November - Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning

Bringing leading and innovativepractitioners to Melbourne to addressand work with our Faculty is part of ourcommitment to engaging with internationaldiscourse and practice. We were delightedto welcome Chilean architect MathiasKlotz, international planner WilliamCobbett, UK engineer Jane Wernick andFrench landscape architect CatherineMosbach, as part of the 2010 Dean’s LectureSeries. We were also honoured to hostProfessor Attilio Petruccioli and ProfessorClaudio D’Amato Guerrieri from thePolytechnic of Bari in Italy, both of whompresented a fascinating Miegunyah Lecturein July. With their extensive experiencearound the whole Mediterranean basinand beyond, they brought insight to crosscultural design and construction issues.We have been particularly pleased to hosta rich series of exhibitions – this year wehave held over 40 in the Wunderlich Galleryand other venues in our buildings. A highlightof these was the ABP Alumni RetrospectiveSeries, with exhibitions by architect DarylJackson in April and PHOOEY Architects(under the directorship of Peter Ho) inSeptember. We look forward to profilingmore extraordinary work in this seriesduring 2011.Designing InnovationThe theme of this edition of Atrium is‘Designing Innovation’ – design, theoryand practice in the global environment.Within this, we look at some new methodsand technologies in design, fabricationand construction and the impact of newtechnologies (intellectual as well as digitaland physical) on design, its practiceand management.Alan March examines the urban policyinnovations in the 1980s of Evan Walkerand David Yencken. Design innovationsin landscape architecture are outlinedby Andrew Saniga in his piece on hisWoomera travelling studio and TerraOddities exhibition. Paolo Tombesi providesan insight into design innovation in therealm of construction in his pieces onMiegunyah Visiting Fellows Professor AttilioPetruccioli and Professor Claudio D’AmatoGuerrieri. He also writes about the AUBEAconstruction management conferencehosted by the Faculty in July.In this issue we celebrate the careerof Catherin Bull and announce TheCatherin Bull Scholarship in LandscapeArchitecture to support students in theMasters of Landscape Architecture. Thisscholarship complements the David YenckenPhD Scholarship in Landscape Architecturewhich will be awarded for the first timein 2011.Finally, we pause to reflect on the Faculty’slong term association with Hansen Yuncken.We use this opportunity to commemoratethe 20th anniversary of establishing theHansen Yuncken prize for constructionstudents , and to celebrate the greatnumber of students that have gone onto work with the firm.Best wishesTom KvanImage: Pattern Events Exhibitionby Dr Stanislav RoudavskiFront Cover Image: Photographby Peter Glenane

Atrium15 | 2010PAGE04 | 05THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNEFACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & PLANNINGToday’s City Created in the Past:Evan Walker & David YenckenAlan MarchPresent-day Melbourne is faced withmultiple challenges and uncertainties thatdemand the attention of built and naturalenvironment professionals. However,clarity as to the best urban form for ourcity has not yet emerged between themultiple competing demands of populationgrowth; the range and location of possiblebuilding types and densities; and transportconnectivity. The ecological impactsof current settlement patterns appearunacceptably high, yet generatingsufficient conviction to redress thiscomprehensively at the metropolitanlevel remains elusive. Further, Melbourneis becoming a divided city between thosewho do and don’t live in well-connectedareas serviced by a range of educational,health and recreational facilities.When it comes to actual practice, builtand natural environment professionalsare bound to act in the present, seekingbetter outcomes in the future. TheMelbourne we live in today embodiescertain social, environmental, economicand physical characteristics that arethe result of important previous work.Examination of these characteristicscan draw attention to the ways thatoutcomes have been achieved, providingmeans to assess and act upon currentcircumstances. Two people closelyconnected with the Faculty have beencentral to bringing many positiveoutcomes to present day Melbourne:Evan Walker and David Yencken.Professor Evan Walker was Dean ofthe Faculty between 1991 and 1995,having originally graduated with aBachelor of Architecture from theUniversity of Melbourne in 1959. Afterfounding a practice in Melbourne in 1963,with Daryl Jackson joining as a partner,he worked as an architect until 1979.He was awarded the Order of Australiafor service to architecture, town planningand the Victorian parliament.David Yencken, now Emeritus Professor,was Head of the School of EnvironmentalPlanning from 1987 to 1996. Amongsthis many achievements have been theestablishment of Merchant Builders andTract Consultants, and acting in roles suchas Chairman of the Australian HeritageCommission. He was granted the Orderof Australia for service to conservationand history.In 1982, with John Cain as Premier,Evan Walker became Minister forPlanning & Environment, appointingDavid Yencken as Secretary for Planning.A range of highly influential planning anddesign policies soon began to emergein response to identification of pressingurban problems in Victoria. While thesubsequent fortunes of these policieshave varied, particularly during the1990s, the way they were developed anddelivered provides useful comparisonsto current circumstances.Walker and Yencken highlighted theopportunity to reverse central Melbournehaving its back turned on the YarraRiver. The Western Suburbs were underconsiderable stress from unplanneddevelopment pressure, suffering from arange of environmental quality, industrialresidentialinterface and amenity issues.The state planning agency had opportunitiesto improve its monitoring and forecastingabilities through the use of emergingtechnologies such as computing andassociated methods. Regulation ofchange in heritage areas, beyondindividual sites, was poor. District centreswere not defined clearly or planned for,leading to disjointed and variable retail,transport and service provision acrossthe city. Planning and related legislation,such as that controlling the subdivisionof land, was fragmented and duplicatedin multiple controls. Finally, the Departmentof Planning & Environment requiredconsiderable re-skilling to keep up withbest practice and to address thechallenges being identified.Under the direction of Walker andYencken, the Department of Planning& Environment undertook a range ofinnovative and far-reaching activitiesin response to the planning challengesidentified. In particular, conscious effortswere made to “directly address keyurban problems and to deliver concreteoutcomes” (Yencken 2010). Energieswere directed to producing tangibleresults to convince a sceptical public>Image: The Premier of Victoria, John Brumby, The Hon. Professor Evan Walker and Professor David Yencken at the Transforming the Yarra presentation ceremony.

Atrium15 | 2010PAGE06 | 07THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNEFACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & PLANNINGThe ecological impactsof current settlementpatterns appearunacceptably highof the benefits of planning, while seekinga broadly based social agenda of equitableand environmentally responsible outcomes.Of the many initiatives embarked upon, twostand out as particularly valuable andcontrasting generators of today’s favourablecircumstances: improving the central cityarea; and the Western Suburbs Action Plan.It is well known that in the early 1980sMelbourne’s central area suffered a rangeof ailments, including the ongoing loss ofheritage buildings; poor amenity, urbandesign quality and environmental outcomes;fragmented and lacklustre overall designdirection; a lack of social interaction andservices; and a failure to capitalise on theYarra River. In response, Walker andYencken established a strong state-levelframework for the management of changeas a key plank of Victoria’s economic strategy.The Central Melbourne Framework for theFuture encompassed areas around theport and industrial areas of Webb Dockand Spotswood; the CBD; Port Melbourne;and St Kilda. While the plan’s impositionsover local government areas caused someconflict, notably with the City of Melbourne,then a smaller authority prior to the lateramalgamations of 1994-5, it also ledto many useful creative tensions andcollaborations that we benefit from today.The Central Melbourne Framework forthe Future provided a platform for impositionof height controls over the central retail andentertainment areas of Melbourne, whileallowing for greater building heights to theeast and west of this central north-southspine as a kind of “dish” shape. In a bid toimprove awareness of ways to improve thepedestrian experience, Yencken famouslyclosed Swanston Street, including thelaying of turf, in November 1985 for asummer party celebrating Victoria’s 150thAnniversary. It is important to consider thatat this time few people took seriously thepossibility for central Melbourne to be thepedestrian-oriented, mixed use 18 hourcity it is today.Strict guidelines for development wereestablished to facilitate Melbourne’s greatsuccess story, the development ofSouthbank, to reorient itself to the Yarra.Major Projects Victoria’s Transforming theYarra 2010, including commentary fromProfessor Kim Dovey of the Facultyof Architecture, Building and Planning,celebrates the achievements of Yenckenand Walker orienting Melbourne to the river.The road was removed from the riverbank;active, public-oriented land uses such asrestaurants were required in the newdevelopment; and zero setbacks and amaximum six storey height limit wereimposed to create a vibrant, publicallyoriented experience on the Yarra’s southside. These policies, while not always strictlyadhered to by later governments,established a framework and ethic forthe creation of publically-focused placesdesigned for people to interact and tobe nourished in a variety of ways.In contrast to the centralised policy frameworkused in the central city, a highly interactiveand participatory approach was used byWalker and Yencken in the developmentof the Western Suburbs Action Plan.Recognising that the Western Suburbs ofMelbourne had too long been ignored asindustrial and working class areas, and thatliving and working conditions lagged behindmost other areas of the city, the viewsand concerns of residents were soughtin a series of participation exercises.As the exercise unfolded, it became clearthat certain groups were under-represented.Accordingly, migrants, non-English speakers,the unemployed, and other ‘silent’ groupswere actively sought out to ensure that theconclusions drawn were representative.The results were sorted and recirculatedto residents to confirm and comment uponbefore further action was taken. On thisbasis, significant improvements were madeto the conditions of the western suburbs,adding parks, reducing conflicts between

