Issue 19 – November 2015
From the Associate Dean Research BE and the UNSW 2025 Strategy The UNSW 2025 Strategy – outlining the university’s strategic priorities and themes for the next decade – was released on 20 October 2015. This document is the culmination of a set of development and consultation processes commenced in February this year and proceeding through the production and circulation of “Green” (May 2015) and “White” (August 2015) Papers. A link to the document is provided here: https://www.2025.unsw.edu.au/ The overall scope of the 2025 Strategy basically reflects the structure which had crystallised for the Green Paper several months ago, that is with the three pronged emphases on academic excellence, social engagement and global impact. Each of these is elaborated in a set of objectives, initiatives and measures of progress. In relation to research, two major aspirations are stated: (1) “World-leading research of the highest ethical standards and integrity, across the full spectrum of arts, built environment, business, design, law, social sciences, engineering, medicine and science”, and (2) “Research impact through the generation of new knowledge applied to solve complex problems, deliver social benefits and drive economic prosperity, locally, nationally and globally.” These aspirations are most explicitly elaborated in a set of initiatives under the first major theme of the Strategy under Academic Excellence, namely “research quality – a world leader”. The five key initiatives are (1) introduction of new Scientia Fellowships; (2) active recruitment of top researchers; (3) delivering research with impact; (4) facilitating interdisciplinary work; and (5) ensuring world class research infrastructure. The major “measures of progress” across these areas are: • • • • • • • •
The quality of appointments to the new Fellowship program. Upward movement in world university rankings. Improvement in the quality and impact of research publications and other research outputs. Increased success rates in competitive grants. Higher quantity of industry funding compared to other Australian and international universities. Improvements in quality of core research infrastructure. High postgraduate researcher satisfaction and the quality and extent of postgraduate outcomes. Growth in the number and quality of interdisciplinary research programs.
Research issues surface in various places through the document. Under “Social Engagement”, with reference to aspirations for global thought leadership, a “Grand Challenges Program” is confirmed around a mix of research, educational and forum initiatives. Urbanisation is identified as a key area along with issues such as climate change, ageing, energy, and poverty are named, all highlighting BE’s potential input and leadership moving forward. This new strategic statement, replacing the previous B2B philosophy, must inevitably help frame the Faculty’s own strategic thinking for research, teaching, and engagement. With its clear statement of expectations, its identification of various metrics to measure performance, and its flagging of urbanisation as a major social issue relevant to the university’s mission of social engagement, the UNSW 2025 Strategy is a critical document informing our work. The “implementation plans” lying ahead in early 2016 will obviously be a crucial next step. Rob Freestone Associate Dean Research
Researcher Highlights NEW BOOK PUBLISHED
BE researchers feature in a recently published international compendium on planning for health and well-being. Entitled The Routledge Handbook of Planning for Health and Well-Being: Shaping a sustainable and healthy future, it is edited by Professor Susan Thompson with UK colleagues Barton, Burgess and Grant. Chapter authors are from around the world and include BE’s Professor Robert Freestone, Associate Professor Linda Corkery and PhD candidate, Louise McKenzie. The contents range from theoretical, historical and philosophical perspectives to the latest research on how planners and designers can help to create environments that support people being healthy as part of everyday living. Case studies from developing and developed countries, including what is happening in Australia, conclude the book. Reviews by luminaries contain an exciting endorsement from Kevin McCloud of ABC television’s ‘Grand Designs’ fame.
GUEST SPEAKER: EXPERT IN SOCIOLOGY OF CONSTRUCTION PRACTICE On Thursday 29 October, students attended a research seminar by Professor of the Sociology of Construction in the School of Civil and Building Engineering at Loughborough University, UK, Andrew Dainty. A renowned expert on the sociologies of construction practice, for the past 22 years his research has focused on the social rules and processes that affect people working as members of project teams. Professor Dainty spoke about exploring the application of ethnographic practices in the built environment. Based on his own ethnographies and those of his students, and by drawing upon other key contributions in the field, he explained how both classic and intense routes to knowing can help to shape our understanding of this most complex of sectors. He explained the importance of maintaining a theoretical-ethnographic dialogue and the value that this brings to ethnographic enquiry.
