The University of NSW (UNSW) dean of Built Environment, professor Helen Lochhead, has been chosen as the new president of the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA).
The appointment, which is effective from May 2019, will create opportunities to further develop research collaboration and knowledge exchange with industry and government, according to a statement from UNSW.
Lochhead, who has built a career as both an educator and an architect, says she is looking forward to further align university and professional expectations including continuing postgraduate and professional development education.
Lochhead, who also serves on the National Council and Board of the Australian Institute of Architects, has over the years held many senior roles in NSW government, including deputy government architect, and executive director roles at the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority and the Sydney Olympic Park Authority.
As a graduate of Sydney University and a Loeb Fellow of Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, her career has focused on the inception, planning, design and delivery of complex multidisciplinary projects ranging from a city-wide improvements programs to major urban regeneration projects.
In 2013 she was the winner of the Marion Mahony Griffin Prize at the NSW Architecture Awards.
