Hi, I’m giofish…

…and I am an academic at Northumbria University, one of the Higher Education Institutions in the UK.

As such, I am dedicated to shaping the next generation of professionals working in the construction industry which I consider as including both, new constructions as well as historic buildings.

My role as an educator, besides giving me the possibility to contribute to shaping the future of the industry, helps me improve my understanding of the phenomena I investigate in my research activity (hence my motto: docendo discimus) which is focused on the development of innovative, tradition-rooted construction materials to tackle the enormous problem of the high environmental impact of the modern construction.

My research and knowledge sits at the intersection of four major 21st-century trends that are reshaping how we think about materials and buildings:

1. Biomimicry – by using enzyme-based biomimetic strategies to enhance lime’s CO₂ capture during carbonation, directly connecting traditional lime knowledge to bio-inspired material science.
2. Circular Economy – Lime, gypsum and clay mortars are infinitely recyclable – you can crush old mortars, heat them (if necessary), and reuse them without performance loss, embodying perfect circular economy principles.
3. Climate Adaptation – The chemical make up of the hardened lime mortars with their specific isotopic composition and ability to embed large elements such as Lead, opens new way of investigating past pollution levels in urban areas and to develop better climate model.
4. AI-Powered Design – My practical understanding of how lime and other binders behaves provides crucial validation data for machine learning models that are now optimising material formulations for specific climate conditions.

What makes especially interesting the knowledge acquired with the study of traditional technologies is that we are not just working with “old” materials: we are working with materials that are at the forefront of solving some of our biggest challenges: carbon capture, urban overheating, and sustainable construction.

To put it differently, my research interests are centred around the development of low-carbon construction materials inspired by the past, tailored to tomorrow’s construction industry.

My daily activity as a researcher aims to answer the question: “Can we decode the huge empirical knowledge of the past, translate it into modern scientific knowledge, and use it to develop new construction materials that suitable for the modern industry and more respectful of the environment?”

If you are interested in this topic as well, you are very welcome to look around and get in contact with me (you can find my professional profile on the website of the institution where I work).