Prof Veronica Soebarto
Professor
School of Architecture and Built Environment
College of Creative Arts, Design and Humanities
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.
Veronica joined the University of Adelaide in 1998 after completing a Post-Doctorate Research Associate position at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, USA, and PhD and Master of Architecture degrees from the same university. Her research interests span from age-friendly built environment, environmental performance assessments of buildings, building performance simulation, building monitoring, human thermal comfort, to the social dimension of sustainable design.
Veronica is the Initiative Lead in Green Urban Futures and Planetary Health of the Environment Institute and the Theme Lead in Sustainable Futures theme of Adelaide-Nottingham Alliance.
Her research interests include:
- Building thermal/energy simulation
- Environmental monitoring
- Sustainable building design and assessments
- Human thermal comfort
- Green space and well-being
- Age-friendly built environment
- Social dimension of sustainability and sustainable design.
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 - ongoing | Professor | University of Adelaide |
| 2007 - 2017 | Associate Professor | University of Adelaide |
| 2000 - 2006 | Senior Lecturer | University of Adelaide |
| 1998 - 1999 | Lecturer | University of Adelaide |
| 1987 - 1990 | Architect | Han Awal & Partners Architects |
| Date | Type | Title | Institution Name | Country | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Award | IBPSA Fellow | International Building Performance Simulation Association | Canada | - |
| 2018 | Award | Executive Dean's Award - Best Researcher | Faculty of The Professions, University of Adelaide | Australia | - |
| 2018 | Fellowship | ASA Fellow | Architectural Science Association (ANZAScA) | Australia | - |
| 2017 | Award | Executive Dean's Research Commendation 2017 | Faculty of Professions, University of Adelaide | Australia | - |
| 2016 | Award | Beacon Commendations for the Enhancement and Innovation of Student Learning: Implementing effective HDR Supervisory Practices | The University of Adelaide | Australia | $2,000 |
| 2014 | Award | Executive Dean's Research Award 2014 | University of Adelaide | Australia | AU$2,000 |
| 2000 | Award | Good Teaching Award | University of Adelaide | Australia | - |
| 1997 | Award | IBPSA Outstanding Young Contributor Award 1997 | International Building Performance Simulation Associaion | - | USD500 |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 - 1996 | Texas A&M University | United States | PhD |
| 1991 - 1992 | Texas A&M University | United States | Master of Architecture |
| 1982 - 1987 | University of Indonesia | Indonesia | B.Arch.Eng. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Kroll, D., Galavan, S., & Soebarto, V. (2025). CHANGING CULTURES: Sustainability in architectural education and design teaching. In Architectural Thinking in A Climate Emergency (pp. 136-150). |
| 2025 | Gomaa, M., Malekian, H., Soebarto, V., & Reyes, A. V. (2025). Are We There Yet? Progress Review of Digital Manufacturing for Earth Construction. In Springer Series in Materials Science (Vol. 352, pp. 57-71). Springer Nature Switzerland. DOI |
| 2024 | Omrany, H., & Soebarto, V. (2024). Time to do More: Realisation of Life-Cycle Net-Zero Energy Buildings. In M. Abraham (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Sustainable Technologies, Second Edition: Volumes 1-4 (Vol. 1-4, pp. 459-472). Elsevier. DOI Scopus1 |
| 2022 | Bartesaghi Koc, C., Soebarto, V., Hawken, S., & Sharifi, E. (2022). The potential for urban canopy cover to reduce heat-related mortality in Adelaide. In N. Aghamihammadi, & M. Santamouris (Eds.), Urban Overheating: Heat Mitigation and the Impact on Health (First ed., pp. 249-273). Springer. DOI |
