Ian Buchan Fell Housing Research Centre

Telephone Contacts:
Director: (02) 9351 4100
Administration: (02) 9351 4220
Research and Library: (02) 9351 4219
Fax: (02) 9351 3031
e-mail: fell@arch.usyd.edu.au

The Ian Buchan Fell Housing Research Centre was established in the University of Sydney in 1966. It is funded by the estate of the late Ian Buchan Fell who graduated in Architecture at Sydney University in 1929 and died in 1961.

The Centre was generally, but not exclusively, established for the purpose of research into aspects of social housing. The research possibilities in the housing field are vast and the Centre has conducted a variety of projects, organised seminars and conferences and produced publications which include a biennial directory of Australian housing research, books, monographs and articles. In addition the Centre helps to support courses in Housing Studies and Housing for Health.

The Centre undertakes consulting work for state and local government and non-profit organisations on housing issues such as Indigenous housing, affordable housing, adaptable housing, and homelessness.

The Director, Colin James AM, is a senior lecturer in Architecture at Sydney University and well known for his work in the housing field. He is a member of various housing advisory committees, and has previously been seconded to State and Commonwealth departments to work on housing matters.

CRASH - Sydney
A major research project of the I B Fell Housing Research Centre is CRASH – Sydney (Construction Industry Relief and Assistance for Sydney’s Homeless). It was launched by Andrew Cappie-Wood, convenor of the NSW Inter-government Task Force on Homelessness, on 8 October 2002. CRASH - Sydney seeks to engage the private sector property industry in supporting homeless persons with medium-term shelter in vacant buildings in Sydney city. The initial pilot projects will work with groups of 18-25 year old homeless persons without medical support needs, to incorporate, to take up no-cost property leaseholds and to undertake caretaker training, while fitting out their own spaces with assistance from architects and builders. The model was developed from a London precedent, CRASH (UK) and the Sydney Housing Action Collective’s recent occupation of vacant buildings in Broadway, Sydney. It has been directly assisted by the UTS Community Law and Legal Research Centre and ESTP (Empty Spaces, Temporary Places).

Selection of Publications (THE IAN BUCHAN FELL HOUSING RESEARCH CENTRE)

[1] Homelessness – The Unfinished Agenda. (Proceedings of the Conference held at the Masonic Centre, Sydney, 3-4 August 1998), Sydney: I.B. Fell Housing Research Centre with Mission Australia and Shelter NSW, 1999. ISBN 85577 031 7, A4, 100pp. $22.00

[2] Australian Housing Research Directory 1998/99. Beetson, A.B. and Lang, D. (ed.), Sydney: I.B. Fell Housing Research Centre, University of Sydney, 1998. ISBN 1327 9378, B5, 189pp. $27.50

[3] Australian Housing Research Directory 1996. Beetson, A.B. and Lea, J. (ed.), Sydney: I.B. Fell Housing Research Centre, University of Sydney, 1998. ISBN 1327 9378, B5, 159pp. $27.50

[4] Thesaurus of Australian Housing Terms 1995. Lea, J.P. and Beetson, A.B., Sydney: I.B. Fell Housing Research Centre, University of Sydney and Melbourne: Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, 1995. ISBN 0 85577 029 5, B5, 106pp. $19.80

[5] Housing Research Database Access and Management Issues, Hunter, L., Sydney: I.B. Fell Housing Research Centre, University of Sydney, 1993. ISBN 0 85577 026 0, A4, 55pp. $13.20

[6] Urban Housing Needs Among Australian Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. Taylor, J., Sydney: I.B. Fell Housing Research Centre, University of Sydney, 1993. ISBN 0 85577 025 2, A4, 30pp. $13.20

[7] Humpy, House and Tin Shed: Aboriginal Settlement History on the Darling River. Memmott, P., Sydney: I.B. Fell Housing Research Centre, University of Sydney, 1991. ISBN 0 85577 023 6, A4, 355pp. $44.00

[8] Waterfront Housing and Inner City Redevelopment. Lea, J. and Dalton, S. (ed.), Sydney: I.B. Fell Housing Research Centre, University of Sydney, 1991. ISBN 0 85577 022 8, A4, 46pp. $13.20

[9] The Housing and Living Environment for Retired People in Australia. Thorne, R. (ed.), Sydney: Hale and Iremonger in assoc. with I.B. Fell Housing Research Centre, 1986. ISBN 0 86806 257 X, hb, B5, 348pp. $38.50

[10] Communes in Rural Australia: The Movement Since 1970. Munro-Clark, M., Sydney: Hale and Iremonger in assoc. with I.B. Fell Housing Research Centre, 1986. ISBN 0 86806 219 7, pb, B5, 240pp. $27.50

[11] Medium Density Housing in Sydney – 2 Surveys: Attitudes of Users and Non-Users. Thorne, R. (ed.), Sydney: I.B. Fell Housing Research Centre, University of Sydney, 1983. ISBN 0 85577 020 1 pb, B5, 218pp. $19.80Prices include GST and postage within Australia.

All listed publications are available from I B Fell Housing Research Centre, Faculty of Architecture, University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia. (Tel: (02) 9351 4100)