Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning

Dr Paolo Tombesi

BArch (Rome) PhD (UCLA)

Associate Professor in Architectural Design and Practice

Email: p.tombesi@unimelb.edu.au

 

Paolo Tombesi is a former Fulbright Fellow, and has a PhD in architectural practice and regional development. In 2004, he was scholar in residence at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard, where he co-taught International Practice. He is currently a research fellow at the Polytechnic of Turin. Over the last ten years, he has given over thirty public lectures, advanced seminars and keynote addresses around the world. He has taught in the USA, Italy and Spain, and has been a visiting critic in Austria, Switzerland and Costa Rica. Since 1986, he has been contributing to the world’s leading architectural and building periodicals. Between 1990 and 1996, he was the Los Angeles correspondent for the international journal Casabella. Since 2002, he is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Architectural Education and UME, as well as an editorial correspondent for the British Construction Management and Economics andIl Giornale dell’Architettura. He has consulted with the Department of Environment and Heritage of the Federal Government, and the Royal Australian Institute of Architects. He is an Expert of international standing with the Australia Research Council and the Funding Research Agency for Technology of Quebec (FQRNT).

 

Teaching Responsibilities

702-446 Political Economy of Design

 

Funded Research

Project Transnational and Temporary: Place-making, Students and Community in Central Melbourne (with Professor Ruth Fincher and Professor Paul Carter)
Year: 2005
Source: ARC Linkage Grant

 

Project From Tourist Siren to Technological Beacon: Analysing the Industrial Function of the Sydney Opera House Thirty Years after its Completion
Year: 2005
Source: ARC Discovery Project Grant

 

Project Digital Outsourcing in Architecture: Opportunities for Australian Firms or Perils for Australian Workforce?
Year: 2005
Source: ARC Discovery Project Grant

 

Project In the Shadow of the Sydney Opera House: An Analysis of the Innovation Role of Public Buildings in Different Socio-Technical Environments.
Year: 2005
Source: Italian Government 'Brain Return' Grant

 

Awards Received

 

Recent Publications

Books

Tombesi, P., Wilkins, C. Globalization and Architectural Education, Journal of Architectural Education Theme Issue, 58/3 (February 2005).

 

Book chapters

Tombesi, P. (2004) Chenqien Qihou de Pianou (Piano in the context of history) in Beck, H., Cooper, J. (eds) UME – Guoji Jianzhu Sheji(UME – International Architectural Design), trans. Cai Songjian and Banong Shuye, Guangzhou: Guangdong Keji Chubanshe, pp. 40-53.

 

Refereed journal articles

Tombesi P & Martel AA. 2005. Vessels of Expression and Flows of Innovation: On the Connection between Toilets and Architecture. Journal of Architectural Education. 59(2):43-52.

Tombesi, P., Wilkins, C. Introduction to Globalization, Journal of Architectural Education, 58/3 (February 2005): pp. 1-4.

Tombesi, P. Sloppily built or precisely loose? On the ideology of Disney Hall and the technology of the curtain. Architectural Research Quarterly 8/3-4 (2004): pp. 246-259.

Tombesi P. 2004. Agencies of Central Design Intelligence. Journal of Architectural Education. 58(2):54-57.

Tombesi P. 2004. Back to the Future: the Pragmatic Classicism of Australia's Parliament House. Architectural Research Quarterly. 7(2):140-154.

Tombesi, P. Iconic Public Buildings as Sites of Technological Innovation. Harvard Design Magazine 21 (Fall 2004/Winter 2005) (digital article)
www.gsd.harvard.edu/research/publications/hdm/current/21_tombesi.html.

Tombesi P, Dave B & Scriver P. 2003. Routine production or symbolic analysis? India and the globalisation of architectural services. Journal of Architecture. 8(1):63-94.

Tombesi, P. Super Market. Harvard Design Magazine 17 (Fall 2002/Winter 2003): pp. 26–31.

Tombesi P. 2002. Involving the industry: the use of 'request for proposal' packages at Frank O. Gehry & Assoc. Architectural Research Quarterly. 6(1):77-87.

Tombesi P. 2001. A True South for Design? The New International Division of Labour in Architecture. Architectural Research Quarterly. 5(2):171-180.

Tombesi, P., 2000, 'Modelling the dynamics of design error-induced rework in construction: comment', Construction Management and Economics 18:727-732

 

Refereed conference papers

Tombesi P. 2005. Project Costs and Industrial Benefits: Analysing the Technological Function of the Sydney Opera House. In S Emmitt & M Prins (eds), Designing Value: New Direction in Architectural Management. 69-80. Copenhagen, Denmark: Technical University of Denmark.

