Matthew’s research is on the period of the 1920s and 1930s on Soviet Architecture, Theory, and Architectural Teaching. Through his past research, Matthew has explored the revolutionary architectural teaching methods of the Russian Architecture School VKhUTEMAS (Higher Artistic and Technical Studios) through a discipline of architectural teaching called Space. He has spent time researching at the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA), University of Cambridge, Moscow School of Architecture (MARKhI) and the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art (RGALI) in Moscow.
His current research is to establish further cross-theoretical connections between soviet architecture, theory and teaching tracing parallel links with contemporaneous concerns of architects and teachers on Soviet architecture and teaching to enhance the understanding of the period. This approach will shed light on how the workings of the theory and trends of architects – individual theoretical ambitions and architectural language of the Soviet period developed and establish new knowledge on key historical personalities and movements which still remain obscure. This will open the prospect of a more thoroughly grounded understanding on a variety of new and unknown topics within Soviet architecture.
The research is intended to serve architects and students of Soviet architecture, as well as to aid institutions and individuals collecting and researching material on the subject. It will be amongst researchers themselves where parallel connections will render its most important service, by opening up the wholly unfamiliar world of intellectual discourse within which their Soviet fellow-professionals have always worked contributing to the History and Theory of Soviet architecture and teaching.
Beyond his Doctoral research, Matthew founded the research group Russia House created as a collaborative research collective to celebrate Soviet creative thought of the 1920s. The intention is to remain research active and to develop new areas of investigation into the history of architecture by continuing to develop research on the History and Theory of Soviet architecture and architectural teaching in Moscow. Russia House establishes a program to restore and preserve the integrity of Soviet pioneering creative thought between architecture, theory and architectural teaching and to promote current and new research to widen the current academic and public debate challenging current areas of known and developing unknown areas of research across three areas: (i) Soviet architecture, theory, and architectural teaching research, (ii) collaborative research and (iii) education of architectural students in the UK and beyond.
- VKhUTEMAS
- Architectural Theory (Space)
- Soviet Architecture and Photography
- Archival Research and Methods
- History of Architectural Teaching
- Architectural Teaching Methods
- Modernist Pedagogy
- Doctor of Philosophy University of Liverpool
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
- Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE)
- Society for Co-operation in Russian and Soviet Studies (SCRSS)
- Moscow School of Architecture (MARKhI)
- Russian State Archive of Literature and Art (RGALI)
- Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA)
- The Architectural and Urban History Group (AH)
- The Centre of Architecture and the Visual Arts (CAVA)
- The Urban Cultures Research Cluster
Matthew currently teaches on the following course:
- ARCH 5012 Design Process
- ARCH 5010 Architectural Theory
- ARCH 4029 History of Architecture and Design
- MA4 ARCH 7467 Special Study/Dissertation
- Super Studio
Matthew would welcome enquiries about Ph.D. supervision.
2020-Present. Samira Isabelle Müller – Thesis entitled: “Don’t stand on the toilet seat”: Adapting public urban restrooms to better serve a pluricultural society in contemporary Germany
Publications
- 2022–Armitt, M. (2022), VKhUTEMAS Space Photographs (target journal: History of Photography) In Preparation
- 2022–Armitt, M. (2022), The Sourcing and Collections of VKhUTEMAS Space Photographs (target journal: the Russian Review) - In Preparation - November
- 2022–Armitt, M. (2022), Transformative Teaching: Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Search of Transdisciplinary Knowledge, Transformative Teaching Routledge, AMPS, PARADE) conference paper – In Preparation - November
- 2022–Armitt, M. (2022), Revolutionizing the Teaching: Scientific Pedagogical Methodologies (1921-2022) (A Focus on Pedagogy: Teaching, Learning and Research in the Modern Academy Routledge, AMPS, PARADE) conference paper
- 2022–Armitt, M. (2022), Teaching Space in Architecture: Experimental Pedagogy at VKhUTEMAS–Moscow (1923–1926), Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians (submitted)
- 2021– Armitt, M., & Iuliano, M. (2021), Teaching Space in Architecture: Experimentations at VKhUTEMAS–Moscow (1923–1926), The Book of Abstracts, RIBA Publishing
- 2021–Armitt, M. (2021), Archives as Pedagogical Tools, (Routledge, AMPS, PARADE and the University of Manchester
- 2020–Armitt, M. (2020), VKhUTEMAS: the Revolutionary School of Architectural Teaching: No 1, Spring, SCRSS Digest
- 2019–Russia House (Academic Website) University of Liverpool School of Architecture/Birmingham School of Architecture and Design
- 2017–Armitt, M. (2017), Teaching Discipline Space: Experimental Architectural Pedagogy at VKhUTEMAS and VKhUTEIN (1923–1930)–Moscow, Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, pp. 350-351
- 2015–Armitt, M. (2015), Space within Space: VKhUTEMAS Training and Architectural Photography, Science, Education and Experimental Design, Moscow: Moscow School of Architecture, pp. 103-104
- 2015–Beyond Constructivism, European Architectural History Network (EAHN) Dublin, Ireland: Modelling Space–An Extension of the Soviet Avant-Garde Identity (Conference Paper)
- 2014–On the Surface: Photography and Architecture-–crossing borders, shifting boundaries, University of Porto School of Architecture: ‘Space Not Stone is the Material of Architecture’ (Conference Paper)
- Undated–Armitt, M, Teaching Discipline Space: Experimental Architectural Pedagogy at VKhUTEMAS (1923–1926)–Moscow Vol. 1, pp. 1-230, and A Repository of Assignment Drawings, Models, System of Visual Materials, Workshop and Exhibition Photographs (1923-1926) Vol. 2, pp. 1-345, (Ph.D. Thesis, University of Liverpool)
Research Grants
- 2022–Leverhulme Fellowship. Proposal entitled: The Histories of Archives in British Universities (1914-Present) (£54,642, application forthcoming)
- 2022–RAAD Research Award. Proposal entitled: Archives as Instruments: Material Cultures and Collecting, c. 1915-1935 – Russia (£1762.50, funding obtained)
- 2021–Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship. Proposal entitled: Revolutionizing the Teaching: Scientific Pedagogical Methodologies (1921-2025) (£118,000, application submitted)
- 2020–Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE). Proposal entitled: Britannia and the Bear: The Impact of Anglo-Russian Relations on British Universities (main award £10,000, application submitted)
Matthew has spent a number of years working in practice in the UK and US, most notably for the distinguished firm HKS in Washington D.C.
https://www.hksinc.com/
