Victoria University of Wellington is consistently ranked among the best universities in the world and is ranked number one in New Zealand for high quality research intensity, twice ranked first in the National Research Excellence Index. It is also one of only 13 universities in the world to receive the QS Stars Excellence Award for the top 5 Stars Plus. In 2021/2022, it was ranked 236th in the QS World University Rankings and boasted 5 stars in each of the 8 categories – Arts and Culture, Subject Rankings and Accreditation, Employability, Facilities, Inclusion, Internationalisation, Research and Teaching. Overall, Victoria University of Wellington is ranked in the top 2% of 18,000 universities worldwide. In 20 subject areas, it has entered the top 1% of world universities (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021). Victoria University of Wellington is made up of eight faculties spread across four campuses in the Wellington area. They are the Faculty of Architecture and Design Innovation, the Faculty of Business and Government, the Faculty of Education, the Faculty of Engineering, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Faculty of Health, the Faculty of Law, and the Faculty of Science.
Victoria University of Wellington is ranked in the top 150 in the world for Architecture and Built Environment in the QS World University Rankings 2021 (QS World University Rankings by Subject are based on academic reputation, employer reputation and research impact. Victoria University of Wellington is one of only two universities in New Zealand to be ranked in the top 200 in the world for art and design. It is worth mentioning that Wellington's Faculty of Architecture and Innovative Design also has a large master's programme that covers all aspects of the built environment. There are about 100 graduates each year. Students will work in world-class design studios and exhibition spaces, using state-of-the-art tools and design software, to become experts in architecture and landscape design, construction, or science. The staff are experts in their field and have been involved in extensive, leading research.
The Division has a range of staff with extensive experience and expertise whose achievements and impact are internationally recognised.
Robyn Phipps professor
As Director of the Division of Architecture and Design Innovation, she has conducted extensive research in the areas of heating, ventilation and energy efficiency in the areas of home and school performance. Her expertise is in finding sustainable and low-cost solutions for healthy indoor environments. She is co-director of the He Kainga Oranga Healthy Housing Research Group in New Zealand, which won the New Zealand 2014 Prime Minister's Scientific Research Group Award. She is also a Director of the New Green Building Council and a Trustee of the Property Foundation, and a founding member of the New Zealand Indoor Air Quality Research Centre.
Andre Brown professor
Serves as the head of the School of Architecture. He was Vice President for Academic Affairs at Xi'an Jiaotong University-University of Liverpool in Suzhou, China from 2014 to 2017 and Dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Liverpool in United Kingdom from 2007 to 2011 (the oldest professional accreditation college in the United Kingdom and one of the elite in the Russell Group of universities in the United Kingdom). He is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Architectural Computing and the former President of the European organization eCAADe. In 2010, he managed a week-long event at the Liverpool Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo in China, directing activities under the umbrella "Future Urban Design".
Daniel Brown professor
He is an interdisciplinary chair professor in the design studio at the School of Architecture. During his 14-year professional architectural career, he served as Vice President of Emilio Ambashi Associates (EAA), one of New York's most prominent architectural design firms, from 1990-96. During his seven-year tenure at EAA, Daniel's architectural projects have resulted in 12 books (including 8 monographs) and more than 200 international journal articles, as well as 7 international awards. Prior to joining EAA, Daniel worked at Richard Mayer & Partners in New York, Harry Seidler & Partners in Sydney and Brown Dartas & Partners in Rome. During his 23-year academic career, Daniel has won 12 teaching awards, including the New Zealand National Award for Continuing Teaching Excellence in Higher Education. He is one of 12 scholars selected from around the world to appear in the August 2021 issue of Architectural Design (AD) Special Issue: Emerging Talent|Training Architects. Daniel has been awarded 7 fully-funded international research fellowships.
Nan O'Sullivan
Serves as the head of the Design Innovation Academy. Her teaching and research question, research, debate, and demonstrate the roles and responsibilities of design and designers in society through process and practice. Her work focuses on using indigenous, place-based knowledge as an essential part of sustainable design practices and promoting positive social change through design. Nan believes in an inclusive approach to teaching and learning and strives to embrace diversity as a way to introduce students and disciplines to the multiplicity and complexity of the design world, as well as its vocabulary and possibilities. She encourages an environment in which design education and practice are well equipped, prepared, and confident to confront and challenge the complexities of the environments we inhabit and design. Her approach has been recognised across the university and she received the Victorian Award for Excellence in Early Vocational Teaching in 2016 and the Victorian Award for Excellence in Equity and Diversity in 2017 for her leadership.
Jeongbin Ok
As Programme Director of the Industrial Design program, Industrial Design's research interests span design for safety, health and sustainability, through design-led integration of smart materials, additive manufacturing and emerging technologies for digital processes. Jeongbin is the inventor of more than 20 patented products, systems and materials.
Simon Fraser professor
Since 2000, he has been a professor at the School of Design. He was Acting Dean of the Victoria University School of Design from 2002 to 2010, Vice-Chancellor of the Victoria University of Design from 2006 to 2007 and Associate Dean of the School of Research and Innovation from 2007 to 2013. Since 2015, he has led the University of Wellington's Strategic Theme: Stimulating Design-Led, High-Value Manufacturing Districts.
Both architecture and landscape architecture are nationally recognized as professional qualifications, as well as internationally recognized. Both have a long history and reputation. Architecture: Wellington School of Architecture's Bachelor of Architecture combined with Master of Architecture is recognised by the Council of Registered Architects of New Zealand and the New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) as meeting the requirements for a 5-year accreditation education in architecture (the most recent accreditation visit to the school was in 2017, approved by both Australia and New Zealand), and qualifications are recognised in most states in the United States. Accredited by the New Zealand Council of Registered Architects and the New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA), it has achieved an internationally recognised global standard for architectural qualifications in the country. Landscape Architecture: The BA (BAS) leads to a two-year Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) study. This qualification was recognised by the New Zealand Society of Landscape Architects (NZILA) in 2018 and is also recognised by the International Federation of Landscape Architecture (IFLA). In 2020, the 20th anniversary of landscape architecture was witnessed and celebrated.
Wellington School of Architecture
Graduate students in the School of Architecture play an important role in developing high-quality research outputs. The staff guides students through a variety of dissertation topics. Research findings are frequently presented at national and international conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals. Many graduate alumni have gone on to become industry leaders in their chosen fields. The Faculty is actively involved in national and international research initiatives and is led by respected academic staff. These initiatives attract students from all over the world.
The School of Architecture has three main areas of study:● Creative and critical, with an emphasis on design research, performance, and history and theory;
● Sustainability and well-being, including research on resilient and sustainable cities, designed for well-being and positive social impact, and designed for Indigenous peoples and minorities;
● Performance and technology, including building performance, building technology and materials, as well as simulation methods and virtual spaces. School of Innovative Design
Researchers in industrial design study experiences and products that impact human and environmental well-being.
Industrial design responds to human experiences, behaviors, needs, and desires by creatively engaging in large-scale and mass-produced production processes and materials. This field is increasingly being driven by digital technologies. Researchers in this field study experiences and products that affect human and environmental well-being. Create original, useful, and meaningful products, such as furniture made from recycled plastic and medical prosthetics tailored to individuals.
The Industrial Design Research Group collaborates with a variety of interdisciplinary academics and professionals, with strong links with industry partners and research institutions. Current research interests include innovative applications of additive manufacturing (AM), such as computer-generated objects (CGO), 4D printing for synthetic biology and circular economy, and emerging digital fabrication platforms