Myla lectures in the construction management program (on-shore and off-shore), and her teaching disciplines are construction planning and design, building performance, energy efficiency and building physics.
Prior to joining RMIT University initially as research fellow at the Centre for Design, Myla was project coordinator and sustainability researcher in an Adelaide- and Sydney-based architectural practice specialising in shopping centre planning and design and commercial retail architecture. She also practiced as an architect in the Philippines and gained experience in architectural and engineering design and project management of residential, ecclesiastical, retail and medium-rise commercial building projects.
Myla’s PhD examined the applicability of the universal values of comfort temperatures recommended by international comfort standards in the context of Philippine office environments. The thesis was an important piece of work, being the first time that a rigorous study of thermal comfort has been undertaken in the Philippines. The results challenged the orthodox thermal comfort theory, and the findings have significant implications on the development of guidelines aimed at energy and cost savings in buildings.
Currently, her research interests include building science, thermal comfort, indoor environments, building energy efficiency and environmental performance, environmental monitoring, and sustainable building design and assessments.
Myla is a research team member of the Sustainable Building Innovation Laboratory (SBi Lab) at the School of Property, Construction and Project Management.
Professional interests:
- Associate Member, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
- Member, International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB) – Working Commissions: W116 Smart and Sustainable Built Environments and W098 Intelligent and Responsive Buildings
- Member, Network for Comfort and Energy Use in Buildings (NCEUB) – UK
- Member, International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ)
- Member, Architectural Science Association ANZAScA Australia
- Member, International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA) – Australasia
- Member, Australian Federation of University Women – South Australia Inc. Trust (AFUW-SA)
- International Technical Committee, SB13 Dubai: Advancing the Green Agenda – Technology, Practices and Policies (8–10 December 2013)
- Scientific Committee, SE Asia Regional SB13 Manila Conference: Sustainable Buildings, Infrastructures and Communities in Emerging Economies (
25–27 November 2013)
- Journal reviewer, Building and Environment – The International Journal of Building Science and its Applications (2012- present)
- Reviewer, Evolving Energy Congress, International Energy Foundation (2012)
- Reviewer, Solar 2011 Conference, The Australian Solar Council (2011)
- Reviewer, 40th Annual Conference of the Architectural Science Association ANZAScA2005; Reviewer, 39th Annual Conference of the Architectural Science Association ANZAScA (2006)
Non-academic positions
Project Coordinator
Saunders Creative Architects
Adelaid, Australia
2005 – 2010
Project Architect
GSA Consultancy Inc.
Manila, Philippines
1993 – 2001
Supervisor projects
Investigating the effectiveness of circadian lighting metrics in predicting occupants alertness, mood and sleep quality
12 Apr 2024
Introducing cool urban cooling strategies in order to improve energy efficiency of housing under future climate conditions
29 Jan 2024
AEC circular framework for the Australian building industry
15 Dec 2021
Management of Indoor Environmental Quality in Healthcare Facilities: A Multi-Stakeholder Approach
6 Aug 2020
Impact of Window Typologies on Indoor Environmental Quality in Australian High-Rise Social Housing
11 Oct 2019
Assessing Impact of the Built Environment on Academic Research Productivity
7 Jun 2016
Teaching interests
Building science research in thermal comfort studies; thermal performance; energy efficiency and sustainability related to the built environment.
thermal comfort, indoor environments, thermal and environmental performance of buildings, building energy use and energy efficiency, building monitoring, sustainable building design and assessments, and building thermal/energy performance simulation.
Research interests
Building, Architecture, Other Built Environment and Design, Urban and Regional Planning, Materials Engineering
RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.