Philip Oldfield

City Committee Member, Sydney Board Member

University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney), Head of School, Built Environment | Sydney, Australia

About

Philip Oldfield is Head of School of the Built Environment at UNSW Arts, Design and Architecture.

Prior to joining UNSW, he was an Assistant Professor at the University of Nottingham where he co-led the Masters in Sustainable Tall Buildings, the world's only course and qualification dedicated to the design and research of high-rise architecture at the time.

Philip's research interests are focused primarily on tall building sustainability, embodied and lifecycle carbon performance and liveability. He is an active member of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) and Chief Investigator on research projects with total funding in the order of $1million AUD.

Philip is a 2015 British Science Association Media Fellow, and has spent time working at The Guardian, writing for the Science and Environment teams. He has also written for Architecture Australia, The Architects'…

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Philip Oldfield

CTBUH Designated Expert

CTBUH Roles

City Committee, Sydney, Board Member (2018 – Present)

Urban Habitat / Urban Design Committee, Member (2016 – Present)

Expert Peer Review Committee, Member (2014 – Present)

Annual Conference, Presenter (Dubai 2008; Mumbai 2010; Shanghai 2012)

Working Group: Research Academic and Postgraduate, Co-Chair (2010 – 2014)

Annual Conference, Session Chair (Shanghai 2014)

Videos

20 February 2015

Rethinking the Tall Building: Opportunities in the 21st Century Metropolis

Philip Oldfield, Assistant Professor of Architecture at Nottingham University, presents at a joint CTBUH/IIT Cloud Talk in Crown Hall on the Illinois Institute of Technology...

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Research

25 April 2019

Offset Cores: Trends, Drivers and Frequency in Tall Buildings

Dr. Philip Oldfield, UNSW Sydney; Bronte Doherty, BVN Architecture

This research explores the trends, drivers and frequency of offset cores in the world’s tallest buildings. It charts the history of tall building layouts, exploring...

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Research

30 October 2017

The Role of Design Competitions In Shaping Sydney’s Public Realm

Helen Lochhead & Philip Oldfield, University of New South Wales

Since 2000, through the City of Sydney’s Competitive Design Policy (CDP), the quality of major projects in the city has been improved significantly, mediating the...

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17 June 2019

Latest Publication: The Sustainable Tall Building

The Sustainable Tall Building: A Design Primer is an accessible and highly illustrated guide, which primes those involved in the design and research of tall buildings.

7 October 2018

2018 Global Walking Tour: Walking on Water

Join the Urban Habitat / Urban Design Committee for the 2018 Global Walking Tour. This year, tours will explore the role of the Tall Building in waterfronts and other natural settings.

29 October 2017

CTBUH Leaders Connect at 2017 Conference

The Annual Leaders Meeting was held the day before the start of the CTBUH 2017 Australia Conference, bringing together the Council’s leaders.

10 March 2017

Executive Director Visits Sydney and Melbourne

CTBUH Executive Director Antony Wood traveled to Sydney and Melbourne to build support for the 2017 conference through meetings and lectures.

4 October 2016

CTBUH 'UH'PDATE October 2016

The fourth issue of CTBUH 'UH'PDATE provides information on some of the early events and studies of the Urban Habitat / Urban Design Committee.

28 January 2016

Debating Tall: Modular as Homogenizing Force?

In the CTBUH 2016 Journal Issue I, two experts debate on the impact that modular construction will have in cities and whether it shall be used in all future skyscrapers.

20 February 2015

Rethinking the Tall Building: Opportunities in the 21st Century Metropolis

Philip Oldfield, Assistant Professor of Architecture at Nottingham University, presents at a joint CTBUH/IIT Cloud Talk in Crown Hall on the Illinois Institute of Technology...

21 September 2012

Embodied Carbon and High-Rise

This presentation examines the significance of embodied energy and carbon in tall buildings. It presents the life-cycle carbon analysis (including both operational and embodied emissions)...

21 September 2012

Track 24: Carbon, Construction & Deconstruction Q & A

Track 24 speakers including: Philip Oldfield, Nottingham University; Yu Huang, Shanghai Jian Ke Engineering Consulting Ltd.; Makoto Kayashima, TAISEI Corporation take questions from delegates.

11 October 2011

The PassiveHaus Skyscraper: Opportunities And Challenges For 'PassivHaus' Thinking In Tall Building Design

'PassivHaus' refers to a building standard focused on creating comfortable interior environments with reduced space conditioning requirements. However, there are still very few built examples...

11 October 2011

Seoul Conference 2011 Track Session 16: Q&A

Question & Answers session for Track Session 16.

05 February 2010

The Carbon Impact of Tall: Embodied Energy in High Rise

Much of the current emphasis on the sustainable design of tall buildings is focused on reducing their day-to-day operating energy, with little consideration given to...

03 March 2008

Track 7 Panel Questions and Answers

The panel of Track 7 including Mir Ali, Shyam Sunder, Philip Oldfield and Dickson Despommier, answered questions from the CTBUH 8th World Congress audience.

03 March 2008

Five Energy Generations of Tall Buildings

Philip Oldfield, University of Nottingham/Illinois Institute of Technology presented the the history of energy use in tall buildings, from their origins in North America in...

25 April 2019

Offset Cores: Trends, Drivers and Frequency in Tall Buildings

Dr. Philip Oldfield, UNSW Sydney; Bronte Doherty, BVN Architecture

This research explores the trends, drivers and frequency of offset cores in the world’s tallest buildings. It charts the history of tall building layouts, exploring...

30 October 2017

The Role of Design Competitions In Shaping Sydney’s Public Realm

Helen Lochhead & Philip Oldfield, University of New South Wales

Since 2000, through the City of Sydney’s Competitive Design Policy (CDP), the quality of major projects in the city has been improved significantly, mediating the...

08 August 2017

Improving Energy Performance In Gulf-Region Residential High-Rises

Noura Ghabra & Dr. Lucelia Rodrigues, University of Nottingham; Dr. Philip Oldfield, The University of New South Wales

Energy consumption in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries has been rising over the last four decades. The residential building sector alone accounts for more than...

02 June 2017

A “Fabric-First” Approach to Sustainable Tall Building Design

Philip Oldfield, University of New South Wales

This research suggests the most effective way for improving energy efficiency in tall buildings is a “fabric-first” approach. This involves optimizing the performance of the...

17 October 2016

A “Fabric-First” Approach to Sustainable Tall Building Design

Philip Oldfield, University of New South Wales

This research suggests the most effective way for improving energy efficiency in tall buildings is a “fabric-first” approach. This involves optimizing the performance of the...

28 January 2016

Debating Tall: Modular as Homogenizing Force?

Shonn Mills, Ramboll; Philip Oldfield, University of New South Wales

The persistent interest in prefabricated modular construction has now turned into high-rise reality, though the results have been inconsistent. Earlier experiments with the approach resulted...

16 September 2014

Vertical Public Realms: Creating Urban Spaces in the Sky

Dr. Yuri Hadi, Leicester School of Architecture; Professor Tim Heath & Dr. Philip Oldfield, University of Nottingham

The resurgence of the ‘Streets in the Sky’ concept is driving the recent transformation of social and public spaces in vertical cities, with Asia leading...

19 September 2012

Embodied Carbon and High-Rise

Philip Oldfield, University of Nottingham

This paper examines the significance of embodied energy and carbon in tall buildings. It presents the life-cycle carbon analysis (including both operational and embodied emissions)...