Rob Adams (architect): Difference between revisions

Robert John Adams AM
Robert John Adams AM
Born	1948 (age 75–76); Zimbabwe
Nationality	Zimbabwean, Australian
Occupation	Architect
Practice	Adams Urban, City of Melbourne
Projects	Urban Design and Delivery City of Melbourne (1985—2020), CH2 building

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Robert John Adams AM is an Australian architect and urban designer based in Melbourne. He worked at the City of Melbourne, Australia for 40 years, 24 of those as Director of City Design and Projects.^[1] He won multiple awards as the leader of the revitalisation of the Melbourne central business district and surrounds, helping to create a vibrant city streetscape with innovative design features.^[2]

Early life and education

Adams grew up in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe)^[3] and gained a B.Arch at the University of Cape Town (1966-1971), South Africa. He later did a Masters in Urban Design from Oxford Brookes University in England (1974-1977).^[4]

Career

He helped establish an urban design course in Zimbabwe in 1978-80, before moving to Australia. From 1983 he worked at the City of Melbourne, going part time from 2020. He is a regular lecturer at RMIT and at the University of Melbourne, where he has been a Professorial Fellow since 2004. He runs his own consultancy, Adams Urban.^[5]^[6]

Urban design in Melbourne

In 1985 the city centre of Melbourne was in need of revitalisation, with retail trading and cultural activities lagging behind its counterparts elsewhere in Australia and in Europe. Adams helped to write, and to put in place, the first comprehensive urban design strategy for the City, based on the idea of creating a vibrant and well-populated streetscape profiting from the city's multi-mode transport system. He guided the strategy's implementation in several projects, which took place as the city recovered from economic recession in the late 1980s and was prepared to invest in the built environment. These included Postcode 3000 (bringing redundant buildings into use, particularly for apartments in the city centre), the redevelopment of Swanston Street as a pedestrian-friendly street, the QV development, the creation of a new riverfront park called Birrarung Marr from under-used rail sidings,^[7] the Queensbridge Precinct, the Turning Basin, and the CH2 building which was the first purpose-built office building in Australia to achieve a maximum Six Green Star rating and which has passive heating and cooling, power generation and blackwater treatment.^[8] He has also overseen the installation of kilometres of detailed bluestone paving across the city, opened up laneways for retail use, redesigned the Yarra River frontage with walkways and new pedestrian bridges, installed street furniture and art, new lighting, signage and extensive tree planting.

Adams' urban revitalisation work in the urban core has assisted Melbourne to become one of the world's most liveable cities. Comprehensive urban design programs over two decades has seen a reversal in the way the city, and particularly its centre, is perceived. By the mid-1990s Melbourne was ranked highly in indices of desirable cities - as of 2010 Melbourne took second place in the 2010 Economist's World's Most Liveable Cities Index and rose to first in 2011, and second again in 2020.^[9] Adams has also promoted the arts and culture of Melbourne through projects such as Blue Line, Travellers, and Birrarung Wilam. He has expanded the City’s cultural program through venues such as ArtPlay (a venue for children's art and teaching activities),^[10] MeatMarket, ArtHouse and the Town Hall Gallery.^[11]

In the latter years of his tenure at the City of Melbourne he turned to accommodating over a million extra people within the existing metropolitan boundary. He advocated medium density, 5+storey development for housing and commercial uses along the major tram and bus corridors leading out of the centre, but only in locations with rear access to properties. Accommodating these numbers in new residential developments and existing suburbs would avoid further urban sprawl. Significant greening and reorientation of roadscapes would accompany these measures, which were outlined in the 'Transforming Cities' report of 2010.^[12]^[13] In 2020 he also argued the pandemic would leave central city office space also available for conversion for housing.

