Collaborative Observatory for Architecture and Cities
Redefining and exploring the built environment through emerging technologies, immersive experiences, community collaboration and regenerative design ethos.
Overview
Purpose
The Collaborative Observatory for Architecture and Cities (CAOC+) Lab addresses urgent challenges in urban development and social sustainability: cities expanding without adequate planning for environmental impact or community wellbeing, community members excluded from decisions affecting their neighbourhoods, and limited evidence on how digital technologies can support inclusive urban design. COAC+ addresses these challenges directly through collaborative research that combines technical expertise with community input.
The Lab's 2028 programme explores how digital technologies, such as AI, extended reality (XR), and digital twins, can enhance our understanding of the impact of built environment initiatives on cities and their communities. Through a combination of spatial research, data analysis, and participatory design, the Lab examines how technological innovation can support evidence-based planning, adaptive reuse, and community-led regeneration.
Our initiatives are strategically designed to create urban planning methodologies developed in collaboration with national and international development organisations. By 2028, COAC+ aims to demonstrate that Ravensbourne research shapes how cities plan sustainable development, with methodologies influencing urban authorities and development agencies locally and globally.
Knowledge Exchange team
