Brisbane is set to host the 2026 Australian Architecture Conference, the Australian Institute of Architects has revealed.
Scheduled from 30 October 2026 at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre and the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, the conference will take on the theme of Together. Or Not at All?. The theme invites reflection on collaboration and shared solutions to contemporary challenges and innovations faced by built environment professionals. Speakers will consider how the profession can take collective responsibility for Country, community, clients, climate and the future of practice.
Alongside the announcement of the conference location, date and theme, the Australian Institute of Architects has introduced a new steering committee responsible for shaping the 2026 program. These include Andrew D’Occhio of Cavill Architects, Gina Engelhardt of Hassell, Shaneen Fantin of the University of Queensland and Western Sydney University, Jack Gillmer-Lilley of SJB, Blake Hillebrand of Kerstin Thompson Architects, Ian Moore of Ian Moore Architects, Debjani Sarkar of Jacobs, and David Wagner of Atelier Wagner.
More on the 2026 steering committee members here:
Andrew D’Occhio is the co-director of Cavill Architects, sharing leadership with the practice’s founder, Sandy Cavill. Across his career, D’Occhio has contributed to projects at Donovan Hill, Grimshaw, OMA and Woods Bagot. Prior to joining Cavill Architects, he co-founded Partners Hill with Timothy Hill, where he led projects including the UQ Student Residences Project, Daylesford Longhouse and Mermaid Multihouse.
Gina Engelhardt works across architecture and urban design at Hassell and has tutored at the University of Queensland. She is passionate about climate-just design, and in 2023, received the Philip Y Bisset Planning (Architecture) Scholarship to undertake research on international climate-responsive practice and its relevance to Australia.
Shaneen Fantin is a registered architect, project manager and researcher with more than 30 years of industry expertise, specialising in co-design, engagement, placed-based and community-driven projects in regional and remote communities. Fantin has dedicated her career to understanding the relationship of culture, design and architecture with First Nations peoples. She is co-chair of the the Australian Institute of Architects’ First Nations Advisory Committee and a member of the Queensland Urban Design and Places Panel for the Queensland government.
Jack Gillmer-Lilley, a proud Worimi and Biripi Guri of the Gathang language group, is an architect who positions Country as the driver of narrative in his practice. In 2024, Gillmer-Lilley was awarded the Galang Residency, an initiative that provides First Nations creative practitioners the opportunity to undertake an intensive residency in Paris. He was also one of three creative directors behind the Australia Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, titled Home.
Debjani Sarkar is an Australian-Indian architect based in Sydney, with a diverse portfolio spanning health, community, science and research projects across India, the Netherlands and Australia. She is the creator and co-convener of On the Verandah, a Parlour series that highlights the value of cultural background and intercultural literacy within practice and beyond. She is also founding board director and chair of Biyani House – Revesby Women’s Community Shelter, a crisis accommodation for women and children fleeing domestic violence.
Blake Hillebrand is a Melbourne-born, London-raised emerging architectural designer whose work is grounded in inclusive design, climate action and leadership. In 2023, he received the National Student Prize for the Advancement of Architecture from the Australian Institute of Architects. Working at Kerstin Thompson Architects, Hillebrand’s project portfolio includes education campuses, cultural institutions and urban precincts.
Ian Moore is the principal of Ian Moore Architects, established in 1990. The practice has won numerous national and international awards and has been published and exhibited widely, including at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2008 and 2012. Initially studying civil and structural engineering at the Auckland Technical Institute in New Zealand, Moore then studied architecture at the University of Technology Sydney, graduating with honours in 1988.
David Wagner is a founding partner of Atelier Wagner Architects, a Melbourne-based studio founded in 1998 that delivers institutional, commercial, heritage and residential projects. Over his career, he has practiced in London, Canberra, and Melbourne, as well as taught architectural design, history and theory at the University of Melbourne’s Melbourne School of Design. Wagner is the Australian Institute of Architects’ national president-elect, having served as Victorian chapter president for three years.
The Institute’s CEO, Cameron Bruhn, and conference manager, Magdalene St Clare, will also join the steering committee.
For program updates or registration details, visit the Australian Institute of Architects website.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
