Ian Buchan Fell Committee

In December 1963, The University of Sydney received official notification from the Trustees of Ian Buchan Fell's Estate that income from the Estate had been bequeathed to the University's Architecture faculty to fund research primarily focusing on housing. On the 3rd of February 1964, the Senate accepted the bequest.

In March 1966, a committee was set up known as the Ian Buchan Fell Committee, or the Ian Buchan Fell Research Unit. Members included trustees of Ian Buchan Fell's estate, heads of the three departments in the Faculty of Architecture and a number of co-opted members. The first official committee meeting was held and the British architect Mr Barrie Dewhurst was appointed as Project Director, and Walter Bunning as Chairman.

On the 22nd November 1966, the Ian Buchan Fell Committee held a luncheon to make a public announcement of the appointment of Mr Barrie Dewhurst as Project Director of the two year joint group housing research project.

Ian Buchan Fell 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 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. It maintains a housing research database and a small specialist library and promotes a wide range of housing research. By 1984 it is known as The Ian Buchan Fell Research Centre or the Ian Buchan Fell Housing Research Centre.

From http://faculty.arch.usyd.edu.au/web/research/centres.html viewed 28/1/2016