About
In 1972-1973 I worked as Pool Manager/Swimming Coach at Balclutha and then as Assistant Swimming Coach to Duncan Laing in Dunedin while studying towards a Bachelor of Science degree at Otago University. I completed my BSc in 1974 with an A+ major in physics for which I was awarded a Senior Scholarship in Science. In 1975 I was NZSCA certificated as a Professional Swimming Coach. I continued working as a Professional Swimming Coach while studying towards a Bachelor of Architecture degree at The University of Auckland. In 1978 I completed my BArch degree with Honours and then practiced architecture as a graduate in the Ministry of Works gaining registration as an Architect in 1981. In 1985 I joined the private sector working at a number of major architectural firms in Auckland. During this period I was one of the first CAD Managers in New Zealand.
In 1980 I purchased my first computer, a Sharp calculator with 1.5 K of RAM, which I used to develop a reverberation time calculator. I graduated soon after to a Sinclair ZX81, learned BBC Basic on a BBC B computer in 1984, and Borland's Basic and Pascal on a DOS computer in 1989. These computer programming skills came in good stead when I enrolled in a PhD in 1990.
Upon completing my PhD in 1993 I then worked as a Senior Lecturer for 11 years in the Department of Property, The University of Auckland, teaching Building Economics, Property Economics, and Construction. In my Construction and Building Economics courses I taught the principles of sustainable design and husbandry of buildings. My lecture notes can be download from here
Citations of my international refereed journal publications on the energy and mass flows of housing stock can be be viewed on Google Scholar - link here - and the impact of my research on housing stock dynamics can be viewed on ResearchGate - link here My publications can be downloaded from here
In 2000 I extended my computer programming activities to develop an interactive tutorial on construction for first year property students using Macromedia Authorware. I left academia in 2005 to become a Building Research Consultant in the private sector and in 2009 I developed my first commercial interactive tutorial on CD, The Principles of Discounting & Life Cycle Costing using Macromedia Authorware (Download from here).
Now that I am semi-retired, I am able to return to broader issues of sustainability that I initially investigated in my 1978 sub-thesis. Since October 2015 I have been updating myself on current issues of sustainability and progress made over the past 40 years. This process has involved collecting and reading relevant journal publications and books, and viewing videos, documentaries, and lecture series which address the multi-faceted and interwoven issues of sustainability. My work on issues of sustainability targeted at fellow researchers can be viewed on my website In Search of Steady State. In 2016, I joined Seniors Climate Action Network (SCAN) based in Dunedin, New Zealand, and in February 2022 I developed the SCAN website. This website is targeted at the general public.
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