Dr Lui Tam

(she/her)

BA (Archaeology), MSc (Conservation of Monuments and Sites), PhD (Architecture)

Publication

• Date
• Type

Research

My latest research establishes and explores a relational and dynamic framework and approach (Relational Morphogenesis/Morphostasis Approach) to sustainability and heritage, incorporating philosophical traditions such as Critical Realism, assemblage theory and Actor-Network-Theory. I continue to develop this approach into an applicable methodology for heritage research and practices in various contexts and scales in my current and future research. My publications and research interests cover topics such as sustainable heritage management, heritage tourism and community development, Historic Urban Landscape, and adaptive reuse of historic buildings, focusing on empirical studies in China and Southeast Asia while also expanding into (industrial) heritage in Wales. 

Teaching

I am the module leader of the History and Theory module in BSc Year 2 Architecture in Context at the WSA. I also support the teaching of Research Preparation and Dissertation in MArch, inclusive design and architecture, and the MSc Sustainable Building Conservation. I introduce general knowledge in the field of heritage and encourage critical thinking over what heritage is, what it does, and how it relates to our world in my teaching. In addition, I am a keen advocate for the internationalisation and democratisation of architectural history. I introduce elements of architectural history beyond the conventional canon, including architecture without architects and architectural history in non-Western contexts. As an educator, I am passionate about creating an interdisciplinary syllabus for architectural history and heritage through active learning. I introduce a broad range of methods from multiple disciplines to study our built environment, including architecture, archaeology, history, and social sciences, and support students to broaden their outlook on diverse career paths.

Biography

I came to the Welsh School of Architecture for my PhD study in 2017 and joined the school as a Lecturer in Architectural History in 2022. I hold a PhD in Architecture from the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University, funded by the WSA Studentship and the VC’s International Scholarship for Research Excellence. Before joining the WSA, I practised as a heritage conservation planner in China and as a consultant for sustainable heritage tourism in Luang Prabang, Laos. I was placed within the Luang Prabang World Heritage Department as part of the UNESCO-Chinon-Luang Prabang framework, supported by the French Development Agency (AFD), and subsequently a team member of the EU Commission EU Switch Asia - Luang Prabang Handle with Care Project implemented by the German national development agency GIZ. I have collaborated with public and private sectors, NGOs, local communities, and other entities across Asia and Europe.

I was initially trained as a building archaeologist (BA-Archaeology) in China at Peking University and received my MSc in Conservation of Monuments and Sites from Raymond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation (RLICC) at KU Leuven, Belgium. While working as a heritage professional in China, I initiated and curated a series of public talks on heritage given by early career heritage professionals and researchers in Beijing. I was an invited panellist for a panel discussion on ‘Cultural Heritage, Preservation and ‘Authenticity’ in China’ at the 2014 Bookworm International Literary Festival and was featured on the international channel of national TV to discuss urban conservation issues in Beijing in 2015. I developed an interactive programme for children to discover historic Beijing along Metro Line 4 in collaboration with Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press and Beijing MTR. I also guest lectured for primary and secondary schools on architectural history and delivered specialised heritage tours to Chinese and international visitors to raise funds for a community museum in Shijia Hutong, for whom I was a volunteering consultant.

In 2014, I was featured in the New York Times for my activist endeavours with my peers to safeguard a historic courtyard facing demolition in Beijing. I was also in a voluntary group of students, heritage professionals, and journalists to compile a report documenting local community voices and memories in Beijing’s Drum and Bell Tower neighbourhood during its redevelopment and displacement in 2014. During my time in Laos. I co-produced a short film on Luang Prabang’s Buddhist heritage with local filmmakers, the Buddhist community and residents to raise visitors’ awareness of the World Heritage city’s living heritage. I also co-designed and co-produced a signage system with local artisans to encourage mindful behaviours and showcase traditional crafts. Both outputs have been disseminated and installed across the World Heritage city beyond the duration of the EU project.

Committees and reviewing

English editor and translator, Heritage Architecture (Chinese-English bilingual), Built Heritage (Springer)

Social media editor of Planning Perspectives (Taylor & Francis)

Peer-reviewer, Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering (Taylor & Francis), Built Heritage (Springer Nature), MDPI journals Heritage, Religions, Land, and Asian Development Perspectives (South Korea's National Research Foundation).

Supervisions

I am interested in supervising PhD students in the areas of:

• Heritage & Sustainability Studies (including those with a focus on Critical Heritage Studies, intersections between heritage and sustainability, and the theoretical explorations of these two concepts)
• Sustainable Heritage Management and Conservation (including heritage planning, World Heritage management, and heritage interpretation)
• Heritage, Architectural History and Building Archaeology in non-Western Contexts (particularly in China, East & South East Asia, but also including Wales)

Current supervision

Yichang Dai

Research student