Professor Pia Ednie-Brown
Honorary Professor
School of Architecture and Built Environment (Architecture)
- Email:pia.edniebrown@newcastle.edu.au
- Phone:0249138119
Career Summary
Biography
Pia Ednie-Brown is an architectural theorist, researcher and creative practitioner. Her research projects have investigated the significance of mutual relationships between digital technologies, emergence, ethics and innovation in architecture. She has been involved in projects funded through the Australian Research Council (ARC), the Office of Learning and Teaching (OLT), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (Canada), all of which have employed creative practice research as a mode of investigation. She has a creative research practice, Onomatopoeia (onomatopoeia.com.au), and leads the cross-institutional Affective Environments Laboratory (ael.org). Her creative work and writing have been published widely in international contexts, and she has edited two books: Plastic Green: designing for environmental transformation (RMIT Press, 2009), and The Innovation Imperative: Architectures of Vitality (AD, Wiley, 2013).
Since 2013, Pia has played significant roles in the area of Higher Degrees, specifically PhDs through creative practice research. She coordinated, developed and taught the cross-disciplinary Creative Practice Research Strategies subject at RMIT University for six years. For two and a half years she Chaired the internationally renowned Practice Research Symposia (PRS) in the School of Architecture and Design at RMIT University. In 2018 she was recipient of the ACRG National Award for Excellence in Graduate Leadership, after the 2017 RMIT Award for Excellence – Graduate Research Leadership. She has supervised 19 Creative Practice PhD candidates through to completion.
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, RMIT University
- Bachelor of Architecture, University of Western Australia
Keywords
- Architectural Aesthetics
- Architectural Theory and Philosophy
- Creative Practice Research
- Ethics and Creative Practice
- Innovation and Architecture
- Theories of Emergence and Creativity
Fields of Research
| Code | Description | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 330102 | Architectural design | 40 |
| 330104 | Architectural history, theory and criticism | 60 |
Professional Experience
UON Appointment
| Title | Organisation / Department |
|---|---|
| Professor | University of Newcastle School of Architecture and Built Environment Australia |
Academic appointment
| Dates | Title | Organisation / Department |
|---|---|---|
| 1/1/2016 - 30/7/2018 | Chair, Practice Research Symposium (Chair, PRS) | RMIT University School of Architecture and Design Australia |
| 1/1/2013 - 31/12/2015 | HDR Coordinator | RMIT University School of Architecture and Design Australia |
| 1/1/2001 - 31/12/2009 | Senior Lecturer | RMIT University School of Architecture and Design Australia |
| 1/1/1999 - 31/1/2000 | Telstra Home Team PhD Scholar | RMIT University Interactive Information Institute Australia |
| 2/1/1997 - 31/12/1998 | Lecturer | RMIT University School of Architecture and Design Australia |
Professional appointment
| Dates | Title | Organisation / Department |
|---|---|---|
| 30/6/1995 - 31/7/1996 | Graduate of Architecture | Buchan Group Architects Australia |
| 30/6/1991 - 30/7/1992 | Graduate of Architecture | Donaldson Warn Architects Australia |
Awards
Award
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2018 |
ACRG National Award for Excellence in Graduate Leadership ACGR Australian Council of Graduate Research |
| 2018 |
RMIT Award for Excellence – Graduate Research Leadership RMIT University |
Nomination
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2008 |
RIBA President’s Award for Research - Outstanding Thesis award. RIBA |
Recognition
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2005 |
Prix Ars Electronica 2005 Ars Electronica |
Research Award
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2013 |
RMIT University Research Supervision Excellence ECR Award RMIT University |
Publications
For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.
