AASA Welcomes Dr Chris Brisbin as President

Strengthening architectural education across Australasia through evidence, inclusion, and sector partnerships.

Leadership Transition: Dr Chris Brisbin Appointed AASA President

The Association of Architecture Schools of Australasia (AASA) is delighted to announce Dr Chris Brisbin as our new President. Chris steps into the role following the outstanding leadership of Associate Professor John Doyle, who now serves as Immediate Past President.

A long-standing contributor to AASA, Chris has served as Honorary Treasurer, stewarded the s-architecture platform, and co-led the Australasian Architecture Education Longitudinal Study (2019–29). As Program Director for Architecture at the University of South Australia, his curriculum leadership emphasises architectural innovation and inclusive studio pedagogy. His research is design-led, spanning image–space relations and digital visuality, “copycat” cultures, cross-cultural housing, and sector evidence infrastructures (AAELS) – translating scholarship into tools that shape curricula, accreditation, and public discourse.

“From an early age, I knew I wanted to be an architect. I vividly remember sketching my first ‘round’ house designs in primary school –how avant-garde! – captivated by how design could imagine alternative futures. Yet, when I finished school, university wasn’t available to me as a kid from the ‘sticks’ in Far North Queensland. I joined the Australian Defence Force (ADF), seeking challenge, structure, and direction. The experience gave me resilience, teamwork, determination, and motivation, but also clarity that a military career alone would not allow me to explore the questions that had always driven me – about how people live, how we shape our environments, and how design can lead change.

Getting to an architectural career was a long and winding journey for me. Determined to pursue my ambition, I left the ADF and completed Year 11 and 12 again through TAFE, which enabled me to enter a Bachelor of Construction Management before transitioning into a Bachelor of Architecture at the University of Queensland, over 1,200 kilometres from home. When I arrived, I was older than most of my peers, but I brought purpose, discipline, and an unwavering commitment to learning.

This unconventional pathway profoundly shaped my understanding of architecture and education. I know first-hand the barriers students face and the transformative impact of opportunity, persistence, and belonging. These experiences underpin my focus on design curricula that authentically connect education with real-world practice. They remind me that talent often arrives through non-traditional pathways – and that our role as educators is to recognise potential, build confidence, and create environments where students can translate their drive into capability and purpose.”

— Dr Chris Brisbin, AASA President

What’s next for AASA 

We will grow AASA’s reach across Oceania and South-East Asia, align our advocacy with professional standards, and continue elevating First Nations engagement, wellbeing, and digital literacies as everyday elements of excellent studio teaching.

Together with members we will:

·         Strengthen AASA’s capacity as a sector-leading, volunteer-led not-for-profit;

·         Focus advocacy where it matters most for member Schools; and

·         Coordinate shared initiatives that reduce duplication and lift quality across the region, including new organisational partnerships and targeted membership growth.

We will continue to deliver AASA’s project/portfolio stream: Indigenous Education (curated exemplars of culturally safe engagement, protocols, and studio practice); Climate Action (guides, cases, and advocacy on emissions literacy and material stewardship); the first ACSA/AASA Planetary Practices Conference (our flagship international forum linking research, education, and practice); Australian Modernism (material-led histories of modern architecture in Australia and New Zealand, with single-material/building case studies that connect place, Indigenous knowledge, agents, economies, and environments); Teaching & Learning (member prizes with published exemplars); Communications (regular updates and stories); s-architecture (peer-moderated web hub and streamlined opportunities board); and the Australasian Architecture Education Longitudinal Study, 2019–2029 (sector benchmarking and program-level dashboards).

In the months ahead, we will begin filtering our resources into a new AASA Teaching Commons – short, peer-screened materials that are lightweight to adopt, inclusive by design, and evidence-aware. The goal is simple: take the best work our community has created and make it available as exemplars to uplift the sector.

Aspirations must be matched by pragmatism. As a volunteer-led, not-for-profit association, our strength lies in the expertise, goodwill, and commitment of our members. By being strategically objective about time and resources, we can concentrate effort where it delivers the greatest impact for Schools, partners, and – most importantly – our students.

2025 AASA Executive

·         Dr Chris Brisbin — President

·         Associate Professor John Doyle — Immediate Past President

·         Dr Andrew Burgess — Vice President

·         Professor Erik L’Heureux — Honorary Treasurer

·         Dr Cecilia Bischeri — Co-Secretary

·         Dr Martha Liew — Co-Secretary & AASA Secretariat

Portfolios & Projects

·         Marni Reti — Indigenous Education

·         TBA — Climate Action

·         Associate Professor John Doyle — 2026 ACSA/AASA Planetary Practices Conference, Co-Chair

·         Professor Deborah Ascher Barnstone — Australian Modernism

·         Steven Feast — Teaching & Learning

·         Dr Yusef Patel — Communications

·         Dr Chris Brisbin — s-architecture

·         Dr Chris Brisbin — Australasian Architecture Education Longitudinal Study (2019–2029)

We warmly welcome Dr Andrew Burgess as Vice President and Professor Erik L’Heureux as Treasurer of AASA. Their thoughtful leadership and shared commitment to our community will help shape the next chapter of AASA’s journey.

We also extend our sincere gratitude to Professor Peter McPherson and Professor Deborah Ascher Barnstone, who have now stepped down as Immediate Past President and Vice President, respectively. Their generous contributions and steady guidance have left a lasting mark, and we wish them every success in their future endeavours

About AASA 

The Association of Architecture Schools of Australasia identifies, develops, and supports:

·         Quality professional education for architects and related disciplines at undergraduate and

postgraduate levels;

·         Research, scholarship, and creative work in architecture and the designed environment; and

·         Policy, community service, and professional activities in relation to architecture education.

Get involved 

·         Share calls for papers, events, and jobs via s-architecture.

·         Propose a webinar or roundtable aligned to AASA priority themes.

·         Institutions in Oceania and South-East Asia interested in membership or partnership are warmly

encouraged to connect with the AASA Secretariat (martha.liew@aasa.org.au).

“Together, we’ll build on the momentum of the past year and continue to strengthen architectural education across our region.”