John R Littlewood

Professor John R Littlewood serves as Professor of Sustainable and Resilient Buildings at Cardiff School of Art & Design (CSAD), Cardiff Metropolitan University. He leads CSAD's Sustainable and Resilient Built Environment research group and contributes to the University's Human Centred Design Global Academy. His leadership extends to coordinating professional doctorate pathways and serving on multiple university research committees including CSAD's Research Degree Committee and the university's Research Degree Group.

Professor Littlewood holds a PhD in Building Performance Assessment of Nearly-Zero Operational Energy Dwellings, earned through collaboration with Gwalia Housing Association and co-funded by the Ecology Building Society. His professional credentials include BSc (Hons), FHEA, C Build E, FCABE, FRSA, MIET, Affiliate CIAT & Affiliate IFE.

His research focuses on sustainable building solutions with expertise spanning building performance assessment, carbon emissions reduction, indoor air quality, and sustainable materials. Professor Littlewood has pioneered methodologies for evaluating building performance across the entire lifecycle, bridging academic research with practical industry applications to address critical challenges in the built environment sector. His work consistently addresses the intersection of technical performance, user comfort, and environmental impact.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward practical applications of sustainable building principles across diverse contexts, from Welsh social housing to Caribbean climate resilience and UAE building standards. His international research portfolio addresses both technical building performance metrics and human-centered design considerations across multiple geographical and cultural settings.

Professor Littlewood has received significant recognition for his contributions to the field:

• Outstanding Contribution to KES Award (2020) for 'acting as KES Champion for Sustainable Building, providing support for Sustainability in Energy and Buildings Conference Series for a decade including chairing the conference several times, giving a keynote talk, chairing Tracks and Invited Sessions. Plus, acting Co-Editor of the KES Springer Book Series on, and one of the founding co-editors of the Springer book series 'Advances in Sustainability Science and Technology''

With over 50 successful external grant applications since the mid-1990s, Professor Littlewood has established himself as a leader in collaborative research between academia and industry. His change management expertise has delivered impact for government agencies, housing organizations, consultants, building contractors, and material manufacturers across North America, the Middle East, and the UK. At CSAD, he leads three Professional Doctorate pathways in Art & Design Practice, Engineering, and Sustainable Built Environment.

Professor Littlewood founded and leads the Sustainable and Resilient Built Environment (SuRBe) Research Group, Cardiff Met's first research group dedicated to Architecture, the Built Environment and Engineering. This interdisciplinary group includes membership from four of the five schools at Cardiff Met and is part of the University's Human Centred Design Global Academy.