Book (2 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 |
Supervising Practices for Postgraduate Research in Art, Architecture and Design, SensePublishers (2012)
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| 2009 | Brown PE, Plastic Green Designing for Environmental Transformation, RMIT Publishing, Melbourne, VIC, 181 (2009) |
Chapter (18 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 |
Ednie-Brown P, 'Six troubling things: Cultivating ethical know-how through creative practice research', 193-211 (2020) [B1]
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Open Research Newcastle | ||||||
| 2019 | Ednie-Brown P, 'Playing Person: An Architectural Adventure', Immediation, Open Humanities Press, London, Uk 182-205 (2019) [B1] | Open Research Newcastle | ||||||
| 2018 | Ednie-Brown P, 'A Vital, Architectural Materialism; a house-person’s escape from the anthropocentric', 111-131 (2018) | |||||||
| 2017 |
Ednie-Brown P, 'When Words Won’t Do: Resisting the impoverishment of knowledge', 131-140-131-140 (2017)
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| 2012 |
Ednie-Brown P, 'Supervising emergence: Adapting ethics approval frameworks toward research by creative project', 103-116 (2012)
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| Show 15 more chapters | ||||||||
Conference (2 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 |
Ednie-Brown P, Chapman M, George B, 'Architectural 'Aesthetic Incunabula': Empathic Drawing as a movement toward Environmental Enrichment', https://www.scribd.com/document/446489205/BoK-2019-Conference-Presenter-Abstracts, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia (2019)
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| 2019 |
Chapman M, George B, Ednie-Brown P, 'Full Tilt: architectural enrichment in Claude Parent's Living Laboratories', Deakin University (2019)
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Creative Work (22 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Ednie-Brown P, Akama Y, Strahan L, Copley M, Dement L, Farago A, et al., Archipelagos of grief: crises partially digested, Sydney Review of Books (2023) | ||
| 2023 | Ednie-Brown P, Pushing the boundaries of arts writing and criticism via interdisciplinary experimental writing and collective digital creative practice, Various (2023) [N1] | ||
| 2022 | Ednie-Brown P, Akama Y, Strahan L, Copley M, Dement L, Farago A, et al., Writing the Virus, http://runway.org.au/expanded-writers-collective/, Runway Journal (2022) | ||
| 2017 | Ednie-Brown P, Avery Green: a house-person, Thornbury, Victoria, Melbourne (2017) | ||
| Show 19 more creative works | |||
Journal article (25 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 |
Ednie-Brown P, 'Schooling Fishy Knowledge', Architectural Design, 93 38-45 (2023) [C1]
There is much debate about architectural education and its usefulness in the face of vexing global issues and problems. Pia Ednie Brown examines the roots of Cranbrook&... [more] There is much debate about architectural education and its usefulness in the face of vexing global issues and problems. Pia Ednie Brown examines the roots of Cranbrook's pedagogy and assesses its relevance in this contemporary context. Her polemic piece calls for a fresh approach to architectural education, and the development of imaginative ecosystems to help it on its way.
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Open Research Newcastle | ||||||
| 2021 |
MacNeill K, Bolt B, Barrett E, McPherson M, Sierra M, Miller S, Ednie-Brown P, Wilson C, 'An ethical engagement: creative practice research, the academy and professional codes of conduct', Research Ethics, 17, 73-86 (2021) [C1]
This paper reports on the experiences of creative practice graduate researchers and academic staff as they seek to comply with the requirements of the Australian Nation... [more] This paper reports on the experiences of creative practice graduate researchers and academic staff as they seek to comply with the requirements of the Australian National Statement on the Ethical Conduct of Research Involving Humans. The research was conducted over a two-year period (2015 to 2017) as part of a wider project 'iDARE ¿ Developing New Approaches to Ethics and Research Integrity Training through Challenges Presented by Creative Practice Research'. The research identified the appreciation of ethics that the participants acquired through their experience of institutional research ethics procedures at their university. It also revealed a disjunction between the concepts of ethics acquired through meeting institutional research ethics requirements, the notion of ethics that many researchers adopt in their own professional creative practice and the contents of professional codes of conduct. A key finding of the research was that to prepare creative practice graduates for ethical decision-making in their professional lives, research ethics training in universities should be broadened to encompass a variety of contexts and enable researchers to develop skills in ethical know-how.
