Michael JASPER

Dr Michael Jasper is a registered architect, educator, and scholar based in Australia. He is currently Professor of Architecture at the University of Canberra (UC). Deeply engaged with research, higher education, and the architecture and built environment professions locally, nationally, and internationally, he serves on standing and ad hoc committees for UC and with numerous outside entities. Immediately prior to joining the university, Jasper was a Partner at Cooper Robertson & Partners (New York) a prominent architecture and urban design firm.

While at UC, Jasper has advanced disciplinary knowledge through his teaching and in design research; assumed key advocacy and leadership roles in fomenting change to national policies impacting tertiary-level education including in revisions to national accreditation standards and procedures and in advancing debate on built environment matters vital to the nation; advanced the university’s Strategic Plan through his leadership contributions in program, course, and unit revision, university governance and in strategic engagement with government and industry.

Jasper’s leadership activities include as Member of University Academic Board (2022-2024, 2019-2020, 2015-2016), University Outside Studies Committee (2017), and SAGE (Science in Australia Gender Equity) Athena SWAN, the University’s task force on gender equity (2016-2021). He was Chair of Faculty Board, Faculty of Arts and Design (2022-2025), plus he was a Member of the Centre for Creative and Cultural Research (2019-2025), and a Member of the University Climate Change Adaptation & Resilience Research Network (2021-2025). His professional and community leadership activities are extensive, delivered through standing committees, panels, and working groups on local and national matters including as Member and Deputy Chair (2012-2021) of the National Education Committee, Royal Australian Institute of Architects, inaugural Member of the Accreditation Management Committee, Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (2017-2020). He is Founding Director of the Alastair Swayn Foundation (2016 -) and Member of the Griffin Lecture Committee, Royal Australian Institute of Architects (2013 -). Plus he was appointed by the ACT Minister for Heritage as an Expert Member to ACT Heritage Council (2025-2028).

Jasper teaches into major project studios, professional practice, history/theory, advanced formal analysis, and work integrated learning units across undergraduate courses in built environment disciplines and in the postgraduate Master of Architecture course. Jasper brings a several-decades-long track record of executive level experience to his academic activities. He received UC High-Performance Allowance 3 years in a row acknowledging sustained performance well above his academic level across the education, research, and engagement portfolios.

ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP

Jasper’s academic leadership to the University is delivered through committees, working groups and panels. As Chair of Faculty Board, Faculty of Arts and Design, in 2024 for example he convened and led 5 regular meetings, 1 special meeting, and considered other matters in 7 flying minutes. Across these, Faculty Board considered 81 individual agenda items for discussion and decision including 31 Course revisions, 34 individual unit or unit set amendments, and 25 Interim Monitoring Course Reports. Plus Jasper led over 2024 the restructuring of Faculty Board to better align with board composition elsewhere in the university including changes to meeting format to enable greater engagement with the broad range of content. In the same vein, dedicated readers were assigned to specific agenda items to spread and ideally balance the load and tighten the discussions. Plus he initiated and led implementation of a number of changes to the style and format of papers to better align with central governance in the optic of removing as much friction as possible as papers moved through subsequent committees.

Prof Jasper led the professionally accredited Master of Architecture degree as Course Convenor (2016-2021). In that capacity, and in the context of university wide renewal (2016-2018), Prof Jasper steered the course through the implementation of a revised curriculum at the course level from 2016, and over the national accreditation reporting period of 2017-2018. In that role he initiated and implemented a number of initiatives that transformed program outcomes and national reputation: - secured Faculty commitment to a Visiting Graduation Studio Lead to broaden student options; - expanded and systematised the Visiting Studio Juror system to diversity point of view; -  acknowledged essential contributions of sessional staff through regular feedback; - extended interim and final jury invitations to all academic staff to improve horizontal and vertical coordination across subject areas and improve skills and knowledge especially relevant to early career and new sessional staff; - personally participated in every major studio jury across all 5 program years. The course received a full five-year accreditation with no substantive actions, an outstanding achievement in the context of massive institutional transformations and new accreditation procedures. Plus he led the undergraduate architecture course as Acting Discipline Lead in 2019 and as Discipline Lead Architecture over 2020-2021.

