Personal profile
Biography
In addition to his formal qualifications in architecture, Warren Kerr also has a Masters Degree in health administration and planning as well as a graduate diploma in porject facilitation.
This unique set of qualifications and knowledge means that he is not only proficient in the planning and design of health facilities, but that he can also assist clients in the design of healthcare delivery systems including those where the design of buildings are a major part of the implementation program.
During his career, he has undertaken health projects in all States and Territories of Australia and in New Zealand, ranging from individual hospital departments through to his role assembling the collaboration of architectural practices responsible for the masterplanning and design of the $2 billion Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth Western Australia.
In addition to his project workload, Warren maintains an active interest in teaching and research as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Western Australia (UWA), a member of the UWA Senate, a member of Convocation Council, a former Warden of Convocation at UWA and a member of the University’s Design Review Panel for all new building projects.
During the period 2005-12 he was a Visiting Professor in health facility planning and design in the Faculty of the Built Environment at the University of New South Wales, and an independent Board member of the UNSW Research Centre for Health Assets Australasia (the group responsible for the creation of the Australasian Health Facility Guidelines). During the same period, he was also Deputy Chair of the Board of the UWA Research Centre for the Built Environment and Health.
Between 2005 and 2023, Warren also represented Australia on the International Union of Architects Public Health Group, a Work Group comprising representatives from over 70 countries established under the auspices of the World Health Organization for the purpose of sharing research and information between countries on hospital planning and design.
During the period 2013 - 2017 Warren was elected as the Global Chair of the UIA Public Health Group and in this role undertook joint research projects with the International Hospitals Federation and adjudicated an annual international student design competition for architectural students specialising in hospital design.
Warren is also a member of the Advisory Board for the USA publication Health Environments Research & Design journal, the preeminent international journal in this field and is on the awards jury of the American Society for Critical Care Medicine.
For the past decade, he has also been a Professional Fellow of the Center for Health Systems & Design in the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University in the USA with whom he is working to establish Australia’s first postgraduate Master’s degree program in health facility planning & design.
Warren is also a National Committee Member of the Australian Health Design Council and chairs their international partnerships committee which liaises with similar organisations in other countries and facilitates international study tours of hospitals in Europe, the UK and North America as well as in-bound study tours of Australian hospitals for international colleagues.
Warren is a former State and National President of the Australian Institute of Architects and while in these roles successfully lobbied State and Territory Governments to establish the position of Government Architects, convinced the City of Perth to appoint a City Architect, promoted architecture by celebrating the Year of the Built Environment throughout Australia, redrafted the WA Architects Act and gained approval for Australia to be readmitted to the Venice International Biennale of Architecture.
He is also a former member of the Australian Council of Professions and a former State and National Chair of the Australian Council of Built Environment Design Professions (the peak professional organisation representing all architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, landscape architects & project managers in Australia).
In January 2009 Warren was appointed as a member of the Order of Australia for his services to architecture and his contribution to the planning and design of major health facilities.
In addition, he has been appointed as a Fellow of the Australasian College of Health Service Management, an Honorary Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Architects, an Honorary Member of the American Institute of Architects and an Honorary Member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.