Awards

The City Design Division at the City of Melbourne led by Adams has received over 150 state and national awards for design excellence since the 1980s
RAIA Walter Burley Griffin Award, Urban Design of Melbourne City, Urban Design Branch, City of Melbourne, 1992
Order of Australia (AM) in 2007 for services to urban design, town planning and architecture.^[14]
Melbourne Achiever Award, Committee for Melbourne, 2007
Prime Minister's Environmentalist of the Year, 2008 (Australia)
Sidney Luker Medal, Planning Institute of Australia NSW, 2009
Australia Award for Urban Design for Transforming Cities report, 2009
Honorary Doctorate, University of Melbourne, 2016
Australian Institute of Architect’s National President’s Award, 2018

References

^ https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-adams-am-27138521/?originalSubdomain=au
^ "Professor Rob Adams citation" (PDF). University of Melbourne.
^ (in Portuguese) Rob Adams, arquiteto:‘Prefeitos estão mais importantes que presidentes’. By Renato Grandelle. O Globo, 1 October 2014
^ https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-adams-am-27138521/?originalSubdomain=au
^ profile on LinkedIn
^ https://www.adamsurban.au/
^ Raxworthy, J.R. 2003. Birrarung Marr. Architectural Review Australia, 84. pp. 46-49.
^ ABC: Council House 2 - The eco-office block of the future, 19 April 2007, retrieved 28 January 2011
^ 2010 Economist's World's Most Liveable Cities Index
^ ArtPlay
^ The construction of the Crown Casino on the Yarra in a prime riverside site was allegedly not one of his favoured projects, but pushed through by the Kennett government of the time. It resulted in the relocation of the Melbourne Museum.
^ Transforming Australian Cities For a More Financially Viable And Sustainable Future. City of Melbourne.
^ Tina Perinotto. 2020. Interview: Rob Adams: Challenging the status quo on urban planning. The Fifth Estate -sustainable property news. 10 September 2020.
^ "Professor Robert John Adams, Queen's Birthday 2007 Honours List ID 1134684". Australian Government, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Australian Honours Search Facility. 11 June 2007. Retrieved 11 July 2023.

External links

[1] ttps://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-adams-am-27138521/?originalSubdomain=au

[2] "Professor Rob Adams citation" (PDF). University of Melbourne.

[3] (in Portuguese) Rob Adams, arquiteto:‘Prefeitos estão mais importantes que presidentes’. By Renato Grandelle. O Globo, 1 October 2014

[4] ttps://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-adams-am-27138521/?originalSubdomain=au

[5] rofile on LinkedIn

[6] ttps://www.adamsurban.au/

[7] Raxworthy, J.R. 2003. Birrarung Marr. Architectural Review Australia, 84. pp. 46-49.

[8] ABC: Council House 2 - The eco-office block of the future, 19 April 2007, retrieved 28 January 2011

[9] 2010 Economist's World's Most Liveable Cities Index

[10] ArtPlay

[11] The construction of the Crown Casino on the Yarra in a prime riverside site was allegedly not one of his favoured projects, but pushed through by the Kennett government of the time. It resulted in the relocation of the Melbourne Museum.

[12] Transforming Australian Cities For a More Financially Viable And Sustainable Future. City of Melbourne.

[13] Tina Perinotto. 2020. Interview: Rob Adams: Challenging the status quo on urban planning. The Fifth Estate -sustainable property news. 10 September 2020.

