Associate Professor Paul Osmond

My Expertise

Green infrastructure and ecosystem services evaluation and design
Green building advice, guidance and assessment
Urban morphology and spatial analysis
Urban metabolism and urban climate mitigation and adaptation
Architectural/urban ambience (experienced physical & psychological qualities of the built environment)

Fields of Research (FoR)

Landscape architecture, Urban analysis and development, Urban design, Architectural science and technology, Ecosystem services (incl. pollination), Human impacts of climate change and human adaptation, Urban planning and health, Life cycle assessment and industrial ecology

SEO tags

Environmentally Sustainable Construction not elsewhere classified

Climate Change Adaptation Measures

Climate Change Mitigation Strategies

Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Urban and Industrial Environments

Rehabilitation of Degraded Urban and Industrial Environments

Biography

Paul Osmond has qualifications in applied science, environmental management and landscape design, and since the 1980s has worked across the domain of environmental sustainability as practitioner, teacher and researcher. His PhD focused on sustainable urban form.

Paul joined the UNSW School of Built Environment initially as a part-time lecturer in 2010. Previous roles included as the University’s Environment Manager, and local government...view more

Paul joined the UNSW School of Built Environment initially as a part-time lecturer in 2010. Previous roles included as the University’s Environment Manager, and local government where he was responsible for delivery of a variety of pioneering environmental and waste management, ecosystem restoration and landscape design projects. He also has experience in consultancy, forestry, freelance journalism and the metal industry.

Paul was the Director of the UNSW Sustainable Built Environment Program from 2013 to 2021, and is a member of the High Performance Architecture research cluster. He represents UNSW on the Green Building Council of Australia and is affiliated with the editorial boards of Urban Morphology, Urban Planning, and Architecture.

My Qualifications

Academic qualifications

PhD (Built Environment), UNSW

MA (Design), RMIT University

Grad. Dip. Environ. Mgt, Charles Sturt University

BSc, Monash University

Professional accreditations

Green Star Accredited Professional

Certified Environmental Practitioner

Registered Environmental Auditor

Fitwel Healthy Building Rating Ambassador

Other

Permaculture Design Certificate

Certificate IV in Training and Assessment

My Research Activities

Relevant projects during past five years

2024 (ongoing): Passively Irrigated Street Trees for Stormwater Management, Local Cooling, and Wellbeing (Sydney Water). Role – Co-investigator.

2024: Cool Roof Provisions for Residential Zones (ACT Government). Role – Co-investigator.

2023: Urban Heat Strategy for Wollongong (Civille and UNSW Built Environment). Role – Technical Adviser.

2021-2022: Development of Living Infrastructure Strategy for Randwick Health and Innovation Precinct. Role – Co-investigator. Won 2023 NSW Australian Institute of Landscape Architects award and 2023 National AILA award for Research and Communications.

2022: Urban Cooling Design Guide for Mulpha Norwest development. Role – Lead investigator.

2022: Australian Capital Territory Government Planning Controls for Living Infrastructure and Urban Heat (Civille, Tait Network, Edge Environment). Role – Technical Adviser.

2021: Cooling South Melbourne strategy (UNSW Built Environment High Performance Architecture team and City of Port Phillip). Role – Co-investigator. Won City of Port Phillip Design and Development Award for Excellence.

2020-2021: Western Sydney Turn Down the Heat: Urban Heat Planning Toolkit (WSROC, Civille, Atelier 10, University of Adelaide). Role – Technical Adviser. Won joint Best Sustainability Initiative at 2021 Greater Sydney Planning Awards

2020: Masterplanning – Western Sydney Agribusiness Precinct (Department of Planning Industry and Environment, Western Sydney Planning Partnership, Studio Hollenstein, WSU, Ethos Urban, Agrology). Role – Technical Adviser.

2019-2021: Urban Heat Amelioration Design Guide: Reducing Urban Heat at the Lot Scale in New Developments (Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning) Role – Lead investigator.

