Department of
Architecture and Built Environment
 

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Peter Rutherford

Associate Professor, Faculty of Engineering

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Biography

Peter Rutherford studied architecture at the University of Strathclyde, completing his studies with a PhD that crossed the domains of architectural acoustics and psychoacoustics. Having completed his studies he became an applications engineer for Sound Alert in Leeds, developing auditory warning and evacuation devices for emergency situations. A 3 year EPSRC funded postdoctoral research position working with the auditory neurophysiology group at Leeds led to the further development of the emergency evacuation beacons for buildings and other environments. In 2002 he moved to the University of Nottingham's Department of Architecture and Built Environment lecturing in areas including building / architectural science, design studio and environmental psychology. His research at Nottingham has looked at virtual acoustics, the relationship between performers and performance spaces, acoustics within mental health facilities and the impact of acoustics on native and non-native listeners within HE lecture facilities.

Peter Rutherford is the Deputy head of the Human Factors Research Group.

Expertise Summary

His expertise lies mainly in the domains of architectural acoustics and psychoacoustics. He has worked extensively on areas including auditory localization, room acoustics simulation and auralization, speech transmission and intelligibility and noise and soundscapes-related research.

He is also conversant with most aspects of building performance including envelope heat transfer, ventilation, building simulation and human comfort (thermal, auditory and visual).

Teaching Summary

Peter Rutherford is primarily responsible for the delivery of Environmental Science in Year 2 of the BArch programme. This module provides students with an indepth knowledge of building thermal… read more

Research Summary

Peter Rutherford's current research interests include:

Soundscapes within institutional environments (e.g. prisons, mental healthcare facilities etc),

Speech intelligibility and speech transmission for native and non-native listeners and talkers,

Room acoustics prediciton and auralization,

Home energy use and energy policy initiatives,

Responsive glazing systems and energy conservation.

Selected Publications

Peter Rutherford is primarily responsible for the delivery of Environmental Science in Year 2 of the BArch programme. This module provides students with an indepth knowledge of building thermal performance including envelope heat transfer, ventilation heat transfer, internal and external (solar) gains and so on.

He also teaches across numerous modules in the department to both undergraduate and postgraduate students. These include contributions to Year 1 People, Building and Landscapes, Year 5 Environment and Technology , Year 5 Professional Studies, and undergraduate and postgrduate Design Studio. He also supervises several Masters Dissertations.

Past Research

Peter Rutherford's previous research projects include:

3-D auditory displays and real-time acoustic rendering and auralisation of buildings

Cross-modal interaction, real-time auralization and their application in enhancing musician performance within virtual auditory environments

Wayfinding and disability issues within real and virtual environments

Photogrammetry and 3-D audio reconstruction of virtual spaces

Future Research

I welcome enquiries from potential PhD candidates from Home, EU and international countries who are interested in the following research areas: Architectural Acoustics, Psychoacoustics, Speech intelligibility and Acoustic heritage.

Department of Architecture and Built Environment

The University of Nottingham
University Park
Nottingham, NG7 2RD


telephone: +44 (0) 115 95 14184