In addition to contributions related to professional course accreditation, as Course Convenor and Discipline Lead Jasper managed the day-to-day operation of the program including work load, sessional staff coordination for both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, assessment of all admission applications, study plan advice and approval, coordination of Royal Australian Institute of Architects and University student prizes, representing the program to industry, professional organisations, regulatory bodies, in data collection and in annual meetings of national bodies (AASA, AACA). Plus as Head of Discipline Built Environment and Design (2016), he progressed a series of cross discipline issues including course reviews (of Landscape and Building and Construction Management), new course development with a third-party provider (undergraduate degree in civil engineering technology), and course renewal (Master of Urban and Regional Planning).

Jasper teaches into architecture studio, professional practice, history/theory, advanced architectural analysis, and other units across five built environment courses: undergraduate courses in architecture, building and construction management, interior architecture, landscape architecture and the postgraduate architecture course. Plus he teaches into multi-disciplinary units in the work integrated learning and advanced professional placement streams, including for the latter negotiating a new competitive internship with the ACT Government for postgraduate students now in its sixth year. Full detail on units is provided in the Teaching section of the CV.

In the ten-year period 2015-2024 and across 40 units, his teaching received an averaged overall student satisfaction score of 95%, well above the university average for the same period.

In addition, starting in 2011, Jasper led the internationalization of the UC architecture program, initiating and securing funding through competitive Australian Government grant schemes (New Colombo, Endeavour) for a series of postgraduate overseas research studios. These were based in Beijing (2011, 2012), Venice (2014), and Tokyo (2015 - ongoing). He established key university and practice networks that have continued over time. The Tokyo-based postgraduate unit celebrated its fifth consecutive year in 2019 and is now an established and distinguishing part of the curriculum, interrupted in 2020 due to COVID travel restrictions and now reestablished in 2024 and led by others.

LEADERSHIP IN RESEARCH

Prof Jasper is a specialist in 20th-century and contemporary architecture. He approaches architecture as a conceptual and material enquiry and his international research achievements rest on a large portfolio of academic and professional work that investigates three strands in architecture practice and theory. The first engages in the critical analysis and re-interpretation of modernist architectural discourses with a particular emphasis on the second half of the 20th century. The second focuses on theories of architecture composition at multiple scales and temporal settings, from individual buildings to group form, to precinct and city scales. The third strand concerns the conceptualisation and delivery of complex architectural and urban scale projects.

This research performance is expanded by contributions to the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge through his teaching and teaching-led research outputs in national and international settings and through academic and professional engagement activities. International and national refereed publications, grants, conference presentations, and committee work in peak bodies with national policy and practice impact demarcate these contributions and ensure their impact.

Jasper has focused on traditional scholarly outputs. In the years 2015-2025 he published 28 HERDC reportable outputs worth 44 weighted HERDC points including 4 sole authored books each counting 5x.

He has been Visiting Scholar at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation (New York), American Academy in Rome (Rome), Canadian Centre for Architecture (Montréal), and School of Architecture, Cooper Union for the Advancement of Art and Science (New York). He has published extensively in the discipline’s peak academic journals and lectured widely giving peer-reviewed papers in conferences in Abu Dhabi, Adelaide, Antwerp, Auckland, Brisbane, Brussels, Canberra, Copenhagen, Ghent, Helsinki, Launceston, Melbourne, New York, Paris, Seoul, Stockholm, Suzhou, Sydney, Tampere, València, Venice, and Wellington.

