Built Environment Research Group

Name and Title:

Dr Michael Mak
Lecturer

Contact Details:

Email: Michael.Mak@newcastle.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4921 7450
Fax: +61 2 4921 6913

Qualifications:

Dip Arch, ABTM, MPM, PhD, MCIOB, MAIB, MHKIE

Overview :

Dr Michael Mak is lecturing in building and property economics specialized in property investment analysis, feasibility study, discounted cash flow analysis and life cycle costing analysis. His PhD is focused on the application of Feng Shui knowledge in building design and built environment using artificial intelligent technique – knowledge-based expert systems approach. He is the Chair of Technical Committee for the international conference of scientific Feng Shui and built environment.
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Name and Title:

Mr Marcus Jefferies
Lecturer

Contact Details:

Email: Marcus.Jefferies@newcastle.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4921 6737
Fax: +61 2 4921 6913

Qualifications:

BSc(Hons), MBdlg(Res), MAIB, MCIOB

Overview:

Marcus Jefferies is a Lecturer in Construction Management and his main areas of research are project management, construction procurement systems and construction management education. He has published numerous refereed Journal and Conference papers relating to these areas, especially procurement. He has completed a Research Masters Degree at Newcastle that focused on risk and success factors in the Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) procurement approach. He is currently a Chief Investigator on an ARC Linkage Project that is investigating the high bidding costs of social infrastructure Public Private Partnerships (PPPs). He is a member of the Technical Committee of the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB) Working Commission W92 ‘Procurement Systems’ and is a reviewer for several international Journals including ‘Construction Management and Economics’.
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Name and Title:

Dr Jamie Mackee
Lecturer

Contact Details:

Email: jamie.mackee@newcastle.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4921 7451
Fax: +61 2 4921 6913

Qualifications:

M.Sc Building (NUS), P/G Diploma ACOMOS (Architectural Conservation of Monuments and Sites), B.Arch (Hon.2A) (Qld), B.Des. St. (Qld), MAIB.

Overview:

Jamie MacKee is a Lecturer in Construction Management and his main areas of research are Architectural Conservation of the Cultural Built Heritage of Asia, Environmental Management Systems and construction management education. He has published numerous refereed Journal and Conference papers relating to these areas, especially environmental management systems. His work in Strategic Environmental Assessment has been widely disseminated to stakeholders in the Asian region. He has completed a Research Masters Degree at the National University of Singapore that focused on the community impact evaluation of cultural built heritage in Singapore. He is currently a Chief Investigator on two projects, the first is investigating the impact of global agencies such as UNESCO on the conservation of Cultural Built Heritage in Asia. The second project is investigating the role of environmental management in construction projects in Asia and Australia. Jamie has been involved in Tsunami relief designing and tendering a AUD$1million hospital facility and Community Maternity Clinic in Sri Lanka. He is a reviewer for several international Journals including ‘Building Research and Information’ and ‘Construction Management and Economics’.
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Mr Thayaparan Gajendran
Lecturer

Contact Details:

Email: Thayaparan.Gajendran@newcastle.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4921 5781
Fax: +61 2 4921 6913

Qualifications:

B. Sc. (QS) Hons., University of Moratuwa, 1995.
Post Graduate Diploma (Management), The University of Sri Jayawardenepura, 1999
M.Sc. (Building) by Research, National University of Singapore, 2000
Graduate Certificate in Teaching Treachery Practice, The University of Newcastle, 2008
Associate Member Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (AAIQS)

Overview:

Gajendran’s main areas of research are ICT applications, Culture and Education in the built environment. He has published number of industry best practice guides, conferences and journals papers. He teaches Construction Economics, Estimating and Tendering and Facilities Management at undergraduate level. He is also an Associate of Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors. Prior to
his appointment as an academic he worked in the industry as a Quantity Surveyor and Project Consultant for IT solutions in construction.
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Name and Title:

Mr Peter Ward
Lecturer

Contact Details:

Email: Peter.Ward@newcastle.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4921 5770
Fax: +61 2 4921 6913

Qualifications:

MSc Construction Management, University of Bath, U.K. 1996
LLb (Hons), University of Teesside, U.K. 2000
BSc (Hons) Construction, Sheffield City Polytechnic, U.K. 1989

Overview:

Peter Ward is a Lecturer in Construction Management and his main areas of research are construction law and occupational health and safety. He has published numerous refereed Journal and Conference papers relating to these areas. He is currently completing a doctoral Degree at Newcastle. .  He regularly referees papers for journals and international conferences.
Construction Law
Through a number of research grants he has been researching the use and applicability of pre-agreed protocols and procedures for the effective and efficient reduction and management of delay and disruption disputes by the Australian construction industry.
This has led to further research into the use and application of web based technology as a means of effectively and efficiently administering the construction process.
Other areas of law of interest are alternative dispute resolution techniques, contract disputes, and project administrative procedures.
Occupational Health and Safety
A number of research projects are currently underway as a result of membership and interaction with the Master Builders Association and local businesses. These focus on the effectiveness and difficulties faced by small business enterprises when trying to operate under the current Occupation Health and Safety legislation. Other projects emanating from this is a review of the corporate manslaughter/murder debate, with a particular focus on the construction sector.