| 2022 | Williamson, T., Soebarto, V., Bennetts, H., Arakawa Martins, L., Pisaniello, D., Hansen, A., . . . van Hoof, J. (2022). Assessing human resilience: A study of thermal comfort, wellbeing and health of older people. In F. Nicol, H. B. Rijal, & S. Roaf (Eds.), Routledge Handbook of Resilient Thermal Comfort (1 ed., pp. 108-127). Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxfordshire: Taylor & Francis. DOI Scopus8 |
| 2022 | Omrany, H., & Soebarto, V. (2022). Time to do More: Realisation of Life-Cycle Net-Zero Energy Buildings. In W. Deng (Ed.), Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences. ScienceDirect. DOI |
| 2008 | Soebarto, V. (2008). Adelaide: A warm continental climate. In Richard Hyde (Ed.), Bioclimatic Housing: Innovative Designs for Warm Climates (Vol. 9781849770569, pp. 149-171). UK: Earthscan. DOI Scopus1 |
| 2008 | Hyde, R., Sunaga, N., Soebarto, V., Ribeiro, M., Binarti, F., Junghars, L., . . . Rajapaksha, U. (2008). Design, elements and strategies. In Richard Hyde (Ed.), Bioclimatic Housing: Innovative Designs for Warm Climates (Vol. 9781849770569, pp. 297-345). UK: Earthscan. DOI |
| 2008 | Woods, P., Hyde, R., Hayashi, M., Ribeiro, M., Sotogo, F., Calderaro, V., . . . Ghobadian, V. (2008). Trends, promotion and performance. In Richard Hyde (Ed.), Bioclimatic Housing: Innovative Designs for Warm Climates (Vol. 9781849770569, pp. 59-116). UK: Earthscan. DOI |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Sharifi, E., Mehdipour, A., Hill, K., Hayter, J., Soebarto, V., Bartesaghi Koc, C., . . . Arakawa Martins, L. (2023). Trees for Urban Streets: A multi-criteria guide to select street trees in Greater Metropolitan Adelaide. DOI |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Soebarto, V., Bennetts, H., Arakawa Martins, L., van Hoof., Visvanathan, R., Hansen, A., . . . Zuo, J. (2021). Thermal Comfort at Home: A guide for older South Australians. The University of Adelaide. DOI |
| - | Soebarto, V., Martins, L. A., Visvanathan, R., Williamson, T., & Pisaniello, D. (n.d.). Resilient Housing Guideline for Older People: How to get ready for future climates. DOI |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| - | Sharifi, E., Mehdipour, A., Hill, K., Soebarto, V., Hayter, J., Koc, C. B., . . . Martins, L. A. (n.d.). Multi-criteria Street Tree Selection SA EI-2023 + Tool [Computer Software]. DOI |
2026 - 2030
Co-Chief Investigator, ARC Discovery DP260104414 "Advancing the Integration of Greenery and Solar Energy for Buildings" ($620K). CI: Ruidong Chang, with Robert Hill, Jian Zuo, Ehsan Sharifi and Yupeng (Jack) Wu (PI, University of Nottingham).
2022 - 2025
Chief Investigator, ARC Discovery DP220103213 "Developing Resilient Housing for Low Socio-Economic Older People" ($375K), with Terence Williamson, Renuka Visvanathan and Dino Pisaniello.
2024 - 2025
Co-Chief Investigator, FAME Sustainability research "From Cost to Value: Novel Decision-Making Tools for Harnessing Sustainable Economic Benefits of Trees and Greenspaces in Urban Planning" ($94K), Lead CI: Carmel Williams.
2021 - 2025
Co-Chief Investigator, ARC Linkage LP200300841 "Determining the social value of extreme, mixed-use urban developments" ($288K). CI: Helen Barrie, University of South Australia, with Debby Faulkner, Ning Gu (UniSA) and David Kroll (University of Adelaide).
2023 - 2024
Chief Investigator, CSIRO "Addressing Overheating and Occupant Behavioural Setting Research for Improving NatHERS Rating in Climate Zone 4" ($106K), with Terence Williamson.
2019 - 2020
CSIRO ($20K). Thermal assumptions, behavioural reports planning for (NatHERS) post – 2020, with Terence Williamson.
2018 - 2021
Chief Investigator, ARC Discovery DP180102019 "Improving thermal environment of housing for older Australians" ($413K), with Dino Pisaniello, Alana Hansen, Terence Williamson, Jian Zuo, Renuka Visvanathan, Joost van Hoof.
2019 - 2020
Co-Chief Investigator, SA Health "Citizen Science for Creating a Greener Adelaide" ($25K). CIs: Helen Barrie, Jarrod Lange.
