Dr Goran Vodicka PhD, MArch, PgDip, AFHEA, FRSA
Senior Lecturer in Architecture
Summary
I am a Senior Lecturer in Architecture and the MArch course leader at Ï㽶ÊÓƵ. I teach design studios and the history and theory of architecture across undergraduate and postgraduate courses. My research is broadly focused on urban inequalities and socially-engaged design practice and education. I have been an active architectural practitioner since 2004, working in the UK and internationally.
About
I have extensive professional experience of practice in various contexts, including post-socialist and post-conflict environments and in different types of architecture practices and international organisations (United Nations Development Programme/UNDP, Shelter Centre, Architecture & Développement). I have also been involved in initiating projects with local groups and communities. For example, here in Sheffield I was part of an alternative development agency (SKINN) as well as an experimental urban practice (Sheffield Dream City). Currently I am an Associate of Architecture Sans Frontières-UK (ASF-UK), a not-for-profit organisation that supports communities and practitioners in co-designing more equitable cities. I am also a Board Member of Architecture Sans Frontières International (ASF-Int), an independent network of not-for-profit design organisations.
Over the years my work has been funded by: ESRC, British Council, Newton Fund, Humanities in the European Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Area, Erasmus+, European Cultural Foundation, Leonardo Da Vinci Programme, European Urban Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Association, Department for International Development, Norwegian People’s Aid, Austrian Development Agency, The University of Sheffield (PhD Faculty Scholarship, Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Exchange for the Social Sciences, Festival of the Mind, Arts and Humanities Knowledge Exchange and Impact), University of Westminster (Sustainable Cities and the Urban Environment Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Community), Ï㽶ÊÓƵ (Staff Student Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Project, Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Support Fund).
Teaching
School of Engineering and Built Environment
College of Social Sciences and Arts
My approach to teaching is constructivist and is underpinned by my professional experiences as designer, researcher and educator. I believe that a range of learning experiences are vital in higher education and this means that I try to encourage and support students to learn in diverse and transformative ways: for example, learning actively through collaborative exploration and discussion with their peers and with others (including professionals from practices/organisations as well as the general public); challenging and questioning existing approaches and assumptions; critically reflecting on their learning experiences etc. I believe this can facilitate a deep understanding of the urban environment with all of its political and socio-economic complexities, in order to intervene in its design. It also provides an appropriate learning environment for students from diverse backgrounds and cultural contexts, allowing them to share, and build on, their own academic, professional and lived experiences.
Between 2014 and 2019 I taught at the University of Sheffield in both the Department of Landscape Architecture and Sheffield School of Architecture where I was a key member of the MA in Urban Design teaching team. Since joining Hallam in 2018, I have been module leader of Architecture Studio 2, Cultural Context 1, 2 and 3, and co-leader of Design Studios 4, 5 and 6. I have also led Year 2 of the BSc Architecture and Years 5 and 6 of the MArch courses.
As part of my work with ASF-UK, I am project manager of the RIBA-accredited learning programme Challenging Practice. This programme provides continuous professional development courses seeking to enable built environment professionals to engage reflexively and ethically with the challenges of socially engaged architecture/urban practice.
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My research is inherently interdisciplinary and boundary-crossing. The main themes of my research could be defined as urban inequalities (particularly in relation to public space) and socially-engaged design practice and education.
My doctoral thesis ‘Everyday public spaces in an ethnically diverse neighbourhood: contextualised convivialities and boundary-crossing urban design’ was completed in 2018 at the University of Sheffield and focused on exploring intercultural sociability in everyday public spaces through engaged socio-spatial enquiry.
In 2019/20 I was a Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Fellow in the School of Architecture and Cities at the University of Westminster on the Humanities in the European Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Area (HERA) funded project ‘Festival, events and inclusive public space in Europe’. The project included five research teams, each focusing on events and spaces in their own city (London, Dublin, Gothenburg, Barcelona and Glasgow).
I was also involved in the DESINC project looking into practices and pedagogies for designing inclusion. This was a collaboration between three schools of architecture (University of Sheffield, Milan Polytechnic and KU Leuven) and two international organisations (Housing Europe and ASF International).
Previously, while working with Shelter Centre (University of Cambridge), I was part of a research project on the shelter needs of displaced populations and contributed to the seminal publication of guidelines for specialists working in humanitarian relief ‘Transitional Settlement: Displaced Populations’.
Publications
Journal articles
Smith, A., Osborn, G., & Vodicka, G. (2023). Journal of Leisure Ï㽶ÊÓƵ.
Vodicka, G., & Rishbeth, C. (2022). . Journal of Intercultural Studies.
Smith, A., Vodicka, G., Colombo, A., Lindstrom, K.N., McGillivray, D., & Quinn, B. (2021). . International Journal of Event and Festival Management.
Rishbeth, C., Ganji, F., & Vodicka, G. (2017). . Local Environment, 23 (1), 36-53.
