Dr Tracey Benson
Research project:
Lifecycle of the Queenslander house: challenges and opportunities.
Research description:
As urban areas expand to accommodate increasing populations, there has been a corresponding loss of the vernacular architecture of places, changing the character of many cities around the world. The iconic Queenslander house disappearing from many subtropical cities and towns on the east coast of Australia is a not just a nostalgic loss. Its disappearance is perhaps contributing to less climate resilient communities, increased urban heat islands and material waste. By examining the lifecycle of the Queenslander house through its cultural, material and design strengths, its historical development, adaptations and interpretations to its current demise and disappearance, my research seeks to understand how these strengths could inform future climate resilient design.
Researcher biography:
Tracey M Benson is an interdisciplinary researcher exploring the relationships between ecology, place, culture, technology and community. She is the founder of artsci charity Treecreate Studio and has over twenty-five years of experience as a design educator, researcher and creative practitioner, alongside nineteen years in executive leadership roles specialising in digital transformation, sustainability and citizen engagement in government and non-profit contexts.
Tracey's current PhD research applies an interdisciplinary approach to exploring how the Queenslander house can serve as a model for future climate-responsive architecture. Her research brings together architecture, cultural history, material studies and community knowledge to explore how housing can support resilience, belonging and sustainable futures in subtropical and tropical regions.
Research interests
- Queenslander architecture and domestic heritage
- Timber traditions and material culture
- Climate adaptation and flood resilience
- Circular economy and adaptive reuse
- Regenerative and ecological design
- Architecture, place and belonging
- Environmental humanities
- Creative practice research
- Community engagement and participatory design
- More-than-human futures
Principal Supervisor:
Dr Silvia Micheli
Publications:
Benson, T. M.. (2024). [Chapter title]. In P. L. Cappucci (Ed.), Water Dialogues. NOEMA.
Benson, T. M.. (2023). Alternative Reality Garden. AwhiWorld.
Selected book chapters
Benson, Tracey M.. "Chapter 7. Layering Identity, Place and Belonging between Nature and Urbanity". Urban Natures: Living the More-than-Human City, edited by Ferne Edwards, Lucia Alexandra Popartan and Ida Nilstad Pettersen, New York, Oxford: Berghahn Books, 2023, pp. 125-135. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781805390831-013
Benson, Tracey & Joachim, Lee & Smith, Huhana & Allan, Penny & Bryant, Martin & Suaalii-Sauni, Tamasailau & Lefale, Penehuro & Dawson, Charles. (2020). Indigenous Art, Resilience and Climate Change.
Selected journal articles
Benson, T. M. (2024). Conceptualizing the OneWater: Exploring the plural possibilities of community, saltwater and freshwater. Technoetic Arts, 22(2), 267-281. https://doi.org/10.1386/tear_00136_1
Brown, P., & Benson, T. M. (2023). From thought-forms to art concret: Tracey M. Benson interviews Paul Brown. Leonardo, 56(6), 629–634. https://doi.org/10.1162/leon_a_02425
Roberts, L., Benson, T., Fiore, D., Fletcher, P., Johnson, E., Kutay, C., Melbourne-Thomas, J., Petrou, K., Silk, M., Taberner, S., Filgueira, V. V., & Johnson, A. J. (2021). Enabling enduring evidence-based policy for the Southern Ocean through cultural arts practices. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 9, Article 616089. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.616089
Benson, T. M. (2021). Walking together: Artistic collaboration across cultures in Australia and New Zealand. The Canadian Journal of Action Research, 21(3), 32–51. https://doi.org/10.33524/cjar.v21i3.511
Selected conference papers
Benson, T. M., Clothier, P., Pell, S. J., & Diekman, K. (2024). Weaving water: Connecting to place, practice and protocol. In Proceedings of the 29th International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA 2024), Brisbane, Australia.
Contact Email
t.benson@uq.edu.au
External Profiles
ORCID