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Open Research Newcastle | ||||||
| 2020 |
Ednie-Brown P, Burke T, 'God in Reverse: Art, Architecture and Consciousness', Architecture Australia, 109 12-13 (2020)
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| 2020 |
Ednie-Brown P, George B, Chapman M, Mullen K, 'Sympathetic World-making: Drawing-out Ecological-Empathy', idea journal, 17 121-143 (2020) [C1]
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Open Research Newcastle | ||||||
| 2019 |
Stead N, Ednie-Brown P, Watson F, Rhodes K, 'Exhibiting the Workaround', Journal of Architectural Education, 73 193-201 (2019) [C1]
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Open Research Newcastle | ||||||
| 2015 |
Ednie-Brown P, 'Architecture of the occasion', Architectural Design, 85 100-105 (2015)
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| 2013 |
Ednie-Brown P, 'The ethics of the imperative', Architectural Design, 83 18-23 (2013)
The bald desire to innovate is not sufficient in itself. To go beyond mere technical invention and make a positive difference, innovation requires an engagement with ov... [more] The bald desire to innovate is not sufficient in itself. To go beyond mere technical invention and make a positive difference, innovation requires an engagement with overall ethical intent. Here, Guest-Editor Pia Ednie-Brown espouses a design ethos that values an open-ended approach to architectural innovation. She illustrates the ethical impact of implementing new technologies with two opposing paradigms - one dark and one affirmative - as exemplified by two classic films from 1968: 2001: A Space Odyssey and Barbarella. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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| 2013 |
Ednie-Brown P, 'Innovation at the storefront: The practice of Eva Franch i Gilabert', Architectural Design, 83 34-37 (2013)
An event and exhibition space opening on to the sidewalk of New York City's SoHo, Storefront is dedicated to the advancement of innovative positions in architectur... [more] An event and exhibition space opening on to the sidewalk of New York City's SoHo, Storefront is dedicated to the advancement of innovative positions in architecture and design. It seeks 'to simultaneously shake and question the current state of affairs'. Guest-Editor Pia Ednie-Brown discusses with the Catalan architect, Eva Franch i Gilabert, her role as Director of Storefront, and specifically how she has promoted active, generative engagement through humour, disruption and innovation. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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| 2013 |
Ednie-Brown P, Burry M, Burrow A, 'The innovative imperative: Architectures of vitality', Architectural Design, 83 8-17 (2013)
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| 2013 |
Ednie-Brown P, 'STRANGE VITALITY THE TRANSVERSAL ARCHITECTURE OF MOS AND NEW TERRITORIES/R&SIE(N)', ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN, 83, 62-69 (2013)
Guest-Editor Pia Ednie-Brown provides a foil to Mario Carpo's discussion of digital innovation. She argues for an emerging 'strange vitality' in contempo... [more] Guest-Editor Pia Ednie-Brown provides a foil to Mario Carpo's discussion of digital innovation. She argues for an emerging 'strange vitality' in contemporary computational design that is highly innovative: being disruptive rather than incremental in the manner in which it seeks out innovation. She specifically describes how MOS (Michael Meredith and Hilary Sample) and New Territories/R&Sie(n), led by François Roche, are reinventing digital design in architecture by reconnecting it through a variety of media to broader cultural and social issues. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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| 2013 |
Ednie-Brown P, 'On a fine line: Greg Lynn and the voice of innovation', Architectural Design, 83 44-49 (2013)
Architectural innovators often work on the cusp of what is feasible, acceptable and convincing. Practising futuristically can also mean risking going down a blind alley... [more] Architectural innovators often work on the cusp of what is feasible, acceptable and convincing. Practising futuristically can also mean risking going down a blind alley. Over the last two decades, Greg Lynn has been one of the leading figures in innovative practice, demonstrating an instinct for the meaningfully inventive. One of his major contributions has been cross-fertilisation of technologies, introducing the likes of animation and robotics from other disciplines into architecture. Having interviewed Lynn in April 2012, Guest-Editor Pia Ednie-Brown reflects on the specific characteristics of his work and mode of operation. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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| 2013 |