[14] "Professor Robert John Adams, Queen's Birthday 2007 Honours List ID 1134684". Australian Government, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Australian Honours Search Facility. 11 June 2007. Retrieved 11 July 2023.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Australian architect}}
+{{BLP sources|date=January 2024}}
 {{Use Australian English|date=June 2020}}
 {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
+{{Infobox architect
-'''Rob Adams'''  (born 1948<ref>{{in lang|pt}} [http://oglobo.globo.com/sociedade/conte-algo-que-nao-sei/rob-adams-arquitetoprefeitos-estao-mais-importantes-que-presidentes-14104909  Rob Adams, arquiteto:‘Prefeitos estão mais importantes que presidentes’]. By Renato Grandelle.  ''[[O Globo]]'', 1 October 2014</ref>) is an [[architect]] and [[urban design]]er, currently City Architect and previously Director of City Design at the [[City of Melbourne]], Australia. He won multiple awards as the leader of the revitalization of the [[Melbourne City Centre]] and surrounds, helping to create a vibrant city streetscape with innovative design features.
+|name=Robert John Adams {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AM}}
+|image=
+|nationality=Zimbabwean, Australian
+|birth_date= {{Birth year and age|1948}}
+|birth_place= Zimbabwe
+|practice= Adams Urban, City of Melbourne
+| significant_projects  =Urban Design and Delivery [[City of Melbourne]] (1985—2020), [[Council House 2|CH2 building]]
+|awards=
+|}}
+'''Robert John Adams''' {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AM}} is an Australian [[architect]] and [[urban design]]er based in [[Melbourne]]. He worked at the [[City of Melbourne]], Australia for 40 years, 24 of those as Director of City Design and Projects.<ref>https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-adams-am-27138521/?originalSubdomain=au</ref> He won multiple awards as the leader of the revitalisation of the [[Melbourne central business district]] and surrounds, helping to create a vibrant city streetscape with innovative design features.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Professor Rob Adams citation |url=https://about.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0025/16387/Professor-Rob-Adams-citationFINAL-RA-Edits.pdf |website=University of Melbourne}}</ref>
+==Early life and education==
+Adams grew up in [[Southern Rhodesia]] (now [[Zimbabwe]])<ref>{{in lang|pt}} [http://oglobo.globo.com/sociedade/conte-algo-que-nao-sei/rob-adams-arquitetoprefeitos-estao-mais-importantes-que-presidentes-14104909  Rob Adams, arquiteto:‘Prefeitos estão mais importantes que presidentes’]. By Renato Grandelle.  ''[[O Globo]]'', 1 October 2014</ref><!---does not specify year of birth---> and gained a B.Arch at the [[University of Cape Town]] (1966-1971), South Africa. He later did a Masters in Urban Design from [[Oxford Brookes University]] in England (1974-1977).<ref>https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-adams-am-27138521/?originalSubdomain=au</ref>
-==Background==
+==Career==
-Adams grew up in [[Southern Rhodesia]] (now [[Zimbabwe]]) and gained a B.Arch at the [[University of Cape Town]], South Africa in the 1960s. He later took a Masters in Urban Design from [[Oxford Brookes University]] in the UK. He helped establish an urban design course in Zimbabwe in 1978-80, before moving to Australia. Since the mid-1980s he has worked at the City of Melbourne. He is a regular lecturer at [[RMIT University|RMIT]] and at the [[University of Melbourne]], where he has been a Professorial Fellow since 2004.
+He helped establish an urban design course in Zimbabwe in 1978-80, before moving to Australia. From 1983 he worked at the City of Melbourne, going part time from 2020. He is a regular lecturer at [[RMIT University|RMIT]] and at the [[University of Melbourne]], where he has been a Professorial Fellow since 2004. He runs his own consultancy, Adams Urban.<ref>[https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-adams-27138521/?originalSubdomain=au profile] on [[LinkedIn]]</ref><ref>https://www.adamsurban.au/</ref>
 ==Urban design in Melbourne==
 [[File:CouncilHouse2.jpg|thumb|Council House 2 (CH<sub>2</sub>), Melbourne]]
-In 1985 the city centre of Melbourne was in need of revitalization, with retail trading and cultural activities lagging behind its counterparts elsewhere in Australia and in Europe. Adams helped to write, and to put in place, the first comprehensive urban design strategy for the City, based on the idea of creating a vibrant and well-populated street-scape profiting from the city's multi-mode transport system.  He guided the strategy's implementation in several projects, which took place as the city recovered from economic recession in the late 1980s and was prepared to invest in the built environment. These included [[Postcode 3000]] (bringing redundant buildings into use, particularly for apartments in the city centre), the redevelopment of [[Swanston Street, Melbourne|Swanston Street]] as a pedestrian-friendly street, the [[Queen Victoria Village|QV development]], the creation of a new riverfront park called [[Birrarung Marr]] from under-used rail sidings,<ref>[http://eprints.qut.edu.au/27897/1/c27897.pdf Raxworthy, J.R. 2003. Birrarung Marr. ''Architectural Review Australia'', 84. pp. 46-49.]</ref> the Queensbridge Precinct, the Turning Basin, and the [[Council House 2|CH2 building]] which was the first purpose-built office building in Australia to achieve a maximum Six [[Green Star (Australia)|Green Star]] rating and which has passive heating and cooling, power generation and blackwater treatment.<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s1901482.htm ABC: Council House 2 - The eco-office block of the future, 19 April 2007], retrieved 28 January 2011</ref> He has also overseen the installation of kilometers of detailed bluestone paving across the city, opened up laneways for retail use, redesigned the [[Yarra River]] frontage with walkways and new pedestrian bridges, installed street furniture and art, new lighting, signage and extensive tree planting.
