To the architectural community, the sudden passing last weekend of Jeffrey Robinson was a great shock. Tragically, Jeff was walking not far from his home when he was involved in a fatal traffic accident. Though not an architect, Jeff was a great champion of architecture and the design of sustainable and healthy buildings. He studied the first degree in Building Services Engineering at Trinity College in his native Dublin, Ireland where his favourite subjects were Building Physics in Passive Design and the History of Architecture, which to use Jeff’s words ‘always stood me in good stead to help understand why architecture is what it is and why architects do what they do’. He worked for Arup in London, then set up Arup’s Cork office in Ireland in 1991 and later Arup’s office in Melbourne in 1997. In 2003 he joined Connell Mott MacDonald which later became Aurecon in 2009
As Aurecon’s Global Sustainable Design Expertise Leader, Jeff worked on a number of important exemplars of sustainability from the Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute built on a former landfill site in Queenscliff to the University of Melbourne’s Conservatorium of Music and School of Design to Monash University’s 2020 Woodside Building for Technology and Design, the largest educational building in the world to achieve Passivhaus Certification for which the design team received the Victorian Chapter’s premier award for architecture in 2021, the Victorian Architecture Medal. In 2023 this was followed up by the University of Melbourne’s Student Precinct which was awarded the Victorian Architecture Medal for 2023. His July 2023 presentation to our ESD Member lean-in webinar, entitled ‘Sustainable Building Design – Past & Future’ was a revelation of just how many seminal buildings Jeff had worked on and his explanation of how sustainability and engineering had developed over the last 40 years was most illuminating.
In addition to his leading role in sustainability, it seemed to many of us his primary role was as a mentor and passionate enthusiast for the built environment, and in particular for architects and architecture. Jeff was a fixture at all architectural events, whether hosted by the Institute, tertiary educational institutions or allied industry groups. At any lecture, his was always the first question, an intelligently crafted query that drew more explanation from the guest speaker to the enlightenment of the audience. I recall after last October’s ARBV’s Centenary evening celebrations, his enthusiasm for all things design and architectural meant he accompanied me to the MPavilion’s subsequent announcement of their summer programme where we continued our discussion with others on the importance of acknowledging and utilising the built condition to the benefit of the community and our carbon equation. I recollect after UK architect Indy Johar’s November presentation ‘Retrofit and Beyond: Working through the Limits (where Jeff naturally asked the first question) he later described the lecture on sustainability as the most important he had experienced that year, which was high praise indeed.
Jeff’s extra-curricular enthusiasm for the built environment was not limited to attending events and he heavily contributed to a number of groups including serving as a member of Heritage Council of Victoria for two terms, a member of Property Council’s Victorian Sustainable Development Committee, a sustainability specialist on the Victorian Design Review Panel, a member of City of Casey’s Design Excellence Panel, a Board Member of the Australian Passive House Association, Co-Chair of MECLA working group 5E and was on judging panels for four industry sustainability groups. Needless to say, Jeff had a profound relationship with the Australian Institute of Architects, attending a myriad of our events including Australian Architecture Conferences, and supporting sustainability and heritage CPD sessions. He was also a strong participant in the Victorian awards program as a presentation to juries sponsor and presenter at the Victorian Awards for over a decade.
Jeff was a pervasive presence and a great supporter of our industry. It is confronting that he will not be at our next event, and I, as for so many members, will miss his effusive personality, inquisitorial nature, learned understanding and friendship. I am sure his spirit and vision will continue to inspire and encourage us, leaving a demonstrative legacy of how we must intelligently work together to build a better, more sustainable world. In Jeff’s passing, we have indeed lost one of the giants of sustainability in our state as well as a good friend. Our thoughts and prayers are with Jeff’s wife Carolyn, their daughters and family. Rest in peace Jeff.
David Wagner FRAIA
President of the Victorian Chapter
Jeff is being commemorated with the planting of a memorial forest – ‘Jeff Robinson’s Sustainable Forest’ – at a site called Ledcourt in Central Victoria. Located on the lands of the Jardwadjali and Djabwurung people, the site adjoins the Grampians National Park and Mount William Creek, which is home to platypus, kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas, emus and many other native wildlife species.
Administered by Greenfleet, the forest will be legally protected for 100 years, allowing it to grow into a self-sustaining ecosystem that will thrive beyond this century. Contributions can be made to ‘Jeff’s Forest’ here.
Messages from friends and colleagues are being collected on a Kudoboard. These will be collated into a commemorative book for Jeff’s family and friends to cherish forever.
