Professor Chris Gorse (SSI)

Chris Gorse is Professor of Construction Engineering and Management at the University of Loughborough and Chair of the CIOB Sustainability Panel and Policy Forum. He is also is a Visiting Professor of Project and Construction Management at the University of Suffolk and Visiting Professor of Lean Construction CUT South Africa.  Chris has long history of engaging in research in the built environment, sustainability and energy efficiency spanning almost 30 years.  He was the founding Chair of the International Conference for Sustainable Ecological Engineering Design for Society (SEEDS), Chair of Research Innovation Sustainability and Enterprise awards, and past Chair of the Association of Researchers in Construction Management (ARCOM) and a founding member of the Building Performance Network.  He recently served on the 2021-2022 (UKRI) Research Excellence Framework 2021 exercise for Sub-Panel 13 Architecture, Built Environment and Planning.  He has contributed to a number of projects for the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy for UK Government and Innovate UK and has a good oversight of the quality, excellence and depth of construction and building performance research in the UK. Chris was a member for the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Change Research and Evidence panel and a member of the Leeds Climate Change Commission. 

Professor Gorse has a keen interest in digital technologies and their impact on key assets in the built environment. He has worked on and directed major UK and international research projects exploring the potential of smart digital monitoring and management tools, evaluating the use of smart meters and their role for in-use measurement of building performance, he has also contributed to systems engineering projects – integrating smart asset management tools at scale. 

Work undertaken includes the assessment of individual buildings under field and laboratory conditions, as well as analysis of data associated with communities of buildings.  Recent interest includes a focus on air quality and comfort and the relationship between internal and external environment, the impact of the built environment on health and wellbeing. 

Chris has a passion to better understanding the impact of internal and external environments on people and the interventions that can be made to improve the health and recovery of occupants.  Currently Chris is working with NHS trusts, educational estates and local housing providers exploring both micro and city scale environments to better understand the role of the built and natural environment and its impact on occupant health.