Master of Built Environment

UNSW's Climate Adaptation & Built Environment research covers six key areas: Extreme Weather (climate mechanisms, modelling, bushfire dynamics and fire safety engineering); Biodiversity (marine and terrestrial ecology, living seawalls, underwater reforestation); Advanced Manufacturing, Waste Reduction & Recycling (circular economies, e-waste transformation, MICROfactories™); Food & Water Sustainability (wastewater treatment, water-sensitive urban design, food security); Climate Risk & Response (coastal engineering, climate policy, actuarial climate risk); and Sustainable Cities & Construction (high-performance architecture, urban planning, embodied carbon reduction).

UNSW is advancing resilient smart cities by integrating high-performance architecture with urban planning, policy, and technology research. Researchers reduce embodied carbon and waste in the AEC sector through sustainable materials, hybrid structures, and intelligent systems. From ultra-tall buildings to high-density housing, they use big data and energy design to mitigate the urban heat island effect, creating positive environmental, social, and economic outcomes.

Key researchers include Scientia Professor Veena Sahajwalla (materials scientist who transforms waste into green materials), Professor Deo Prasad (international authority in sustainable buildings and cities), Professor Jason Sharples (expert in dynamic bushfire behaviour and fire risk management), Professor Richard Kingsford (river ecologist and conservation biologist), Professor David Waite (expert in water quality and wastewater treatment), and Professor Qihe Tang (works at the intersection of climate change and actuarial research).

Yes, UNSW actively partners with industry, government and the community to implement ecological conservation, adaptive technologies and durable policies. Industry partners can engage through R&D partnerships, conduct PhD research with UNSW, use UNSW's facilities and instruments, or contact the university directly to find an expert matched to their specific research area or project needs.

UNSW's food and water researchers combine expertise in Indigenous land management, water and wastewater treatment, global agriculture sustainability and natural resources law, with a goal to strengthen food security, create healthier communities and alleviate the environmental impact from food production. Solutions include better water and nutrient recycling using membrane bioreactors, water-sensitive urban design, polymer sensors to detect food spoilage, and equitable governance that includes vulnerable populations.