Architecture - 50 years on
2008 will be a big year for the School of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Design, involving celebrations and a new direction. The year 2008 is not only the 50th anniversary of Architecture at the University of Adelaide, it also marks the start of a new vision for the School. The course structure will have an enhanced international focus and take in the new portfolio areas of Planning and Urban Design. It was 1958 when the University of Adelaide started teaching its first Architecture students within the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, in response to demand from the local architecture profession. Professor Rolf Jensen came out from England to lead the course and the new Faculty, establishing a traditional five-year Bachelor of Architecture program. Fifty years on, the School now has programs in Landscape Architecture, Digital Media and next year it will start offering Planning and Urban Design degrees. Head of School Professor Nancy Pollock-Ellwand says: "This diversity has grown from the original traditional offering to something that is highly collaborative and that addresses many of the different aspects of the built environment." She came to the University from Canada in January 2007. The School is also moving its course structure to bring it in line with international trends in design education where the professional degree is awarded at postgraduate level. Until now the Architecture qualification has been a three-year Bachelor degree followed by a two-year professional Bachelor degree. From 2008 students will do a three-year Bachelor of Design Studies and can then choose from three possible streams of postgraduate professional study from the Master of Architecture, the Master of Landscape Architecture or the new Master of Planning and Master of Planning (Urban Design). There is also a Master of Design (Digital Media). "We are interested in the internationalisation of our course and enhancing its appeal beyond Adelaide and the State," says Professor Pollock-Ellwand. "This structure will help people moving from other institutions. Depending on their backgrounds, students may be able to enter directly onto the Masters or they can take the Graduate Diploma in Design Studies to qualify for entry." Over the years, the University has produced many successful architects now practising locally, nationally and overseas. One of its best known former students is Malaysian-based architect Hijjas Kasturi, responsible for some of South East Asia's and now the Middle East's most distinctive high-rise and institutional buildings. The course has established unique strengths through its close linking of architecture with landscape architecture, through its emphasis on project-based learning, the integration of research and teaching, and the strong support and involvement of practitioners. Complementing the three professional streams are the School's three professors: Nancy Pollock-Ellwand is Professor in Landscape Architecture; Tony Radford, with the School since 1989, is Professor in Architecture; and on-board since July is Ian McDougall, Professor in Architecture and Urban Design. A partner in the award-winning Melbourne design consultancy ARM, Professor McDougall will maintain his practice while working part-time at the University. Professor Radford says the move to bring Urban Design into the professional portfolio has been a long-held aspiration for the School and is a significant step. For Professor Pollock-Ellwand the move to Adelaide, with her husband and three children, was also a significant step - but she is loving it. "Adelaide is a wonderful place to live, a physically beautiful city and with a lot to offer in terms of quality of life," she says. She is excited about the future. "The staff at the School have shown terrific support and a willingness to move forward. They are a creative group of people with great reputations and experience. The School of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Design is ready for its next generation." A full program of the 50th Anniversary celebrations in 2008 is being finalised and will soon be publicised. ■ STORY ROBYN MILLS
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