esidential and industrial areas, andimproving design quality along majortransport routes.The work set out a framework for theongoing Western expansion of Melbournethat has followed through to the presentday. Perhaps more importantly, though,the model of engagement with communitieswas to be used in subsequent policydevelopment exercises.Evan Walker argued that cities andtowns are not just places for economicproduction alone, but that they mustalso, through good design and connectionwith natural features, achieve social andenvironmental outcomes (1984). DavidYencken argued that a city must be“emotionally satisfying and stimulatecreativity amongst its citizens” (Yencken1988). Many of Melbourne’s currentsuccesses in these areas flow from theframeworks and actions of Yencken andWalker. Yencken, however, warns thatit is important in planning “to avoidtendencies to ignore the past anddismissiveness of what is importantand valuable” (Yencken 2010).When one considers Melbourne’s currentdifficulties in developing the convictionnecessary to address wider planningchallenges, some key lessons fromthe Walker and Yencken ‘regime’ emerge.Recent attempts to concentrate growthand facilities around highly accessiblepoints do echo and rediscover many of theprinciples set out in the 1987 Metropolitanplanning document Shaping Melbourne’sFuture. However, our present inability tomeaningfully direct the amount and natureof ongoing overall growth purposefullyacross greater Melbourne suggests a need toestablish stronger parameters. The exampleof Central Melbourne: Framework for theFuture is a demonstration that key metricsand guides for change can be successfullyestablished by a central authority to ensuretransformational achievement of overallgoals. Importantly, within the strong centrallyimposed framework, local government isthen allowed considerable scope to workcreatively to achieve local goals. Further, theWestern Suburbs Action Plan demonstratesthat, in setting strong parameters for change,it is possible for a state agency to interactmeaningfully with citizens to develop supportfor change, rather than to bluntly imposedecisions upon the public, as has becometypical in much Victorian planning.To act meaningfully upon Melbourne’splanning challenges will require that activesteps are taken to develop broadly basedlegitimacy for strong action that breaks withthe status quo, while providing for stronglocal identity and participation in theprocess. Rather than being a zero-sumgame, this suggests that the way forwardis for built and natural environment professionalsthemselves to understand and seek toimprove the governance processes thatframe their work as practitioners withresponsibility for collective outcomes.Major Projects Victoria. (2010).Transforming the Yarra.Retrieved 13 October, 2010, fromhttp://www.majorprojects.vic.gov.au/transforming-the-yarraMinistry of Planning and Environment (1983).Western Suburbs Planning and EnvironmentAction Program: Stage 1, issues identificationreport. Melbourne.Ministry of Planning and Environment (1984).Central Melbourne: Framework for the Future (No. 6).Melbourne: Ministry of Planning and Environment.Yencken, D. (1988). Keynote Speech. Paperpresented at The Creative City: Australia Council,the City of Melbourne, the Ministry of Planningand Environment of Victoria.Yencken, D. (2010). Interview with David Yencken14 October, Melbourne: Alan March.Dr Alan March is Senior Lecturerin Urban Planning

Atrium15 | 2010PAGE08 | 09THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNEFACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & PLANNING

Designing Innovation in Construction:Unitised BuildingPeter RaisbeckHousing has always been a central concernof modern architects. The history of 20thcentury architecture is littered with manyideal examples of industrialised andsystematised methods of housingconstruction. The production of utopianhousing schemes spanned the 1920s tothe 1960s for example : Buckminster Fuller’sDymaxion House, Le Corbusier’s ModularMan, and later in the 1960s, the plug-intowers of the Japanese Metabolists aswell as Peter Cook’s Plug-in City.By the end of the 1960s the ideas andmethods inherent in these projects wereplainly manifest in built form. The cities ofthe new world and the new towns of theold world were filled with the systematiseddreams of modern architects. These methodsand systems were heavily criticised ascontributing to the failure of modernism inthe realm of social housing. Many examplesof these troubled utopias abound: ThePruitt-Igoe scheme in St Louis (it’s destructionhas since been celebrated on Youtube), theRonan Point apartment collapse in England1968 (also on Youtube), the demise of RobinHood gardens by Peter and Alison Smithson,and the eventual demolition of JamesStirling’s Runcorn housing in 1970.The new towns of the post war periodwere seen as the ideal environment for theindustrialising of social housing. In Australia,Melbourne’s Housing Commission towersare evidence of the application of industrialisedmethods to social housing. These towerslabswhich dot Melbourne’s inner city arearguably an example of what happenswhen urban and architectural design aresubservient to industrialised constructionmethods. In Victoria these methods wereless inspired by the politics of utopianarchitecture than by the desire to eradicatethe Victorian era slum and larrikin housingwhich was seen as being somehow unclean.Given this background its interesting thatindustrialised notions of building have againbecome topical in Australia due to a differentset of circumstances than those evident inthe post-war period. Nowadays in Australiathe objective is to bridge the affordabilitygap, increase urban densities and to buildin a less wasteful fashion. In Australiaarchitects have always been at the forefrontof housing design research. A significantexample of this is the Unitised Buildingproject. This has been invented by NondaKatsalidis and a different set of concernsto those evident in the 1960s has shapedits design. The Unitised archiPad, ondisplay in Federation Square until November4 2010, is a one-bedroom apartment thatresponds to these new urban parameters.The project will form part of VicUrban’s TheNicholson project in Coburg, an $50 milliondevelopment designed by architectsDesignInc. Comprising of 200 dwellings,a number of which will be funded by theFederal Nation Building initiative andsubsidised via the National RentalAffordability Scheme.Unitised Building enables time efficiencygains for both off-site and on-site construction.It is argued that it is superior to prefabricatedconcrete construction. The constructionof the units in a factory enables a greaterdegree of quality control, particularly in regardto facades and finishes, as well as minimisingproject risks associated with inclementweather. Overall costs savings in the systeminclude those associated with preliminariesand footings. In addition, it is claimed thatthe system generates 20% of the wastethat would be generated by traditionalbuilding methods of construction. It requiresless carbon emissions as a result of transportand its construction contains lessembodied energy.Architects interested in inventing andpatenting new construction systems arenot usually expected to be adept at design.However, as demonstrated by NondaKatsalidis, architects are adept at makingthe trade-offs needed between thedemands of mass production, sustainabledesign and aesthetics. Industrialised buildingshould not simply be about producing themost units at the lowest possible deliverycost. What is interesting about this project isthe fact that Nonda has been able to invent,patent, commercialise and successfullybring to market a new housing type. A typethat is flexible enough to offer a number ofdifferent typological possibilities.Australian cities and suburbs seem to betyrannised by a few predominant housingtypes at either end of the density extremes.At one end, the college style apartmenttowers; at the other, the suburban house.The flexibility of this invention offers hopethat we can design urban types that willfill the gap between these two extremes.But more importantly, Unitised Buildingserves as an example of how architecturalentrepreneurship can be used to contributeto our cities through design researchand innovation.Dr Peter Raisbeck is Senior Lecturerin Architectural Practice.

