Congratulations Mollie!
We’re incredibly proud to share that Mollie has been awarded Distinction in both her Thesis Preparation(Research) and Thesis Design submissions at the University of Portsmouth, marking the successful completion of her master’s degree in architecture.
Over the past year, Mollie’s research and design work has focused on the city of Athens, a powerful case study of the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect — intensified by climate change and urban development.
Working within the studio ‘Architecture, Landscape and Urban Negotiations in the Time of Climate Change’, her thesis proposed a community-based pilot intervention on Syngrou Avenue, a major arterial road in central Athens. The scheme not only addresses UHI conditions but also contributes valuable research into their ongoing local and regional impacts.
Key features of the scheme include:
- 🧱 A clay façade system enabling passive evaporative cooling, eliminating the need for mechanical air conditioning
- ☀️ Solar PVs integrated into a dynamic roofscape, optimised for energy generation
- 🌱 A holistic approach to low-carbon, climate-resilient urban design
Mollie’s thesis exemplifies how architectural strategies can integrate environmental performance, renewable energy, and community resilience to mitigate the effects of climate extremes in overheated urban contexts.
She now moves on to Part 3 of her architectural qualification journey — and we’re excited to see what’s next!