Dr Martin Michette

My work focuses on building capacity in the heritage sector and improving the management of the historic environment. I have partnered closely with leading heritage organisations in the UK and internationally, providing advice on sustainable conservation strategy, and worked at several UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Tower of London, Petra, and Pompeii. I am particularly interested in the role cultural heritage can play in society’s response to climate change and nature loss.

I studied Architecture (BSc) at the University of Bath and Building Conservation (MEng) at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam. I spent several years working in architectural practice before returning to academia and obtaining my DPhil in Science and Engineering in Arts, Heritage and Archaeology at the School of Geography and the Environment.

I am a Departmental Lecturer in Cultural heritage and Architectural History at Oxford Lifelong Learning, and Chair of the Casework Committee for Historic Buildings & Places, one of the National Amenities Societies.

My research identifies and promotes synergies between low energy technologies, cultural heritage, and natural systems. The aim of these synergies is to help reduce the environmental impact of historic buildings, protect and enhance the significance of heritage assets and landscapes. My methods combine non-destructive, surveying and monitoring techniques with analytical and conceptual approaches to modelling heritage environment systems. I am a member of Oxford Resilient Buildings and Landscapes.

Current projects

• CLIMATE Arch examines dynamic relationships between climatic conditions, climate change and vernacular architecture in the Alps and the Himalayas. As the effects of climate change and extreme weather events become increasingly evident in mountainous environments, they are triggering specific adaptations to the design, structure, material constitution, usage and protection of vernacular buildings. These transformations take place through complex interactions between environmental, social, economic and technical fields, and it is these dynamics that provide the principle focus of the research.
• SXNCH – Sites at the Intersection of Natural and Cultural Heritage is a globally engaged research group and growing network, based at the University of Oxford. Our aim is to better understand the entanglement of the natural and historic environment, and build sector resilience by fostering interdisciplinary knowledge exchange and diversifying participation in heritage management.