Atrium15 | 2010PAGE010 | 11 | 02THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNEFACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & PLANNINGHeadspace ProjectsStanislav RoudavskiThe Virtual Environments course is a first-yearoffering of the Bachelor of Environmentsprogram at the University of Melbourne.The course aims to introduce students todifferent applications of design representation.In particular, it asks students to employrepresentation for ideation, teaches themto use representation for persuasivecommunication and motivates thedevelopment of representational skills insupport of precise instructions for making.Since 2010, the course has asked studentsto participate in an unusual design projectcalled HEADSPACE. This project invites itsparticipants to take ideas from within theirheads and place them, literally, on theoutside - as headpieces.The process begins with idea generationthrough traditional sketching and sculptingin clay. The scale clay models are thendigitized and transferred into 3D modellingsoftware. There, they are modified andextended into complete designs. Theresulting complex forms are unfoldedinto flat components ready for printingor automated cutting. The process iscompleted with the assembly of thefinal form in full scale, from paper.By presenting a holistic challenge of inventing,developing and constructing a complexform, digital fabrication workflows providemeaningful contexts for the learning ofrepresentational skills and help studentsuse multiple types of media for a broadrange of interrelated pragmatic needs.Typically, digital fabrication is introducedto postgraduates. Presenting first-yearstudents with this challenge is not withoutdifficulties. However, introduction of digitalfabrication also results in significant advantages.Working on their fabrication projects,students shift between physical modelling,sketching, drawing, photographing,digitization, three-dimensional digitalmodelling, unfolding, nesting, labelling,fabrication, writing and desktop publishing.In the process, they become accustomedto rethinking design content through differentrepresentational forms and learn theircomparative characteristics. Furthermore,digital fabrication exposes students to therecent state-of-the-art experimentationin architecture fostering interest andencouraging independent learning.This exposure to the current, experimentalforms and design methods compelsstudents to question their preconceptionsof architectural designing and its products.Instead of continuing with the romanticimage of a designer as an idiosyncraticcreator, students begin to experiment withprocess-based approaches that increasinglyunderpin contemporary research andpractice in architecture and beyond.To see the short documentary film describingthe final showcase presentation, visithttp://vimeo.com/13719923. This filmwas included in the official program ofthe Architecture and Design Film Festivalin New York, 14-17 October, 2010, andcovered by several popular design blogs:suckerPUNCH, One day, One Plan,The House That Lars Built, Kitsune Noir,Triangulation Blog, and Upon a Fold.Headspace Project idea and direction:Stanislav Roudavski. Headpieces in thephotographs by: Laura Ng, Julie Tieuand Samantha Yim, Tracey Nguyen.Dr Stanislav Roudavski is Lecturerin Digital Architecture.

Managing Innovative Construction : Jane WernickLouisa RagasJane Wernick believes in the powerof creating innovative structures which‘bring delight’ to people.In Melbourne to deliver a Dean’sLecture entitled Engineering Delight –collaborations on projects to makeyou smile, Wernick is a structural engineerwho enjoys collaborating with architectson projects that ‘bring delight’ to those whoexperience them. London’s extraordinaryMillennium Wheel is one example of this –a project she collaborated on for Ove Arup& Partners. Wernick worked for Ove Arup& Partners for almost 20 years, and thisexperience was seminal to her own growthas an engineer and her consultativeapproach to structural design. She nowdirects Jane Wernick Associates, theLondon-based practice she establishedin 1998. The award-winning firm isresponsible for an extensive portfolio ofbuildings, bridges, sculptures and furniture,for local and international clients. Recentprojects include: Xstrata Treetop Walkway,Kew (with Marks Barfield Architects); TheMöller Centre, Cambridge (with dsdha);South London Gallery - new extensionand education building (with 6a Architects);and BBC Scotland, Glasgow (with DCA).During her week in the Faculty, Atrium tookthe opportunity to speak with Jane Wernick.After 20 years with Ove Arup you wenton to found your own firm in 1998. Thatwas a brave move: what motivatedyou to do that? Probably the glass ceiling.I think the only women who have beenmade directors were either specialists orproject managers, but they haven’t evermade a design engineer a director, whichis kind of what I am.Can you describe your firm and the typeof projects you take on? We’re currentlyseven engineers and don’t want to bemuch bigger. Projects come to us througharchitects. About 60% we get throughdoing competitions once they’re drawnup with the architects.They’re not usually huge projects - thelargest project we’ve been involved withwas BBC Scotland. We did the schemedesign of the super structure and detaileddesigns of the studios and the atrium roofand then sub-consulted to a larger firm ofengineers. If we want to do the project allthe way through they are smaller projects– mostly institutional, cultural andprivate houses.You have a unique, egalitarian-stylephilosophy that underpins how yourpractice operates. Ove Arup is a companywhere there’s no ownership and I alwaysthought that was great. After I started myown firm, I became aware of the EmployeeOwnership Association. There’s quite a fewfirms who are members of this associationlike the John Lewis, the big departmentstore. My company was originally set upalways as a Ltd company and I was theonly shareholder, so I gave my share to atrust fund and the trust fund has to makesure that the company continues to be runfor the benefit of the employees, presentand past. We’ve got three trustees, includingmyself... The firm, as a whole, has comeup with some joint aims including ‘you musthave fun while you work.’In your lecture you reference the book,Building Happiness – Architectureto Make You Smile, which you editedfor RIBA Building Futures. Thisconcept of delight and creativehappiness is something you viewas important in your work. I was onan advisory panel at RIBA Building Futures,where they were trying to imagine whatthe building environment would be like in 20to 50 years’ time... I’d been hearing, at thetime, how happiness hasn’t gone up muchover the last 50 years although GDP hasgone up. People have been doing a lot ofresearch into what makes people happierand much of it is common sense... My eyewas caught by a study into areas of housingin Greenwich, a deprived area, and levelsof depression which were higher than thenational average. It highlighted things likeif a stranger can walk past your bedroomwindow that adds stress. It seemed to methat a lot of (unhappiness) is to do with ourphysical environment: whether you haveenough daylight; whether you’re warmenough; whether you are exposed togreenery/nature... I think we should alwayshave this in the back of our mind whenwe are designing.One of your recent projects reflectsyour attempt to ‘bring delight’ to peoplethrough a built structure – the XstrataTreetop Walkway in Kew. I think it’s oneof our best projects because it is aboutbringing delight to people. Kew Gardensis a place I’ve always been fond of andthe head arboriculturalist, Tony Kirkham, isgreat. He convinced Kew that they shouldfundraise to build a permanent walkway.When we were walking round with Tony,we were talking about what colour thestructure should be, if it was steel, as it’squite difficult to find a colour that blendswith nature. I suggested core 10 weatheringsteel because it just goes rusty. So that setus on a whole direction as you can’t getrolled sections in weathering steel, you canonly get shorter pieces that you then weld.This meant that we weren’t forced to justhave circular pylons which would havebeen horrible. The design almost becameinevitable as a result.The walkway is 18 metres highand 180 metres long. It is quiteawe-inspiring. Yes, it winds throughthe section of Kew Gardens that wasoriginally laid out by Capability Brown(the 18th century landscape architect).It goes past quite a few ‘champion trees’,which are special protected species…People always look happy when they arewalking so high up, amongst the trees.’• For further details on Jane WernickAssociates visit www.wernick.eu.com.• To download Jane’s Dean’s lecture visit:www.msd.unimelb.edu.au/events/deans-lectures/wernick/