+In 1985 the city centre of Melbourne was in need of revitalisation, with retail trading and cultural activities lagging behind its counterparts elsewhere in Australia and in Europe. Adams helped to write, and to put in place, the first comprehensive urban design strategy for the City, based on the idea of creating a vibrant and well-populated streetscape profiting from the city's multi-mode transport system.  He guided the strategy's implementation in several projects, which took place as the city recovered from economic recession in the late 1980s and was prepared to invest in the built environment. These included [[Postcode 3000]] (bringing redundant buildings into use, particularly for apartments in the city centre), the redevelopment of [[Swanston Street]] as a pedestrian-friendly street, the [[Queen Victoria Village|QV development]], the creation of a new riverfront park called [[Birrarung Marr]] from under-used rail sidings,<ref>[http://eprints.qut.edu.au/27897/1/c27897.pdf Raxworthy, J.R. 2003. Birrarung Marr. ''Architectural Review Australia'', 84. pp. 46-49.]</ref> the Queensbridge Precinct, the Turning Basin, and the [[Council House 2|CH2 building]] which was the first purpose-built office building in Australia to achieve a maximum Six [[Green Star (Australia)|Green Star]] rating and which has passive heating and cooling, power generation and blackwater treatment.<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s1901482.htm ABC: Council House 2 - The eco-office block of the future, 19 April 2007], retrieved 28 January 2011</ref> He has also overseen the installation of kilometres of detailed bluestone paving across the city, opened up laneways for retail use, redesigned the [[Yarra River]] frontage with walkways and new pedestrian bridges, installed street furniture and art, new lighting, signage and extensive tree planting.
-Adams' urban revitalization work in the urban core has assisted Melbourne to become one of the world's [[World's most livable cities|most liveable cities]].  Comprehensive urban design programs over two decades has seen a reversal in the way the city, and particularly its center, is perceived. By the mid-1990s Melbourne was ranked highly in indices of desirable cities - as of 2010 Melbourne took second place in the 2010 Economist's World's Most Livable Cities Index and rose to first in 2011, and second again in 2020.<ref>[http://www.eiu.com/site_info.asp?info_name=The_Global_Liveability_Report&page=noads&rf=0 2010 Economist's World's Most Livable Cities Index]</ref> Adams has also promoted the arts and culture of Melbourne through projects such as Blue Line, Travellers, and Birrarung Wilam. He has expanded the City’s cultural program through venues such as ArtPlay  (a venue for children's art and teaching activities),<ref>[http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/artplay/Pages/ArtPlayHome.aspx ArtPlay]</ref> MeatMarket, ArtHouse and the Town Hall Gallery.<ref> The construction of the [[Crown Melbourne|Crown Casino]] on the Yarra in a prime riverside site was allegedly not one of his favored projects, but pushed through by the Kennett government of the time. It resulted in the relocation of the Melbourne museum.</ref>
+Adams' urban revitalisation work in the urban core has assisted Melbourne to become one of the world's [[World's most livable cities|most liveable cities]].  Comprehensive urban design programs over two decades has seen a reversal in the way the city, and particularly its centre, is perceived. By the mid-1990s Melbourne was ranked highly in indices of desirable cities - as of 2010 Melbourne took second place in the 2010 Economist's World's Most Liveable Cities Index and rose to first in 2011, and second again in 2020.<ref>[http://www.eiu.com/site_info.asp?info_name=The_Global_Liveability_Report&page=noads&rf=0 2010 Economist's World's Most Liveable Cities Index]</ref> Adams has also promoted the arts and culture of Melbourne through projects such as Blue Line, Travellers, and Birrarung Wilam. He has expanded the City’s cultural program through venues such as ArtPlay  (a venue for children's art and teaching activities),<ref>[http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/artplay/Pages/ArtPlayHome.aspx ArtPlay]</ref> MeatMarket, ArtHouse and the Town Hall Gallery.<ref>The construction of the [[Crown Melbourne|Crown Casino]] on the Yarra in a prime riverside site was allegedly not one of his favoured projects, but pushed through by the Kennett government of the time. It resulted in the relocation of the [[Melbourne Museum]].</ref>
