Architecture and built environment research www.newcastle.edu.au/sabe
The School of Architecture and Built Environment has an international reputation for the quality of its research. Led by four professors, five associate professors and three postdoctoral fellows, the School s more than 30 academics are actively engaged in producing research and supervising postgraduate students. The School is home to one major research centre (CIBER) comprised of five smaller research groups. Within its undergraduate and postgraduate programs, the School encompasses the disciplines of architecture, construction management, industrial design, property economics and project and disaster management. Our graduates are highly regarded by industry groups and professional associations and are consistently rated amongst the most employable in the country. Academic staff in the School of Architecture and Built Environment have been awarded national and international prizes for research and design. They have held research fellow and visiting scholar positions at the world s foremost institutions and are on the editorial boards and scientific communities of leading journals. Many have been awarded prestigious research grants from the Australian Research Council, the European Union and a range of North American institutions. Researchers in the School of Architecture and Built Environment have been awarded more than $6 million in research income in the past decade and have published over 800 research books, chapters and papers. They have conducted research in partnership with major regional national and international industry and professional bodies from across the project design, development and management sectors. Research in the School is undertaken using both traditional scholarly approaches and through the production of creative works and suitable practice-based methodologies. Professor SueAnne Ware is Head of the School of Architecture and Built Environment. THE UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE IS RANKED IN THE TOP 3 PER CENT OF UNIVERSITIES IN THE WORLD, ACCORDING TO TWO GLOBAL INDEPENDENT RANKING SYSTEMS. THIS MEANS OUT OF MORE THAN 9,000 UNIVERSITIES IN THE WORLD WE ARE IN THE TOP 300 TOP 12 300 universities in UON disciplines the world 1 are ranked in top 200 in the world2 TOP EQUAL 7th 100 most International Universities 3 No.1 in Australia under 50 years of age 4 in Australia for research above world standard 5 OVER 90% of our research is at or above world standard 5 1 Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2014 and QS World University Rankings 2014 2 QS World University Rankings by Subject 2014 3 Times Higher Education Most International Universities 2014 4 Times Higher Education Top 100 under 50 2014 and QS Top 50 under 50 2014 5 Excellence in Research Australia 2012
The Centre for Interdisciplinary Built Environment Research The Centre for Interdisciplinary Built Environment Research (CIBER) was formed in 2003 to address important social, cultural and technical challenges involving architecture, building and design. CIBER is based in the School of Architecture and Built Environment where it directly contributes to the support of more than 30 academics and three postdoctoral fellows and the supervision of over 30 postgraduates. Led by Managing Director Professor Michael Ostwald, the research group works across several fields including: Spatial analysis and optimisation for buildings and cities Cultural, social and philosophical dimensions of architecture and design Construction industry policy, procurement and process Project development and management to support urban resilience and disaster preparedness and responsiveness Design to support health and aging BIM, CAD and virtual visualisation CIBER s research has application to the fields of property and construction, civil infrastructure, asset and facilities management, urban design, interior and industrial design. The Centre s research investigations are complex and require multidisciplinary solutions. Investigations focus on the nature of the problem and seeking out relevant disciplinary knowledge to develop innovative solutions. Research Degrees The School of Architecture and Built Environment offers the following research degrees: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programs: PhD (Architecture) PhD (Building) PhD (Industrial Design) Master of Philosophy programs: M Philosophy (Architecture) M Philosophy (Building) M Philosophy (Industrial Design) Contact To find out more about research in Architecture and the Built Environment at the University of Newcastle, contact: W www.newcastle.edu.au/ciber E archbe@newcastle.edu.au
Architecture and Design Theory and History Research Group Directors: Professor Mark Taylor and Associate Professor Michael Chapman Computing and Cognition Research Group Directors: Professor Michael Ostwald and Associate Professor Ning Gu Research in this area focuses on the cultural, political and philosophical properties of contemporary and historic buildings. A deep understanding of history, theory and critique is vital to architectural, interior and urban design. Research in this area improves our capacity to understand the properties of buildings and spaces, the rationale behind their design and their possible impact on people. Moreover, research can also be undertaken into the formation of theories and design and the way in which design histories are written. The significance of mathematics, geometry and science in design history and theory is also considered in this category. Applications of post-structural, post-colonial or political theory in design The use of geometry and mathematics in design Connections between architecture, art and film History and theory of design Cultural heritage Site and landscape theories Research through design This research area is concerned with a particular way of understanding the development of design knowledge and of analysing space and form. The design computing area includes a consideration of algorithmic, logical and repeatable processes of formal and spatial analysis and generation. Such processes can be focused on either buildings or the design process itself. Design cognition is concerned with the way in which architectural skills are learnt, taught, understood and applied. Both design computing and cognition rely on the application of vigorous, repeatable methods and procedures for developing new knowledge about the environment. Computational analysis of buildings and spaces Shape grammar, fractal analysis and space syntax applications Design in virtual environments Parametric and generative design Social and psychological processes of creativity and design Professional and vocational education Design and team processes Building information models Information technology in the workplace
