Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Ian Fletcher
Senior Lecturer
Ian Fletcher holds a position as a Senior Lecturer in Architecture in the School of Arts, Architecture and Design. Ian received his Bachelor of Architectural Studies degree in 2007 from Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism at Carleton University in Canada. He also received a MA in Architecture and Urbanism in 2008 and Bachelor of Architecture in 2009 from the Manchester School of Architecture in the United Kingdom. Currently, he is a PhD candidate in the School of Built Environment and Engineering at Leeds Beckett University. His research focuses mainly on utilising agricultural, construction and demolition waste streams for developing bio-based building materials.
Ian has worked in architectural practice in Trinidad & Tobago, and taught at Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism in Canada and at the Birmingham School of Architecture before joining the Leeds School of Architecture. He is interested in theoretical and practical urban scale ideas, which can help post-industrial cities transition towards self-sufficiency. His research aims to promote an ecological rethinking of post-industrial infrastructures and waste management. Ian’s PhD research investigates the production, properties and performance of mycelium biocomposites, and the influence of different waste streams which can be utilised to optimize mycelium biocomposites production for construction use.
Current Teaching
- BA (Hons) Architecture:
- Level 5 & 6 Architectural Design
Research Interests
Ian’s research is interested in the use of agricultural wastes as a readily available source of lignocellulosic biomass, and fungi for the development of bio-based materials for use in construction. By adding value to agricultural byproducts and finding sustainable alternative sources for existing petroleum-based products used in construction, not only can have a substantial and long-term impact on agriculture, construction, and the economy but also the environment. By developing bio-based materials around agricultural byproducts, the byproduct provides nutrients and structure for fungi to form the agricultural byproduct into bio-based materials which are low cost, biodegradable and environmental friendly. The exploration of agricultural waste as a bioresource for manufacturing mycelium biocomposites can reduce the need for disposal and environmental deterioration through pollution, fire, and pests and at the same time add value to the creation of rural agricultural-based bioeconomies.
Selected Outputs
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Fletcher IA (2016) An effective approach for the management of waste coffee grounds.
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Fletcher IA (2019) Effect of Temperature and Growth Media on Mycelium Growth of Pleurotus Ostreatus and Ganoderma Lucidum Strains. Cohesive journal of microbiology and infectious disease, 2 (5),
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Fletcher IA (2011) Cinematic Visions of Urban Mobility: A Driving Perception. In: Regenerating Culture and Society Architecture, Art and Urban Style Within the Global Politics of City-branding. Tate Liverpool and Liverpool University Press, pp. 71-80.
