Dr Lucy Benjamin awarded UK fellowship for her work in comfort, dignity and repair

Dr Lucy Benjamin standing in front of a brick wall, smiling. — Dr Lucy Benjamin's research will compare the imperative to repair with the right to repair in a world held back by outdated systems and institutions not suited to operating in a climate crisis.

Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning postdoctoral research fellow Dr Lucy Benjamin has been awarded the British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Dr Benjamin will complete her Fellowship at the Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at the University of Edinburgh where she will work with Dr Simone Ferracina, an expert in the field of material reuse and repurposing. The Fellowship will allow her to continue her current research into architectural repair and designing for dignity in a time of climate crisis.

While at the University of Edinburgh, Dr Benjamin will complete a book-length study on the barriers to repairing the built environment amidst a climate crisis, asking why we repair, for whom we do it, and what we aim to achieve from it. The study will also outline new frameworks for creating dignifying built environments, revealing which systems shouldn’t be fixed and examining architecture’s role in contributing to the climate crisis and human displacement.

“I’m honoured to receive this award. Working within the British and European contexts, the Fellowship will provide me with access to a wealth of different resources and networks that will help me develop these ideas,” Dr Benjamin said.

Looking beyond traditional architecture, Dr Benjamin’s work demonstrates that disrepair exists beyond physical buildings and structures to include social, ecological, and political institutions.

Dr Benjamin was also recently awarded a coveted spot as one of ABC’s Top 5, which will allow her to spend two weeks in residence at ABC Radio National alongside some of the country's best specialist journalists and producers.