Academic position in building and material heritage

Organisation/Company Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) Research Field Architecture » Other Cultural studies » Other Engineering » Materials engineering Engineering » Other History » Art history Researcher Profile Established Researcher (R3) Country Belgium Final date to receive applications 15 Jan 2026 - 22:59 (UTC) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 38 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Research Field and Contemporary Challenges

This full-time academic position in “Building and Material Heritage” aims to develop teaching and research activities in the documentation and intervention on existing structures, at the intersection of history, constructive cultures and techniques, architectural representation, and sustainability challenges.

Rooted in the scientific dynamics of ULB’s Faculty of Architecture, this position adopts a critical and contemporary approach to built heritage, broadly defined to encompass all categories (protected or unprotected, major or ordinary, old or recent, attributed or anonymous). It responds to a major paradigm shift in architectural practice—moving away from demolition toward informed, contextual documentation, understanding, and transformation.

Within the faculty, the successful candidate will lead the development of research and teaching that combines a strong knowledge of materials and construction techniques, both in their historical development and contemporary relevance. This expertise will cover restoration, conservation, maintenance, and/or transformation. Mastery of modern, vernacular, artisanal, and traditional materials and techniques is required, enabling the candidate to critically examine these knowledge and practices at an international and intercultural scale, including postcolonial perspectives.

Scientific and Pedagogical Objectives

At ULB’s Faculty of Architecture, and in collaboration with existing research centers (Alice, Cultures Constructives, Habiter, Hortence, and the faculty’s archives), the candidate will contribute to building expertise that links theoretical, methodological, and operational issues related to the knowledge and intervention on existing structures. Two complementary axes support the scientific and pedagogical objectives of this profile:

• Critical Documentation of Existing Structures. The candidate will develop methods and tools for the critical, situated documentation of existing buildings. By integrating digital documentation, archival sources, and technical analysis, the candidate will help equip the faculty to produce diagnostics that guide evaluation and intervention modes (preservation, transformation, maintenance, etc.). Special attention will be given to the diversity of materials and construction techniques, including both contemporary systems and traditional or vernacular know-how, situated in varied geographical and cultural contexts.
  
  The expected expertise supports an open, critical reading of the notion of heritage.
• Intervention on Existing Structures. The candidate will develop theoretical and practical frameworks for architectural projects in existing contexts, at the crossroads of restoration, transformation, and maintenance. Tools for targeted, sober, hybrid, and contextualized intervention modes will be particularly valued. Expertise in building upgrading, as well as knowledge of norms and regulations related to energy performance, use, safety, or comfort, will be an asset.
  
  Critical analysis of heritage charters and intervention frameworks is also integral to the desired skill set.

Particular attention will be given to the situated dimension of the application: candidates are invited to specify, in their application, the context (background, experiences, disciplinary or geographical anchors) from which they speak, and to explain how their specific skills address the challenges of the position.

The “Building and Material Heritage” full-time academic position is designed to be transversal, fostering the creation and strengthening of links…