School of Architecture and Built Environment
News 2013

Visions for Newport

The School of Architecture and Built Environment's masters students will exhibit their visions for Newport as part of the work they produced for the unit: SRD763 Architectural Design in Urban Contexts. The exhibition will be held at the Substation, 1 Market Street Newport from 6 to 21 July. Come along to the opening next Thursday 11 July 6-8pm, all welcome. This exhibition was made possible by VicTRack, the Substation and to_make architects.

TECTONICS Project Models on Display

Deakin University’s School of Architecture and Built Environment second year Architectural Design Studio program focuses on TECTONICS as an approach to design and construction. TECTONICS is the art or science of building using material realisation and fabrication. Twenty six of the students’ design projects from this program are now on display as 1: 5 prototype models. Examples of the models include a bike station, urban shelter, reading/music/viewing room, yoga studio and a bath house.

During the project students worked collaboratively in groups of five to six and followed through with construction ideas such as: use of prefab components, minimal use of materials, use of standard components and use of recycle or repurposed materials. The program had its genesis several years ago with the original ‘1:1 thinking to making’, with the ‘Hub Onion’ swinging chair in the school’s reception area as one of the original outcomes. Unit Chair, Susan Ang, says students are always praising the learning experience as one that creates an enduring memory and a highlight of their student experience. The program has also earned praise from other areas.

‘Felix Hemingway, Manager Strategic Projects & Urban Design at the City of Greater Geelong, was generous in his praise for the learning value this studio program offered to our students,’ Susan says. ‘Felix, who is concerned with how public space around Geelong is managed found it easy to envision how several of our second year student designs could work to add value to the city.’

Second Year Tectonic Design Exhibition of Student Works
School of Architecture and Built Environment Galleries (Centre Gallery, Hub Gallery and Atrium Gallery) in June and July, followed by a small selection displayed in the Waterfront Cafe.
Deakin University, Geelong Waterfront Campus

2012 a+b Journal

The a+b Journal is a publication that is designed, produced and edited by the School of Architecture and Built Environment students. The Journal is published annually and contains a collection of exceptional student work showcasing the School's activities within the University and the community throughout the year. The Journal is coordinated by Flavia Marcello with continued support from Adams Print, Geelong.

Editors: Celeste Cafra and Brandon Gardiner
Download the 2012 a+b annual journal PDF (17.5MB)

A limited number of hard copy 2012 journals are available on request from the School of Architecture and Built Environment, Geelong Waterfront Campus. Please contact Karen Hall karen.hall@deakin.edu.au for all enquires.

Download the previous editions.

Annual a+b Night

The School of Architecture and Built Environment held its annual awards night on 1 May at the Geelong Waterfront Campus. This is one of the most significant events in the a+b calendar and brings together current and past students, staff and industry partners.

The event was attended by the Mayor of the City of Greater Geelong, Cr Keith Fagg; City of Greater Geelong CEO, Stephen Griffin; Deakin University Council member, Mr Peter Niblett; Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Development and Training), Professor Joe Graffam; Pro Vice-Chancellor (Planning and Integrity), Professor Christopher Gray and Pro Vice-Chancellor (Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment), Professor Trevor Day, along with many other special guests and sponsors.

The Head of School, Professor Hisham Elkadi, welcomed guests and highlighted the role and direction of the school in advancing high achieving students with a vibrant, multi-disciplinary built environment approach that engages with contemporary societal and ecological challenges. Twenty-eight talented students were presented with awards across the Built Environment disciplines including Architecture, Construction Management, Landscape Architecture, Facilities Management, Planning, and Urban Design.

This year’s guest lecturer, Shelley Penn, National President, Australian Institute of Architects, engaged guests with a history of her outstanding career. Shelley spoke about the importance of work life balance and the role of women in architecture.

After the formalities, students and their families, staff, alumni, sponsors and members of the profession moved into the a+b studio space for celebrations and drinks. All guests received a complimentary copy of the just released 2013 a+b Journal and enjoyed the creative studio space with displays of student work.

Vision Released to Geelong

Creating a beautified and more distinct arrival point at Geelong’s train station was one of the priorities identified by Professor Hisham Elkadi, head of Deakin’s School of Architecture and Built Environment, at an event for the release of the Vision 2 project concept on Monday 25 March in Geelong. Professor Elkadi is the project director of Vision 2, a partnership between the City of Greater Geelong, Deakin University, Committee for Geelong and the Department of Planning and Community Development. Vision 2 is a project to regenerate the Geelong CBD, working towards creating scenarios for change that support Geelong in becoming sustainable and successful. The event was also attended by the Premier of Victoria, the Hon Dr Denis Napthine MLA; the Mayor of the City of Greater Geelong, Cr Keith Fagg; Chairman of the Committee for Geelong, Michael Betts; and Deakin University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Jane den Hollander.

