Kirsty has a Bachelor of Architecture (1987) and Masters in Design (2000), her design background covering architecture, interior design and exhibition design.
During a career spent until 2003, in industry, Kirsty Máté has been at the leading edge of sustainability and design since the early 1990’s. This can be evidenced through her development and organisation of the first Australian sustainable design ‘expo’ MADE Accountable in 1995 as Convenor of the Society for Responsible Design, as the Principal Research & Development Officer in Sydney (based at UTS) for Centre for Design at RMIT and as the founder of EcoBalance Sustainable Design Consultancy Pty Ltd in 1997.
Kirsty joined the Faculty on a permanent basis in 2003 as Senior Lecturer and is currently the Head of the Interior Architecture Program. She teaches and coordinates the technology stream of subjects in the Interior Architecture Program as well as sustainable design, with her research specialisation in sustainability and design.
Professional affiliation and membership
Teaching
Kirsty teaches and/or coordinates all of the Technology subjects for the Interior Architecture Program. This includes subjects such as construction, structures, architectural documentation, materials, detailing, lighting, acoustics, services, thermal design and sustainable design.
A leading principle Kirsty uses in her teaching methodology is 'learning by doing' which is highlighted in a first year subject Technology for Interior Architects 2 where students work in teams to build full scale structures from cardboard - such as half a full sized caravan! "The students not only have lots of fun but they also learn a lot about how things are put together and working in a team to get the job done!"
Research
Kirsty's area of research is strongly tied to sustainability and design. While her knowledge stretches across most of the design disciplines, her expertise lies in materials selection and interiors.
Since her academic appointment at the UNSW, she has won an internal (UNSW) grant to study attitudes and behaviours on ‘eco material’ selection amongst local, leading interior design firms; is a CI on a successful ARC Linkage Grant for a sustainable form of building material and will be undertaking a PHD in 2010 on The Future of Retail in the Built Environment and Sustainable Design. She has presented her research at international and national conferences.
As Director of EcoBalance, Kirsty has supplied expert advice to federal, state and local government and to industry organisations such as the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, Property Council of Australia and the Australian Green Building Council on issues mainly relating to material selection and design. Clients have included the Buy Recycled Business Alliance, The Laminex Group, Fuji Xerox, Accor Asia Pacific, Woven Image, Mirvac LendLease Consortium for Olympic Village, Allen Jack & Cottier and Investa Property Group.
Kirsty has been invited to present papers at conferences and seminars for national industry organisations such as the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, Facilities Management Association, the Building Designers Association, Design Institute of Australia and EcoReCycle Victoria. She has also presented refereed papers at international conferences such as the 15th International Clean Air & Environment Conference, Environmental Businesses Network, Sheffield University, International Design Research Group 2006 conference ‘Wonderground’ in Lisbon and Interiors Forum World, Milan Polytechnic October 2008.
She has authored or co-authored publications and papers and continues to be a co-contributing editor for the Sustainability section of the industry journal InDesign since 2002/3.
She has also been invited to be an industry advisor for the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) ‘Interior Tool’ and the former Planning NSW ‘BASIX’ tool; is currently on an Expert Reference Panel for the GBCA, and has recently completed a very successful national seminar tour for the Australian Institute of Architects on the use of toxic materials in the building industry, Materials: Harm, Heal, Excite!.
Recent Publications
Papers & Book Chapters
Máté, K., Inside Sustainability, InDesign, Vol36, pp209-211 InDesign Publishing, Sydney Australia
Máté, K., Inside Sustainability, InDesign, Vol36, pp209-211 InDesign Publishing, Sydney Australia
Mate, K., 'Attitudes versus Actions: Are interior designers genuinely embracing sustainable design through material selection?'. In Proceedings of AASA 2009 Conference Sustainable theory/ theorizing sustainability, Wellington NZ, 4-5 September 2009
Máté, K., Design Fad or Sustainable Solution? InDesign, Vol 34 August 2008, pp 212-214 InDesign Publishing, Sydney Australia
Máté, K., Sustainable Retail Design �" An Oxymoron?, InDesign Vol 35 pp209-211 InDesign Publishing, Sydney Australia
Mate, KJ., 2008, 'Green Shoes', in Place and Themes of Interiors, Contemporary Research Worldwide, eds Basso Peressut, L. Forino, I., Postiglione, G. and Scullica, F., Milan Politechnic, Milan, Italy, pp. 145 - 153
Máté, K., Throw-away culture, DQ Design Quarterly, Vol 28, pp79 InDesign Publishing, Sydney Australia
Máté, K., Design Fad or Sustainable Solution? InDesign, Vol 34 August 2008, pp 212-214 InDesign Publishing, Sydney Australia
Máté, K., Sustainable Retail Design �" An Oxymoron?, InDesign Vol 35 pp209-211 InDesign Publishing, Sydney Australia
Máté, K., Throw-away culture, DQ Design Quarterly, Vol 28, pp79 InDesign Publishing, Sydney Australia
Serle, S. & Mate, KJ. 'Carnivora: An exhibition and interior vignette at the salon satellite, Milan International Furniture Fair, Italy 2004'. In: Procedings of ConnectED 2007 International Conference on Design Education. Sydney, UNSW, 2007.
Mate, KJ. 'Champions, Conformists and Challengers: Attitudes of Interior Designers as Expressions of Sustainability through Materials Selection'. In: Proceedings of Wonderground Design Research International Conference 2006. Lisbon, CEIADE- Centro Editorial do IADE, 2007.
Forsythe, PJ. & Mate, KJ. 'Assessing Brick Waste on Domestic Construction Sites for Future Avoidance'. In: Proceedings of 41th Annual Conference of the Architectural Science Association ANZAScA, Towards solutions for a liveable future: progress, practice, performance, people. Geelong, Deakin University, pp. 101 - 108 2007.
Gertsakis, J., Máté, K., Environmentally Orientated Office Furniture and Fitouts" Recent Case Studies, Environment Design Guide, May 2003 Pro 29, pp 1-8, Royal Australian Institute of Architects
Máté, K., Resource Effciency, in Best, R., Langston, C., De Valence, G., (eds), “Workplace Strategies and Facilities Management" Building in Value Vol 3”, Butterworth Heinemann, Chapter 22, 352-376
Gertsakis, J., Máté, K., Environmentally Improved Office Furniture" A Guide to the key issues including Specification Guidelines, Environment Design Guide, Nov 2002 Pro 27, pp 1-12, Royal Australian Institute of Architects
Anon, “Sustainable Development Guide: A Roadmap for the Commercial Property Industry”, Property Council of Australia 2001 - co author and researcher particularly Chapter 3 Designing in Sustainability and Chapter 4 Construction and Demolition
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Page Last Updated: 23 Nov 2009
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