He is the author most recently of Architectural Possibilities in the Work of Peter Eisenman, and Trajectories in Architecture: Plan, Sensation, Temporality. Jasper was Team Leader and First Investigator on The Sustainable Shine Dome research project awarded a Category 1 Australian Government, Australian Heritage Grant, delivered in collaboration with the Australian Academy of Science, GML Heritage and GHD Pty Ltd, and concerned with climate change impact. He was Chief Investigator for the Haig Park Activation study led by Cathy Hope and recipient of a $1,002,204 research grant from the ACT Government with an emphasis on sustainable community spaces.

He is currently working on several long-term projects including a revised account of modernist architectural knowledge, an analysis of the architectural plan as conceptual device, and investigations into resilient urban scale form with an initial focus on multi-unit housing and living infrastructures.

LEADERSHIP IN ENGAGEMENT - BRIDING THE ACADEMY AND PRACTICE

Jasper frames and strategically designs engagement activities to bridge his national and international practice and public service experience, expand the UC Architecture program’s mission-oriented research, and parlay education activities to the benefit of the University, staff, students, and the built environment professions.

Service and engagement achievements have been delivered through leadership roles in committees with clear outcomes, service to the nation through charitable trust actions, and intense engagement with the profession drawing upon his extensive industry background. Select examples follow.

An elected member (2012-2021), Jasper was Deputy Chair (2015-2021) of the Royal Australian Institute of Architect’s National Education Committee (NEC) providing strategic advice to the Institute’s CEO, President and National Council. Out of his work on NEC, major achievements with national impact on education and accreditation policies included: - changes to the National Competency Standards for Architects (2013-2014); - review/comment on revisions to accreditation procedures for Australian, New Zealand architecture programs (2015-2016); - review and comment on the role and terms of the Australian Architectural Education and Competency Framework including its relation to Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) Teaching and Learning Outcomes (2016, 2017); - review and changes to the Institute’s Tertiary Architecture Education Public Policy and Architecture Research Public Policy (2015-2016); - advice and direction (2017, 2018) on the Institute’s national strategic plan leading to adoption of Education as a third pillar in the 2018 Strategic plan; - annual review (2012-2021) of accredited master of architecture program interim monitoring reports and visiting panel reports for accredited schools Australia, New Zealand.

Plus he was nominated in 2017 by the Australian Deans of the Built Environment & Design (ADBED) to serve as their nominee on a newly created Accreditation Management Committee. The five-person national Committee was charged with review and provision of advice to Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (AACA) CEO and Board of Directors on the design, governance, and implementation of new Australian, New Zealand architecture program accreditation policies and procedures. The Committee oversaw in a challenging environment the successful final design and delivery of a new accreditation procedure implemented in 2018 nationally. In 2019 the Committee reviewed and made recommendations on amendments to policies and procedures based on the first years’ experience, oversaw accreditation review of additional programs, and assessed a new annual reporting scheme for all Australian architecture programs.

Plus he was Chapter Councillor, ACT Chapter of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (2012-2018), and an Overseas Qualifications Assessor, AACA. He is a standing Panel Member for the national accreditation procedures of postgraduate architecture programs Australia, New Zealand and served on National Visiting Panels to RMIT (2016), UNSW (2017), and UWS (2021).

In late 2016 Jasper was appointed founding Director of the Alastair Swayn Foundation, a national charitable trust dedicated to the advancement of education and research in Australian architecture and design. The Board of Directors focused in the early years on establishing governance, operational, and strategic frameworks and gaining charitable trust status. In its first fully operational year (2018), the Foundation launched and has grown annually a national competitive grants program, created a Swayn Senior Curator position in partnership with and located within the National Museum of Australia, launched a national bi-annual exhibition program Light Colour Humanity, and partnered with RMIT and the American Academy in Rome on an annual fellowship scheme based in Rome.

