Daniela Ottmann

I have been practising, teaching and researching architecture and urban design in various socio-cultural, politico-economic and bio-climatic environments in varied scales in Europe, Middle East, Australia, Africa and China since 1997.

My career led me to a systematic understanding of the built environment as the third skin to adequately mediate between the anthropo-sphere and eco-sphere to serve socio-cultural achievements and the well-being of people through the best possible solutions in the design of architecture and urbanism. Starting my work practise as architectural technician and later as architect in Germany (heritage, hospitality, medium sized urban residential architecture), I continued on the Arabian Peninsula (RMJM, DSA and x-architects) with multi-national teams on large scale projects (e.g. as site architect for 13 mid-to highrise, 650 apartment construction site with a team of 30 people of 20 nationalities amongst 4000 workers on site, fast-track) and deal now in Australia with co-housing and climate architecture and urban design.

Apart from the applied practise and academic (teaching and research) expertise (University Kassel Germany, Canadian University Dubai, German University Oman, AUDRC/UWA Australia), I had the  opportunity of building up and conducting architectural and urban design curricula besides integrating various governmental department research projects.

In my consequent involvement at BOND university I coordinate the environmental stream of the architecture curriculum in various graduate and postgraduate studios and technology components, amongst integrating robotics and the fabLab into teaching and research (eco-composite material research), offering study field trips to KiraKira (Solomon Islands), and generally researching on healthyful architecture and urbanism.

Research expertise

• Academic leadership as research principal investigator, master studies coordinator and studio leader in architecture and urban design.
• Research grants from the German government (300,000 €Euro), the Omani government (150,000 €Euro) and the Australian government (>500,000 $AUD).
• Principle investigator of research projects: AUDRC (2014-ongoing), GUtech (2010-13) and Canadian University 2009-10.
• Developed and implemented postgraduate Master and Architecture Programs including accreditation courses: Integrated Master of Urban Design at GUtech; Canadian University architecture program implementation.

Research topics

• Housing +: Serial (digital prefabrication) and affordable housing solutions.
• Housing + C: Co-design for housing solutions with the community.
• Klimastoff (Climate resources): Ecological building materials and bioclimatic design strategies for deserts and savannas.
• Local resources - New Materials in WA
• Adequate Urbanisation in Poverty
• Urban Ecolution: Future solutions for healthy and ecologically integrated cities.
• Correlator: Strategies for ecologically adaptable urban and architectural development through the systemic correlation of natural, human and built environment exemplified at desert urbanism in Oman., 2010-2015
• ‘Traditional Building Knowledge Oman’, 2011
• Rehabilitation Study Proposal for of Al Mansafah, Oman 2010
• Desert Beach Laboratory for advanced climate architecture and systems, Oman 2011-2013
• Ecological Protectorate Visiting Centre Concept Proposal, Oman, 2012-2013
• DAAD ‘Dialogue with the Islamic World’ - cooperation partner with the University of Kassel, Germany 2013- 2015
• Exhibition and Conference, Traditional building knowledge in Oman, 2011-12 (Bait al Baranda, Muscat)

Research interests

• Advanced fabrication of bio-composite materials
• Ecologically responsive architecture/urbanism
• Strategies for future developments of cities and architectures
• Housing for sustainable communities
• Climate adaptive architecture
• Energy-Plus / Active buildings
• Digital fabrication of construction materials and form-finding
• Environmental building construction and building biology
• Learning and transfer from traditional/indigenous knowledge

My research and teaching interests are dedicated to ecologically (natural and human) sustainable architectural and urban design strategies for adequate future cities (e.g. ‘Urban Correlator’; ‘Urban Ecolution’). New materials for bio-climatically sound buildings (local resources in combination with advanced fabrication and robotics), the understanding of traditional/passive design building knowledge (e.g. ‘Klimastoff: Local Resources, New Materials and Bioclimatic Design’) and research on (affordable, modular, digitally prefabricated) housing, Co-housing (Co+ participatory planning processes) and slum-upgrading (e.g. ‘Housing+’) add to sustainable future cities.
Drawing from all of the above, I thrive to interweave teaching/learning, research and service to form pulsing platforms for HDR students, researchers, colleagues, the community and government/industry representatives alike.