Spotlight on… 

Dr Robert Grover, Work Package Lead, University of Bath 

What’s your current role at your institution? 

I am a senior lecturer at the University of Bath.  I am currently Director of Studies for the BSc Architecture and our Apprenticeship in Architecture. My background is as an architect, and I worked a range of practices before transitioning to a fully academic role.  

Which past experiences have helped you the most in your current role? 

My own experience of education and practice has shaped the way I approach my current role.  I often reflect on my experience in architectural education and think about the most effective feedback I received.  I strongly remember as an architecture student once having a tutorial in which my feedback was to “just make it beautiful”.  This simplified the act of designing and gave me permission to trust my gut.  I think often as researchers and designers, we overcomplicate and over rationalise our decision making, and do not give ourselves enough creative license to trust our instincts. 

I strongly believe the most rewarding part of any activity is the process, not the outcome. I am lucky to have worked in architectural practices that have prioritised design quality.  Yet this has often come at the expense of rich and fulfilling processes that value all team members.  In my current roles I try to remember to focus on making beautiful journeys, even if they do not end up quite where they plan to. 

What excites you about the research in the Transforming Homes project? 

As the Transforming Homes project has developed it has taken its own path.  I find it exciting to not know what we will achieve or quite how we will get there.  We have already worked with a hugely diverse range of people with different skills, knowledge and expertise and I look forward to the project unfolding over the next 18 months.  Most of all, I hope we can have real and significant impact on people’s lives, from a local to an international scale. 

How is your expertise contributing to the Transforming Homes project? 

I think like lots of architects, I don’t see myself as having any particular expertise.  Rather, I know a little bit about a lot of things and can hopefully join them together in a way which makes sense.  I think this is necessary in an interdisciplinary team – otherwise I will need to start looking for a new job.