Welcome
CURA Lab unites diverse expertise to shape sustainable and climate-resilient cities.
We are a young and passionate team researching the impacts of climate change and urban heat on buildings and cities, driven by a clear vision and mission. Our work, framed within four research areas, spans the entire life cycle of buildings, utilizing advanced simulation tools, climate scenarios, and the latest developments in artificial intelligence to deliver robust and scalable solutions.
In addition to research and partnerships, CURA Lab — Climate and Urban Resilience in Architectural Engineering Laboratory — actively contributes to education at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels at the University of Coimbra, embedding our research findings into teaching and fostering the next generation of researchers and professionals.
Vision
To become a leading research group in sustainable buildings and resilient cities, integrating energy performance, renewable energy systems, climate adaptation, and artificial intelligence across the life cycle of buildings — with a strong national and international impact in both research and education.
Mission
To advance scientific knowledge, develop innovative tools and solutions, and contribute to the decarbonization and resilience of the built environment. Through cutting-edge research, education, and training, we prepare the next generation of researchers and professionals to address the challenges of climate change and sustainable urban futures.
Research areas
1. Building Energy Performance and Decarbonization
We develop advanced methods for modeling, monitoring, and optimizing building energy performance. By integrating future weather data generated with our Future Weather Generator (FWG) and leveraging AI-driven analytics, we assess building performance not only under current but also under projected climate conditions, supporting robust low-carbon design and retrofitting strategies.
2. Renewable Energy Integration in the Built Environment
We study and optimize renewable energy systems — solar PV, thermal storage, and hybrid solutions — for buildings and districts. Using future climate scenarios from FWG and machine learning methods, we evaluate the long-term performance and resilience of these systems, ensuring that energy solutions remain effective under changing environmental conditions.
3. Urban Climate and Heat Island Mitigation
We investigate the impacts of climate change and the urban heat island effect on cities. High-resolution climate datasets allow us to model how extreme heat and shifting weather patterns affect urban microclimates, while testing adaptation strategies such as green infrastructure, reflective materials, and urban form interventions.
4. Resilient and Sustainable Urban Futures
Our multidisciplinary approach connects technology, design, and governance to address the resilience of urban systems. By embedding future weather scenarios and AI-based predictive tools into urban planning and policy analysis, we generate evidence to support long-term strategies for sustainable, climate-resilient cities.
Outreach
CURA Lab is committed to sharing knowledge and fostering dialogue beyond academia. Through workshops, public lectures, collaborations with municipalities, and engagement with professional associations and industry, we translate research on climate resilience and urban sustainability into actionable insights. Our outreach activities aim to support informed decision-making, empower communities, and bridge the gap between science, practice, and policy.
Resources
CURA Lab combines distributed workspaces at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Coimbra and ADAI with dedicated computational infrastructure. Our in-house PULPITO Cluster — two high-end computers with NAS storage — provides secure and scalable capacity for intensive simulations, data processing, and tool development. In addition, we have access to the Navigator Cluster (University of Coimbra’s Laboratory for Advanced Computing), extending our high-performance computing capabilities for large-scale urban climate modeling, future weather data generation, and advanced building performance simulations. These resources ensure CURA Lab is equipped to conduct cutting-edge research on climate change, energy systems, and urban resilience.
Partners
