Staff Profile

Kieran is a lecturer in architecture, a researcher, and a designer. He completed his undergraduate and Masters degrees at Newcastle University, before embarking on a Ph.D by Creative Practice (completed 2023).

He has been a lecturer at the School since 2019, contributing predominantly to design studio teaching across the BA (Hons) Architecture undergraduate degree programme, as well as teaching into undergraduate history and theory modules and contributing to architecture technology and construction modules. His research explores architecture history and material culture, with a primary interest in historical studies of twentieth century building and construction materials and their intersections with architecture and design culture. He has contributed book chapters to a number of publications that expand on his Ph.D research and has presented at a variety of conferences, including the third edition of the Marco Frascari Symposium, held at the Washington Alexandria Architecture Center in 2017, and at the annual conference of the College Art Association of America in 2023.

He has also practiced with Design Office, the School’s innovative design research consultancy that was included in The Architect’s Journal ‘40 Under 40’ listing in 2020, ‘celebrating the UK's most exciting emerging architectural talent’. Working with Design Office, he contributed to the multi-phase refurbishment and renovation of Newcastle University’s Grade II* Armstrong Building between 2014-2018. The project was subsequently shortlisted for the 2019 RIBA North-East Awards.

In addition to his academic activities, Kieran is currently a board member and chair of a Newcastle City Council 'Transformation Board' supporting the ongoing council project: Newcastle East - Inclusive, Healthy, Vibrant High Streets.

Qualifications

BA (Hons) Architecture, M.Arch Architecture (Dist.), Ph.D by Creative Practice.

Kieran has taught across the School’s undergraduate and Masters degree programmes, predominantly teaching and lecturing into architecture design modules. He has co-led both final year Masters thesis studios (2016-17) as well as final year undergraduate design studios (2017-2020).

Most recently, Kieran was the stage co-ordinator/year leader for Year 2 of the BA (Hons) Architecture degree programme (2020-2023). In this role he organised and led the Year 2 design module, with projects focusing on co-housing/intergenerational living, urban and contextual design, fire and life safety, and the integration of more ecologically oriented and climate aware design methods. From 2022, he has developed design projects in collaboration with Newcastle City Council, exploring sustainable and community-oriented regeneration of high streets in the city’s ‘east end.’

In addition to design studio teaching, Kieran has also led undergraduate dissertation electives (2023 – present) and contributed to undergraduate construction and technology modules, as well as leading modules and projects in the School’s Architecture and Urban Planning (AUP) degree programme.

Kieran also undertakes external examiner roles at other institutions and is currently an external examiner at the University of Dundee (2023-2026).

• Book Chapters

  • Connolly K. Into the void: drawing out the default space of the suspended ceiling. In: Mason, A; Sharr, A, ed. Creative Practice Inquiry in Architecture. Abingdon, Oxon, UK: Routledge, 2022, pp.64-75.
  • Connolly K. Life, Superceiling. In: Emmons P; Goffi F; La Coe J, ed. Ceilings and Dreams: The Architecture of Levity. New York, NY, USA: Routledge, 2019, pp.184-196.
  • Sharr A, Connolly K, Longfield J, Megahed Y. The Pleasure's All Ours: Productive Trades Between Practice and Research. In: Cayer, A; Deamer, P; Korsh, S; Peterson, E and Shvartzber, M, ed. Asymmetric Labors: The Economy of Architecture in Theory and Practice. New York, NY, USA: The Architecture Lobby, 2016, pp.221-228.