Tombesi P. 2005. Tourist Sirens or Technological Beacons? On the Innovation Function of Large Public Buildings. In R Hejduk & H Van Oudenallen (eds), The Art of Architecture/The Science of Architecture: 93rd ACSA Annual Meeting. 553-560. Washington, United States of America: Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA).

Tombesi P, Dave B, Gardiner BM & Scriver P. 2005. Evaluating the Industrial Potential of Digital Outsourcing in Architecture: Methodological Challenges and Choices. In S Emmitt & M Prins (eds), Proceedings of CIB W096 Architectural Management. 441-450. Copenhagen, Denmark: Technical University of Denmark.

Tombesi P. 2004. Capital Gains and Architectural Losses: the Expansion Journey of Caudill Rowlett Scott 1948-1994. In H Edquist & H Frichot (eds), LIMITS: Proceedings from the 21st Annual Conference of the Society of Architectural Historians Australia and New Zealand . 485-491. Perth, Australia: Society of Architectural Historians Australia and New Zealand (SAHANZ).

Tombesi P. 2003. Back to the future: The pragmatic classicism of Australia's Parliament House. In M Gusheh & N Stead (eds), Progress: The proceedings of the twentieth annual conference of the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand. 303-308. Sydney, Australia: The Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand (S.

Tombesi, P. Tectonic Landscapes: An Analysis of Place-making Strategies in Two Projects by Renzo Piano Building Workshop. Archipelagos: Outposts of the Americas, 88 th ACSA Annual Meeting, ACSA Press, Washington (2004): pp. 124-132.

Tombesi, P., Dave, B., Scriver, P. Routine Production or Symbolic Analysis? India and the Globalization of Architectural Services. Architecture, Culture, and the Challenges of Globalization , ACSA 2002 International Conference, ACSA Press, Washington (2004): pp. 328-339.

Tombesi, P Involving the industry: The use of 'Request for Proposal' packages at Frank O. Gehry and Associates. Value Through Design, CIB W096 Architectural Management and Design Research Society Conference, CIB Publication 280, CIB, Rotterdam (2002): pp. 171-180.

Tombesi, P. Shifting Geographies? The New International Division of Labour in Architecture. Oriental-Occidental Geography, Identity, Space, ACSA 2001 International Conference, ACSA Press, Washington (2002): pp. 443-447.

Tombesi, P. & Adasko K. Treading light: A mobile construction training unit for East Timor.Transportable Environments 2001, Centre for Advanced Studies in Architecture, Singapore (2001): pp. 117-128.

 

Contributions to Major Reference Works

Tombesi, P. Richard Leplastrier. Entry for the Dizionario dell'Architettura del XX secolo, 2nd edition, Istituto Enciclopedia Italiana, Italy (2004): pp. 1424-1425.

Tombesi, P. Andresen O’Gorman. Entry for the Dizionario dell'Architettura del XX secolo, 2nd edition, Istituto Enciclopedia Italiana, Italy (2004): pp. 1847.

Tombesi, P. FTL. Entry for the Dizionario dell'Architettura del XX secolo, 2nd edition, Istituto Enciclopedia Italiana, Italy (2004): pp. 802-803.

 

Keynote addresses

Utzon Center Lecture, Aalborg University, Denmark (November 2005)

Loeb Fellowship Seminar, Graduate School of Design, Harvard University (December 2004)

Research seminar, Information Management Group, Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (December 2004)

Center for Design Informatics Lecture, Harvard University (December 2004)

Vessels of Expression and Flows of Innovation', Shooting Stars Lecture, California College of Arts and Crafts, San Francisco (November 2004)

On the Move: Architecture, Work and Professionalism', public lecture, Syracuse University School of Architecture, Syracuse, New York (October 2004)

Unitec High Performance Cladding Workshop, RMIT University (April 2004)

‘The global market of architectural services', PhD Program in Industrial Design, Department of Technological Innovation in Architecture and Environmental Culture, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Italy (July 2003)

'Asset or liability? The impact of the Sydney Opera House over analysis and management of building innovation in Australia', Public lecture, Faculty of Architecture, Polytechnic of Bari, Italy (June 2003)

'Organic produce: The globalisation of architectural production', Public lecture, Universidad del Diseño, San Jose, Costa Rica (June 2002)

'The new Negres: Computers and the international division of design labour' Keynote address, Odysseys - Worlds on the Move, ACSA South-East Region Conference, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA (February 2002)

'The new south of design', Public lecture, Taubman College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA (February 2002)

Series of six public lectures Faculty of Architecture, Polytechnic of Bari, Italy (2001/2002)

'Romaldo Giurgola', Half-time Club, Melbourne (March 2001)

'The Roman habitus of Romaldo Giurgola', Keynote address, Romaldo Giurgola Symposium, University of New South Wales, Sydney (November 2000)

 

Research Supervision

 

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