David Roberts

Dr David Roberts is an Associate Professor at The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London. As a core member of collaborative art and architecture collectives Fugitive Images, Involve, and BREAK//LINE, his work bridges architectural research, community empowerment, and performative public engagement.

• PhD in Architectural Design (UCL 2011-16)
• MSc Urban Studies (UCL 2008-11)
• BA Geography (University of Birmingham First-class honours 2003-06)

His research focuses on three interrelated domains: built environment ethics, social housing community empowerment, and performative methods of public engagement. He leads the Bartlett Ethics Commission's Practising Ethics initiative with Professor Jane Rendell and Dr Yael Padan, which produced award-winning guidelines that reshaped RIBA's ethical frameworks.

Through Fugitive Images, Roberts developed the feature film Estate, a Reverie (shortlisted for Aesthetica Art Prize 2016) and co-curated Real Estates at PEER Gallery. His Involve collective pioneered Schools Without Walls projects with primary school children. The BREAK//LINE collective's Unbuilding project analyzed institutional hostilities through spatial readings.

Scientific awards include:

• 2021 RIBA President’s Award for Research (Winner)
• 2018 RIBA President’s Award for Research (Commendation)
• 2016 RIBA President’s Award for Research (Winner)
• Nominations for UCL Student Choice Teaching Awards

As an educator, he supervises BSc, MArch, and MA students across eight modules while advocating for collaborative pedagogy and inclusive curriculum reform. His 15 most recent publications demonstrate sustained engagement with ethical frameworks, performative methodologies, and social housing activism.