UWS lecturer wins human rights award
As a lecturer, Christian Tietz teaches fourth-year Industrial Design students who are completing their year-long major project. As an industrial designer, he has been involved in the creation of innovative Health Hardware products that have improved the standard of indigenous Australian environmental health.
Recently, Christian was recognised for his continued commitment to improving the standard of health for indigenous Australians and was awarded the UTS 2012 Human Rights Award for Reconciliation. The award recognises Christian’s products as advancing reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians at UTS and in the wider community.
Christian has been working in the field for more than 20 years and has designed many products. “However, I have not worked on this as a lone pioneer but as an integral part of an interdisciplinary team of architects, a medical doctor, anthropologist, environmental health officers, data experts and local community members under the umbrella of Healthabitat,” Christian says. “One of the main contributions these designs have made is that they are responding to environmental conditions and to the amount of use they are receiving based on hard data and evidence, not on opinion or beliefs about the imagined requirements of people from other cultures. It is use rather than user centred design. This evidence-based approach to design is at the heart of the Healthabitat methodology. This important contribution was acknowledged with Healthabitat receiving the 2011World Habitat Award during UN World Habitat Day celebrations."
Christian recently held an exhibition at the DAB LAB Research Gallery in Ultimo, showcasing a product, the Yardmaster, which reduces the negative effects of overcrowding. Some of his work is also being showcased in the Australian Pavilion at the 2012 Venice Architecture Biennale. “Healthabitat is one of the selected Australian exhibitors and my product design for interactive mobile training equipment is showcased there as well as the Yardmaster, a design to encourage the use of a house’s yard area,” says Christian.
Christian has been invited to submit a design for an upcoming design exhibition titled ‘Frugal’ to be held at the Ambush Gallery at 4 James Street, Waterloo, from 12 to 19 November. “I’m also focusing on finishing my PhD so I can get my life back,” he says.
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