Riccardo Paolini

Associate Professor Riccardo Paolini is a building engineer and researcher at the UNSW School of Built Environment, where he manages the HPA Lab and leads the High Performance Architecture research cluster. He joined UNSW in 2017 after a six-year postdoctoral appointment at Politecnico di Milano, Italy.

• Education: Ph.D. in Building Systems Engineering (Politecnico di Milano, 2011)
• Teaching: Courses on architectural environment, building services, and performance of building systems at UNSW’s Master of Architecture program. Previously taught PhD modules on heat/moisture transport at Politecnico di Milano (2014-2016).

Research Interests focus on cool materials for urban heat mitigation, shortwave radiation in the built environment, and hygrothermal performance of buildings over time. His work explores the interplay between building envelopes, energy needs, and urban microclimates.

Scientific Awards include:

• UNSW Learning & Teaching Award (2020)
• UNSW Research Excellence Award (2018)
• Multiple international best paper awards

Labs & Teams: Manages the HPA Lab at UNSW and collaborates with institutions like MIT, ETH Zurich, and the University of Sydney through former students and teaching assistants.