Currently involved in the Leverhulme trust funded project 'An Overlooked Heritage - Revealing the fibrous plaster ceilings of the United Kingdom'. Working with heritage professional bodies and the fibrous plaster industry, this research investigates the properties of historic fibrous plaster ceilings, traditional materials used such as gypsum plaster and hessian fibres plus modern repair alternative materials such as quadaxial glass fibres. Work is both field-based, monitoring historical ceilings and lab-based on both a small scale and large scale.

Research experience includes the Interreg Circular Bio-based Construction Industry project, investigating bio-based construction materials such as sheeps wool, mycelium, cellulose, CLT and wood fibre, and methods of construction compatible with circular economy principles and designing for disassembly and adaptability.

Barrie was also involved with the EPSRC-funded Aerial Additive Manufacturing project which encompassed the development of cementitious based materials for 3D printing by multiple coordinated flying Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones). Work included mechanical tests of cured material and extensive rheology and characterisation of fresh material mixes along with practical experiments extruding material using drones.