On February 28, a group of doctoral students met at the School of Architecture to share experiences and discuss the content of their thesis . Currently, there are 45 doctoral students at the School, of which 24 are enrolled in the doctoral program in Architecture, and 21 in the doctoral program in Applied Creativity. Lourdes Amparo Beneito, a fourth year doctoral student, shares with us the details of her thesis on housing rehabilitation. Her research is supervised by Ana Sánchez-Ostiz and co-directed by Joaquín Torresboth from the Construction, Installations and Structures (CIE) department .

1. What does your thesis consist of?

My thesis focuses on the retrofitting of dwellings built between the first energy rules and regulations and the Technical Building Code (1980-2006), with the goal of transforming them into nearly zero-energy buildings. When defining the proposed retrofit scenarios, passive and active measures and renewable energy generation systems are included. To evaluate them, the reduction of three core topic aspects has been considered:

• Operational energy, which is the energy consumed by users.

• The embedded energy throughout the life cycle, i.e. not only the energy produced during the use of the building, but also the energy required to produce and manufacture the building element or system, to transport and construct it, as well as its end-of-life phase and its circularity potential.

• The economic cost during the entire life cycle.

2. Why would you recommend doing a doctorate?

It is a luxury to be able to dedicate several years to deepen in a topic and generate new knowledge. The doctorate is a sacrificial path, but very enriching. I think that, throughout the doctorate, you develop many virtues necessary for research, but also very positive skills to work in companies, since you acquire a rigorous criterion and develop skills that allow you to face new challenges.

3. Why did you choose the academic degree program ?

I have always been passionate about the world of rehabilitation, and after finishing my Master's Degree I decided to go into research on this topic. I still don't know if I will follow an exclusive academic degree program , since the work as an architect also attracts me a lot, and I would like to be able to combine both worlds. However, teaching has always interested me, and I really enjoy being in contact with students.

4. What have you learned during your doctorate that could serve as a committee for doctoral students who are just starting out?

I remember that, in my first year, a friend told me: "You have to be patient, even with yourself". That phrase has accompanied me throughout the whole process. It is important to know that, unlike the group work we are used to in the degree program in Architecture, in the doctorate program you are the main manager of your research. Although the thesis directors give you great support, most of the work is individual, so it is essential to know how to manage those long hours of research and, most importantly, to enjoy the process.

Text written by: Lourdes Amparo Beneito.