About the Author

Derek F. Wrigley, OAM, FRAIA, ARIBA, LFDIA, DA(Manchester)
Architect, industrial designer, solar consultant

Currently : retired, solar utilisation researcher experimenting with low-energy and low resource retrofitting of existing houses.

Initiator and Convenor of the Phoenix Design Group to advise on rebuilding sustainably after the Canberra bushfire.

Previously : Invited to join Fred Ward at the Design Unit of the ANU(1957). Became ANU University Architect, responsible for initiation and implementation of Total Integrated Design policy. (1962 – 1977), involving the design integration of ANU’s architecture, siteplanning, interior and furniture design, graphics, landscape architecture

Founder of the New Millwrights collective (1978), a group of like minded professionals who were concerned about the need for better design of buildings to utilise natural energies

Designer / builder / owner of six experimental solar passive houses (1950 – 1990) in Sydney and Canberra

Co-founder of the Industrial Design Council of Australia (1956) and councillor for 30 years, trying to improve the standard of design in Australia’s manufactured goods

Founder of the NSW branch of the Society of Designers for Industry (1953), which eventually led to being a co-founder of the Industrial Design Institute of Australia (1956), trying to raise the status of design professionals in the community. Awarded Life Fellowship ~ 1980 ( Now known as the Design Institute Australia )

Founder of the ACT Chapter of the Industrial Design Institute of Australia (now DIA) ~1958

Founder of Technical Aid to the Disabled (ACT) (1979), voluntary body which designs and makes one-off and batch produced units to assist people with disabilities. Design Coordinator 1979 - 1991

Lecturer in Architecture at NSW University of Technology. Established first course in Building Science in Auatralia (1948 – 1956).

Studied architecture and town planning at Manchester College of Art & Designand at Manchester University (1940 - 1946). Emigrated to Australia in 1947