Atrium15 | 2010PAGE12 | 13THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNEFACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & PLANNINGThe Painted Desert:Mobile Studio ProjectAndrew SanigaIn June of this year, staff and studentsfrom the Melbourne School of Designvisited Woomera in arid South Australia.On our last tour in 2008 we documentedrelics of the Cold War. In 2010 our missionwas different and drew inspiration fromthe history of Australian overland travel.This included people such as Len Beadell,Reg Sprigg, The Leyland Brothers andeven stories of Australia’s Muslim cameleers.But a most significant inspiration wasTom Kruse, the outback mailman whorepeatedly made the epic mail runbetween Marree and Birdsville in a1936 Leyland Badger. John Heyer’smulti-award winning 1954 docudramaThe Back Of Beyond depicts Tom Kruse’slife and the quality of its cinematographybecame a guiding star for the group. Weeven ordered the film in from the NationalFilm and Sound Archive in Canberra andstaged its screening as a free event forthe Village.It was with histories of outback travelin our minds that we started to plan ourown journey. On previous trips to Woomerawe have been inspired to paint its manyvaried landscapes and we had done5am-start watercolour sessions in andaround Woomera. These painting eventshave become somewhat legendaryaround the MSD so on this trip wedecided to make painting our chiefactivity and to put in a solid two weekspainting the desert. We sought the adviceof various landscape artists such asJack Absalom, Alex Mendelssohn,Nick and Heather Safstrom and JohnWolseley. We included in our preliminarybriefing earthworks artist Robert Smithsonand others such as the Survival ResearchLaboratory, a US-based outfit that inventsand tests machines.The defining feature of our painting tripwas the construction of a mobile studioor classroom. Studying The Back OfBeyond it became blatantly obvious thatif we were going to paint landscapesfor two weeks then we should attemptto immerse ourselves in the culture ofoutback travel. We were also struck byimages and anecdotes from Len Beadellwhose outback surveying and roadbuilding were a kind of landscapearchitecture on a vast scale. Beadell’svehicles and equipment were intrinsic tohis ‘designs’ and his survival. We boughtan old steel 6x4 trailer and upon thattrailer we constructed a box that couldstore our easels, paints and paper,but that could also be a unit from whichwe could cook, drink, and carry a rangeof other useful paraphernalia. The trailertook six weeks to build and for our twoweek trip it became a mobile kitchen,mobile seminar room, mobile bar, mobilefiling cabinet, mobile catalyst, etc. It wastowed everywhere we went and it set themood for an epic (educational) road trip.During our trip we made it our job to mixwith the locals. We met some legendsof Woomera, people who had seen thetown in its heyday in the 1960s when itwas so vital in the joint Anglo-Australianproject testing bombs, missiles and firingrockets. We spent time in the RSL andthe Woomera Sports Club and some ofour students made a guest appearanceon Woomera radio waves. Other placeswe visited in the region included Pimba,Kingoonya, Roxby Downs, Andamooka,Marree and Flinders Ranges, not to mentionthe countless towns (pubs) en route.Back at the University of Melbourne’sWunderlich Gallery we assembled anexhibition titled ‘Terra Oddities MobileStudio’ featuring: box-trailer, painting,drawing, photography, sculpture, sound,video, claymation, drama, fashion andfood. The trailer was painstakinglydismantled and reassembled centrestageamong an energised if eclecticset of student design projects. One of thebest projects, a claymation by studentsDee-Ann Simmons and Emerald Wise,can be viewed on You Tube using thekey words ‘The Brooch Claymation’.The atmosphere within the gallery wasinspiring and a big part of this was theway the trailer, set against a huge wallof watercolours, made tangible theexperience of our trip. The exhibitionwas like experiencing a road map,illustrating our passage through theremains of Woomera’s vanishing history.Dr Andrew Saniga is Senior Lecturer inLandscape Architecture and Urbanism,The University of Melbourne.

Venice Biennale28 August – 21 November 2010Peter RaisbeckThis year’s Venice Architecture Biennalewas directed by Kazuyo Sejima. The themechosen by Sejima for the Biennale was‘People Meet in Architecture.’ The Biennaleuses two main venues; these are theArsenale, The Venetian Empire’s formershipbuilding works, and the Biennalegardens which was the site of the nationalpavillions, as well as the main Biennalepavilion. As director, Sejima was responsiblefor the selection of work for the Arsenale,and the Palazzo delle Esposizioni pavilionin the gardens, but not the national pavilions,which are normally curated by each country.In keeping with her theme, Sejima selecteda diverse group of architects, artists andengineers who each proposed a differentrelationship between architecture and people.Highlights of Sejima’s selection includeda film by Wim Wenders of SANAA’s RolexLearning Centre in Lausanne and a cloudcreated in one bay of the Arsenale byMatthias Schuler of Transsolar and TetsuoKondo Architects.Most exhibits, and indeed projectspresented, are the result of collaborativeefforts. This was also the case with theAustralian Pavilion whose theme wasNow and When Australian Urbanism andcurated by John Gollings and Ivan Rijavec.Alongside the exhibition was the cataloguedesigned by David Pidgeon and the 3Dvisualisations by FloodSlicer. After a lengthyshort-listing process three teams with stronglinks to the Melbourne School of Design(MSD) were represented in the Nowcomponent of the Australian pavilion.These were Symbiotic City, a collaborationbetween Steve Whitford of MSD and JamesBrearley of BAU architects; Fear Free City,a collaboration between Justyna Karakiewicz,Tom Kvan and Steve Hatzellis; and the thirdteam, Mould City which included myself andrecent alumn Nicola Dovey, Simon Wollan,Jono Brener and a Master of Architecturestudent, Madeleine Beech.The combined work of these three teamswas a significant contribution to the 3Danimation prepared by FloodSlicer for thepavilion. In Australia, architecture is so oftenpositioned as being the result of individualefforts by so-called star architects. Thethree MSD projects exhibited in the AustralianPavilion point to the fact that MSD isincreasingly an important centre of collaborativenetworks. More importantly it indicates thatthe issues related to the future of Australiancities can only be thought about throughprocesses of collaboration.Dr Peter Raisbeck is Senior Lecturerin Architectural Practice.ABP alumni featured strongly in12th Venice Architecture BiennaleA number of our alumni were also involvedin the teams selected to exhibit theirprojects at the 12th Venice ArchitectureBiennale. We congratulate you on thisprestigious achievement:» Peter Corrigan (with Michael Spooner)for A City of Hope» Fiona Dunin, Alex Peck, AndrewSimpson, Martina Johnson (with PeckDunin Simpson Architects, Third Skin,Eckersley Garden Architecture, AngusMcIntyre, Tim Kreger) for -41 + 41.» Jocelyn Chiew and Eli Giannini (withMcGauran Giannini Soon (MGS), Bild +Dyskors, Material Thinking, CatherineRanger, Bild - Ben Milbourne, Dyskors -Edmund Carter, Material Thinking - PaulCarter) for Loop-Pool/Saturation City

Atrium15 | 2010PAGE14 | 15THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNEFACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & PLANNINGMiegunyah DistinguishedVisiting Fellowship Program:from stone to city (via technology)Paolo TombesiIn 2009, the Faculty of ArchitectureBuilding and Planning was the recipientof two fellowships from the MiegunyahDistinguished Visiting Fellowship Program,one of Melbourne University’s mostprestigious research exchange endowments,established by University Council in 1993on the recommendation of the Russelland Mab Grimwade Miegunyah FundCommittee. Annual awards are opento academics residing outside Australia,of international distinction in a field ofinterest to the University of Melbourne.In August 2010, the Faculty played proudhost to the two invited Fellows, ProfessorClaudio D’Amato Guerrieri and ProfessorAttilio Petruccioli, from the Polytechnicof Bari (Italy), whom, in the course of 20years, have shown a remarkable degree ofcombined academic and scholarly leadership.Since the early 1990s, they have workedtogether to create, in Southern Italy, animportant international research centre forthe study of traditional urban environmentsand the application of modern informationtechnologies to their physical restorationand social revitalization. In the process, theyhave made the Faculty of Architecture at thePolytechnic of Bari a unique laboratory anda catalyst for applied research in the builtenvironment and PhD scholarship, producingwork that has been disseminated all acrossthe Mediterranean area, the Middle East,and the Sub-Indian continent.Both Professors d’Amato Guerrieri andPetruccioli were students and assistantsof Saverio Muratori and Ludovico Quaroni,Italy’s foremost architectural and urbanthinkers in the post-war period, whosetheories are currently being examined byresearchers in the Faculty of Architecture,Building and Planning. As such, their visitprovided a unique cultural link with relevantmodern architectural debate and the historyof professional education in MediterraneanEurope, particularly in the main centres ofVenice and Rome.Before being invited to join the Polytechnicof Bari, Professor Petruccioli was the AgaKhan Professor at the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology, Cambridge, andthe Director of the Aga Khan Programof Islamic Architecture at Harvard. Suchprestigious positions were the result oftwenty-five years of empirical work on theurban structure of the Islamic world and,particularly, the architectural survey ofthe famed Fathpur Sikri, the city of sunand water in India. Over time, ProfessorPetruccioli has continued to pursue hisscholarly interests in the Islamic worldby combining them with the theoreticalframework provided by the Italian typologicalschool of urban studies. His most recentbook, After Amnesia: Learning from theIslamic Mediterranean Urban Fabric (2007),is a call for the scholarly merging of culturalhistory, urban anthropology, environmentaldesign, and building morphology.Professor d’Amato Guerrieri provides aunique complement to Professor Petruccioli’sinterests. A scholar of modern architecturalpractice and technology in Europe, fromEnlightenment to post-war reactions toModernism, he has produced some ofthe definitive studies on architects’ technicaldrawings for the Italian Accademia diSan Luca, the world’s oldest and mostprestigious architectural institution,established in 1634. In the 1990s, hestarted to investigate the connectionbetween traditional building techniquesand technological innovation, particularlyin relation to stone cutting and its richarchitectural/socio-technical context inSouthern Italy and the Mediterranean.To this end, he set up research collaborationswith old guild associations in Europe(particularly the Compagnons du Devoir