Ednie-Brown P, 'BioMASON and the speculative engagements of biotechnical architecture', Architectural Design, 83 84-91 (2013)
In the last decade, biotechnical architecture has become one of the most fertile areas for speculative architecture. Guest-Editor Pia Ednie-Brown traces the recent line... [more] In the last decade, biotechnical architecture has become one of the most fertile areas for speculative architecture. Guest-Editor Pia Ednie-Brown traces the recent lineage of this field, highlighting the work of Ginger Krieg Dosier and Michael Dosier of Vergelabs, which has pushed biotechnical architecture further towards actualisation; their company bioMASON specialises in the biomanufacture of building material and its architectural applications. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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| 2012 |
Ednie-Brown P, 'Vicious architectural circles: Aesthetics, affect and the disposition of emergence', Architectural Theory Review, 17 76-92 (2012)
Theories of emergence are intrinsically concerned with how things are generated or created. Such a theoretical model would seem clearly relevant to creative design prac... [more] Theories of emergence are intrinsically concerned with how things are generated or created. Such a theoretical model would seem clearly relevant to creative design practices and questions of aesthetics, but the discourse on emergence has been predominantly held within frameworks belonging to modern science. Implicit, historical connections between emergence and both architectural composition and aesthetics become indicators of other potential, with Greg Lynn as a key historical reference point regarding how architectural composition might offer important insight into the aesthetics of emergence. This article argues, drawing on Manuel DeLanda's keynote essay, that the potential of these connections has been hidden behind the mystical glow surrounding missing causal explanations. By connecting emergence and aesthetics through the concept of affect, they can become productive, mutually transformative allies. © 2012 Taylor & Francis.
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| 2006 |
Ednie-Brown P, Andrasek A, 'Continuum: A self-engineering creature-culture', Architectural Design, 76 18-25 (2006)
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| 2006 |
Ednie-Brown P, 'All-over, over-all: Biothing and emergent composition', Architectural Design, 76 72-81 (2006)
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Presentation (1 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Ednie-Brown P, 'Can a Building be a Person?', (2015) |
Grants and Funding
Summary
| Number of grants | 4 |
|---|---|
| Total funding | $2,915,027 |
Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.
20161 grants / $436,117
Design and Architecture Practice research: contemporary PhD (DAP_r)$436,117
Funding body: Office of Learning and Teaching
| Funding body | Office of Learning and Teaching |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Department of Education OLT |
| Role | Investigator |
| Funding Start | 2016 |
| Funding Finish | 2019 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | Aust Competitive - Commonwealth |
| Category | 1CS |
| UON | N |
20151 grants / $215,238
Developing new approaches to ethics and research integrity training through challenges posed by Creative Practice Research (iDARE)$215,238
Funding body: Office of Learning and Teaching
| Funding body | Office of Learning and Teaching |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Department of Education OLT |
| Role | Investigator |
| Funding Start | 2015 |
| Funding Finish | 2017 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | Aust Competitive - Commonwealth |
| Category | 1CS |
| UON | N |
20121 grants / $2,083,644
Immediations: Media, Art, Event$2,083,644
Funding body: SSHRC Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
| Funding body | SSHRC Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council |
|---|---|
| Project Team | Prof. Erin Manning (lead CI), Concordia University; Prof Brian Massumi, University of Montreal & 22 researchers across 14 institutions and 17 community partners across Canada, Denmark, Nether- lands, Switzerland, Australia, USA |
| Scheme | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Partnership Grant |
| Role | Investigator |
| Funding Start | 2012 |
| Funding Finish | 2019 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | International - Competitive |
| Category | 3IFA |
| UON | N |
20091 grants / $180,028
Ethics and aesthetics as criteria for innovation: A design research study of biological art and digital architecture$180,028
Funding body: ARC (Australian Research Council)
| Funding body | ARC (Australian Research Council) |
|---|---|
| Scheme | ARC Discovery |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2009 |
