As architects face increasing economic pressure and growing questions about the industry’s future, the Melbourne edition of The Architecture Symposium 2026 will examine how the profession can reclaim architecture’s role in everyday housing and challenge the long-held notion that architecture is a luxury available only to the few.
During The Architecture Symposium: Designing for the 99%, more than 15 speakers from across the built environment industry will explore how systems thinking, cost-management strategies, open-source construction and other design approaches can enable the delivery of thoughtful, high-quality homes for those who have traditionally lacked access to architectural services.
Featured speakers include: Clare Cousins of Clare Cousins Architects; Matt Delroy-Carr of MDC Architects; Milly Gamlin of Ys Housing; Abbie Galvin of Government Architect NSW; James Henry of Housing Choices Australia; James Legge of Six Degrees Architects; Kali Marnane of Urbis; Jeremy McLeod of Breathe; Anita Panov of Panov Scott Architects; Jemima Retallack of Retallack Thompson Architects; Oscar Sainsbury of Oscar Sainsbury Architects; Oscar Stanley of LAWD Development Advisory; Emily Taylor of Core Collective Architects; Stuart Vokes of Vokes and Peters; and Tone Wheeler of Environa Studio.
The full-day symposium will be held on 4 September, followed by the 2026 Houses Awards that evening. Tickets to the symposium and the Houses Awards are now available. Architects are eligible to earn up to 4.5 formal CPD points, while Design Institute of Australia members can earn 6 DIA CPD points by attending The Architecture Symposium: Designing for the 99%.
The Architecture Symposium is a Design Speaks program organised by Architecture Media, supported by premium partners Kingspan, Bondor Metecno and Voltex, and hotel partner Collection by TFE Hotels.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
