Dr. Kasia Nawratek

Biography

Kasia Nawratek is a Senior Lecturer at Manchester School of Architecture and a qualified architect and writer. Her current research interests focus on responses to the climate crisis using post-human perspectives in the context of architectural education. She integrates literary methods into architectural discourse, helping students to examine spatial problems from diverse and unexpected angles. Kasia’s teaching practice is inspired by the ideas of Paul Ricoeur on the linguistic roots of imagination and Mikhail Bakhtin's concept of polyphony, which fosters an inclusive dialogic studio culture. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and currently leads the BA3 Year and the Kind Nature Atelier, addressing the ongoing climate crisis and its implications for the profession. Her work emphasizes relationships and the inclusion of non-human actors in the design process through narrative and speculative design methods. Before joining Manchester, Kasia led a Master of Architecture design studio at the Sheffield School of Architecture and served at the Birmingham School of Architecture and Plymouth University. Alongside her academic career, she is a creative writer, with her children’s book winning the Kornel Makuszyński Polish Nationwide Literary Award in 2017. In 2024, she received the Innovation in Architectural Education Award from the Standing Conference of Schools of Architecture (SCOSA) for her impact on architectural education and pedagogy.

Research Interests

Experience