Architecture, Building and Planning - Research Publications
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ItemNo Preview AvailableRethink: Interdisciplinary evaluation of academic workspaces(Architectural Science Association (ANZAScA), 2019)Academic workspace remains an emotive topic. It is bound tightly with each academic’s identity, purpose and status. As universities increasingly focus on cross-disciplinary collaboration to producenew knowledge, the sanctuary of the individual office is under challenge. Inspired by precedents in the commercial world, universities are experimenting with more open workspace environments with a desire topromote collaborationand increasespace utilisation.However,there is resistance withintheacademic community. Given this context, there is a surprising paucity of research into the design and occupation of academic workspaces. This research beginsto fill that gap through a scoping literature review specific to the academic workspaceand anew approach toacademic workspace evaluation (AWE). The AWE approach focuses on the alignment of people, purpose and place, differentiating itself from the predominant post-occupancy evaluation fociofbudget, time, environmental performance and user satisfaction. A key finding of the research has been that change management – as an integral aspect of the project design process –is as importantto the success of future-focused academic workspace projects as theirspatial design.
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ItemPlug n play: Future prefab for smart green schools(MDPI AG, 2018)While relocatable, prefabricated learning environments have formed an important component of school infrastructure in Australia, prefabrication for permanent school buildings is a new and emerging field. This review of prefabrication for schools is timely. In 2017, Australia’s two largest state education departments committed to prefabrication programs for permanent school infrastructure. In this paper we examine the recent history of prefabrication for Australian school buildings in the context of prefabrication internationally. We explore the range of prefabrication methods used locally and internationally and introduce evaluation indicators for school infrastructure. Traditional post-occupancy evaluation (POE) tools measure indicators such as indoor environment quality (IEQ), cost benefit, life cycle performance, and speed of delivery. In response to a shift towards more student-centred learning in a digitally rich environment, recently developed POE tools now investigate the ability of new generation learning environments (NGLEs) to support optimum pedagogical encounters. We conclude with an argument for departments of education to consider how prefabrication provides opportunities for step changes in the delivery, life-cycle management and occupation of smart green schools rather than a program of simply building new schools quicker, better, and cheaper.
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ItemTAKE 8 Learning Spaces: The transformation of educational spaces for the 21st century(Australian Institute of Architects, 2009)TAKE 8 explores the intersection between architecture and education with a focus on Australia. Under the title of Learning Spaces, the editors have asked researchers and practitioners from both education and architecture to contribute their reflections on the relationship between learning and physical space. TAKE 8 Learning Spaces has grown out of an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant called Smart Green Schools. Both editors and many of the authors are contributors to that research as Chief Investigators, Industry Partners or PhD students.
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ItemThe other half of the picture: Post-occupancy evaluation for alignment of space and pedagogy(Architectural science, 2015)Prefabricated relocatable learning environments form an important component of school infrastructure in Australia but their light-weight construction means they often require air-conditioning for a comfortable indoor environment quality (IEQ). The ‘envi Sustainable Education Spaces’ were recently constructed by the Department of Education and Technology (DET) in Victoria to showcase a more sustainable alternative to the traditional ‘relocatables'. Evaluation had been undertaken by others to assess the design ambitions to reduce operational energy by 90% and lifecycle emissions of CO2 production by 50%. What was not known was how the spaces accommodated learning and learners. This was the focus of research undertaken by the authors in 2014. In this paper, we present the methodology and findings and argue a case for holistic post-occupancy evaluation in order to paint a more complete picture regarding the costs and benefits of innovative spaces even when innovation is primarily focused on environmental benefits. The research applies a mixed methods approach, utilising quantitative and qualitative data. Commentary by students and staff on the indoor environment quality, including acoustics and temperature, provides useful cross-linking data with earlier studies. This research is part of broader research on prefabricated learning environments undertaken by the authors and others.
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ItemSmart Green Schools The Unofficial Overview(Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, University of Melbourne, 2010)The Smart Green Schools project, an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Grant (2007-2010), investigated the influence of innovative and sustainable school building designs on middle school education in Victoria focussing on understanding the links between design, sustainability, pedagogy and Information Communication Technology (ICT) within 21st century learning spaces. The projects’ aims were both practical and theoretical. Practically, there was an urgent need for current and local data on school design to ensure effective spending of government funds on facilities that support learning. Theoretically, the research project aimed to advance thinking about how schools, as complex systems, engaged with contemporary design, curriculum, technological, and environmental issues.