in France) and developed several researchprograms aimed at testing the possibility ofintegrating digital tools and labour processes.On such basis, he was invited to directthe exhibition ‘Cities of Stone’ at the mostimportant architectural event in the world,the Architecture Biennale in Venice, in 2006.On August 17, Professor Petrucciolidelivered a public oration, “The Geneticsof Walls”, in which he shed light on therelationship between building types andurban morphology in the traditional fabricof Islamic cities. The lecture was of greatinterest to urban designers and theorists,architectural historians and social historians,as well as all those with an interest inreconstruction efforts in war-torn or disasterprone areas in the Islamic world.Professor d’Amato Guerrieri’s address“The sustainable weight of history”, onAugust 24, focused on the contribution ofdigital technologies to the revitalization ofstone masonry. Professor d’Amato Guerrieriused the lecture to stress the ability of newCAD-CAM technologies to help us rethinkthe production process of vernacularbuilding structures, thus making theirconstruction not only viable technically andfinancially but also environmentally sound.The topic drew a highly composite crowdfrom the conservation and heritage community,architectural and art historians, manufacturingengineers, the portions of the buildingindustry involved in technological innovation,and policy-makers concerned with futurelabour training needs and environmentalmanagement.In the course of their Miegunyah residency,Professors Petruccioli and d’Amato Guerrierigave research seminars in the Faculty aswell as at other academic institutions inVictoria and South Australia, reviewedPhD work, participated in studio activities,and engaged with the local profession.Whilst their visit served to plant seedsfor future research collaborations, it alsoprovided an opportunity to appreciate theneed and value of taking an inclusive designapproach to the study of the natural andbuilt environment, from stone to city, passingthrough technology.The Faculty thanks the Miegunyah Fundfor supporting of this program and for thepresence of Sir Andrew Grimwade ateach event.Professor Paolo Tombesiis Chair of Construction.The topic drew ahighly composite crowdfrom the conservationand heritage community,architectural andart historiansImages L-R:Professor d’Amato Guerrieri:Venice Biennale ‘Cities ofStone’ exhibitionProfessor PetruccioliProfessor d’Amato GuerrieriMax Chester AO,Professor Field Rickards,Sir Andrew Grimwade

Atrium15 | 2010PAGE016 | 17 | 02THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNEFACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & PLANNINGAUBEA 2010Paolo TombesiIn July 2010, the Melbourne School ofDesign hosted the 35th Annual Conferenceof AUBEA – the Building EducationAssociation of Australasian Universities,created in 1975 to promote and improveteaching and research in building.The focus of this year’s conference was themanagement of construction - understoodhowever, in its broadest possible terms, asan expression applicable to any discipline orfield of endeavour that improved our abilityto manage the industrial structure, the planningand production process, the distributionprocess, and the output of construction.What should the sophisticated pairing ofconstruction and management designateor include today - particularly from anintellectual perspective? What should itscurricular bases be? What kind of researchshould the academy engage with?At Melbourne, we thought these questions(and of course the answers to them) werecritical for tertiary educators in buildingprograms across the entire Australasianregion but particularly in Australia, whereindustry dynamics and policy changes,combined with the ongoing restructuring ofbuilding courses and the uncertain supportfor research in construction, raise issueswith regard to the nature and use of theeducation on offer in the various areas, themarket for it, and the role that educationalproviders should play in advancing ormaintaining the state of knowledge.In light of the changes recently undergone inits overall structure, the Faculty of ArchitectureBuilding and Planning was keen to providea platform for AUBEA to reflect on suchissues, by implicitly subjecting its ownchoices to criticism and debate vis-à-visalternative strategies and/or agendas.As in the best tradition of AUBEA meetings,the range of topics addressed was wide,and the three days of the conference helpedmap an inclusive territory for managingconstruction, define or reinforce itsenvironmental connections and boundaries,sharpen the compass, and steer the travelin important directions.Paper presentations were complementedby a rich program of plenary sessions andspecial events open to industry that includedan exhibition of rare technical books onbuilding and architecture, an introductionto the new Australasian Journal of ConstructionEconomics and Building, a talk by the artistMarco Luccio at the Ian Potter Gallery,a Q&A panel on the need for constructionresearch, a review of the work done bythe Built Environment Industry InnovationCouncil, an address by Professorial FellowMurray Coleman, Global Head of ProjectManagement, Design and Constructionat Bovis Lend Lease and; last but not least,a gala dinner in the main hall of Universityof Melbourne’s heritage listed NewmanCollege, designed by Walter Burley Griffinand named after John Henry Newman,the eminent English writer and theologianof the 19th century whom, fittingly, wrotethe educational classic The Idea of a University.AUBEA 2010 received generous backingfrom The Australian Institute of Building,The Australian Institute of Building Surveyors,The Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors,The Chartered Institute of Building Australasia,and The Royal Institution of CharteredSurveyors Oceania. The organization of theConference has also relied on the preciouspatronage of Supporters of Property &Construction at Melbourne University,particularly Brookfield Multiplex.Professor Paolo Tombesiis Chair of Construction.Images: Professor Paolo Tombesiwith artwork by Marco LuccioAUBEA Conference Dinner

Occasional AddressPeter MartinAn edited version of the University of MelbourneGraduation Address given on 25 August 2010.To the graduates here tonight, as you areabout to start the great adventure andjourney of your new professional careers,I would like you to consider the propositionthat the design and construction professionsare instruments created by society for theplanning and provision of its built fabric.From basic housing, the places you shop,receive your education, places of work,facilities for medical and hospital treatment,entertainment, justice, worship, sportand recreation, research facilities, factories,transport nodes - from bus-stops toairports, to the planning and creationof suburbs, towns and cities – these areall expressions of the broader social andeconomic framework by which we live.The creation of exciting space and compellingvisual image is fundamental to successfularchitecture, however, the design anddevelopment process must primarily begrounded in social and commercial realityto be effective and sustainable.From my experience as a formerundergraduate in the University’s Schoolof Architecture and Building, as it was then,and also knowledge of the present curriculum,I am sure that those graduating tonight havehad every opportunity to receive a very wellrounded education that will equip you forthe challenges ahead. The courses arewell balanced providing a good measureof social, commercial, technical anddesign content.In this regard your attention to continuingeducation is vital. In addition to your ownendeavours. I would recommend that youlook for employment with an organisationthat provides a structured professionaldevelopment and mentoring frameworkfor its staff, in conjunction with the projectexperience that you will acquire.My own career adventure is closely linkedwith the development of FMSA which is anArchitecture and Construction Managementpractice that commenced in a back room inSt Kilda in the late 1960s. Started by someUniversity of Melbourne graduates with dualdegrees in Architecture and Building (nowknown as Property and Construction) thepractice focussed initially on residentialunit development projects combined withconstruction and project management.It grew through the 1970s, located in lowcost shop premises in Fitzroy and thenCollingwood, until we eventually relocatedto North Melbourne. It grew into a substantialbusiness by 2000, when it acquired its ownNorth Melbourne office and now employs60-70 staff with a second office in Geelong.From my own point of view, a career inarchitecture and construction has providedan intense array of diverse experienceslimited only by the time available. The designand construction industry is internationaland provided me the opportunity to workfor a year with a contractor in the UK as astudent and then later for another yearin a Singapore design office shortly aftergraduation. More recently FMSA has operatedin Shanghai, China where I became involvedin large scale urban design competitionsand sustainable buildings.For one three-year period in the mid 1970s,with leave from FMSA, I joined the AboriginalHousing Panel and worked with remotetraditional communities in Central andNorthern Australia developing appropriatehouse designs and community town plans.This was one of the most satisfying periodsof my professional career and opened myeyes to the realities of indigenous Australia.I mention these experiences as a wayof suggesting that the opportunities andprofessional horizons for those graduatingtoday are almost unlimited and that yournew qualifications together, with a senseof adventure and idealism, can take youalmost anywhere on the planet with thecapacity to make a difference when you getthere. I would also suggest that professionalwork experience in another culture outsideyour own comfort zone can be an extremelyvaluable attribute.Turning to challenges, there is no doubtin my mind that climate change caused bycarbon pollution is the single most criticalissue that we face now and into the future.We know that buildings generate between25-35% of the greenhouse gas producedin developed economies such as Australia.We are currently focusing a lot of attentionon technology development and designmethodologies to radically change theway that buildings are heated and cooled,insulated, shaded and consume water, withthe eventual objective being carbon neutrality.We are also developing an increasinglydemanding regulatory environment thatrequires a much lower energy footprintas a pre-condition of building permit.Remember that it is all about teamworkand team building. You have worked duringyour courses with teams of other studentsas associates on your projects. Theseexperiences, friendships and contacts willstand you in good stead over the comingyears. They are worth maintaining and Ican also say from my own experiencethat keeping an ongoing connection asan alumnus of the School of Architectureand the University of Melbourne will alsobe rewarding for you.