2018 - 2019
Co-Chief Investigator, Office for the Ageing Well "Green Spaces, Public Spaces and Ageing Well" ($25K). CIs: Helen Barrie, Jarrod Lange
2016-2017
Chief Investigator, University of Adelaide Interdisciplinary Research Fund, "Planning and Design of Public Spaces to Support Ageing Well" ($42K), with Helen Barrie, Renuka Visvanathan, Damith Ranasinghe
Co-Chief Investigator, University of Adelaide Interdisciplinary Research Fund, "Investigation into The Structural Capacity of Optical Glass with Application to Sustainable Façade Design And Building Technology" ($45K). CI: Heike Ebendorff-Heidepriem, Marina Aburas, Michael Griffith, Tim Zhao
2014-2015
Chief Investigator, University of Adelaide Interdisciplinary Research Fund and Faculty of Professions Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Research Fund,“Scoping Study for Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design in South Australia” ($29K), with Susan Oakley, Jennifer Bonham, Paul Babie
2011-2013
Co-Chief Investigator, National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF) research “A Framework for Adaptation of Australian Households to Heat Waves” ($468K), CI: Wasim Saman, UniSA.
2011-2012
Co-Chief Investigator, South Australian Government Sector Agreements research “City of Adelaide Urban Heat Island Micro-Climate Study” ($50K). CI: Huade Guan (Flinders University).
2007
Chief Investigator, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Japan, “Christie Walk Eco City Project: Joint Case Study of APFED Award winning project” ($10K)
2006
Chief Investigator, Faculty Small Grant Research “Investigation of the performance of some ‘sustainable’ wall materials for houses”
2002 – 2005
Chief Investigator 2, Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Research: “Building and Ethics: Understanding a Corpus of Contemporary Australian Award-Winning Houses as Responses to Ecological, Social and Built Contexts”($250K)
2003 – 2004
Co-Chief Investigator, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) research: “Affordability and Sustainability Outcomes of Suburban Development and Master Planned Communities – A Triple Bottom Line Assessment” ($120K)
2022 - current: Course Coordinator, Design Studio III
2021 (sem 2): Course Coordinator, lecturer and tutor, Architectural Acoustics Design Studio.
2013 - current: Course Coordinator, lecturer and tutor, Advanced Architecture Technologies
2012 - current: Course Coordinator, lecturer and tutor, Environment II
2015-2016: Studio group leader, Architecture Final Project
2015: Co-coordinator, Overseas Experiential Studio (Vanuatu)
2014: Co-coordinator, Design Studio IV (Indonesia)
2012: Coordinator, Architecture Thesis A and B
2010 - 2011: Course Coordinator, lecturer and tutor, Sustainable Residential Building Design
2010 - 2011: Course Coordinator, lecturer and tutor, Sustainable Commercial Building Design
2006 - 2010: Course Coordinator, lecturer and tutor, Technology in Design
2010 - 2012: Course Coordinator, lecturer and tutor, Architecture Studio Elective B
2008, 2010: Course Coordinator, lecturer and tutor, Architecture Design Studio
1998 - 2009: Course Coordinator, lecturer and tutor, Technology in the Built Environment
1998 - 1999: Studio group leader, Architecture Final Project
1998 - 2006: Lecturer in Architecture Studio IB, IC, II, Architecture Processes, Building Design Studio
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Principal Supervisor | Sustainable Automated Construction for Energy Self-Sufficiency and Cost-Effective Affordable Houses in South Australia | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Danning Zhu |
| 2025 | Co-Supervisor | On the Move: How Built and Social Environments Impact Children's Sustainable Transport Mode Choice and Independent Mobility | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Milad Asadi |
| 2025 | Principal Supervisor | Sustainable Automated Construction for Energy Self-Sufficiency and Cost-Effective Affordable Houses in South Australia | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Danning Zhu |
| 2025 | Co-Supervisor | On the Move: How Built and Social Environments Impact Children's Sustainable Transport Mode Choice and Independent Mobility | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Milad Asadi |
| 2024 | Principal Supervisor | Exploring the Impact of Artificial Light for Plant Growth on Human Mood, Emotion and Task Performance | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms Tika Ardina Hanjani |
| 2024 | Principal Supervisor | Exploring the Impact of Artificial Light for Plant Growth on Human Mood, Emotion and Task Performance | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms Tika Ardina Hanjani |
| 2023 | Principal Supervisor | Enhancing Natural Ventilation to Improve Indoor Air Quality: An Investigation of Occupants’ Window Opening Behaviour in Aged Care Facilities | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Ali Malekpour |
