Simon Robinson, Director of the not-for-profit multidisciplinary design and research practice, OFFICE, has been awarded the inaugural Alastair Swayn Foundation-RMIT Architecture Affiliated Fellowship.

Through the fellowship, Robinson will spend eight weeks at the American Academy in Rome and embark on a new research project, Learning from Corviale to document and evaluate the ongoing refurbishment of Corviale, one of Italy’s biggest post-war public housing estates.

The project will explore an alternative approach to renewing ageing public housing stock and provide an opportunity for Robinson to establish links to practitioners in Europe.

It will also support the continuation of Robinson’s existing research into public housing estate renewal here in Melbourne through OFFICE’s Retain, Repair, Reinvest project.

A site-specific strategy for evaluating the refurbishment potential of existing public housing, the Retain, Repair, Reinvest project intends to retain existing communities of Melbourne’s public housing but with improved comfort and amenity through the repair of existing buildings, in turn reducing carbon emissions.

Professor Vivian Mitsogianni, Dean of Architecture & Urban Design and jury chairs said the jury felt that Robinson’s fellowship project and its link to ongoing work was topical and of immediate interest within and outside the architecture discipline.

“Simon is an outstanding emerging architect and a strong advocate and activist within and outside of the architectural profession, with numerous self-initiated design-practice research projects” she said.

“The jury was very impressed by the thoughtfulness of his project and the tangible impact it will have.”

Graham Humphries, Chair of the Alastair Swayn Foundation expressed the organisation’s support for Simon Robinson’s appointment.

“We are extremely pleased with the appointment of Simon Robinson as the inaugural Affiliated Fellow. His work and advocacy in public housing through OFFICE has had real impact within Victoria.

The Affiliated Fellowship is a unique and prestigious opportunity for design professionals in Australia and we are delighted to partner with RMIT Architecture and the American Academy in Rome on this major new initiative.  The Foundation congratulates Simon  on being selected as the first recipient of this annual Fellowship and, along with RMIT, eagerly look forward to sharing his research from his time there with the broader Australian community on his return.”

Robinson will deliver a public lecture upon the completion of his fellowship, the details of which will be available later in the year.

The ASF-RMIT Affiliated Fellowship was introduced in 2023 to provide early and mid-career Australian architects, landscape architects and design professionals with opportunities to work on their research, cultivate their practice, and make new connections in the interdisciplinary context of the American Academy in Rome.

The inaugural fellowship was received well by the architecture, urban design, and interior design community with a high percentage of outstanding applications.

Applications were reviewed by a jury comprised of Kerstin Thompson (Kerstin Thompson Architects), Michael Lavery (M3 Architecture) and Professor Vivian Mitsogianni along with advisor Michael Jasper (Alastair Swayn Foundation).

The jury welcomes any unsuccessful candidates to reapply in the next round, which is anticipated to open in 2024.

To find out more information about the ASF-RMIT Affiliated Fellowship, Alastair Swayn Foundation, RMIT Architecture and the American Academy in Rome, please follow the links below.