Andrew has published over 350 papers in both academic and industry journals and is co-author/editor of nine books and research monographs. He is also co-editor of the leading research journal Construction Management and Economics, a Past Chair of the Association of Researchers in Construction Management (ARCOM) and a joint coordinator of CIB TG 76 on Recognizing Innovation in Construction. He is currently a visiting professor at Universities in Australia, Sweden and Malaysia. SUCCESS IN ARC MAJOR GRANTS ANNOUNCED 30 OCTOBER 2016 Congratulations to BE researchers who are Chief Investigators in three collaborative ARC grants led by other institutions and announced last week. Two of these are LIEF (Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities) grants: Urban analytics data infrastructure (Professors Christopher Pettit and Bill Randolph) led by the University of Melbourne (LE160100174) for $805,000 in total, and Australian housing condition data infrastructure (Professors Hal Pawson and Bill Randolph) led by the University of Adelaide (LE160100056) for $190,000 in total. The third is a Discovery Project on the post-World War Two evolution of the Australian university campus (Professor Robert Freestone) led by The University of Melbourne (DP160100364) for $302,627 in total.
Meet the Researchers – Matthias Irger Dr Matthias Irger joined the Faculty as Lecturer in the Architecture Program in 2014 after completing his PhD at Built Environment’s Australian Graduate School of Urbanism. Prior to his academic career, Matthias worked as an architect for more than ten years in internationally acclaimed practices on award-winning high-rise and transport infrastructure projects. Matthias’s interdisciplinary teaching and research activities are driven by his passion for applied sustainable design in the architectural as well as urban domain. His PhD thesis focussed on how urban design can be utilized to improve the urban microclimate and consequently the carbon footprint and liveability of our cities. Matthias was awarded a scholarship and project funding by the CSIRO Climate Adaptation Research Flagship for this innovative research, which employed airborne remote sensing to quantify how vegetation, building density and surface albedo affect urban outdoor temperatures of streets and neighbourhoods. In early 2015 Matthias initiated the National Cool Cities Initiative in which he works with local governments across Australia towards improving the resilience of communities to extreme heat events. The project uses advanced spatial analytics of high-resolution airborne data to create the evidence-base, guide lines and tools for climate-sensitive urban design, planning and policy. With initial funding from the South Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils and NSW Office of Environment and Heritage and support by the CRC for Low Carbon Living, the first stage of the project is now well under way in Sydney with potential nation-wide application over the next two years.
BE Research in the News Martin Loosemore: What Are the Next Big Areas for Construction Innovation? Sourceable.net, 9 October 2015. View Online. Martin Loosemore: Work Force Diversity is Key to Construction Innovation. Sourceable.net, 12 October 2015. View Online.
Peter Williams: It’s D-Day for veg laws. The Land, Sydney, 15 October 2015. View Online. Edgar Liu: Keeping it in the family. Courier Mail, Brisbane, 17 October 2015. Edgar Liu & Ryan Van den Nouwelant: Don’t fear boarding houses: they’re probably not what you think. The Conversation, Sydney, 23 October 2015. View Online. Martin Loosemore: Is Australia Falling Behind on Construction Productivity? The Conversation, 29 October 2015. View Online. Judith O’Callaghan: Self Improvement: Gordon Andrews, Designer of Note. ABC 702 Sydney, 28 October 2015. View Online. Hazel Easthope: Strata living stories: the hilarious and the hellish. ABC, 3 November 2015. View Online. Martin Loosemore: Are Robots the Future of Construction Sites? Sourceable.net, 3 November 2015. View Online.
Have you have had your research mentioned in the media recently? Send details to Serap Yilmaz for inclusion in the next newsletter.
News from the Centres CITY FUTURES RESEARCH CENTRE During the month of October City Futures Blog had 518 pages views from 326 visitors and uploaded 2 new posts:
Don’t fear boarding houses: they’re probably not what you think URMO: principles for public space-making to support human health Retro Governance and Planning
News from the Clusters SMART CITIES RESEARCH CLUSTER nd
On October 2 2015 the Smart Cities Cluster held a national workshop on Open Cities | Open Data. Over seventy urban scholars, industry leaders and policy innovators, digital experts and students, came together to share views on making data “open by default” in today’s knowledge cities. Urban applications for existing open data sets, potential entrepreneurial and social benefits of opening up closed data, and techniques and strategies for motivating and measuring the openness of data were all discussed.
Keynote speakers for the event included the inaugural professor of urban science at UNSW, Prof Chris Pettit, Prof Marcus Foth from QUT’s Urban Informatics Research Lab, Digital Services Director from ARUP Greg Stone and open data guru and director of Gov 2.0 and Data for the Australian Department of Finance, Pia Waugh. Presentations from the workshop will be available online late 2015 at the following location: https://www.be.unsw.edu.au/research-clusters/smartcities/events. The workshop is the first of two linked annual events to be held by the cluster. The next will be an international symposium in June 2016, held as part of the Media Architecture Biennale and VIVID. The symposium will focus on urban innovation and smart cities with a special emphasis on Asia.