Construction Management Building Resilience Lead Researchers: Dr Jason Von Meding and Dr Jamie Mackee Researchers in this area are interested in the way that societies plan and construct for the future, particularly ensuring that developments achieve a carbon neutral footprint and are suitably planned for natural and humaninduced disasters. Their research focuses on reduced resource consumption, and societal resilience. Green development and refurbishment Adaptive re-use of heritage structures The built environment and community health outcomes Linking early planning and eventual performance during a catastrophe Recovery and reconstruction to enhance built environment/societal performance in future catastrophes Knowledge capture in disaster-impacted complex dynamic systems Designing socially sustainable residential development Public and private sector supply chain resilience Consequential governmental prioritisation of social, economic and environmental planning and infrastructure development Supply chain relationship management Internationalisation and development processes Public-private partnerships Project alliancing Security of Payment Act Innovation capacity and firms dynamic capabilities ICT/BIM implementation at the level of the firm. Integrated Project Delivery Lead Researchers: Associate Professor Graham Brewer and Associate Professor Thayaparan Gajendran The architectural, engineering and construction sector is increasingly evolving and embracing digital practices to integrate the delivery of construction projects. Each stage of the built environment life cycle, specifically the design, construction and facility management stages, is significantly influenced by the digital transformation. Academics in the School conduct research to advance the theory and practice in these areas. The school investigates the people, processes, technologies and business cases for advanced information and communication technology integration in the context of project supply chains. Business Governance Lead Researchers: Professor Peter Davis and Associate Professor Graham Brewer The governance of individual construction enterprises is impacted by multiple influences that are variously internal or external, and peculiar to the industry. Researchers in the School are experienced in the fields of procurement and contracting, risk management, trust and construction industry policy. Building information modelling (BIM) adoption Legal and contractual implications of integrated project delivery Professional development and training Procurement models for BIM Project team dynamics
Professor SueAnne Ware Landscape architect Professor SueAnne Ware brings a wealth of professional practice and academic experience to her new position of Head of the School of Architecture and Built Environment. In her career, Professor Ware has received several nationally and internationally competitive grants and has produced over 100 research outputs and more than 30 major exhibitions and creative works. She has a strong interest in and commitment to student equity and diversity, design education and practicebased research. Driven by a strong humanitarian approach, Professor Ware is described as a design activist whose work reflects her belief that landscape architects share a responsibility for setting the political, social and environmental agenda. Professor Mark Taylor Professor Mark Taylor is a leading expert on the modern interior, editorial advisor to Interiors: Design, Architecture, Culture, and regular reviewer of papers and book manuscripts for international publishers. He has held an Australian Research Council grant and other nationally competitive research grants. His writing on architecture and the interior has been widely published in journals and book chapters including editor Intimus: Interior Design Theory Reader (Wiley 2006) and editor of the four volume anthology Interior Design and Architecture: Critical and Primary Sources (Bloomsbury 2013) that brings together over 80 essays and papers from around the world under four major themes: design awareness, sensory expectation, cinematic engagement and public interaction. Professor Taylor s most recent edited book Designing the French Interior: The Modern Home and Mass Media (Bloomsbury) will be published in 2015. Professor Michael Ostwald Professor Michael Ostwald is Director of the CIBER research institute and is former President of the Association of Architecture Schools in Australasia. Professor Ostwald has a PhD in architectural theory and history and a higher doctorate (DSc) in design mathematics and computing. He currently supervises both postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Professor Ostwald is Co-Editor-in- Chief of the Nexus Network Journal: Architecture and Mathematics (Springer) and is on the editorial boards of ARQ (Cambridge) and Architectural Theory Review (Taylor and Francis). He is a former Australian Research Council Future Fellow and has been awarded more than 30 major research grants in his career, has authored more than 300 research publications and his designs have been published or exhibited on over 70 occasions. In 2015, Professor Ostwald s two volume co-edited work, Architecture and Mathematics from Antiquity to the Future (Birkhauser) was published. Professor Peter Davis Professor Peter Davis took up the role of Chair of Construction Management in early 2014. He has equal experience in terms of time in industry and academic research/teaching, and his industry experience provides a leadership focus on construction management, estimating and administering significant projects. He has published over 100 scholarly research papers in an array of international journals and conference proceedings and has co-authored several book chapters in important construction industry reference books. Professor Davis has received several collaborative research grants and managed extensive research programs and is currently involved with interrelated research projects that advance safety, productivity and excellence in construction management.