In today’s fast-paced world, a cohort of creative professionals is in search of slower ways of production – whether it be through slow food, slow fashion or slow architecture. They are united by an approach that prioritises processes and outcomes that are sustainable over those that are rapid and resource-intensive.
Nine of these local and international practitioners will share their take on how to champion slowness in architecture at The Architecture Symposium: Is slow the new fast? on the Gold Coast this May, offering their insights on how to communicate the value of time to clients – and how to harness slowness to enable better relationships, deeper research and long-term outcomes.
Peter Besley of Besley and Spresser
Sydney-based architect Peter Besley is one half of Besley and Spresser, the firm behind the Pier Pavilion at Barangaroo – a project that emerged through a five-year process, beginning with a 2020 national design competition. He formerly co-founded and led London-based architecture and urban design studio Assemblage. In parallel with his practice, Besley has taught at architecture institutions across the globe.
Dominic Finlay-Jones of DFJ Architects
Local to New South Wales’ Northern Rivers region, Byron Bay architect Dominic Finlay-Jones established DFJ Architects in 2010. The firm’s approach champions human-scale architecture, site-sensitive planning and the integration of landscape, with a portfolio that includes the adaptive reuse of Lismore City Hall and Lismore Regional Gallery alongside food and education tourism projects such as Summerland and The Farm.
Andrew Lane of Indij Design
Now based in tropical North Queensland, Andrew Lane is originally from the Northern Territory, with his roots tied to Dhanggati Country in Central NSW. As co-director of Indij Design, a 100 percent Indigenous-owned practice, he advocates for respectful, meaningful and culturally appropriate community engagement, leading to environments where people feel safe and secure.
Jennifer McMaster of Trias
Architect Jennifer McMaster is a founding director of Sydney practice Trias and an educator at the University of Sydney, where she lectures, teaches and conducts research on housing, sustainability and embodied carbon. Trias’ work aims to be ambitious and environmentally responsible. In 2024, McMaster was awarded the Australian Institute of Architects National Emerging Architect Prize.
Søren Pihlmann of Pihlmann Architects
Located in Copenhagen, Søren Pihlmann founded Pihlmann Architects, a practice interested in the sensitive transformation and the generative preservation of existing buildings. Recently, Pihlmann’s work has contributed to Danish and global discourse on reuse and maintenance. In 2025, he curated the Danish Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale, renovating the building to mitigate flooding and using surplus construction material as the exhibition’s core.
Tom Schoonjans of Rotor
Tom Schoonjans is an architect and member of the Rotor collective, a Brussels-based non-profit organisation interested in material flows, waste and reuse. Schoonjans has worked on a large variety of projects in the fields of research, consultancy, interior and scenography design, exhibition curation and education. In 2013, the association ventured into the reclamation and sale of used building elements, which in 2016 led to the creation of the cooperative company RotorDC (for “Deconstruction”).
Kerstin Thompson of Kerstin Thompson Architects
Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal winner Kerstin Thompson is the founding principal and design director of Kerstin Thompson Architects (KTA), established in Melbourne in 1994. Committed to practice and design-based research and education, she is an adjunct professor at RMIT and Monash University and professor of practice at the Abedian School of Architecture, Bond University. In 2022, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), and in 2025, she was made an honorary fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
Lynn Wang of Lineburg Wang
With Michael Lineburg, Lynn Wang is a director of Lineburg Wang, founded in 2018. The practice shapes holistic projects grounded by principle, reason and value, earning it national accolades and the 2023 Queensland Medallion from the Australian Institute of Architects. Wang completed her studies at the University of Queensland, where she continues to contribute as a design leader and seasonal design critic.
Louise Wright of Baracco and Wright Architects
Louise Wright is an architect and director of Melbourne-based practice Baracco and Wright Architects, and a practice professor at Monash School of Architecture and Design, where she is co-director of Monash Urban Lab. Wright is interested in a role for architecture that can extend its relationship with the natural world to support all life. This motivation formed part of the firm’s curation with Linda Tegg for the Australian Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale, titled Repair.
The full-day symposium will be held on 23 May, followed by an optional full-day tour on 24 May. Tickets to the symposium are now available. Architects are eligible to earn up to 4 formal CPD points, while Design Institute of Australia members can earn 6 DIA CPD points by attending The Architecture Symposium: Is slow the new fast?
The Architecture Symposium is a Design Speaks program organised by Architecture Media, supported by premium partners Kingspan, Bondor, Voltex and Equitone, and university partner Bond University.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