HDR News Graduating Students Congratulations to the following HDR candidates who have recently completed their degrees. • • •
Anumitra Chand (PhD), supervised by Martin Loosemore and Susan Thompson Tracie Harvison (PhD), supervised by Bruce Judd and Christine Steinmetz Anne Warr (PhD), supervised by Rob Freestone and Christine Steinmetz
We wish them well in their future research endeavors. Students who have submitted: • • • • • •
Gary Shiels (PhD), supervised by Susan Thompson and Peter Williams Phillippa Carnemolla (PhD), supervised by Catherine Bridge, Oya Demirbilek and Fred Zmudzki Chris McDonald (PhD), supervised by Rob Freestone and Xing Ruan Hamid Aghaei Rad (PhD), supervised by Stan Fung, Samer Akkach and Dr Maryam Gusheh Ahmed Agiel (PhD), supervised by Jon Lang and Dijana Alic Yingying Li (PhD), supervised by Hazel Easthope, Cynthia Wang and Martin Loosemore
Events 1.
PGR Student Event: Talk by Visiting Professor, Christopher Silver, University of Florida. th Christopher Silver presented to the HDR students on Tuesday 20 October. The topic covered was: “Preparing for Academia and Practice: Publishing, Conferencing and Engaging”. The HDR Cohort thoroughly enjoyed the talk and all were impressed by what Chris had to share with them.
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The Cohort Cultural Day – Thursday 26 November (10am-1pm) The whole cohort is very excited about the cultural day which has become a much anticipated event. We will gather at 10am to share wonderful stories about food, culture and fashion from around the world. We will break for a delicious lunch; some students have also offered to bring a plate of their national food to share with the rest of the cohort. Students will come dressed in their national costume. National wear is encouraged but is optional.
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At last month’s monthly cohort workshop which was held on Wednesday 7 October we had three guest speakers come along to give a talk and introduce students to the Faculty Research Clusters.
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Smart Cities: Scott Hawken: The Smart Cities Research Cluster (SCRC) seeks to promote and advance the efficient design, planning and delivery of urban environments and services through the use of spatially integrated information and communication technology. Urban Typologies: Anne Warr: Established in 2010, the Urban Typologies Research Cluster is a research collective made up of Faculty academics, postgraduate students and associate members who share interests in the history of the built environment. It includes members from the disciplines of architecture, interior architecture, landscape architecture and planning. Its primary, though not exclusive focus is metropolitan Sydney and the major typologies that have shaped its urban and suburban environment. People and Place: Kate Bishop: The People and Place research cluster consists of researchers focused on understanding the relationship between people and their environments, with ‘place’ being defined as broad as a region and as small as a room. It is a cross-disciplinary group including researchers from a number of different programs with interests and expertise in the fields of urban sociology, environmental psychology, environment-behaviour studies and social planning. 4.
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The next monthly cohort workshop for 2015 is scheduled for Wednesday November 4 at 11am in the AGSM room (2001). The DPGR will be attending and all HDR students are encouraged to come along to contribute their ideas and opinions.
Did You Know…? …online attention of your articles can be tracked via Altmetrics? The University has recently subscribed to Altmetric Explorer, an institution-level database that can track academic and non-academic attention to research. Any article that is published with a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) can be tracked and each mention results in a score. Mentions include tweets, facebook posts, news articles, blog posts, google+ etc. Through Altmetric Explorer you can track your own articles as well as benchmark the attention you are gaining against others within your Field of Research subject code within the faculty, university and even globally. Further information on altmetrics can be found at http://www.altmetric.com/ . Access to Altmetric Explorer, is available via the UNSW Library. Contact Toni Hodge if you would like a demonstration of the database.
Events Writing for The Conversation - Invitation for Academic Staff Are you interested in wider coverage for your research and teaching initiatives? The Conversation is a not-for-profit independent news and analysis website with a global audience of some 2.5 million visitors each month. Earlier this year the University became an official member. UNSW is currently the most read institution on The Conversation, having generated more than 1,324 articles and attracted almost 17.5 million reads since its launch in 2011. The Faculty invites you a presentation by Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation’s Fact Check Editor, to th be held on Tuesday 17 November, 11:30am-1pm in the AGSU Room, Level 2, West Wing. If you are interested to find out more about the site and how to get published, please come along!
