Dr Phillip Roös has worked all over the world, including in Africa, Europe and Australia. He now teaches architecture at Deakin University, where he had developed a unit called 'Ecological Cities and Futures' that examines ecological urbanism and design that considers the relationship between humans and nature.

Roös hopes to see more architecture embrace 'deep sustainability', where design enriches place, considers people, responds to local character and culture, and creates a healthy environment.

As a leader in environmental design, you have worked on projects in Europe, Africa and Australasia. Which country did you most enjoy working in?

There are so many that I enjoyed! I really love the challenge to influence project design teams and help them to integrate and embrace environmental design. I respect the opinions of my professional peers and work closely with the lead architects to achieve best outcomes.

A few recent projects are the Advanced Manufacturing and Design Centre at Swinburne University, the Flinders Street Station Design competition, where I was part of the Grimshaw team, and the Southern Cross University’s New Learning Centre in Lismore as lead architect and project director. 

The most challenging and exciting is the current Melbourne Metro Tunnel project, where I have written the biophilic design guidelines to inform detailed station designs. This is possibly the first time in Australia, or in the world, where the principles of biophilia are influencing underground railway station architecture and the surrounding urban design. 

I must confess that the most enjoyable and memorable are small unique projects that I have done in Africa. There are fewer restrictions, or none in some instances, a rich and diverse culture and clients who are hugely adventurous. The ‘environmental architecture’ was about connection to place, embracing the culture and customs, and the patterns of the land, allowing one to experience the surrounding environment to its fullest. 

Some of these projects include: ‘Africa House’, working with my close friend, humanitarian, writer and explorer Kingsley Holgate, revamping his beach house; the design and building of ‘Zinkwazi Lodge’ built from large timber logs; and creating a holiday sanctuary called ‘Cape Escape’ for a Cape Town property developer who has become a close friend.

I designed various other houses along the east coast of South Africa embracing local sustainable practices, and they too were all unique due to their place setting. 

With almost 30 years of experience in Australia and overseas, what popular trends support or don’t support sustainability practice? 

It depends where and what we are speaking about. Unfortunately, the huge trend in Australia, that I find extremely disappointing and worrying, seems to be the popularity of volume home building in sprawling suburban estates.

‘Cookie cutter’ home designs are not sustainable, and have been proven to not build close knit, healthy communities, unlike the broadly advertised notion that they do.

Generally speaking these developments don't provide enough open space and natural environments, they are car dependent, destroys local character and natural, historical sense of place, for example when they develop close to and sometimes in coastal towns. 

With today’s focus on sustainability, what trends do you see emerging in architecture? 

Energy-efficient heating and cooling, solar panels, and water tanks are a start, but not what makes a building sustainable and habitable or able to cope with the ever-increasing effects of a changing climate. Initially the trend was to address these factors of efficiency, but slowly we see that architectural designs go far and beyond the chase for star ratings and sustainability certification. 

There is a trend for architects, planners, landscape architects and designers to acknowledge that design needs to enrich its place, to consider people and respond to local character and culture as well as to the environment. I refer to this as a trend that is evolving into the concept of ‘deep sustainability’. It is more about healthy environments than resource efficiency. We see this to happen in public places, not only in the domestic framework. Sadly I think we still have a way to go before this becomes commonplace.

What is the most interesting brief you’ve been given by a client? Did you take on the project?

Undoubtedly the brief to design an eco-resort nestled against the eroded cliffs of an ancient crater at the Amakhala Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape Province. The challenge was huge, but the potential was perfect. The project would have support the local indigenous community, and included all aspects of sustainable practice that one could think of. I started with the concept designs, but unfortunately a rising volatile political climate at the time put a hold on the project. Who knows, the project could be resurrected in future. 

As a senior lecturer in Architecture at Deakin University, what research projects that you are involved with could have a positive impact on the future of architecture?  

A research project called ‘Biophilia and a Regenerative Pattern Language’. This research looks at the human-nature relationship (biophilia) to inform optimised design processes based on a regenerative pattern language system. This potentially can result in a new architecture and planning method that re-establishes our wholeness with nature, creating healthy built environments, and considering the vulnerabilities of a changing landscape.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

My decision to move into academia was to learn and teach, and to ‘give back’. I bring my experience in practice to the class, and nothing gives me more joy than see how a student embraces your guidance and mentorship. I enjoy supervising the final design projects of master’s degree architecture students, and also the supervision of PhD students with amazing research topics. 

Best of all is a post-graduate unit that I developed called ‘Ecological Cities and Futures’, where I teach the application and principles of ecological urbanism, biophilic design and regenerative design for the design and planning of our future cities.  

What advice would you give to a new architecture graduate?

Never let go of your passion, and believe in yourself! After all, you have chosen a profession that influences our future; make sure that it is a sustainable and resilient one. 

Where do you live now?

My wife and I live in the small coastal town Barwon Heads, which is situated on the Bellarine Peninsula, the coastal location is great and conveniently close to Geelong City where I teach at Deakin University.

Where would you live if you could live anywhere in the world?

At the moment, and there is nothing stopping us from living almost anywhere in the world, I guess it’s right here on the Bellarine, close to the Otway forests and the breathtaking Great Ocean Road coast. 

Although there are so many places that I would love to experience and live in such as a beautiful little village in Italy or Spain that has grown organically, or some parts of the world that fit into the natural environment such as New Zealand and Tasmania. 

Idealistically I am also drawn to Lamu, a small town that is part of the Lamu Archipelago on the Kenyan coast, with amazing architecture, friendly people and a great culture. Life just isn’t long enough to enjoy and experience this wonderful vast world that we live in.

Read more about one of Dr Roös' designs:

A Barwon Heads beach shack with a big difference

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