Atrium15 | 2010PAGE018 | 19 | 02THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNEFACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & PLANNINGFacultyRecollectionsMax Chester OAM, K.C.S.J., B.Arch., F.R.A.I.A.“Life was not meant to be easy, but takecourage my child for it can be delightful”.This extract from the famous play “Backto Methuselah” by George Bernard Shawis probably a fair summation of our lives;certainly in my case.As a young man, I lived quite close to theUniversity of Melbourne. However, I neverthought that the opportunity would comemy way, to enter its illustrious grounds asa student. My school days were far fromspectacular – I was not a great scholarbut enjoyed immensely mathematics, art,graphics and history. My interest in historyis still as strong today.An early close friend at the time wasNeville Quarry, who later distinguishedhimself as a Professor of Architecture.The profession of architecture did not inthose days have the status it has today.Most of my friends who entered theUniversity, at the time, pursued thetraditional disciplines: medicine, law,dentistry, science and of course, the arts,and indicated little interest in a career inarchitecture. Perhaps the army huts didrepresent the correct background, of thecourse in Architecture, as we knew it then.A Commonwealth Government Scholarshipallowed my entrance to MelbourneUniversity, which up to that time hadbeen restricted to the “privileged”. Allthis changed with the introduction ofCommonwealth Government Scholarshipsin 1952. I recall vividly the telegram I received,during National Service in Puckapunyal,in the Army, standing on a dusty paradeground being advised, that I had receiveda scholarship. My insulated, isolated lifewas about to change forever.At the School of Architecture at theUniversity of Melbourne, in those rundown army huts, we were most fortunateto have a number of luminaries as tutors,particularly I note Roy Grounds and RayBerg. However, the person who had themost impact on my life was the architect,Leslie Perrott Jnr. AO, a very fine andtalented man, who advised me, whenI was a young man as follows: “Servethe Community, and the Community willServe You”. This has been the practicalstatement of my life’s work.A short note from the 25th Anniversaryreunion booklet of students whocommenced their course in Architectureat Melbourne University in 1952:In our earlier student times, we eagerlyand warmly discovered and sharedan idealism of our chosen profession.We have since spread these earlierendeavours, in a variety of far-reachingways; some outside the profession orarchitecture itself, yet we have maintainedan ongoing contact and awarenessof each other.Some of my fellow students at thetime were: Kevin Cole, Arda Dzirnekels,Gordon Steele, Pam Humphry, Ken Styles,Gerry Kraus, Lisle Rudolph, ThamChan-Wah, John Baulch, George Fox,Bob Durran, Bill Kerr, John Wisken, LesTrelour, John Berreen, Dudley Wilson,Geoff Woodfall, Noel Dunn, John Vernon,Hugh Flockhart, Strauan Gilfillan, NoelDunn. Some of these fellow studentsunfortunately have passed on.The University brought about a dramaticchange in my life and outlook, an opportunity,rich in colour and lifetime involvement. Fouryears after graduation, when the firmI was working for folded, I started myownpractice, which has held intact over allthese years. My practice has been mostlyfocused on schools, homes for the elderlyand churches, and in recent years I havedone work for the Islamic community. I amnow working on my fourth mosque, andhave been the architect for nine churches.From the earliest days, I have always beeninvolved in community affairs and I havemet and worked with people of all walksof life during this community involvement.A university degree equips one with skills,which provide an opportunity to servethe extended community. This involvementhas been an enriching experience. Inmy case, I have served a wide varietyof community and semi-governmentorganisations in an executive capacity.The rewards have been wonderful.I was appointed a Member of the Orderof Australia in 2000, for services to theCommunity, Local Government andArchitecture. I served as Secretary of theOrder of Australia Association (VictoriaBranch) for some 4 years. I have alsomaintained a lifelong interest in the worksof Walter Burley Griffen. Next year we willcelebrate the centenary of the winningentry of Walter Burley Griffen for theInternational Competition for the Designof Canberra.Currently, I am involved at the Universityof Melbourne in a number of areas,particularly trying to help young studentsin their future careers, in the widercommunity at the Centre of IslamicStudies and the Faculty of Architecture,Building and Planning.I am extremely thankful for a career whichhas been rich in reward, excitement, andfor the opportunity to serve.Photograph by Joe Vittorio

Atrium15 | 2010PAGE020 | 21 | 02THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNEFACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & PLANNINGCelebrating PartnershipsDuring late November and early Decemberthis year, the Faculty of Architecture,Building and Planning will celebrate oneof the most remarkable and enduringpartnerships in its history. One of thecatalysts for this event is the 20thanniversary of the Hansen YunckenPrize which was established in honourand memory of construction alumnusMichael Hansen by his family and friends.Distinguished recipients of the prizeare shown here in the table.The Hansens and their company havestrongly supported our constructionprograms from the earliest days of theirinception in the 1950’s. By now threegenerations have maintained an unbrokenfamily tradition as influential advisors greatlyassisting our programs to prosper andevolve successfully. But 2010 is also animportant milestone since it records theretirement of HY Chairman Peter Hansenwho has been enormously instrumentalover more than 40 years in providing uswith this support.Hansen Yuncken, which traces it roots backalmost 100 years, is one of Australia’s oldestand largest privately owned majorconstruction companies. The businesswhich is listed in the 2010 BRW Survey asthe 27th largest private company in Australiawith annual turnover in excess of $1.2 billionand work in hand in excess of $2 billionoperates on a national basis with majorpresence in Victoria, South Australia,Tasmania, New South Wales andQueensland, employing large numbers ofUniversity trained graduates, many of whomare University of Melbourne constructionalumni. The company, whose history andphilosophy is well documented in thefascinating 2007 publication 90+ HansenYuncken, is noted for its capacity forinnovation in both technology andmanagement, together with an ability todeliver complex large construction projects.In recent years it has taken up the challengeof establishing cutting edge expertise as anoutstanding leader in the procurement ofmajor sustainable buildings.A selection of an amazing 34, 2010 industryawards indicative of its standing include:• Master Builders Associationof Victoria Awards:» Master Builder of the Year- Commercial Builder» Excellence in Commercial Building $30to $80million category• Master Builders Associationof South Australia Awards:» Excellence in Commercial and IndustrialBuilding in excess of $50million• Master Builders Associationof New South Wales:» Master Builder of the Year– Commercial Builder• Numerous Australian Institute of BuildingAwards in Victoria, South Australia andNew South Wales• Property Council of AustraliaNational Awards:» Bilfinger Berger Awardfor Emerging Assets• Business Review Weekly / ANZ Award forPrivate Business of the Year with turnoverin excess of $100 millionIn the University’s construction programswe have always firmly recognised the greatbenefits to be derived from enduringassociations with our industry counterpartsand alumni. The transformation of theAustralian construction industry, since theintroduction of the programs in 1958, hasbeen remarkable and the benefits to begained by industry employing our graduatesare compelling. HY has long recognisedthese advantages and while Peter Hansenmight have formally retired as Chairman heremains a board member and we have nodoubt that, assisted by next generation,Louise and Richard Hansen (BPD P+C,BP+C, MBA) continue to lend powerfulsupport to a relationship of enormousvalue to us both.Associate Professor Peter WilliamsAlumni President