Geelong Advertiser coverage of the event

Vision 2 project website

EXEDRA

Head of School Professor Hisham Elkadi is pleased to announce that EXEDRA - Journal of the School of Architecture and Built Environment, Deakin University - is being relaunched in 2013. EXEDRA is an international journal, published bi-annually to disseminate works of global significance, originality and relevance in all areas of architecture and urban ecologies, assisting international researchers and industry professionals in communicating their achievements to the global scientific community. The journal is peer-reviewed, in English and in electronic-only format. EXEDRA will consider submissions of research articles, critical review articles and communications on topics relating to architecture and urban ecologies, and related research falling within the scope of this journal.

Details of EXEDRA’s policies, procedures and guidelines can be found in the ‘About the Journal’ section of the EXEDRA website - www.exedra2.net.

Congratulations to our Alumni

This year our students and alumni have outlined their impressive careers with awards and winning competitions.   Saifuddin Ahmad, who completed his Bachelor of Architecture at Deakin University in 1982, was elected President of Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM).  Alumni Briony Darcy and Leon Eyck won first place in the single house project and runner-up in the Built Environment Awards 2013.  The Melbourne based awards recognize quality design, sustainable building and architectural endeavour.

Intercultural Dialogue Through Design

iDiDe (Intercultural Dialogue Through Design) is the School of Architecture and Built Environment’s international collaborative master class design workshop. Initiated in 2010, the intercultural design studio includes a two-week studio program delivered alongside international travel and cultural immersive experiences. To date, four iDiDe workshops have been conducted. In 2010 and 2011 iDiDe went to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to work with Malaysian partners, the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM), University Technology MARA Malaysia (UiTM) and the Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM).

In January 2013, Deakin hosted iDiDe Australia at the University’s Geelong Waterfront Campus, collaborating with a team from IIUM on a workshop with the design brief of a Museum of Islamic Art for Geelong. In February 2013, Deakin travelled to Bangkok to work with new partner King Mongkutt University of Technology, Thonburi (KMUTT), Thailand, the Association of Siamese Architects ASA) as well as UiTM. In iDiDe workshops, students from diverse cultural backgrounds collaborate in groups and engage proactively in intercultural dialogue whilst addressing a transcultural themed design program. In the workshops, Deakin academics and Australian practice professionals work alongside international counterparts. Outcomes from the iDiDe workshops have been exhibited at high profile venues such as the National Textile Gallery of Malaysia and the Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre.

Dr Susan Ang from the School of Architecture and Built Environment and the program coordinator, says the program has received positive feedback. ‘Student reflections and feedback from government and industry consistently speak volumes of the educational value and the amazing learning experience. The iDiDe program provides an excellent opportunity to develop worldly skills and attributes,’ Dr Ang says. ‘IDiDe has been nominated as a model of best practice in international mobility and it is endorsed and supported by the Australian Education International (AEI) and Education Malaysia Australia (EMA). ‘In the coming years iDiDe plans to expand our collaboration and travel to Indonesia, India, and Sri Lanka.’

Community Approach to Measuring Traffic Noise

2Loud? is a research project developed by Deakin University in partnership with the City of Boroondara. Through the project, researchers Dr Simone Leao and Dr Adam Krezel, School of Architecture and Built Environment, and Dr Kok-Leong Ong, School of Information and Business Analytics, have developed a mobile phone application called 2Loud? that allows citizens to monitor traffic noise in their environment.
‘The World Health Organization has recently focused attention on guidelines for night noise in urban areas, based on significant medical evidence of the adverse impacts of exposure to excessive traffic noise on health, especially caused by sleep disturbance. This includes serious illnesses, such as hypertension, arteriosclerosis and myocardial infarction,’ Dr Leao explains.

‘The 2Loud? project starts from the understanding that traffic noise pollution is a very complex issue, and that a healthier environment would come from the integration of multiple actions from multiple stakeholders.
‘Citizens, communities, transport agencies, local and state government, and scientists are all part of the solution for the problem.’ Dr Leao says the features of today’s mobile phones have enabled them to be used as a tool for engagement.‘Numerous international reports have expressed the importance of public participation to help move cities and regions towards sustainable development,’ she says.

