Charles Fulton as educator

Charles Fulton was a pioneer of the integrated application of the practice (1937-80) and teaching (1936-71) of modern architecture in Australia. Fulton had been invigorated by the advent of modernism while working and travelling in Europe during the early 1930s. Upon his return to Australia he settled in Brisbane to advance his pursuits in what was a still a classically orientated profession and technically based course. Fulton began teaching as a part-time lecturer of Design and History at the Brisbane Central Technical College in 1936, and the following year became Lecturer in Charge of the Diploma in Architecture Course. Simultaneously, he joined the established practice of JP Donoghue who had commissions for the design of large-scale hospital projects to which Fulton was able to apply modernist principles. As his career progressed, Fulton formed a new practice with notable architects such as Aubrey Job, Jim Collin, and Stephen Trotter. In this period the firm stood at the heart of educating architects. This paper will develop an understanding of Fulton’s approach as an educator through the close relationship of practice and the academy, and how delivery of both formal instruction and practical experience is the key tenet in the successful training of an architect.