Whether in China or Singapore or closer to home in Perth, Richard Weller's original and creative designs can be found or, perhaps more accurately, experienced and explored in the urban landscapes of many cities.
The Professor is the Discipline Chair of Landscape Architecture in the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts but his work is hardly confined to the academic sphere. He is also the Director of Room 4.1.3 Pty. Ltd., a landscape design company which has the honour of being the first such Australian design firm to be represented by an international monograph published by the respected University of Pennsylvania Press in 2005.
Together with other esteemed colleagues and dedicated students, Weller shows that landscape architecture is far from a way to simply 'beautify' a place; it is instead an opportunity to engage and stimulate the dialogue that is integral to national culture.
Such a philosophy is easily seen in the landscape of Weller's most notably project to date, the National Museum of Australia which has been described as "a veritable playground of meanings."
Professor Weller's career is peppered with over 20 design awards recognising his flair and style in landscape design and in 2004 he was chosen to be part of a team that represented Australia on an international level at the Venice Architecture Biennale.
Throughout his career Weller has sought to 'mix the ideal and the real so that they balance each other', a thought that describes his efforts to mix teaching with research and practice. Original to all, unconventional to some, Richard Weller exemplifies the vibrancy and enthusiasm that can be found at UWA.