Hansen Yuncken Prize Winnersover 20 Years1990 Dominic Read1991 Scott Miller1992 Iain Jennings1993 Philip Flynn1994 Simon Fisher1995 Thomas Craig1996 Alexei Simm1997 Timothy Price1998 Linda Mok1999 Jessica Collingwood2000 Anthony Veal2001 Kendra Clancy2002 John Rusak2003 Emily Kidd2004 Sophie Ignatidis2005 James Sprague2006 Alexander Kilpatrick2007 Stephanie JacobsChun Kit Lo2008 Matthias Wobbe2009 Thomas DeanCelebrating Partnerships:Hansen Yuncken ExhibitionThis unique exhibition documents themany landmark buildings completed byHansen Yuncken during the 20th Centuryand acknowledges the contribution of ourmany graduates that have sought careerswith the firm. Most importantly, this exhibitionprovides an opportunity to commemoratethe 20th anniversary of the Hansen YunckenPrize, established in 1990 in honour ofconstruction alumnus Michael Hansen.Since 1902 Hansen Yuncken has madea significant contribution to the urbanfabric of Melbourne as well as other citiesin Australia. Drawing on the company’sarchival sources this exhibition documentsthe many landmark buildings completedby the firm during the 20th Century. Amongstthese are depression era landmarks includingthe, Port Authority Building (1931), Bankof New South Wales at 360 Collins Street(1933), Myer Emporium (1931) and Mitchellhouse (1936). In post war period the boomof the late 1950s and 1960s saw the companycomplete HC Sleigh Building The AgeBuilding (1969), Communications Houseat 195 William Street (1965), AMP buildingat Market Street (1960) and the MelbourneStock Exchange (1968) and Union Houseat the University of Melbourne (1965) andrecently the K2 Apartments in Windsor(2005), CH2 (2006), Waterfront City, Docklands(2008), and National Icesports Centre (2009).The exhibition demonstratesthat the ongoinginnovation in construction technologiesand management practice is a cornerstoneof the company’s highly successfulbusiness model.Celebrating Partnerships:Hansen YunckenNovember 29 – December 3, 2010Wunderlich Gallery, Ground Floorof the Architecture BuildingOpening hours:9:00am – 5:00pm,Monday to FridayImages courtesy of theHansen Yuncken archives

Atrium15 | 2010PAGE022 | 23 | 02THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNEFACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & PLANNINGA change inthe Landscape:Catherin Bull reflectsThis is an edited version of the speech givenby Emeritus Professor Catherin Bull at thefarewell event on 21 September 2010.A few words on my tenure as the ElisabethMurdoch Professor of Landscape Architectsat the University of Melbourne from 1998to 2010…It has been a real privilege to serve as theElisabeth Murdoch Professor of LandscapeArchitecture at the University of Melbournefor twelve and a half years and to follow inthe footsteps of Professors David Yenckenand Michael McCarthy – a great privilegeand a singular responsibility.My reflections on those years have remindedme that the very real developments in thelandscape architecture profession, especiallyin Melbourne but also across Australia,have depended on a number of importantcontributors.The University and the Faculty must headthe list of contributors and the reality is thatthe Elisabeth Murdoch Chair has alwayscreated a focus for the profession at theUniversity. My reflections on the changesacross the University, in the graduateprograms of my tenure, reveal the MelbourneModel as the institutional change that hasenabled the courses in landscape architectureto achieve real advancements within auniversity-wide framework of graduateprofessional degrees through the MelbourneSchool of Design. This structural changehas provided the positive support that thedegree has deserved, confirming its continuityas a premier provider of graduatelandscape architectural education, notonly in Australia but across the regionand internationally.Also important has been the developmentof a strong research and research higherdegree culture, both of which have enabledlandscape architectural staff -- and agrowing cohort of doctoral candidates --to truly underpin their teaching with a strongbasis in internationally relevant disciplinaryscholarship. To all my university colleaguesover the years in the built environmentdisciplines and especially in landscapearchitecture – thank you for your energyand your intelligence.To those beyond – in the profession, in localand state governments and commercialorganisations – thank you for the inspiringprojects that you have delivered during thattime, both as great practitioners and greatclients. Your innovative practice has seen usmove from an environment where landscapearchitects in Australia looked overseas tosee great work to one where the world ofdesign also looks to Australia. It has been areal privilege to be part of that shift, to hearcolleagues in Asia, Europe and the USAdiscuss work that our practitioners, and theclients who commission them, are doingwith real enthusiasm and interest. It hasbeen equally rewarding to see landscapearchitectural work become recognised byeducated clients as fundamental to themaking of healthy, resilient and experientiallyrewarding environments.While the profession is stronger for all ofthis, it needs to be even stronger to takeon a leading role over the next five decades,creating and retrofitting so many of ourpoorly functioning environments, as theimportance of integrating functioning naturaland social systems into our urban andregional environments is recognized asnecessary to achieve sustainability. Amongstall the built environment professions, thisis our challenge as the profession thatconcentrates its creative and technicalenergies across those three critical realms:the natural, the built and the socio-cultural.It will be a challenge characterised bygrowth and change, both of which we mustactively and energetically prepare for.Closer to home, I thank three very importantpeople. The first is my wonderful husbandProfessor Dennis Gibson, AO. The othertwo are Professor David Yencken who hasprovided me with important counseling overthe years, and of course, Dame ElisabethMurdoch who has shown continuousinterest in the profession and our studentsand staff. She has been a very realsupporter and a valuable friend, alwaysready to assist in a practical way.All three are supporting me and my mostrecent “worthwhile project”: one I also lookto you, my professional colleagues, to supportas a practical way of celebrating my tenureas the Elisabeth Murdoch Professor ofLandscape Architecture at the University ofMelbourne. That project is the formation ofthe first two of what we hope will be a seriesof student scholarships funds to be createdby all future incumbents of the chair. First,

We’re inthis togetherProfessor David Yencken has generously agreed to applya fund he created during his incumbency into a scholarshipin perpetuity for research students, called the David YenckenPhD Scholarship in Landscape Architecture, to commencefrom 2011. Second, I have initiated the Catherin Bull Scholarshipin perpetuity for students in the Master of Landscape Architecturecoursework program. The first third of the funds for thisscholarship will come from funds I have generated duringmy tenure. The second third has been generously providedas an equal contribution from Dame Elisabeth. It is to you(colleagues, alumni and the profession) that we look for thefinal third, so we can reach our goal and starting level of thecapital sum of $100,000, by the end of 2010, to commencewith the scholarship in 2011.The aim of these annually awarded scholarships is to providepractical support to our wonderful students who, as fledglingprofessionals, struggle to pay fees and support themselvesduring their studies. These scholarships will assist them tofocus on their learning and through that, become betterlandscape architects. Many of us have been supported insimilar ways during our studies and careers and indeed,through the generosity of Dame Elisabeth and others in the1970s, the profession itself has been generously supportedby the philanthropy of those who had the foresight to fundthe Elisabeth Murdoch Chair. I look to you to recognize thepractical and symbolic value that such financial supportprovides and to assist us to support the future membersof our profession by contributing to this new scholarship.Please consider being a part of this new venture, to startwhat we hope will become a new tradition of giving forstudent scholarships in the Faculty of Architecture, Buildingand Planning, giving that will be led by landscape architectureand the Elisabeth Murdoch Chair.Throughout its history, the Faculty of Architecture, Buildingand Planning has received generous support from alumni, friendsand industry partners to create opportunities for our brighteststudents and early career researchers in architecture, landscapearchitecture, property, construction and urban planning and design.By supporting this community, you are making a long terminvestment in the educational, creative, environmental andeconomic health of professions engaged with the builtenvironment for future generations.We are committed to continuing this tradition of providingopportunities to our early career research staff and studentswith outstanding potential, through scholarships, early careerresearch grants and travelling stipends. Our aspiration is to seeour graduates emerge as tomorrow’s industry leaders that willhave a very real and positive impact on the way in which we allengage with the built environment.Your support will help us to continue to shape the futureof our professions.Thank you all for the last twelve and a half years. Please keepthe spirit that you have displayed during those years alive,welcoming the incoming Elisabeth Murdoch Chair when thetime comes. As Emeritus Professor at the University ofMelbourne, I will be working with you.Images L-R: Professor Jim Sinatra and Professor Catherin BullDame Elisabeth Murdoch and Professor Catherin BullProfessor Tom Kvan, Professor Glyn Davis and Professor Catherin Bull