Name and Title:

Mr Willy Sher
Senior Lecturer

Contact Details:

Email: willy.sher@newcastle.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4921 5794
Fax: +61 2 4921 6913

Qualifications:

BSc (Build), MSc (Civ Eng)

Overview:

Willy has worked in the domain of virtual environments (as part of a CRC CI project entitled Team Collaboration in High Bandwidth Virtual Environments 2002-024-B) where he contributed to studies into the ‘generic skills for effective virtual teamwork’.  He has also worked in the area of off-site manufacture (as joint author of a book (1993) and on another CRC CI project ‘Off-Site Manufacture in Australia  2005-004-C’).  His post graduate research investigated computer-aided estimating systems, and he has maintained an interest in computer applications for construction management and quantity surveying.  He has led several pedagogic research projects including RAPID, RAPID2K, NURAPID and CALVisual.  He was also a project manager on the UK ‘Best practice in Building Education’ program.
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Name and Title:

Dr Graham Brewer
Head of Discipline

Contact details:

Email: graham.brewer@newcastle.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4921 5794
Fax: +61 2 4921 6913

Qualifications:

MSc MCIOB

Overview :

Graham Brewer is Head of Discipline: Building, lecturing in construction management and his main areas of research are: information and communication technology, its use in project teams and the effect upon business relationships; supply chain relationships; construction management education and urban sustainability. He has published numerous books, refereed journal and conference papers relating to these areas, especially ICT. He is currently completing a doctoral Degree at Newcastle that focuses on the attitudinal characteristics of ICT decision-makers across the industry. He has been chief investigator on several research projects for the CRC for construction innovation, the largest of which has resulted in a series of best practice guides for use across all sectors of the construction industry.  He regularly referees papers for journals and international conferences, and convened the 29th annual AUBEA conference.
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Name and Title

Chris Landorf
Senior Lecturer

Contact Details:

Email: Chris.Landorf@newcastle.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4921 5793
Fax: +61 2 4921 6913

Qualifications:

B.Architecture, South Australian Institute of Technology, 1985
B.A. Interior Design, South Australian Institute of Technology, 1990
Master of Business Administration, University of South Australia, 1995
Grad. Dip. in Built Environment: Facility and Environment Management (Distinction), University College London, 2000

Overview :

Chris Landorf is a Senior Lecturer and registered architect in NSW and South Australia. She holds postgraduate qualifications in business and facility management, and is due to complete a PhD on the sustainable management of complex heritage sites in October 2008. Prior to joing Newcastle University she was involved in an architecture-health cross-disciplinary research program at the University of South Australia. The research focused on the identification of architectural design parameters that impact on user satisfaction and productivity in aged care facilities and schools. This work is the result of three successful ARC Linkage-Project and two Australian Housing Urban Research Institute grants in the field of aged care design and educational design. A further area of research is sustainability and the urban environment, particularly in relation to the management of complex heritage sites (PhD topic) and ageing (in association with Dr Lynne Parkinson at the Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing, Newcastle University). Chris has been Chapter President and Council Member of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, member of the Architects Board of South Australia. She was project architect for the Broken Hill Line of Lode Miner’s Memorial and Visitors Centre, which received the 2001 Royal Australian Institute of Architects Walter Burley Griffin Award for Urban Design.
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Name and Title:

A/Prof. Tony Williams
Head of School

Contact details:

Email: Tony.Williams@newcastle.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4921 5771
Fax: + 61 2 4921 6913

Qualifications:

B.Ed. (AA); B.Ed. (IA), M.Curr. St.; PhD

Overview:

Associate Professor Anthony Williams is the Head of School of Architecture and Built environment and has extensive experience in project management in the domain of professional education. He is a winner of multiple University Teaching Awards as well as a National Awards for Teaching Excellence. He has worked extensively in curriculum design and implementation both at program and course levels. He is highly regarded in this area having worked as a curriculum consultant nationally (QUT) and internationally (AIIAS Philippines, PSB Singapore & Poly U Hong Kong).
His recent research has involved the study of design collaboration in the both face to face and virtual environments. This work has lead to findings which support the importance of ‘situational awareness’ in collaboration. Situation awareness is directly related to spatial ability and is fundamental to design collaboration.

Anthony has published extensively in curriculum design, Teaching Methodologies to support Design Education and Assessment of Design Activities. His research area is in design team collaboration with recent projects involving identification of core skills for effective participation in virtual design teams. The spatial ability of design collaborators being integral to the success of team projects. this especially being important in the virtual design context as well as with expansion of Building Information Management Systems which rely on spatial awareness for effective participation.

Associate Professor Anthony Williams has been researching Multi-disciplinary Design Teams (MDDTs) for 9 years, in both the face to face context and in the virtual environment. He has undertaken three major research projects in the field. The projects analysed the design process conducted by design teams in the Industrial context in their day to day work. The design activity was analysed to identify issues confronting MDDTs. A subsequent study considered the issue of communication to achieve shared understanding among design team members in the progression of collaborative design. These studies identified the concept of shared design which in a number of areas differs from the traditionally held understanding of the designer as an individual. The results of these studies have been reported in international design forums. Other studies include a CRC-Construction Innovation sponsored projects involving collaboration with the University of Sydney, CSIRO and Woods Baggot. Anthony was the project leader for the Newcastle University component of the study. The project involved the study of the “Core Skills” required by designers to be effective in the virtual environment. The findings of the study are yet to be released but it is evident that effectiveness as a designer in the virtual domain will require a different skill or attributes set to face to face design. A range of papers have been presented on this project in international forums. Anthony’s interest in design team research has also contributed to a range of teaching initiatives. He has implemented a number of design and design management projects within student projects both in the normal classroom setting and the “virtual classroom”.