16 November 2010 – Bond University new Soheil Abedian School of Architecture has named Queensland Government Architect Professor Philip Follent as its founding head.
The first cohort of students to the school will be in January 2011 and, according to Professor Follent, will enjoy small class sizes in order to foster more “one-on-one tuition from not only university staff, but also inspirational practitioners in the fields of architecture, fine arts, music, social psychology, philosophy, engineering and building.”
This would train students to “think…to challenge the status quo and to enjoy their studies.”
Professor Follent said that he was attracted by “the opportunity to be a part of Bond’s quest to build a fine piece of architecture to house the new course.”
He also said the new purpose-built environment for studio-based teaching would be “a wonderful asset to our students and also the University community as a whole.
“Architecture, as an art, is often received with indifference by the wider community yet architectural thinking is needed more than ever to tackle the challenges of urbanisation and sustainability.”