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Research Projects

CoCoA projects deliver fresh mixtures of tangible solutions and propositions, spanning from versatile design methods and innovative construction strategies to site-sensitive post occupancy analysis and in-depth environmental life cycles.

Re/place Pavilion

Re/place Pavilion has been collaboratively designed by Studio Chris Fox, Bollinger+Grohmann, the University of Sydney and Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne. It combines the creativity and expertise of architects, artists, students, engineers, and designers. Exploring circular design thinking, the team have rethought, reduced, reused, remanufactured, repurposed and recycled materials to deliver the final Pavilion design. […]

Moisture-safe design

One in three Australian homes suffer from excessive dampness and mould proliferation, which is exacerbated by inadequate architectural strategies, poor construction practices and bad maintenance, resulting from a lack of awareness and knowledge in the construction sector about the topic. Indoor mould is correlated to severe adverse health symptoms, such as severe allergic asthma, hypersensitivity […]

PHEBE

Timber envelopes provide multiple benefits in reducing both operational and embodied energy environmental impacts in construction. However, when poorly designed, they may incur in high risk of mould growth, affecting both building performance and occupant’s wellbeing. This research investigates the risk of mould growth associated with emerging timber envelopes in Australia, particularly looking at mass-timber […]

Building Knowledge

The project aims to uncover how architects’ design approaches were affected by a maturing construction industry; an industry that constitutes a vital part of the country’s economy, political life, heritage, and culture. Supported by the prestigious NSW State Library’s Dr AM Hertzberg AO Fellowship.

Circularity by Design

The construction sector is amongst the world’s largest consumers of resources and raw materials, and a major producer of waste accounting for more than 30% of the total solid waste globally. In the current scenario of climate emergency and rapid population growth, the transition to more sustainable models of development becomes imperative for the preservation […]

Human Robot Collaboration

Human-robot interactions can offer alternatives and new pathways for construction industries, industrial growth and skilled labour, particularly in a context of industry 4.0. This research investigates the potential of collaborative robots (CoBots) for the construction industry and subject matter experts; by surveying industry requirements and assessments of CoBot acceptance; by investing processes and sequences of […]

Robotic Acoustic Pattern Geometries

Relationships between sound and architectural space are complex because sound wavelengths span a very large range (1:1000) and are significantly large on an architectural and human scale. As a result, not only is sound propagation in rooms immensely complex, but also human perception of sound is remarkably rich and varied. The macro-geometry or overall form […]

Resilient and liveable neighborhoods

Steel Flexing

Convergence is a site-specific sculpture for Global Switch’s Paris Data Centre. It was produced during 2010-2011 between Sydney, London and Paris. This has been an ambitious project, two years in the making and utilising 370 metres of steel, realised thanks to intelligent modelling software and advanced fabrication techniques. Developing out of the building fabric, Convergence […]

Multifunctional bio-inspired design

This project focuses on the emerging topic of bio-inspired architectural design and how it can integrate multifunctionality through transdisciplinary research methods into the design process. Achieving multifunctionality in this context is defined as a design challenge that exists through contradictory functional requirements often solved by co-existence and trade-off mechanisms, focusing on the contradictions, challenges, and […]

Pre-Occupancy Evaluation in the Metaverse

Multi-sensory evaluation of designs enabled by virtual technologies The overarching goal of this project is to enable the use of pre-occupancy evaluation of buildings and architectural spaces that would allow architecture to be proactive instead of reactive, providing occupancy feedback before buildings are built. The aim of this research is to develop a holistic methodology […]

Hybrid Façade

It has been demonstrated that kinetic sunscreens linked to intelligent building systems have the potential to improve the energy performance of large-scale public and commercial buildings. However, there has been minimal uptake, primarily due to the capital and maintenance costs. The overarching research project investigates the potential, feasibility and real-life applications of a hybrid facade […]

A climate emergency design guide for new and existing buildings in Australia

Commissioned by Australian Institute of Architects Climate Action + Sustainability Taskforce, this project aims at developing Australia`s first climate emergency design guideline to achieve net zero whole life carbon in the building stock by 2030 for operational energy and by 2040 for embodied carbon. The guide provides design strategies for enhanced climate adaptation and decreased […]

Biomimetic adaptive building skins

Functional requirements of buildings are multiple and sometimes contradictory and must beaddressed for increased sustainability. New technologies such as biomimetic adaptive buildingskins (Bio-ABS) adaptable to changing environmental conditions, can foster improved comfortand reduced energy demand. Bio-ABS are translated from biological mechanisms offeringenvironmentally beneficial strategies. This project investigates the potential of achievingmultifunctionality in Bio-ABS by translating […]

Visual-Mechanical Synthesis: Networking Crafts Creative Process

The research analyzed ideation mechanisms in several structural design theories using rule-based design and rule-schema lattice representation. Through a series of analyses on the making and ideation process, from assembling 2D elements into the 3D object and from manipulating soft and rigid materials, our study shows that intuition plays a significant role even in the […]

Algorithmic Glyph: Preserving Indigenous Visual Language

Deductive reasoning –interpreting rules from secondary data or literature– has effectively examined designs logic from the past, where the authors are no longer present. Yet, in a condition where access to the craftsperson and the making process is possible, there is an opportunity to induce design logic from on-site observation. Nevertheless, direct access to the […]

Beyond the Spherical Solution

By shedding light on the contribution of local ingenuity and craftsmanship in the making of one of the most celebrated buildings in the world, the research project details the complexity behind the fabrication of the iconic roof of the Sydney Opera House. Based on a rich group of items recently discovered by the investigators, including […]

Hygrothermal analysis of building envelopes

1 in 3 Australian homes suffer from excessive dampness and mould proliferation, which is exacerbated by inadequate architectural strategies, poor construction practices and bad maintenance, resulting from a lack of awareness and knowledge in the construction sector about the topic. Indoor mould is correlated to severe adverse health symptoms, such as severe allergic asthma, hypersensitivity […]

Designed in Italy, Made in Australia

Designed in Italy, Made in Australia: Discovering the Australian work of Pier Luigi Nervi is a research project investigating for the first time the architectural–technical history of the professional collaboration between the renowned Australian architect Harry Seidler and world-famous Italian engineer Pier Luigi Nervi between 1963 and 1978, and its influence on the maturation of […]

Eco-active building envelopes

Today, climate change already manifests its effects on the global environment with prolonged and more extreme weather events, such as heat waves, droughts, floods and bushfires. Impacts in the built environment include increased mortality and morbidity, poor air quality, and scarcity of fresh water supply. An urgent reduction in global carbon emissions is the only […]

Healthy indoor environments

This is the first study in Australia focusing on a holistic, multidisciplinary and innovative evaluation at precinct level and will advance knowledge on two key major challenges faced by the built environment: health and sustainability. Aims and goals The study correlates the possible influence of the building context on health, productivity and perception of occupants, […]

Moisture and Buildings

In 2015, members of the United Stations (UN) signed an Agenda for Sustainable Development, which included a 15-year plan to provide a more sustainable future for all by achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) (United Nations, 2016). These goals address global challenges such as climate change, health and well-being, which are of direct relevance […]