Faculty Research Seminar: Resilience and Governmentality of Unknowns Monday 30 November, 12.45 pm (lunch) for 1-2pm Professor Simin Davoudi Simin Davoudi is Professor of Environmental Policy and Planning at the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape and Associate Director of Newcastle University (UK) Institute for Sustainability. She is past President of the Association of the European Schools of Planning (AESOP) and Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and Royal Society of Arts. An invitation for this seminar will be coming to your inbox soon. Or contact Rodina Atme for further information and to RSVP.
Upcoming Events CRC Low Carbon Living: Participants’ Annual Forum 2015 Thursday 26 November-Friday 27 November, Australian Maritime Museum, Sydney The CRC for Low Carbon Living Participants Forum will focus on the utilisation of research in the low carbon built environment and how the work of the CRC LCL and its partners can contribute to achieving the low carbon visions of governments at all levels. More Information and to register
International High Performance Built Environments Conference: A Sustainable Built Environment Conference 2016 series 17-18 November 2016, Sydney Australia The conference aims to ‘drive innovation in design, planning & management of high-profile built environments as well as promote education and collaboration in the field.’ Call for abstracts are now th open and the deadline to submit abstracts is Friday 4 December, 2015. More information and to submit an abstract
Research Training – Upcoming UNSW Seminars AcWriMo (Academic Writing Month) at UNSW Throughout the Month of November An academic write-a-thon open to anyone wishing to improve their own writing target and skills. More Information and to register
Publications The following 2015 research activities have been entered into ROS since the release of the last newsletter. Books: Barton, H., Thompson, S., Burgess, S., & Grant, M. (2015). The Routledge Handbook of Planning for Health and Well-Being: Shaping a sustainable and healthy future (1st ed.). H. Barton, S. Thompson, S. Burgess, & M. Grant (Eds.), London: Routledge.
Book Chapters Freestone, R., Favaro, P., & Baker, S. (2015). Sydney 1967-1971: The 1971 City of Sydney Strategic Plan. In B. Albrecht, & A. Magrin (Eds.), Esportare il centro storico (pp. 347-351). Milan: Fondazione La Triennale di MIlano. Freestone, R., & Wheeler, A. (2015). Integrating health into town planning: A history. In The Routledge Handbook of Planning for Health and Well-Being: Shaping a Sustainable and Healthy Future (pp. 17-36).
Conference Papers Gardner, N. L. (2015). Agitating Architecture: Critical Reflections on Ubiquitous Computing. In P. Hogben, & J. O’Callaghan (Eds.), SAHANZ 2015 Architecture Institutions and Change: Proceedings of the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand Volume 32. Sydney. Retrieved from http://sahanz2015.be.unsw.edu.au/papers/SAHANZ%202015%20%20Front%20pages%20&%20Table%20of%20Contents.pdf Gusheh, M. (2015). Martin Place Pedestrian Precinct: Life between Institutions. In Hogben, & O'Callaghan (Eds.), Proceedings of the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand: 32, Architecture, Institutions and Change (pp. 243-253). Sydney. Lim, B. T. H., & Oo, B. L. (2015). Scenario-based Learning: Experiences from Construction Management Courses. In B. Koo, Y. Jung, & L. S. Kang (Eds.), Global Collaboration for Asia's Construction Challenges (pp. 5 pages). Busan, Korea. Kim, S., Kim, J., & Lim, B. T. H. (2015). Who Occupies the Green Building: a Case of Australia. In B. Koo, Y. Jung, & L. S. Kang (Eds.), Global Collaboration for Asia's Construction Challenges (pp. 5 pages). Busan, Korea: Korea Institute of Construction Engineering and Management (KICEM). Margalit, H. Z., & Favaro, P. (2015). From Social Role to Urban Significance: The Changing Presence of the MLC Company in Martin Place. In P. Hogben, & J. O'Callaghan (Eds.), Proceedings of the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand: 32, Architecture, Institutions and Change (pp. 378-389). Sydney: SAHANZ. Retrieved from http://sahanz2015.be.unsw.edu.au/papers/Margalit-Favaro_From-Social-Role-to-UrbanSignificance.pdf
Journal Articles Memon, S. A., Hadikusumo, B. H. W., & Sunindijo, R. Y. (2015). Using Social Interaction Theory to Promote Successful Relational Contracting between Clients and Contractors in Construction. Journal of Management in Engineering, 31(6), 04014095. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)ME.19435479.0000344 Pawson, H., Hulse, K., & Cheshire, L. (2015). Addressing concentrations of disadvantage in urban Australia. AHURI Final Report, (247), 1-106. Galea, N., Powell, A., Loosemore, M., & Chappell, L. (2015). Designing robust and revisable policies for gender equality: lessons from the Australian construction industry. Construction Management and Economics, 33(5-6), 375-389. doi:10.1080/01446193.2015.1042887
Reports Martin, C. L. (2015). Heritage and social housing: implications for repairs, maintenance, modifications and redevelopments. Sydney: Shelter NSW. Pawson, H. N., Pawson, H., Dalton, T., & Hulse, K. (2015). Rooming house futures: governing for growth, transparency and fairness—New South Wales Discussion Paper. Melbourne: Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute. Retrieved from http://www.ahuri.edu.au/publications/projects/p53033 Pawson, H. N., Dalton, T., & Pawson, H. (2015). Rooming house futures: governing for growth, transparency and fairness—Victorian Discussion Paper. Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute.
