Cambridge Architectural Research

William Fawcett is an architect with experience in practice, consultancy, research and teaching.

He was trained at the University of Cambridge Department of Architecture and continued with PhD research at the Martin Centre, the Department’s research division. The topic was A Mathematical Approach to Adaptability in Buildings.

After four years in a conventional architectural practice and four years teaching at Hong Kong University Department of Architecture, he was one of the co-founders of Cambridge Architectural Research in 1987.

At CAR he has worked with colleagues on a wide range of projects, from UN consultancy missions to North Korea to conservation plans for historic buildings in Britain. A major interest is in functional issues – how well buildings work and how their users perceive them. This leads to design guidance publications, or to briefing studies for specific projects. Design for flexibility is also a particular interest. A study of sustainable refurbishment led to a new approach to whole-life costing for construction, described in New Generation Whole-life Costing (2006).