Areas of Teaching and Fields of Expertise

Design Studio in Architecture
extensive experience from 1st Year Introduction to Design, to 6th Year Advanced Design and Postgraduate Master Classes, with a special interest in innovative, cross-disciplinary Design Studio teaching in architecture and urban design, and in 'Global Studios'. Steffen has co-ordinated and taught Design Studios in 6 different countries.

David Hinchliffe, Deputy Mayor and Head of Planning Brisbane City Council, as guest critic, visiting Prof Lehmann's studio. Theme: 'A new landscape park along the river - underneath Story Bridge', 2005

Design Studio in Urban Design:
large-scale urban context; buildings within the urban context
Theory and Methods of Design
History and Theory of 20th Century Architecture and Urban Design: seminar courses at all levels
Integration of Ecologically Sustainable Design:
Energy-efficient Building Design
Building Analysis (Building Typologies)
Research Methods for Architects
Supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate thesis, mentoring of junior researchers, directing student research
Model making workshop (timber)
and a wide range of Electives and Fieldtrips
eg. conducted field trips to Melbourne, Alice Springs, Sydney, Berlin, China, Brazil, Scandinavia, Barcelona, New York, London, etc.

SL with Prof. Xavier Costa, UPC, Barcelona, 2006

Involving the Local Profession in Design Teaching

Steffen has a particular interest in involving the local profession in the design teaching. For instance, guest critics and professional practitioners invited by him to participate in the design studios in 2003 / 2004 included:

Brian Donovan and Rob Riddel in Steffen's studio.

Ian Ainsworth, Markus Allmann, Prof. Helen Armstrong, Scott Balmforth, Krista Berga, Chris Bligh, Rod Bligh, Sarah Briant, Prof. Mark Burry, Richard Blyth, Bud Brannigan, John Byrne, Stephen Cameron, Esther Charlesworth, Jennifer Chen, Chris Clarke, James Coutts, Phil Crowther, Brian Donovan, Peter Edwards, Paul Fairweather, Phil Follent, Assoc. Prof. Jill Franz, Thomas Fussell, Georg Gewers, Robin Gibson, Richard Goodwin, Prof. Elizabeth Grosz, Juris Greste, Pedro Guedes, Russell Hall, Victor Hart, David Hinchliffe, Prof. Tom Heneghan, Timothy Hill, Prof. John Hockings, Kathi Holt-Damant, Spence Jamieson, Assoc. Prof. Sandra Kaji-O'Grady, Michael Kerry, Richard Kirk, Janet Laurence, Gavin Litfin, Phillip Lord, Harry Margalit, Assoc. Prof. Paul Memmott, Michael Molloy, Ian Moore, Michael Moore, Kevin O'Brien, Prof. Michael Ostwald, Michael Papageorgiou, Wayne Petrie, Paul Pholeros, Gabriel Poole, Liam Proberts, Michael Rayner, Trevor Reddacliff, Gerard Reinmuth, Noel Robinson, Robert Riddel, Paul Sanders, Prof. Leon van Schaik, Harry Seidler, Geoffrey Street, Peter Skinner, Cathy Smith, John Stafford, Jeremy Sturgess, Franz Sumnitsch, Brian Suters, Mark Taylor, Shy Tay, Prof. Jennifer Taylor, Sheona Thomson, Peter Tonkin, Igea Troiani, Alec Tzannes, Stuart Vokes, Don Watson, Ludwig Wappner, Paula Whitman, Michelle Wright, Jay Younger, and others.

Examples of Design Studios and Teaching Methods

During the last twelve years, Steffen Lehmann has co-ordinated and taught many Design Studios*, as Core Studio, Advanced Studio, Global Studio, Introduction Studio, or Elective Studio at various universities. His expertise is inspiring design teaching leadership and his briefs include the large-scale urban context, committed to social concerns.

The curriculum of design teaching is built around the studio experience, including design theory within a matrix of social, technological and environmental factors.

Here are some examples of Design Studios from the recent three years:

5th Year Cross-disciplinary Design Studio: 2004

'The Large Object Studio'

(i) Brisbane Towers, (ii) Brisbane Bridges

Advanced cross-disciplinary Design Studio with School of Civil Engineering. A master plan for five new pedestrian bridges for Brisbane was developed; in collaboration with Queensland Government.