Curatorial Outputs Stead, N., Gusheh, M., Clark, J., & Young, F. (2015, July 10). Portraits of Practice: at Work in Architecture [Exhibition]. Tin Sheds Gallery, University of Sydney, Sydney.
New External Grants Awarded Catherine Bridge NSW Family and Community Services/ Ageing, Disability & Home Care State Government Contract: $165,168.00 FACS- ADHC CCSP HM info- Home Modification Maintenance Information Clearing House 15/18 Hoon Han Special Project Development Grant: $4,330 Building Smart Cities Research Alliance between UNSW and Korean Industries Hal Pawson SGS Economics & Planning Pty Ltd/ Contract Research: $3,089 DPC- Affordable housing policy options Bill Randolph Landgate/ State Government Contract: $18,853 Feasibility Study for the STAR Project – Landgate Bruce Judd CRC For Low Carbon Living Limited/ Research Grants: $190,874 Lower income barriers to low carbon living
Current Faculty Funding Opportunities Special Project Development Grants A new initiative in 2015, these grants support major research projects which will benefit from a strategic faculty contribution and which might otherwise not be supported through the faculty’s existing research support programs. Applications accepted throughout the year.
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Conference Funding Funding of up to $3,000 per annum, per person, is available assist academic staff to present papers at peak professional and academic conferences. The funding may be used to support any legitimate conference costs including registration, travel, accommodation and living expenses. Applications accepted throughout the year.
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Other Funding/Research Opportunities The Copeland Foundation Grants For projects focusing on either (1) the study, management, conservation, acquisition and interpretation of relevant historic architecture, (2) the provision of education programs, whether for staff of such museums, institutions, societies, organisations or for the general public, or (3) the purchase of art works and/or other artefacts, to be identified on public display by the purchaser as a gift from the Copland Foundation. External Deadline: Sunday 15 November 2015
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Australian Geographic Society Sponsorship Rounds The Australian Geographic Society sponsors a range of projects in the category of Science, Community, Adventure and Environment. Scientists, community organisations and individuals developing projects in Australia and Abroad are encouraged to apply. External Deadline: Monday 30 November 2015
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Gerda Henkel Foundation- Research Project Grants (DE) Support is primarily provided for the historical humanities, in particular to support research projects in the fields of archaeology, art history, historical Islamic studies, history, history of law, history of science, prehistory and early history. External Deadline: Monday 30 November 2015
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Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Research Fellowships (DE) For Australian investigators (all disciplines) to conduct research in Germany. Successful applicants are usually more than 5 years post-doctorate, and there are various schemes to support researchers up to the most senior levels. Knowledge of the German language is not required for many research fields. More information on this program will be made available at a presentation to be held at UNSW on: Wednesday 25 November 2015
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Grants for Research in Social Policy- Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy The Foundation makes targeted grants for work in all major areas of the social sciences, including anthropology, area studies, economics, political science, psychology, sociology, and urban studies, as well as newer areas such as evaluation research. Preference is given to projects that address contemporary issues in the social sciences and issues of policy relevance. Applicants are not required to be citizens or residents of the United States. Awards are based solely on merit, not to ensure a representative base of recipients or disciplines. Deadline: Tuesday 15 December 2015
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Small Grants- Kirby (James N.) Foundation The James N Kirby Foundation is considering requests under the following four categories seeking to support organisations and programs whose work benefits: Education and Technology, The Environment, Health, Social Welfare and the Arts. Deadline: Friday 26 February 2016
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Note: End of Year Financial Deadlines The ADR provides research funds allocated to individuals for various purposes each year. This is a reminder to be mindful of the dates by which you must use up your remaining allocated funds: they do not rollover to the next year! The deadlines vary according to the type of payment, but begin taking effect from 23 November. Please contact finance to find out more, or see Margaret Noble’s email for further information, sent to all staff on 2 November 2015.
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