The membership
The Associated Schools of Construction is an international association of university construction programmes, long established in North America, that supports construction education and research through regional networks, conferences and student competitions. In 2024 it formed Region 9 for Australasia, under the leadership of M Reza Hosseini, and AUT joined alongside the University of Auckland and the University of Melbourne.
He expected the platform to bring wider recognition to construction education and research across the region, and to give AUT staff and students access to the association’s international network.
Why it matters
Construction education in Australasia has fewer international networks than architecture or engineering. Joining ASC places AUT’s construction programmes within a community of peers that shares curriculum practice, benchmarks quality and connects students to international opportunities. It complements the professional accreditations, such as RICS, that the department maintains, and the School’s wider strategy of international engagement.
A regional voice
A dedicated Australasian region gives construction schools in New Zealand and Australia a stronger collective voice within an international association, and a forum in which to address shared regional issues, from skills shortages and productivity to the place of indigenous knowledge in construction education. Being part of that region from its formation allows AUT to help shape its agenda.