Research
Mary Ann Steane is a lecturer in the University of Cambridge Department of Architecture and also a registered architect. She co-ordinates the undergraduate studio teaching , lectures on environmental issues and is a course director of the MPhil in Environmental Design.
Her research on environmental issues attempts to marry technical analysis with a broader cultural perspective. One line of this research has explored some of the environmental lessons of vernacular architecture, though the main focus is now on natural lighting strategies and is investigating the relationship between movement, space, light, and the deployment of material finishes, and how this affects perception of the visual environment. Through the development of a more nuanced appraisal of natural lighting strategies in their broader topographic, climatic and programmatic context, this research seeks to enable more precise communication about light quality and the design of the visual environment more generally.
