April 3 2007

Strathclyde University has announced that Gordon Murray of gm+ad architects and Alan Pert of NORD are the newly appointed Professors to the School of Architecture. Gordon Murray is appointed Head of School and Alan Pert will head the Undergraduate Programme.

Murray will be responsible for building the profile of the School steering the academic agenda and enabling research activities, in addition developing and nurturing relationships to the profession through practice. Pert will be responsible for course structure, identifying research funding opportunities and enhancing staff research programmes.

The new heads said that they were committed to enhancing the links between practice and academe. Both architects will continue to work in their respective practices. The new arrangement could provide a model for schools of architecture.

Murray and Pert are keen to explore how the school can develop on its current relationship with existing local practices to provide a more diverse pattern of training for students and to look at the idea of accredited practices.

In a joint statement Pert and Murray said they aim to foster "an entrepreneurial attitude within the School championing the deployment of knowledge exchange mechanisms and most importantly developing a new model for teaching and research which reflects progressive thinking in delivering academic programmes through practice and the nurturing of practice based research.” Their appointments run until the end of academic year 2010.

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