-Currently, he is engaged in work looking at how to accommodate over a million extra people forecast to move to Melbourne in the next few decades, within the existing metropolitan boundary. He advocates [[Medium-density housing|medium density]], 5+storey development for housing and commercial uses along the major tram and bus corridors leading out of the centre, but only in locations with rear access to properties. Accommodating these numbers in new residential developments and existing suburbs would avoid further [[urban sprawl]]. In 2020 he argued the pandemic would leave central city office space also available for housing. Significant greening and reorientation of roadscapes would accompany these measures, which were outlined in the 'Transforming Cities' report of 2010<ref>[http://www.transformingaustraliancities.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Transforming-Australian-Cities-Report.pdf ''Transforming Australian Cities For a More Financially Viable And Sustainable Future''. City of Melbourne.]</ref><ref>[https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1037047.rss Tina Perinotto. 2020.  Interview: Rob Adams: Challenging the status quo on urban planning. ''The Fifth Estate'' -sustainable property news. 10 September 2020.]</ref>
+In the latter years of his tenure at the City of Melbourne he turned to accommodating over a million extra people within the existing metropolitan boundary. He advocated [[Medium-density housing|medium density]], 5+storey development for housing and commercial uses along the major tram and bus corridors leading out of the centre, but only in locations with rear access to properties. Accommodating these numbers in new residential developments and existing suburbs would avoid further [[urban sprawl]].  Significant greening and reorientation of roadscapes would accompany these measures, which were outlined in the 'Transforming Cities' report of 2010.<ref>[http://www.transformingaustraliancities.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Transforming-Australian-Cities-Report.pdf ''Transforming Australian Cities For a More Financially Viable And Sustainable Future''. City of Melbourne.]</ref><ref>[https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1037047.rss Tina Perinotto. 2020.  Interview: Rob Adams: Challenging the status quo on urban planning. ''The Fifth Estate'' -sustainable property news. 10 September 2020.]</ref> In 2020 he also argued the pandemic would leave central city office space also available for conversion for housing.
 ==Awards==
-*The City Design Division led by Adams has received over 150 state and national awards for design excellence since the 1980s
+*The City Design Division at the City of Melbourne led by Adams has received over 150 state and national awards for design excellence since the 1980s
+*RAIA Walter Burley Griffin Award, Urban Design of Melbourne City, Urban Design Branch, [[City of Melbourne]], 1992
-*[[Order of Australia]] (AM) in 2007 for services to urban design, town planning and architecture.
+*[[Order of Australia]] (AM) in 2007 for services to urban design, town planning and architecture.<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 June 2007 |title=Professor Robert John Adams, Queen's Birthday 2007 Honours List ID 1134684 |url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1134684 |access-date=11 July 2023 |website=Australian Government, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Australian Honours Search Facility}}</ref>
-*Melbourne Achiever Award, Committee for Melbourne, 2007.
+*Melbourne Achiever Award, [[Committee for Melbourne]], 2007
-*Prime Minister's Environmentalist of the Year, 2008 (Australia).
+*Prime Minister's Environmentalist of the Year, 2008 (Australia)
-*Sidney Luker Medal, Planning Institute of Australia NSW, 2009.
+*Sidney Luker Medal, Planning Institute of Australia NSW, 2009
-*[[Australia Award for Urban Design]] for ''Transforming Cities'' report, 2009.
+*[[Australia Award for Urban Design]] for ''Transforming Cities'' report, 2009
+*Honorary Doctorate, University of Melbourne, 2016
+*Australian Institute of Architect’s National President’s Award, 2018
 ==References==
@@ Line 29: / Line 46: @@
 ==External links==
 * [http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/melbourne/ Video: featuring Adams and his designs] by [[Streetfilms]]
-* [http://www.themonthly.com.au/thriving-or-surviving-urban-challenges-century-2047 Video: Thriving or surviving: Urban challenges for this century. Melbourne Conversations event, September 2009]
+* [http://www.themonthly.com.au/thriving-or-surviving-urban-challenges-century-2047 Video: Thriving or surviving: Urban challenges for this century. Melbourne Conversations event, September 2009] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319195805/http://www.themonthly.com.au/thriving-or-surviving-urban-challenges-century-2047 |date=19 March 2012 }}
 {{Authority control}}
@@ Line 37: / Line 54: @@
 [[Category:White Rhodesian people]]
 [[Category:Zimbabwean emigrants to Australia]]
+[[Category:Members of the Order of Australia]]
 [[Category:Living people]]
 [[Category:Urban designers]]
-[[Category:Victorian (Australia) architects]]
+[[Category:Victoria (state) architects]]
+[[Category:Architects from Melbourne]]
 [[Category:1948 births]]