My Research Supervision

Supervision keywords

urban and built environment research

Areas of supervision

Sustainable development of the built environment - analysis, design, performance
Green infrastructure / nature-based solutions and ecosystem services
Climate change mitigation and adaptation in relation to human health and wellbeing
Architectural/urban ambience (experienced physical & psychological qualities of the built environment)

Notes for PhD and MPhil applicants:

In the Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, application for PhD admission is a two stage process. Please review the How to apply web page for further information.
If you decide to apply, ability to demonstrate existing research experience and in particular having several publications in good journals will enhance, although not guarantee, your chances of acceptance. Having completed coursework with a research-like component is not regarded as sufficient research experience.
It is important to note that the potential supervisors of PhD applicants do not make the decision to accept or reject applications, this is done independently to avoid any real or potential conflicts of interest. The role of prospective supervisors is simply to work with the applicants to help them to prepare good applications.

Currently supervising

Simon Lloyd, Water sensitive innovations aimed at reducing pathogen contamination in ambient water bodies (PhD, Primary Supervisor)

Florence Wong, Mass engineered timber (MET) construction: Opportunities and Barriers to its development in hot and humid Southeast Asian cities (PhD - Primary Supervisor)

Linda Romanovska, Whole-of-Life Evaluation of Green Infrastructure Performance (Scientia PhD - Primary Supervisor)

Zile Wang, Long term performance of tree pits in stormwater management and urban cooling (MPhil, Joint Supervisor)

Zekai Li, Nature-based Urban Regeneration in China (MPhil, Joint Supervisor)

Completed

Behnaz Avazpour, From water sensitive urban design to water sensitive cities: Challenges and enablers (PhD, 2023)
Henrique Sala Benites, Regenerative Circularity for the Built Environment - A Positive Impact Framework for Urban Transitions (PhD, 2023)
Adriana Sanchez Gomez, Long-term Urban Resilience: A Policy Framework (PhD, 2021)
Jonathan Fox, The effect of facade design on facade surface temperature and outdoor microclimate (PhD, 2021)
Peter Hunt, The Business Case for Sustainable Development in the Australian Built Environment (PhD, 2021)
Claudio Diaz Sandoval, Potential of Building Surface Evaporative Cooling Using Rainwater in the Hot Humid Tropics (PhD, 2019)
Carlos Bartesaghi Koc, Assessing the thermal performance of green infrastructure on urban microclimate (PhD, 2018)
Parisa Pakzad, Cities within gardens: an indicator-based model for assessing sustainability performance of urban green infrastructure (PhD, 2017)
Shamila Haddad, Thermal comfort in naturally ventilated schools (PhD, 2016)
Sumavalee Chindapol, Thermal comfort and heat stress of the elderly in hot-humid summers in Thailand, (PhD, 2016)
Matthias Irger, The effect of urban form on urban microclimate (PhD, 2014)
Muhamad Syafiq Salehudin, Developing sustainable resorts in developing countries: a proposed new rating framework for Malaysia (PhD, 2014)
Muhammad Azzam bin Ismail, A framework for the development of a new generation green home rating method for Malaysia (PhD, 2012)
Wu Deng, Improving sustainability decision-making at neighbourhood level: a new framework for performance assessment based on China's small residential district (PhD, 2011)

My Engagement

Why you need a balcony garden

You can live in an apartment and still have the garden of your dreams. Published on the 27 Apr 2020

We need green spaces in COVID-19 era

UNSW’s Paul Osmond says the design of buildings and cities need to change after this pandemic. Published on the 29 Apr 2020

Teaching and Research Garden has sprouted at UNSW’s Kensington campus

A teaching and research garden has sprouted at UNSW Sydney to improve student learning, wellbeing and understanding of the natural environment, helping make the Kensington campus greener and more environmentally-friendly. Published on the 27 Nov 2019

Working with nature can help us build greener cities instead of urban slums

Urban planning requires a strategic approach to ensure our cities avoid being just concrete and glass and instead maintain adequate green space. Published on the 26 Jun 2018

Building cool cities for a hot future

Design decisions impact the urban microclimate, and ultimately our health and wellbeing, write Paul Osmond and Jonathan Fox. Published on the 22 Apr 2016

Leaving a legacy: Utzon’s work in 21st Century

How does the Sydney Opera House measure up in terms of sustainability? This is one of the presentations at a major international symposium to be held this week entitled “What would Utzon do now?" Published on the 05 Mar 2014