About ‘Researcher Education Outside Universities’
The objective of PhD fellowships from the ‘Researcher Education Outside Universities’ fund is to strengthen research education in Denmark in state research institutions outside universities. This includes government research institutions, public sector research institutions, professional technical colleges and state archives, libraries and museums.