| Funding Finish | 2013 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | C1200 - Aust Competitive - ARC |
| Category | 1200 |
| UON | N |
Research Supervision
Number of supervisions
Current Supervision
| Commenced | Level of Study | Research Title | Program | Supervisor Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | PhD | Ritual Cartographies - Mapping Social Attitudes to Death and Dying | PhD (Architecture), College of Engineering, Science and Environment, The University of Newcastle | Co-Supervisor |
| 2021 | PhD | Ngaay Irri Urri Arri! (Me This Doing That!) A Study In Traditional Aboriginal Architecture Informing Contemporary Design Practice | PhD (Architecture), College of Engineering, Science and Environment, The University of Newcastle | Co-Supervisor |
| 2020 | PhD | Mapping Perceptual Worlds: Looping Biosemiotic Enactivism and Neuroaesthetics | PhD (Architecture), College of Engineering, Science and Environment, The University of Newcastle | Co-Supervisor |
Past Supervision
| Year | Level of Study | Research Title | Program | Supervisor Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | PhD | The Attentive Maker: foregrounding the interrelationality of thing, material, environment and maker. | Creative Arts, RMIT University | Principal Supervisor |
| 2018 | PhD | A commoning creative practice: tending to mutuality in spaces of engagement | Creative Arts, RMIT University | Principal Supervisor |
| 2018 | PhD | Facilimaking ornamental events - makeshift co-elaborations of jewellery juh - oul - lurh - ree | Creative Arts, RMIT University | Co-Supervisor |
| 2017 | PhD | Forms and ideas materialise: the material agency of the design medium in Architectural practice | Arch & Urban Environment, RMIT University | Principal Supervisor |
| 2017 | PhD | In pursuit of puzzlement: how architecture can pose questions | Arch & Urban Environment, RMIT University | Principal Supervisor |
| 2016 | PhD | Architectural judo:relational techniques for building events | Arch & Urban Environment, RMIT University | Principal Supervisor |
| 2015 | PhD | Care Making: Practices of Gleaning, Using and Future Fashioning | Fashion Design, RMIT University | Principal Supervisor |
| 2014 | PhD | Behavioral Formation: Multi-Agent Algorithmic Design Strategies | Arch & Urban Environment, RMIT University | Co-Supervisor |
| 2014 | PhD | Ark: Pursuing qualities of relation through a provisional compositional taxonomy | Arch & Urban Environment, RMIT University | Principal Supervisor |
| 2013 | PhD | [A]DRESSING DEATH: Fashioning Garments for the Grave | Fashion Design, RMIT University | Principal Supervisor |
| 2013 | PhD | Transformations: A Project-Based Investigation into the Impact of Creative Design Computation on Architectural Practice | Architecture, RMIT University | Co-Supervisor |
| 2013 | PhD | Sponging the Chair: Diagramming Affect Through Architecture and Performance | Creative Arts, RMIT University | Principal Supervisor |
| 2013 | PhD | Manufacturing Urbanism : An architectural practice for unfinished cities | Arch & Urban Environment, RMIT University | Co-Supervisor |
| 2012 | PhD | The Emergent Holographic Scene: Compositions of movement and affect using multiplexed holo- graphic images | Creative Arts, RMIT University | Principal Supervisor |
| 2011 | PhD | Objects in Flux: the consumer modification of mass-produced goods | Creative Arts, RMIT University | Co-Supervisor |
| 2010 | Masters | through a glass darkly: Reflections on the Affectivity of Mirrored Composition | Creative Arts, RMIT University | Principal Supervisor |
| 2009 | Masters | The Skin Project | Fashion Design, RMIT University | Principal Supervisor |
| 2006 | Masters | Performing the Art of Life: Four projects | Creative Arts, RMIT University | Principal Supervisor |
| 2006 | Masters | Digital Architectures and the Presence of the Virtual | Architecture, RMIT University | Principal Supervisor |
Research Projects
Affective Environments Laboratory 2013 -
Grants
Immediations: Media, Art, Event
Funding body: SSHRC Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
| Funding body | SSHRC Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Partnership Grant |
Developing new approaches to ethics and research integrity training through challenges posed by Creative Practice Research (iDARE)
Funding body: Office of Learning and Teaching
| Funding body | Office of Learning and Teaching |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Department of Education OLT |
Edit
Professor Pia Ednie-Brown
Position
Honorary Professor
School of Architecture and Built Environment
College of Engineering, Science and Environment
Focus area
Architecture
Contact Details
| pia.edniebrown@newcastle.edu.au | |
| Phone | 0249138119 |
Office
| Room | NM543 |
|---|---|
| Building | Mater Hospital: New Med2 |
| Location | Calvary Mater Hospital , |
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