‘Several features of mobile phones make them a special and unprecedented tool for engaging participants in sensing their local environment. Ubiquitous smart-phones come with a growing set of powerful embedded sensors.’ Dr Leao says there are also demonstrated benefits in taking a participatory approach to environmental monitoring. ‘Scientific literature and practice has demonstrated that participatory processes in environmental monitoring lead to important benefits such as increasing environmental democracy, scientific literacy, social capital, cost-effective provision of data, and potential improvement of environmental conditions,’ she says.

‘In the case of university-based research projects, like 2Loud?, it can make environmental science and expertise more accessible to the public while also making scientists more aware of local knowledge and expertise.’
The positive experience of the use of the 2Loud? application by the Community of Boroondara in 2013 sets the basis for further research. Next steps will follow three interrelated streams centred respectively on community, health, and technology. For more information visit the 2Loud? project website: www.2loud.net.au.

TMImap

TMImap is a research project developed by Dr Linda Osman-Schlegel and Dr Simone Leao, School of Architecture and Built Environment in partnership with HEDRA (Housing Engineering Design & Research Association) with the aim of producing accurate Thornthwaite Moisture Index  maps (TMI) for the state of Victoria for the last 100 years (1913 to 2012) using long-term historical climatic data and advanced spatial statistics methods in GIS. By analysing the spatial and temporal changes of TMI in Victoria, main areas at risk for residential damages will be identified; and present processes and future trends of population growth and urban expansion in vulnerable areas will be analysed. Preliminary results suggest that a better understanding of climate change through long-term TMI mapping can assist urban planning and guide construction regulations towards the development of cities which are more resilient.

Sea Change Towns in the Research Spotlight

The impact of the ‘sea change’ phenomenon on communities is being investigated by researchers in Deakin University’ School of Architecture and Built Environment.
The ARC Linkage Project entitled ‘Sea change communities: intergenerational perception and sense of place’ project aims to establish a more rigorous method of evaluating the physical and perceived impact of the sea change process on sense of place. The twin historic coastal Victorian townships of Sorrento and Queenscliff are being used as case studies for this research.

Making up the research team from the School of Architecture and Built Environment are Professor David Jones, Dr Ursula de Jong, Dr Bob Fuller and Fiona Gray. Four local community organisations – the Queenscliffe Community Association, the Queenscliff Historical Society, the Nepean Historical Society and the Nepean Conservation Group – plus strategic planning and urban design consultants, Planisphere Pty Ltd, are the project’s Linkage Partners.
According to Dr Fuller, “there are numerous examples in these two towns where their unique character has been diminished by inappropriate residential and commercial development. Current planning regulations and guidelines have proved to be inadequate to preserve what many local residents and tourists alike find attractive in their built and natural environments. We hope that our project will produce a methodology that enables small coastal towns to better recognise and avoid the negative consequences of the sea change phenomenon.” A dedicated website with detailed information has been set up as part of the project:  www.seachange-communities.org

Swedish Approach to Reducing GreenHouse Gases

Dr Robert (Bob) Fuller began his academic study leave in Sweden in the first week of February. Based at the Division of Energy Systems at Linköping University, Bob is investigating why Sweden has been so successful in reducing its per capita greenhouse gas emissions, which are about one fifth of those of Australians. He is enjoying the attractive city of Linköping which has a picturesque canal and is home to about 150,000 residents. Staff and students at the university have been most welcoming and always seem happy to chat at ‘fika’, the traditional Swedish morning and afternoon tea – a most civilised habit!

Pukyong Cultural Exchange Program - South Korea

Carole Hardiman, Student & Staff Support Coordinator, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment, Geelong Waterfront Campus

In January I had the opportunity to attend a three-week cultural exchange program at Pukyong National University in South Korea. This cultural exchange program is run as part of the Global Citizen Program that involves a combination of different international activities and is available to Deakin students. On successful completion of the Global Citizen program students receive a certificate that outlines the skills and attributes obtained through the program.

The Pukyong Cultural Exchange program is a three-week structured intensive program with classes running from 9:00 am - 4:30 pm, Monday - Friday. The classes are made up of special lectures on Korea and worldwide issues, Korean language classes and Korean traditional cultural experiences.

The program is run with the same number of PKNU students (40) and international students (40 - Australia, Ireland, Spain and America). Each international student is assigned a 'Korean buddy' and each pair live for three weeks in the same dorm room on the university campus.

The program offers an amazing international experience and the buddy system creates an incredibly supportive environment that enhances the whole experience. International students are not only made welcome but are fully integrated into the Korean lifestyle.

This program is a fantastic example of the amazing opportunities available to our Deakin students and there is little doubt that for many of the students involved this will be a life-changing experience.

Photo: View from the dormitory window, Pukyong National University, Busan South Korea