Professor Richard Koeck Dipl.-Ing. (FH), M.Phil. (Cantab), Ph.D. (Cantab)

Personal Statement

Richard Koeck is Full Professor and Chair in Architecture and the Visual Arts at the University of Liverpool and Director of the Centre for Architecture and the Visual Arts | CAVA. He holds a professional degree in Architecture (Germany) and two postgraduate degrees in Architecture and the Moving Image (UK).

Following on from his PhD from the University of Cambridge, he joined the University of Liverpool in 2006, where I since held several leadership positions. He has been director of CAVA for more than ten years (since 2008), Director of Postgraduate Research (2012-14) and Associate Dean / Head of Research & Impact (2014-17) of the School of the Arts, where he was responsible for the strategic and operational research leadership of five departments. He is working with the University’s Senior Management on, for instance, the implementation of “transdisciplinary design” into the University’s teaching and research offer (London).

Richard’s research is situated in Architecture and Design theory and practice, where he provides insight into, and defines new ways of thinking about the representation of and engagement with architectural and urban forms, narratives and creative design practices. His research combines three principle interlocking knowledge domains: space, media and people. Within this wide field, he is known for providing insight in the future design of spaces, buildings and cities – through the study of physical space as well as mediated through, e.g. visual arts (e.g. film, animation), digital and locative media (e.g. AR/VR/digital screens) as well as information and artificial intelligence systems.

Richard’s research is often applied to architectural/urban design, digital heritage, urban advertising and placemaking projects. His work is methodologically underpinned by the use of theories and techniques that bridge analogue and digital culture, including digital film/animations, 3D and holographic capture, digital databases and mapping, spatial and immersive media – most of it is underpinned by RCUK or Innovate UK funding. His current research and practice aim to address design innovation as well as consequences for what might be called a hybrid or mixed reality – from a critical and practical perspective (industry-linked).

He is author of journal paper and book chapters; co-editor of several books, including Cities in Film: Architecture, Urban Space and the Moving Image (2008), The City and the Moving Image (2010), Cinematic Urban Geographies (2017); and author of monographs such as Cine|Scapes: Cinematic Spaces in Architecture and Cities (Routledge, 2012) and Inhabiting the Image of the City (Routledge, forthcoming). Richard frequently gives invited talks and keynote around the world (e.g. AA/London, ETH/Zürich, SIT & NUS/Singapore, Global Cities Forum/Shanghai; Bibliothèque Nationale de France). His founding Director of the Digital Film & Media Production company CineTecture (Liverpool) and Associate of FutureCity (London).

Prizes or Honours

• Research Grant, 'A Quantitative Study of the Narrative System in Historic Urban Environments' (National Natural Science Foundation of China, 2012)
• Research Grant, 'Digital Archive Fund'. (North West Vison and Media/UK Film Council, 2009)
• Allen, Meek and Read Award (University of Cambridge, 2004)
• Allen, Meek and Read Award (University of Cambridge, 2002)

Funded Fellowships