New Dean of Architecture announced

1 July 2005

An architecture professor at the University of Hong Kong who has special interests in design management and computer-aided architectural design has been appointed Sydney’s new Dean of Architecture.

Professor Thomas Kvan, a Danish citizen born in Hong Kong who has worked in Europe, Africa, North America and Asia, will take up his new appointment in January.

His background includes positions as an architect in Botswana; a principal in a multinational, Swiss-based architecture practice; a founding partner in a venture capital funded software company based in California; and, as a partner in The Coxe Group, SeattleWA, a management consultant to design professionals worldwide

He holds a doctorate in design technologies from the Open University in England, a Master of Achitecture from UCLA and a Master of Arts from Trinity Hall, Cambridge, as well as teaching accreditation from HKU.

Dr Kvan says he thoroughly enjoys teaching, "especially design studio in which one-on-one interactions with students provide enormous rewards as well as an opportunity to bring research into teaching".

In interdisciplinary research he has worked with colleagues from psychology, mechanical engineering and business, and has been a visiting professor at the Universities of Eindhoven and Sydney as well as an advisor to the University of Indonesia.

He is treasurer of the CAADFutures Foundation, established in 1985 to promote, through international conferences and publications, the advancement of computer aided architectural design to those concerned with the quality of the built environment.

The current Dean, Professor Gary Moore, will continue as a professor in the Faculty of Architecture.