English introduction

CERMA Laboratory Architectural and Urban Ambient Environment

• Centre for Methodological Research in Architecture created in 1971
• Research laboratory of Nantes School of Architecture (Ministry of Culture) and CNRS French National Centre for Scientific Research (Ministry of Research and Education),
• CERMA also has a partnership with Ecole Centrale de Nantes., high level school of science,
• Over 40 members : 35 researchers and PhD students who come from various fields (architecture, environnemental engineering, physics, computer science, geography),
• Partnership with CRESSON Laboratory in Grenoble inside the joint research CNRS unit n°1563 "Architectural and Urban Ambient Environment",
• Research field specialized in ambiances : the environment comfort which results from the user's perception and the interpretation of the physical state of the architectural or urban space,
• Fundamental research topics :
  - Modelling and simulation of natural phenoma such as sun light, solar energy, heat, wind, noise and soundscape,
  - Characterisation of the ambiances,
  - Design of the ambiances : CAD, actors and doctrines,
• Applied research : development of softwares for the simulation and the analysis of the natural phenomena and CAD tools.
• CERMA and CRESSON lead the International Ambiances Network "Ambiances.net" , which aims at structuring and developing the research field of architectural and urban ambiances, with twenty international team members(Germany, Brazil, Canada, United States, ...).
• Partnership with the Institute for Research on Urban Sciences and Techniques, IRSTV -,founded by CNRS, which leads an interdisciplinary research in the field of urban environment with Nantes School of Architecture, Ecole Centrale of Nantes, IFSTTAR, Universities of Rennes, Le Mans, La Rochelle and Nantes, Ecole des Mines of Nantes, CSTB, BRGM, ESGT, IRSN, Agrocampus Ouest, Air Pays de la Loire.
• Research Master Degree in Architecture : Cerma is involved in research master programmes of Nantes School of architecture and particulary in the speciality ""Perceptible atmosphere and urban forms" of the master of Sciences and Techniques on Urban Environment which relies on researchers and scientific and research facilities of the CERMA