Ray Lucas

Dr. Ray Lucas is a Reader in Architecture at the Manchester School of Architecture (MSA), a collaborative institution between the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University. He leads the humanities units across all years of the BA in Architecture and the MArch program. His academic approach emphasizes cross-disciplinary connections between architecture, philosophy, art, and social sciences, with a strong commitment to decolonizing architectural curriculum to move beyond traditional Eurocentric, male-dominated perspectives.

Dr. Lucas earned his PhD in Social Anthropology from the University of Aberdeen (2006) under Prof. Tim Ingold with his thesis "Towards a Theory of Notation as a Thinking Tool," and an MPhil by Research in Architecture from the University of Strathclyde (2002) titled "Filmic Architecture: an exploration of film language as a method for architectural criticism and design." His teaching spans architectural history, theory, and specialized courses including "Architectural Histories," "Thinking Through Drawing," "Inscribing the City," and "The Anthropology of Home."

• PhD in Social Anthropology, University of Aberdeen (2006)
• MPhil by Research in Architecture, University of Strathclyde (2002)

Lucas's research centers on architectural anthropology, pioneering what he terms "graphic anthropology" where drawings, sketches, and notational practices reveal insights about social and architectural contexts. His extensive fieldwork on Japanese urban festivals like Sanja Matsuri and Gion Matsuri examines how temporary architecture reconfigures urban spaces and social relations. He conceptualizes architectural drawing as a form of perception that focuses attention on sensory experiences, movement through space, and geometry. His ongoing work explores film and architecture, investigating montage in architectural contexts and how cinema can inform thinking about the built environment. His research demonstrates a consistent commitment to understanding architecture as a sensory, embodied, and socially situated practice rather than merely visual or formal.

Dr. Lucas has secured significant research funding including a Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation grant for "The Architecture of Gion Matsuri" (2019-2020), participation in the European Research Council's "Knowing from the Inside" project (2013-2018), and grants for "Anthropology of Geometry" (2017-2018) and "The Morphology and Ethnography of the Urban Marketplace in South Korea" (2012-2014). His work has resulted in numerous exhibitions internationally, from Aberdeen to Tokyo, showcasing his graphic anthropology approach.

As an educator and supervisor, Lucas has guided multiple PhD students to completion including Paul Cureton ("Drawing in Landscape Architecture") and Charalampos Politakis ("The Human Body as Building"). He currently supervises David Johnson ("Architecture and the Thing Itself"), Salma Soliman ("The Push of Gravity"), Judith van Den Boom ("Understanding Design Through Kinship"), and Erika Conchis ("Designing Resonance"). His influential "Filmic Architecture" workshop has run for six iterations, challenging students to design houses for film directors and represent them through short films.

Lucas has organized major academic events including the "Sensory Urbanism" conference (2008) and has convened numerous panels at international conferences on architectural anthropology, geometry, and drawing practices. His external examiner role for London Metropolitan University's MA in Architecture and invited keynote presentations worldwide demonstrate his standing in the field as a thought leader bridging architecture and anthropology.