Conference papers
Vodicka, G., & De Carli, B. (2023). . In PRODUCTIVE DISRUPTIVE: spaces of exploration in-between architectural pedagogy and practice, Cardiff, UK, 12 July 2023 - 15 July 2023.
Smith, A., Ertem, D., & Vodicka, G. (2022). . In PPP Conference, Sheffield, UK, 6 July 2022.
Smith, A., & Vodicka, G. (2021). . In Royal Geographical Society Annual International Conference 2021, London, 2021 - 3 September 2021.
Vardy, S., Udall, J., Vodicka, G., & McCloskey, P. (2019). . In (Im)possible Complicities, Berlin, 23 May 2019 - 24 May 2019. Tesseræ / CoCreation– EU Marie Curie Rise project:
Vodicka, G. (2018). . In Royal Geographical Society (RGS) Annual International Conference, Cardiff, UK, 28 August 2018 - 2018.
Vodicka, G. (2017). . In Royal Geographical Society (RGS) Annual International Conference, 29 August 2017 - 1 September 2017.
Lamb, T., & Vodicka, G. (2017). . In 18th AILA World Congress, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 23 July 2017 - 28 July 2017.
Lamb, T., & Vodicka, G. (2015). . In Transcultural Urban Spaces. Where Geography meets language, Bern, Switzerland, 16 October 2015 - 17 October 2015.
Rabodzeenko, I., & Vodicka, G. (2015). . In Transforming Cities: Transformative Cities - European Urban Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Association (EURA), Sibiu, Romania, 17 September 2015 - 20 September 2015.
Book chapters
Smith, A., Osborn, G., & Vodicka, G. (2022). . In Plüschke-Altof, B., & Sooväli-Sepping, H. (Eds.) Whose Green City?. (pp. 83-102). Springer International Publishing:
Smith, A., Osborn, G., & Vodicka, G. (2022). . In Smith, A., Osborn, G., & Quinn, B. (Eds.) Festivals and the city: the contested geographies of urban events. (pp. 19-37). University of Westminster Press:
Lamb, T., & Vodicka, G. (2021). . In Frank, A., & da Rosa Pires, A. (Eds.) Teaching urban and regional planning. (pp. 20-38). Edward Elgar Publishing:
Horvat, V., & Vodicka, G. (2020). . In Baker, E.-.R., & Crawley Jackson, A. (Eds.) Invisible Wounds: Negotiating Post-traumatic Landscapes. (pp. 85-92). Sheffield, UK: University of Sheffield
Vodicka, G. (2018). Voices in my research. In Orlek, J. (Ed.) Multivoices A Script by Ï㽶ÊÓƵers. Spirit Duplicator
Lamb, T., & Vodicka, G. (2017). . In Murray, G., & Lamb, T. (Eds.) Space, place and autonomy in language learning. (pp. 9-28). Abingdon, England: Routledge:
Reports
Smith, A., & Vodicka, G. (2020). . London: Festspace.
Rishbeth, C., Vodicka, G., & Farnaz, G. (2016). . Sheffield: University of Sheffield.
Internet Publications
Smith, A., & Vodicka, G. (2020). Festivals and events in London’s parks.
Exhibitions
Casini, L., De Carli, B., & Vodicka, G. (2015). Exploring Neepsend. Open Your Space: Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture (UABB), China.
Vodicka, G., Rabodzeenko, I., & Porohina, J. (2013). Car + Park, RIBA Forgotten Spaces Preston Shortlist exhibition. [Design Competition]. RIBA North West, Preston, UK.
Orlek, J., & Vodicka, G. (2019). P.S. A Postscript Before Concluding, From Brooklyn Works to Brooklynism exhibition. [Film]. Kelham Island Museum, Sheffield, UK.
Vodicka, G., Rabodzeenko, I., & Porohina, J. (2013). Rethinking Urbanity - Vacancy Budapest, Wonderlab 24 Hour City: All Inclusive. [Design Competition]. Architekturzentrum Wien, Vienna, Austria.
Smith, A., & Vodicka, G. (2019). Mapping Finsbury Park, Citizen Sci-Fi Future Fair. [Participatory Map]. Furtherfield Commons, London, UK.
Posters
Vodicka, G., & Guillard, S. (2019). . Presented at: HERA JRP Uses of the Past & Public Spaces Conference, Gdansk, Poland, 2019
Ganji, F., & Vodicka, G. (2015). Transnational Urban Outdoors: focus on everyday public spaces in two northern cities. Presented at: RGS-IBG Postgraduate Conference, University of Sheffield, UK, 2015
Other publications
Udall, J., Vardy, S., Vodicka, G., & Cerulli, C. (2021). . AHRA:
Other activities
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA)
- Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA)
- Associate of Architecture Sans Frontières-UK (ASF-UK)
- Member of Architectural Humanities Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Association (AHRA)
- Board Member of Architecture Sans Frontières International (ASF-Int)