ASBEC appoints Ken Maher as president

The Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) has appointed Ken Maher - Professor of Practice in the Faculty of Built Environment at the University of NSW - as its new president. Commencing in the position on 3 February, he will replace outgoing president Tom Roper, who has been in the job for the past six years.

A leading architect, Professor Maher is a past chairman and current fellow of multidisciplinary architecture and design firm Hassell. He is also a recipient of the Australian Institute of Architects’ highest accolade, the AIA Gold Medal, as well as the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects’ Australian Award for Landscape Architecture.

Professor Maher’s commitment to design excellence in the built environment has been recognised through several Sulman Medals and Sir Zelman Cohen awards for projects he has led within Hassell. He was also a founding board member of the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA).

Professor Maher said he was “delighted and honoured” to be named president of ASBEC, which he described as “the peak collaborative forum for organisations that champion sustainable, productive and resilient buildings, communities and cities”.

“ASBEC’s current focus is on informing the future of cities and regions through understanding the role of resilience, developing a sustainable built environment framework, informing sustainable housing and infrastructure, as well as ensuring appropriate skills development - all crucial to a sustainable built environment for the future at a time when climate change is clearly having an increasing impact,” he said.

“I look forward to working with the leaders in the built environment sector to deliver policy, research, dialogue and actions to improve the value of the places we inhabit.”

Professor Maher also acknowledged the hard work of his predecessor, stating that Roper oversaw “the operational revitalisation of ASBEC and many of the organisation’s most significant and influential initiatives including the Second Plank Report, the Built Environment Climate Change Adaptation Framework and an Industry Roadmap for Net Zero Emission Homes”.

In recognition of his dedication to the progress of a sustainable built environment, the ASBEC council has voted to make Roper a life fellow of the organisation.