Dr Linda Toledo
Strathclyde Chancellor's Fellow
Architecture
Personal statement
I am a Strathclyde Chancellor’s Fellow in Healthy Buildings and a Lecturer in the Department of Architecture. Trained as an architect at the University IUAV of Venice (2007), I gained professional experience in Italy and Belgium before pursuing a Master’s in Sustainability & Design at the University of East London (2012). In 2018, I was awarded a PhD in Sustainable Buildings from De Montfort University, with research focused on the risks of overheating in highly insulated English houses—examining the design process, comfort performance, and occupant behaviour.
From 2019 to 2021, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Eurac Research, contributing to projects on energy efficiency (existing buildings, and heritage). In 2021, I joined the University of Strathclyde as a Research Associate, where I conducted research in building performance evaluation (BPE), ventilation, and indoor air quality, with outputs informing the Scottish Government.
I am an international member of the Young Academy for Sustainability Research at the University of Freiburg. I have served as co-editor for special issues, I am a reviewer for peer-reviewed journals, conferences, and research forums. I actively contribute to the International Energy Agency’s EBC Annexes 79, 86 and 95.
My strategic research focus lies in addressing the risks of overheating and poor indoor air quality in low-energy housing (both new and renovated)—a field I have worked in for over a decade. Recently, I have been exploring the role of adaptive comfort and ventilation strategies in mitigating overheating. My research spans key themes in the sustainable built environment, including thermal comfort, low-energy design, human-centric design, and climate change adaptation, with the aim of influencing housing design in the UK, EU, and Global South.
I am currently accepting PhD students.
Publications
- Impact of indoor environmental quality on health and wellbeing in a warming climate
- Al-Khatri Hanan, González Lezcano Roberto Alonso, Toledo Linda, Moreno-Rangel Alejandro
- Building Research and Information Vol 53, pp. 1-2 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1080/09613218.2025.2460001
- Case study investigation of overheating in low-energy homes : insights from a post-occupancy evaluation in England
- Toledo Linda, Wright Andrew, Cropper Paul
- Building Research and Information Vol 53, pp. 139-164 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1080/09613218.2024.2417274
- Ventilation study in contemporary Scottish homes
- Toledo Linda, McGill Grainne, Sharpe Tim
- International Conference of the International Society of Indoor Air Quality & Climate
(2024) - Adaptive housing : solutions for adaptive and resilient low-energy housing under climate change scenarios
- Toledo L
- RETURN Dissemination Workshop ; Turin ; 1.2.2024 - 2.2.2024 RETURN Dissemination Workshop, pp. 216-217 (2024)
- https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10598007
- Results from air quality monitoring and surveys in UK residences
- Rastogi Parag, Sobek Olivia Nile, Toledo Linda, Fleck Rowanne, Jephson Graeme, Sharpe Tim
- 2023 ASHRAE Winter Conference 2023 ASHRAE Winter Conference ASHRAE Transactions Vol 129, pp. 355-365 (2023)
- Research to identify if changes to guidance in standard 3.14 ventilation in 2015 have been effective in improving ventilation and indoor air quality
- Sharpe T, McGill G, Howieson S, Tuohy P, McElroy L, McQuillan J, Toledo Linda
- (2023)
Professional Activities
- PhD thesis convenor
- Examiner
- 26/11/2024
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
- Visiting researcher
- 3/6/2024
- Knowledge map to reduce risks of overheating on low-energy homes
- Organiser
- 15/1/2024
- PhD thesis examiner
- Examiner
- 7/11/2023
- Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya
- Visiting researcher
- 30/6/2023
- Ventilation and indoor air quality in low-carbon homes
- Recipient
- 2/3/2023
Projects
- REsilient HouSIng for the Alpine region
- Toledo, Linda (Principal Investigator)
- The project REsilient HouSIng for the Alpine region (REHSIA) aims to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, mitigate the effects of climate change, and support the adaptation of buildings to rising temperatures. This goal will be achieved by combining general knowledge of building practices with recent ethnographic data from households in the Italian Alpine region.
REHSIA will review the literature on adaptive comfort, update existing empirical evidence, and integrate these findings with ethnographic insights. It will also analyse local energy regulations and engaging with the Klimahaus Institute (owner of the Italian Klimahaus building certification system). Building simulations will be used to predict thermal performance under various climate scenarios.
In terms of impact, REHSIA addresses the issue of overheating in low-energy buildings, improving both energy efficiency and indoor comfort. Aligned with regional strategies, the project contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainability. Its recommendations will empower local designers and residents, while also providing valuable case studies for other regions in Italy and similar climatic zones (Cfb).
This fellowship is financed by the Autonomous Province of Bolzano-Bozen through the Initiatives to Promote the International Mobility of Researchers LG 14/2006 (Decree 14978/2024). - 01-Jan-2025 - 31-Jan-2025
- ADAPTIVE HOUSING: Solutions for Adaptive and Resilient Low-Energy Housing under Climate Change Scenarios
- Toledo, Linda (Principal Investigator)
- Investigation the role of adaptive behaviour in the process of securing comfort in low-energy homes, in the context of a global increase in temperatures. For this project, I am embracing uncertainty and a non-deterministic approach to research to extend the boundaries of deterministic building simulations, by first developing a knowledge map that integrates literature on adaptive occupant behaviour and interaction between occupants and building systems with emerging knowledge on climate change's impact on buildings.
This Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship is financed by the Autonomous Province of Bolzano-Bozen through the Seal of Excellence funding scheme. - 01-Jan-2023 - 31-Jan-2024
- Research to identify if changes to guidance in standard 3.14 ventilation in 2015 have been effective in improving ventilation and indoor air quality
- Howieson, Stirling (Co-investigator) Sharpe, Tim (Principal Investigator) McGill, Grainne (Co-investigator) Toledo, Linda (Co-investigator) Tuohy, Paul Gerard (Principal Investigator)
- The 2015 regulations required all new dwellings to have CO2 monitors installed to alert the occupants to poor indoor air quality that would encourage them to open windows and provide purge ventilation.
- 01-Jan-2021 - 01-Jan-2023
- Measure, inform, nudge: an integrated, human-centric air quality measurement and visualisation system
- Sharpe, Tim (Principal Investigator) McGill, Grainne (Co-investigator) Toledo, Linda (Researcher)
- SBRI Phase 2 Project - follow on from RKES 201683
- 01-Jan-2021 - 31-Jan-2022
- Research to identify if changes to guidance in Standard 3.14 Ventilation in 2015 have been effective in improving ventilation and indoor air quality
- Sharpe, Tim (Principal Investigator) Howieson, Stirling (Co-investigator) McElroy, Lori (Co-investigator) McGill, Grainne (Co-investigator) Tuohy, Paul Gerard (Co-investigator) Toledo, Linda (Researcher)
- Scottish Governement Tender response (consultancyu services)
- 18-Jan-2021 - 31-Jan-2025
Contact
Dr
Linda
Toledo
Strathclyde Chancellor's Fellow
Architecture
Email: linda.toledo@strath.ac.uk
Tel: Unlisted