Results published in book 'Brisbane Towers-Brisbane Bridges' (published Dec. 2004); exhibited at Gold Coast City Council (June 2005); presented on 'Bridges' conference (Oct. 2005) in Sydney


Student Work - K. Hudson

3rd Year Design Studio: 2003

'Architecture as Composition'

(i) Places for the Arts, (ii) School Buildings;

New typologies for public buildings (Student Ideas Competition); 'Slots in the City'

Results published in booklet 'Urban Schools', and in booklet '03:04 Review', March 2003

4th - 6 th Year Cross-disciplinary Elective: 2004

'Inside of Outside: Re-defining the Australian Beach House'

Advanced cross-disciplinary Design Studio with Interior Design discipline

Results published in refereed paper 'Side-by-side', Dec. 2004 (with Assoc. Prof. Jill Franz)

5th Year Cross-disciplinary Design Studio: 2004

'Art+Arch infinite'

Studio in collaboration with Queensland College of Art (QCA).

A collaborative studio and exhibition project, with 15 realised site -specific installations in public space.

Results published in book 'Absolutely Public. Crossover between Art and Architecture', Jan. 2005; published in several newspaper articles; presented at conferences in Hobart and Brisbane.


Student work - S.Christie

3rd Year Cross-disciplinary Studio: 2004

'In the Landscape: Wedding Pavilion in Roma Street Parklands'

A cross-disciplinary Design Studio with Construction Management and Landscape Architecture (initiated as YBE - Student Competition), in collaboration with Queensland Government. The winning scheme of the pavilion in Roma Street Park was built ($300,000 budget).

Results published in booklet '04:05 Review', March 2005; published in several articles in local newspapers

'Wedding Pavilion' - Student design project, initiated by Steffen Lehmann, 2005-2006. Brisbane, Roma StreetPark. Winning student project by Carmen Slatter. Design supervision: Steffen Lehmann, Don Watson, PDT Architects. (built)

3rd - 6 th Year Urban Design Elective: 2003

'Global Studio: Shanghai in Transition'

Advanced international Design Studio with leading overseas universities: Tongji University, QUT and TU Berlin in Shanghai, China; focus on social questions of housing.

Results published in booklet '03:04 Review'

Global Studios' are international advanced design studios

3rd Year Architecture and Urban Design Studio: 2005

'Underneath the Bridge: An Indigenous Cultural Centre and a Public Park'

(i) Pamphlet, (ii) Paradise, (iii) Paradigm

Waterfront renewal of Howard Smith Wharves, with a new public park. In collaboration with Brisbane City Council; input in Brisbane's new CBD Master Plan.

Results published in booklet '05:06 Review', March 2006 (run as Student Competition); published in City Council's master plan

3rd - 6 th Year Urban Design Elective: 2005

Interdisciplinary 'Global Studio: The architecture of Berlin - Strategies for Urban Insertions.

Three Scales: urban - architectural - detail/material'. The combination of wood model-making skills with digital media; advanced international Design Studio with QUT students from various disciplines and students from TU-Berlin, Germany

3rd Year Design Studio: 2005

'Identity - Memory - Commemoration: National Police Memorial, Canberra'

'The urban scale: Waterfront renewal and inner-city landscape, East Darling Harbour'; How is form related to program and technology?

Student work - D. Chan

5th Year Architectural Design Studio: 2006

1. New + Old: Inserting the Object

Adaptive re-use and extension of an existing building complex in Brisbane's CBD:

Students engage in the design of an insertion into a heritage-listed building, where issues of material process, assembly, and sustainability are crucial. The students were asked to demonstrate a particular critical attitude to the application and integration of these issues.

2. Living in the Suburb: the Territory - the Fragment - the Detail.

The design of housing as a contemporary issue at the city edge, manifested in a variety of cultural, social and economic contexts. It is anticipated that the students study housing typologies and new emerging trends in contemporary residential architecture.

5th Year Architectural Design Studio: 2006

'Newcastle Region Art Gallery re-visited'

In collaboration with the Art Gallery. Re-visiting the disappointing competition outcome, re-writing the brief, and conceptualising the role of an art gallery in a regional city.

Student work - E. Gaudier & T. Nova

4th Year Architectural Design Studio: 2007

'Inner-City Campus: Strategies for Urban Infill and Renewal'.

An advanced architecture and urban design studio, based on a real brief, for a staged master plan for the move of 3,000 students to the downtown precinct.

In collaboration with Newcastle City Council and the University's Facility Management. Run as a 'Downtown Studio' where students work 'on site'.

Architecture School, Newcastle

5th Year Architectural Design Studio tutorial cohort: 2007

'PortCity: Newcastle Waterfront Renewal'

A one year long, final year architectural design cohort, working towards the master plan for a 10 hectares inner-city port area. Students write their own brief in semester 1, and develop a master plan proposal; in semester 2, the design for a selected area is developed more in detail.

	"The Australian students are very smart. I like to channel good ideas through my students rather then try to do everything myself." SL

Besides using the computer with cutting-edge software, the students are asked to build traditional working models and variations of volume studies.