| 2023 | Co-Supervisor | Nanofertiliser intensified plant growth for space biophilic design | Doctor of Philosophy under a Jointly-awarded Degree Agreement with | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr John Longo Masengo |
| 2023 | Principal Supervisor | Enhancing Natural Ventilation to Improve Indoor Air Quality: An Investigation of Occupants Window Opening Behaviour in Aged Care Facilities | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Ali Malekpour |
| 2023 | External Supervisor | A Digital Twin-enabled approach to determining and visualising building performances incorporating social considerations: a case study of U City, a mixed-use vertical housing development | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Adii Shtykov |
| 2023 | Co-Supervisor | Nanofertiliser intensified plant growth for space biophilic design | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr John Longo Masengo |
| 2022 | Principal Supervisor | Investigating the relationship between the Built Environment, Wellbeing and Social Value: A case study of a high-rise mixed-use building in the City of Adelaide | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Juliana Croffi Calixto |
| 2022 | Co-Supervisor | Self-shading steel facades for buildings in warm climates | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Ricardo Lionar |
| 2022 | Principal Supervisor | Finding the Most Suitable Machine Learning Method to Anticipate Actual Occupancy Adaptive Behaviours in Older People with Low Socio-Economic Backgrounds Concerning Wellbeing and Comfort | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Shadi Jamialahmadi |
| 2022 | Co-Supervisor | The Impact of Urban Planning and Design on Urban Heat Islands and Outdoor Thermal Comfort | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Elham Sanagar Darbani |
| 2022 | Co-Supervisor | The Impact of Urban Planning and Design on Urban Heat Islands and Outdoor Thermal Comfort | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Elham Sanagar Darbani |
| 2022 | Principal Supervisor | Investigating the relationship between the Built Environment, Wellbeing and Social Value: A case study of a high-rise mixed-use building in the City of Adelaide | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Juliana Croffi Calixto |
| 2022 | Principal Supervisor | Finding the Most Suitable Machine Learning Method to Anticipate Actual Occupancy Adaptive Behaviours in Older People with Low Socio-Economic Backgrounds Concerning Wellbeing and Comfort | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Shadi Jamialahmadi |
| 2022 | Co-Supervisor | Self-shading steel facades for buildings in warm climates | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Ricardo Lionar |
| 2019 | Principal Supervisor | Thermal Comfort and Adaptive Behaviour in Housing in Tropical Climate | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms Siti Aisyah Damiati |
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 - 2023 | Principal Supervisor | Occupant Thermal Comfort and Behaviour for House Energy Rating: A Case Study of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Dr Siti Aisyah Damiati |
| 2018 - 2022 | Principal Supervisor | Understanding Thermal Comfort and Wellbeing of Older South Australians Using Occupant-Centric Models | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Dr Larissa Arakawa Martins |
| 2018 - 2022 | Principal Supervisor | Incorporation of Embodied Energy into Building Energy-Efficiency Codes: A Pathway to Life-Cycle Net-Zero Energy Building in Australia | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Hossein Omrany |
| 2017 - 2021 | Principal Supervisor | Holistic Investigation of Robotically-Assisted 3D Printed Cob Walls: From Fabrication to Environmental Impacts | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Mohamed Sabry Radwan Mohamed Gomaa |
| 2016 - 2020 | Principal Supervisor | Smart building façades using nanoparticle thermochromic technology: From fabrication to implementation |
Doctor of Philosophy under a Jointly-awarded Degree Agreement with | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Marina Aburas |
| 2015 - 2020 | Principal Supervisor | The Adaptive Reuse Predicament: An Investigation Into Whether Building Regulation is a Key Barrier to Adaptive Reuse of Vacant Office Buildings | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mrs Gillian Armstrong |
| 2014 - 2017 | Co-Supervisor | Towards Sustainability in the Chinese Construction Industry: A Transition Approach | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | APrf Ruidong Chang |
| 2014 - 2019 | Principal Supervisor | Addressing the relationships between ageing, thermal comfort, house design and health: A study in South Australia | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Mrs Rachel Desley Bills |