Atrium15 | 2010PAGE024 | 25 | 02THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNEFACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & PLANNINGYES! I want to support the Faculty of Architecture, Buildingand Planning, University of Melbourne through my gift of:Here is my single gift of:$100 $250 $500Chancellor’s Circle$1,000 $2,500 $5,000 Other $Please establish a recurring gift (Visa or MasterCard only):$20 $30 $50 $75$100 $250 $500Chancellor’s Circle > $1,000 Other $Monthly orAnnually for:1 year 2 years 3 yearsEnclosed is my cheque or money order(Payable to University of Melbourne) orPlease charge my credit card:Visa MasterCard American ExpressAccount NumberExpiry Date /Name as appears on cardSignaturePlease direct my support to:Scholarships Research New BuildingThe Faculty’sHighest PrioritiesThe Catherin Bull Scholarshipin Landscape ArchitectureIn publications and donor honour rolls, I/we wish my/our nameto read as follows:Please do not publicly acknowledge this gift.I am considering leaving a bequest to the Universityand would like some further information to be sent.Please return your form to:University of Melbourne Advancement OfficeUniversity of Melbourne VIC 3010 AustraliaTel: +61 3 8344 1751 Fax: +61 3 9348 0013Email: university-fund@unimelb.edu.auURL: www.unimelb.edu.au/givingThe University of Melbourne is a certified DGR. All gifts over $2.00to the University are tax-deductible in Australia. ABN: 84 002 705 224The University of Melbourne must comply with the Information Privacy Principlesof the Information Privacy Act 2000 (Vic) when collecting, using or handling personalinformation. Your details will not be passed on to a third party in breach of privacy laws.The University’s privacy policy is available at http://www.unimelb.edu.au/unisec/privacy.

Faculty DonorsSincere thanks to our generouscommunity of friends, alumni andindustry colleagues for sharingin our vision for the Faculty ofArchitecture, Building and Planning.Your support helps our staff andstudents to meaningfully engagewith many of the key societal issuespertaining the built environment.2010 Honour Roll of DonorsMs Annmarie BrennanMr Kai ChenMr Max Chester OAMDr Maxwell A. ChiazorDr Paul D CoombeMs Shirley FernMr Alasdair N. FraserMrs Jenny FraserMr Alf GalloglyMs Maria GalloglyMr David GrutznerMs Alison HammerMr Peter A. HansenDr Dominique HesDr Christopher A. HeywoodMs Mary-Louise HuppatzDr Anna C. HurlimannAssociate Professor Justyna KarakiewiczProfessor Tom KvanDato John KS LauMr Geoffrey J LawlerMr Andrew K. LeeMr Richard LorchMr Peter H LovellMrs Margaret J. MacdonaldMr Roderick I. MacdonaldMrs Patricia MortonDame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBEMr Dario D NordioMr Jim PatMs Jean PatonMr Jonathan F PurcellMr Daniel SandfordMs Maree SandfordMiss Pei I TanMr John VoudourisMr Edward R YenckenMr Jay W YeunhAECOMArchitects EatAustralian Property InstituteBates SmartBluescope SteelBluey TechnologiesBowensBrookfieldBuchan GroupBVN ArchitectureCorenet Global Corporate Real EstateCox Architects & PlannersCSRDanpalonDaryl Jackson ArchitectureDesign IncHarmer ArchitectsHansen Yuncken Pty LtdLAB ArchitectureLiteSteel TechnologiesLovell Chen Pty LtdMetier3Mills GormanModwoodSurdex SteelTract ConsultantsVera Moore FoundationVinidexWoods Bagot7 Anonymous donors

EXHIBITIONS,EXPEDITIONS andLECTURESThe Persian Peregrination trip led byMiles Lewis had a successful visit toIran in the Spring. Highlights includedon-site talks by local conservationistsand archaeologists, and a welcome partygiven by the Architecture Faculty of theUniversity of Tabriz. Whilst in Iran, Milesdelivered a lecture on ‘TraditionalArchitecture and National Identity’.On a recent visit to the bookshop at theLouvre in Paris, Miles Lewis discovereda French edition of his book Architectura.He also learnt that his book has nowbeen translated into French, Czech, Dutch,Polish, Romanian, and Serbian, and27,000 copies have been printed.Ray Green travelled to Turkey in Septemberwhere he delivered a paper at the AnnualEuropean Council of Schools of LandscapeArchitecture Schools conference2010 (ECLAS).Carolyn Whitzman went to Papua NewGuinea in September as part of herproject with the Nossal Institute onDisability Inclusive Road Development(AusAID Development Research Award2010-2013). She then travelled to theCommonwealth Association of Planners’biennial meeting in Montreal, Canada,which coincided with an international(Global Planners Network) conferenceon Climate Change and Communities.Richard Tomlinson recently returnedfrom a research trip to China where hewas investigating why Sao Paulo andMumbai have developed massive slums,while cities like Shanghai have not. Duringhis trip Richard gave presentations atTongji University and Renmin Universityof China on the role of the web in teaching.At Tsinghua University, Richard also deliveredpresentations on housing and slums in China.The second ABP Alumni Retrospectiveexhibition for 2010 - PHOOEY Architects:Upcycling - profiled the practice and visionof one of our most prominent younggraduate architects – Peter Ho. Theexhibition was a rare opportunity tostand on the innovative projects of thisMelbourne-based architectural practicewho aims to create zero waste.The Bower 2008-2010 exhibition occupiedthe Atrium in early October. This ingeniousdisplay, featuring student models andvarious project designs, profiled the threeMSD Bower studios - focusing onIndigenous housing - led by Dr DavidO’Brien and Hamish Hill since 2008.All three studios focused on the housingneeds of Indigenous communities in towncamps in the Northern Territory andchallenged the students to come up withinnovative and eco-astute design solutionsfor the needs of each group.In October we held our final Dean’s lecturefor the year, which was presented byinternationally renowned landscapearchitect Catherine Mosbach from Paris.Catherine, who has operated her ownpractice in Paris since 1987, gave afascinating insight her unique approachto landscape design. Her lecture wascomplimented by an elegant display of herrecent design projects in the WunderlichGallery. It was a fitting conclusion to whathas been a most successful Dean’s LectureSeries for 2010.A number of other special lectures featuringinternational guests were hosted by theFaculty in Spring. Dr Esther Sternbergpresented an intriguing lecture entitledHealing Spaces - the science of placeand Wellbeing, which examined howboth natural places and built environmentscan influence our health and healing. Wehosted a Bicycle Futures public forum withRoger Geller, Bicycle Coordinator, City ofPortland, on Building Cycling Cities. TonyHall, Adjunct Professor within the UrbanResearch Program at Griffith University,gave us an insight into The Life and Deathof the Australian Backyard. Goh HockGuan, an esteemed Malaysian architectand urban planner, presented a lecture onDesign and Planning in Maylaysia, Vietnamand China in late October.UPCOMING EVENTSDean’s Lecture Series 2011In 2011 the Dean’s Lecture Series willagain profile international practitionersfrom the built environment, highlightingthe extensive connections ABP has withacademics and industry professionalsacross the globe. The confirmed line-upof distinguished speakers will be releasedearly in the New Year – please refer to theABP website for full details in February.

PAGE028 | 02Atrium15 | 2010contactFaculty of Architecture,Building & PlanningUniversity of MelbourneVictoria 3010 Australiaphone + 61 3 8344 6417www.abp.unimelb.edu.auPublished by the Facultyof Architecture, Building and PlanningAuthorised by Professor Tom Kvan, DeanFaculty of Architecture, Building & Planning,November 2010ISSN 1447-1728The University of MelbourneCRICOS provider code: 00116K