Through the new ARC Centre for Next-Gen Architectural Manufacturing, leading Swinburne researchers will collaborate with colleagues around the globe to help revolutionize the architectural profession and deliver architectural manufacturing that can meet Australia’s increasingly ambitious climate targets.
The center, co-led by Swinburne and managed by the University of New South Wales (UNSW), has been awarded $9 million through the ARC Industry Transformation Training Center program, including over $4 million in matched funding from industry.
In order to support the sector’s delivery of sophisticated, high-value-add, and carbon-positive architectural manufacturing, the center will bring together world-renowned experts, visionary partners, and promising graduates, including 21 PhD scholarships and three postdoctoral fellowships.
Two of the Key Chief Investigators for the centre include Swinburne Professor of Urban Futures, Mark Burry AO, and Dean of the School of Design and Architecture, Professor Jane Burry.
“While advanced manufacturing has made huge strides in the past three decades, the construction industry has struggled to fully leverage these gains for sustainability, quality and productivity,” they said.
“To access the environmental and productivity benefits of these advances, architects need the complex skills to help steer their projects towards advanced manufacturing.
“The centre draws on both Swinburne and UNSW’s world-class expertise in the digitalisation of professional practice to accelerate this necessary transition and continue Australia’s international reputation for innovation in this field.”
Swinburne’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Karen Hapgood, said the centre will help address the massive amounts of waste and carbon emissions created by the construction industry, and support Australia’s immediate productivity needs and climate goals.
“The ARC Centre for Next-Gen Architectural Manufacturing will help drive digital transformation in this critically important industry and develop the next-gen workforce required to power it,” said Professor Hapgood.
“We are delighted to have the support of the ARC and our university and industry partners as we work to create a more sustainable and innovative planet.”
