People
Paul F Downton
Internationally
acknowledged ecocity advocate and theorist, prize-winning architect
and designer
BSc (Hons) BArch (Wales) PhD
ARAIA
Principal Architect and Urban Ecologist
Director
email: paul@ecopolis.com.au
I'm the Director and Principal Architect of Ecopolis Architects Pty
Ltd, and I've been designing buildings and pursuing the goal of
ecological architecture and city-making for as long as I can remember;
I was designing houses that followed the sun's path before I left
school and it was there in the library of the Wells Blue Grammar in
Somerset, England, that I discovered Frank Lloyd Wright and fell in
love with the ideals of an organic architecture that is responsive to
both people and place.
I loved art, geography, woodwork and technical drawing (for which I won
a school prize!), I joined my first environment group before I left
school, and I've always enjoyed writing, so it's not too hard to see a
fairly continuous line of development that leads, later in life, to
awards that include one for environmental journalism and a design for
portable shelters for Welsh sheep farmers as well as an international
Ecocity Prize and an international environmental award for the Christie
Walk project.
Working with my partner Chérie and colleague Emilis Prelgauskas,
in 1991 we formed Urban Ecology Australia (UEA), the national
non-profit urban environmental community group which has been actively
promoting ecological developments ever since and into which I have
invested thousands of hours of voluntary work.
Through UEA and Ecopolis Architects I have continued to disseminate and
promote ecological city ideas in Australia and overseas, giving
countless public talks, radio, TV and newspaper interviews on the
subject of ecological architecture, urban ecology and ecopolis. I have
had the honour of being an invited speaker to many international events
concerning cities and sustainability as a result of my work on
ecological architecture and ecocity development.
All this informs my approach to architecture and urban design and has
reinforced my conviction that good, appropriate design is vital to
making healthy human environments, and that defining the brief, understanding the site and listening to clients is the most important step in any design process.
See:
Paul Downton's CV
Paul Downton Publications 1976 – 1996
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