Building on his national networks, Jasper was selected as an inaugural member of the Australian Architecture Exhibition Curatorial Committee for Australia’s contribution to the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 and Australian Showcase 2026, run by Creative Australia – the centrepiece of the Australian Government’s National Cultural Policy - and Royal Australian Institute of Architects. Jasper serves as a Detail Assessor for the Australian Research Council, a Commonwealth entity within the Australian Government and the primary source of advice to the Government on investment in the national research effort. He was an inaugural member of the National Capital Design Review Panel, the peak advisory group to the Australian Government and ACT Government on major development proposals in areas of significance in Canberra as Australia’s national capital.

Since joining UC Jasper has established active and expanding partnerships in delivery of units and courses. These wide-ranging collaborative ventures benefit staff and students, providing direct engagement with end users and practice leaders who contribute to curriculum design and delivery. Partners in unit design and delivery include National Capital Authority, National Archives of Australia, National Museum of Australia, Office of the ACT Government Architect, ACT Department of Environment and Planning, ACT Land Development Agency, Canadian High Commission to Australia. His network of national and local practices is extensive and in 2024 alone, industry engagement for units he taught included director level involvement from AECOM, Architectus, Ben Walker Architects, Canberra Metro Operations ACT Government, COX, DJAS Architecture, GML Heritage, GHD, MAKO Architecture, The Mill, Typology Architecture.

Prof Jasper is a Member of the Griffin Lecture Committee. The Griffin Lecture has been run since the mid 1960s with prominent speakers invited to speak on built environment matters urgent to the nation and to cities generally. Past speakers have included Gough Whitlam, Manning Clarke, Sir John Overall. The small 4-person Canberra based committee convened in 2013 and charged itself with rejuvenation and transformation of the Griffin Lecture into a national platform now held at the National Press Club and broadcast by the ABC. Recent speakers include Malcolm Turnbull AC, Australia's 29th Prime Minister and Lucy Turnbull AO, Urbanist, Businesswoman, Philanthropist & Former Mayor of Sydney (2023), Kevin McCloud (2020), Tim Ross (2018), George Megalogenis (2017), Graham Jahn (2016), Edmund Capon (2015), and Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore (2014).

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

Between 2002 and 2011 Jasper was Partner in the New York architecture and urban design firm of Cooper Robertson & Partners where he directed many of the firm’s major urban design and complex architecture projects including completion of some 24 research reports for state and federal government and not-for-profit bodies leading to $7 billion USD (2024 dollars) in building and infrastructure policy outcomes. Different from most commercial firms, Cooper Robertson focuses on government and institutional clients at policy formulation, strategic planning, program development, feasibility, and institutional planning phases. Brought into the firm and made Partner as part of a corporate succession plan, Jasper oversaw with other partners growth of the firm including doubling of architecture staff from 60 to 120 full-time salaried staff and commensurate growth to some 240 contracted sub-consultants, an office annual operating budget increase from $14.5 to $26 million USD, with annual billing including sub-consultants of $51 million USD (all in 2024 dollars).

Jasper’s change management responsibilities extended to diversification of project type and expansion of geographic reach resulting in assignments undertaken across the United States, and out to Canada, South America, several European Union countries, the Middle East, and Africa. With other partners, Jasper oversaw commensurate business systems growth in design, technology, marketing, human resource management, and finance.  At Cooper Robertson he held executive leadership roles in corporate management and marketing committees in addition to project director responsibilities on complex institutional, government, and urban scale projects. While at Cooper Robertson Jasper directed many of the firm’s major institutional and urban scale projects. His clients included mayors and government agencies as they sought to address aging infrastructure, poorly designed public realms, changing land use, and new cultural programs. He counts among his clients Baltimore Development Corporation, City of Detroit, City of Miami, City of Sarasota, and Washington DC Office of City Planning. He directed projects for university presidents and their boards as they sought to imagine and plan for their futures including Presidents Richard Levin, Yale University; Jean-Lou Chameau, California Institute of Technology; Lee Bollinger, Columbia University; John DeGioia, Georgetown University; Samuel Stanley, State University of New York at Stony Brook; Donna Shalala, University of Miami; Ronald Peterson, Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Member of Climate Change Adaptation Resilience and Recovery Network