Dr Ian Weir

Faculty of Engineering,
School of Architecture & Built Environment
Biography
Bushfire Architecture Research Ian is a research architect (consulting) with QUT and a registered practicing architect specialising in designing for bushfire prone, biodiverse landscapes. Ian’s building designs have been featured on special episodes of ABC Television’s ‘The New Inventors' and SBS ‘Insight’. In 2012 Ian was selected by the Australian Institute of Architects to represent innovative forms of practice at the Venice Architecture Biennale. Ian has designed homes and advised survivors of Victoria’s Black Saturday and contributed to the Royal Commission into that disaster. His recent built works have been in Shires of Denmark and Jerramungup in WA – the majority of which respond to the higher levels of bushfire attack: BAL-40 and Flames Zone (BAL-FZ). These built works present a means of not only reconciling biodiversity conservation with bushfire safety – but also how to reduce the costs associated with building in bushfire prone areas by unifying energy efficiency with bushfire mitigation features.Landscape Visualisation Research - Ian's PhD - entitled Transformative Mappings - investigates the applicability of using high-end land surveying technolgy (terrestrial laser scanning, RTK GPS, Digital Total Stations) for the visualisation of botanically rich, fire prone heath landscapes. This research commenced in 2001 with assistance from Curtin University of Technology, and marked the first time such technology was applied to the spatial measure of vegetation.
Personal details
Positions
- Senior Lecturer
Faculty of Engineering,
School of Architecture & Built Environment
Keywords
Architecture, Biodiversity, Bushfire, Landscape, Mapping, Representation, Sustainability
Discipline
Architecture, Design Practice and Management
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2008
Qualifications
- PhD (University of Western Aust.)
Professional memberships and associations
- Bushfire Building Council of Australia (expert advisor)
- Registered Practicing Architect: ABWA Registration No. 1840
- Fellow, Centre for Emergency and Disaster Management, QUT
- Member Australian Institute of Architects
- Member, Creative Research Group, Creative Industies Faculty QUT
- Chair, Bremer Bay Design Coordination Group, WA
Teaching
- 2014: Honours (Fourth year) graduating design studio coordinator.
- 2009 – 2013: Landscape Architecture Design Studio, QUT
- 2009/10: Landscape Construction 1, QUT
- 2000-2008: Landscape Design Studio, Architecture Design Studio, Advanced Computing, UWA
- 1982-2000: Model Making, Technical Drawing, Presentation Techniques, Curtin UT
International Guest Critic
- The Bartlett School of Architecture (University College London) Repeat critic for “Unit 5”, Yr 3 Architectural Design. Coordinators: Patrick Weber & Mark Smout.
- University of North London, School of Architecture, Repeat critic Yr 3 Architectural Design. Coordinators: Mark Smout and Laura Allen.
- Architectural Association, Graduate Design School, Landscape Urbanism (Masters) studio session. Coordinators: Ciro Najle and Mohsen Mostafavi.
Australia Guest Critic
- Biomancy RMIT Design Studio, September, 2009, RMIT University, Coordinator: Claire Martin.
- Bushfire studio, September, 2009, Design thesis and masters studio, University of Melbourne, Coordinator: Jillian Wallis, Philip Goad, Janet McCaw.
Principal Supervisor, PhD
- Ozgun, K. Sustainable Energy Landscapes: Analysing Energy Paradigms in Public Space.
- Caldwell, G. Social fabrication: creating community engagement through making.
- Young, D. From Fluid Terrains to Fluid Domains
Principal supervisor, Master of Design (Research)
- Woodward, S. Investigation into the relationship between undergraduate landscape architecture pedagogies and 3d digital modelling technologies.
- Nash, J. Resurgent landscapes: building ecological capacity in cultural landscapes affected by disturbance and disaster.
Experience
Dr Weir is a qualified Industrial Designer with seven years experience (1983-1990) in the design of agricultural, medical, diagnositc and communications equipment - with many products receiving the Australian Design Award.
Architecture
Ian is a qualified and registered practicing architect (2000 - ) with experience in conservation and heritage, urban planning, educational, ecclesiastical, and residential design. He was the lead design architect (Hames Sharley) for the Oral Health Centre of Western Australia ($40m).
Dr Weir has specialised expertise in the architectural design of residential homes in bushfire prone areas, with his first completed house in 1997. Ian has provided design advice to survivors of Black Saturday (2009), and has a number of houses completed, under construction, and under design in Western Australia. Dr Weir provides full architectural services to external clients through QUT's Office of Commercial Services.
Selected publications
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Ian, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Awards
- Type
- Advisor/Consultant for Community
- Reference year
- 2015
- Details
- National (Australia) organisation dedicated to advancement and implementation of design-led approaches to bushfire risk mitigation. Dr Ian Weir is the Western Australian state representative.
- Type
- Evidence of A Critical Review of Artworks
- Reference year
- 2012
- Details
- Ian Weir Research Architect was selected by the Australian Institute of Architects to represent innnovation in architecture at the prestigious Venice Architecture Bienalle 2012.
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2010
- Details
- Excellence in Teaching Award, Faculty of Architecture, University of Western Australia
- Type
- Other
- Reference year
- 2010
- Details
- Living with FireNewsreport on ABC News, Stateline with Eliza Bluehttp://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2010/12/03/3084595.htm
- Type
- Other
- Reference year
- 2009
- Details
- Situate Competition Entry with Glenda Caldwell, Marissa Lindquist and Ruwan Fernando
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2008
- Details
- H-house: Award for excellence in timber structure and engineering, Western Australian Timber Awards.
- Type
- Advisor/Consultant for Community
- Reference year
- 2008
- Details
- Chairperson: Bremer Bay Design Coordination Group, Western Australia(Continuing role). Voting member of the Bremer Bay Community Development Committee, Western Australia.
- Type
- Appointment to State/National/International Reference Group or Government Committees
- Reference year
- 2008
- Details
- 'Head Judge' Western Australian Timber Awards, 2008.
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2007
- Details
- Commendation for postgraduate research publications, University of Wesrtern Australia.
- Type
- Funding Award
- Reference year
- 2006
- Details
- Recipient of funding from the Federal Government's Regional Arts Fund to produce the creative research outcomes associated with my role as Guest Artist for the Perth International Arts Festival - Great Southern Region. The research outcome is the creative art project Lightsite which constituted twelve photographic artworks and one architectural installation.