DrSabrina Lucas

I am a Lecturer in Architectural Sustainability at Deakin University. My work asks how the places we live can support healthy, comfortable and socially connected lives, with everyday access to nature, while reducing environmental impact and preparing for a changing climate.

I am trained as an architectural engineer, with a strong foundation in building physics, construction and environmental performance. I am particularly interested in how architectural design, building fabric and materials work together to create healthy, comfortable and low-impact buildings. My work combines design thinking with technical and quantitative approaches including passive and climate-responsive design, thermal performance assessment, whole-life and embodied carbon modelling, alongside a strong interest in natural and bio-based materials.

My research has its foundations in climate adaptation and housing resilience. My doctoral research at the University of Stuttgart investigated how homes and settlements can be adapted proactively to natural hazards, drawing on lessons from post-disaster reconstruction. Since then, my work has extended across architectural practice, international development and sustainability consultancy, including climate vulnerability and resilience, sustainable urban and regional development, building performance, whole-life carbon and low-impact construction.

Across these areas, I take a systems approach to architectural sustainability. I am interested in how energy, materials, health, climate, cost, resilience, behaviour and the wider context of a building interact, rather than treating them as separate problems. This includes questions of sufficiency: how much energy, material, technology and space we actually need to live well, and where simpler, context-responsive solutions may provide better outcomes than increasing complexity.

My current research focuses on healthy and climate-resilient homes, low-impact and bio-based building systems, sustainable neighbourhoods, and the broader transition towards a built environment that supports people and the environment within ecological limits.