Associate Professor
Lindy Osborne Burton

Biography

I was originally educated in South Africa and later moved to Australia, where I commenced working at Cox Rayner Architects in Brisbane. I quickly developed a specialisation in the design of complex public and institutional buildings—my architectural portfolio is extensive and includes over 70 building projects, ranging from the Princess Alexandra Hospital Redevelopment, through to the Southbank Education & Training Precinct.

Following 18 years of practice in architecture, where I registered as an architect and I received 15 professional design awards, I chose to pursue a full-time academic career. Now an Associate Professor in Architecture and the Design for Health program co-leader at Queensland University of Technology, I am also currently appointed as a Visiting Associate Professor of Architecture at Taylor’s University, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

My research interests centre on transformational architectural education, the design of innovative environments to support mental health and vulnerable people, the integration of inclusive, biophilic, salutogenic and eudaimonic architecture approaches in healthcare design (iBaSE Mindset), the interstitial spaces between nature, art and architecture, and gender equity in architecture. My PhD dissertation focussed on the design of transformational pedagogy and space, as experienced from the student’s perspective. I mostly supervise PhD students who are researching health architecture, the design learning environments, and/or architectural education.

I am currently appointed as both the Academic Board Director of the Board of Architects of Queensland, and as a Referee for the Queensland Development Tribunal. I am also the Australian Institute of Architects Gold Coast and Northern Rivers Region Co-Chair, and an active member of the Australian Health Design Council and the AACA Accreditation Standing Panel. I was a jury member for the 2021 UIA Award for Innovation in Architectural Education, and I am the Australian regional editor for the International Journal of Architectural Research. I am a Senior Fellow and an Associate Fellow (Indigenous) of the Higher Education Academy and my teaching excellence has been recognised at QUT with Vice-Chancellor’s, Dean’s, and School Performance Awards, and nationally through an Australian Office for Learning and Teaching citation for ‘outstanding contributions to student learning’.