Welcome to our Department

As the only Department delivering Architecture and Building Education in the Papua New Guinea and the smaller blue economy countries of the Pacific, we aim to be at the forefront of Architecture and Building development in the warm humid tropics, and nurture the emerging leaders and practitioners within the profession who will take us forward in the future. This homepage seeks to communicate something of the life and creative dynamics of the Architecture and Building Schools, as well as explain the benefits of the life of research and learning in our studio evidence-based as well as problem-based-learning scenarios.

Housed in the building known as the ‘castle,’ it was designed to house the faculty of architecture in the early 1970s but is now being shared with the Business School. The school is characterized by dedicated studio-based environments that are accessible to both the staff and student round-the-clock in the entire academic year. This gives an atmosphere of experimentation, enabled by open discussion, with staff, students, visiting practitioners and academics in the industry in country and abroad during scheduled visits and during semester master-class sessions.

The dynamics of the construction industry is such that, it expands beyond socio-economic, and geopolitical boarders, - making greater profession marketability.  The need for our graduate competence, compatibility, mobility and professional fitness in country and abroad, is therefore necessary in these driving shifts of change. In meeting this changing dynamics the department has, and is making all the necessary adaptive changes to tailor graduates to meet these inevitable outcomes.

The Department made history to venture out to attain credible benchmark program accreditation in the early 1990’s with the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA) for the Architecture Program, and with the Australian Institute of Builders (AIB) for the Building Program. The need for continuous upgrading made a new shift in 2015 where the Schools are now seeking Program Accreditation within the Australasian Region with the supports of both the Papua New Guinea Institute of Architects (PNGIA) and endorsed by the PNG Board of Architects, and the Papua New Guinea Institute of Builders (PNGIB). In this endeavor, the Architecture Program is taking the needed program restructuring and curriculum design in meeting the program delivery based on the Bologna Accord and benchmarking the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (AACA) requirements for accreditation. The Building program is also carrying out similar reformatting with a name change to Construction Management and, benchmarking with the Australian Institute of Builders (AIB) for program accreditation. These achievements are in line with the need for institutional international fitness and accreditation for the University.

Research has been the hallmark of the School since its inception. The Architecture Heritage Centre is a testimonial to this effort, and is one of its kind in the region and holds records of traditional architecture and built-culture in country. There is much scope for further exploration in this field as in other built environment studies and the Department has the potential of becoming a leading school in tropical architecture in the Oceanian Region.

Professor C.K. Gonduan

Head of Department, Professor in Architecture, Urban Planning, Urban Design, Environment Engineering & Infrastructure Planning