| 2014 - 2023 | Co-Supervisor | The Nature and Determinants of Indoor Environment Quality in High-Rise Apartments of Melbourne, Australia | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Mr Andrew Stephen Carre |
| 2014 - 2023 | Co-Supervisor | Towards a More Inclusive Educational Space: A Study About Wayfinding for an Autism-Friendly Learning Environment in South Australian Primary Schools | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Mrs Farjana Rahaman |
| 2013 - 2018 | Co-Supervisor | URBAN ICONS: Creative Reuse of Civic Buildings as Exemplars of Ethical Conservation of Architectural Heritage | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Ms Carolyn Wigg |
| 2012 - 2016 | Co-Supervisor | Thermal Mavericks in Australia: A Study of Occupant Preferences in Dwellings of Atypical Construction | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | APrf Lyrian Rose Daniel |
| 2012 - 2016 | Principal Supervisor | High-rise Residential Buildings in Dhaka, Bangladesh: Strategies for Socially and Environmentally Sustainable Practice | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mrs Tahmina Ahsan |
| 2012 - 2017 | Principal Supervisor | Energy Independent Residential Development for Dhaka City, Bangladesh | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mrs Rehnuma Parveen |
| 2011 - 2014 | Co-Supervisor | Earthship Architecture: post occupancy evaluation, thermal performance and life cycle assessment | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Martin Freney |
| 2011 - 2016 | Principal Supervisor | How primary schools really work: Architecture, use, and perspectives | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Ms Linda Pearce |
| 2010 - 2014 | Principal Supervisor | Defining Genius Loci and Qualifying Cultural Landscape of the Minahasa Ethnic Community in the North Sulawesi, Indonesia | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms CYNTHIA ERLITA VIRGIN WUISANG |
| 2010 - 2015 | Co-Supervisor | Thermal and structural performances of insulated cavity rammed earth wall houses | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Xiang Dong |
| 2008 - 2011 | Principal Supervisor | Development of A Sustainability Assessment Framework for Malaysian Office Buildings Using A Mixed- Methods Approach | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms Zalina Shari |
| 2008 - 2014 | Principal Supervisor | Green Commercial Office Buildings: Environmental Performance and User Perceptions | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms Vanessa Menadue |
| 2003 - 2005 | Co-Supervisor | Building Climatology and Thermal Comfort Thermal Environments and Occupant (Comfort) Responses in Philippine Office Buildings | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms Mary Andamon |
| 2002 - 2009 | Co-Supervisor | Architecture and the Politics of Identity in Indonesia A Study of the Cultural History of Aceh | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Izziah Hasan |
| 2001 - 2005 | Co-Supervisor | PREDICTING AIR TEMPERATURES IN CITY STREETS ON THE BASIS OF MEASURED REFERENCE DATA | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Mr Evyatar Erell |
| 2000 - 2004 | Co-Supervisor | Dimensions of sustainability: Case study of new housing in Adelaide and Hanoi | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms Viet Nguyen |
| 1999 - 2008 | Co-Supervisor | The Spatial Representation of Embodied Energy of Residential Areas in the Urban Environment | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Mr Stephen Frederick Pullen |
| Date | Role | Membership | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 - ongoing | Member | Society of Building Science Educators | United States |
| 2015 - ongoing | Member | NCEUB (Network for Comfort and Energy Use in Buildings) | United Kingdom |
| 1998 - ongoing | Member | Architectural Science Association | Australia |
| Date | Role | Editorial Board Name | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 - ongoing | Associate Editor | Renewable Energy | Elsevier | United Kingdom |
| 2023 - ongoing | Associate Editor | Solar Energy Advances - Subject Editor | Elsevier | Australia |
| 2019 - ongoing | Associate Editor | Energy and Buildings | Elsevier | United Kingdom |
| 2018 - ongoing | Board Member | Alam Cipta: International Journal on Sustainable Tropical Design Research and Practice | University Putra Malaya | Malaysia |
| 2018 - 2019 | Editor | Special Issue in Energy and Buildings | Energy and Buildings | United Kingdom |
| 2015 - 2024 | Board Member | Journal of Building Performance Simulation | International Building Performance Simulation Association | Canada |
| 2013 - 2023 | Associate Editor | Architectural Science Review | Architectural Science Association | Australia |