We all know a Summit is only as good as its speakers, so this year we’ve assembled a dream lineup of the leading minds in Australia’s built environment landscape. Championing sustainability, innovation and policy, each speaker offers a unique perspective and new insights, assembling panels that are unparalleled in their ability to tap into the topics that matter most to you.

Coming together for one day only on Thursday November 10, the 2022 Sustainability Summit speakers will ensure you walk away with the newest knowledge and practical steps to help you increase your sustainability outcomes across your projects and practice. Hear from them live at Sydney’s Shangri-La or tune in online and be part of the conversation that promises to shape the future of Australia’s architecture and design industry.

Register for your ticket here or read on to hear more about our speakers.

2022 Sustainability Summit Speaker Lineup

To start the day off with a bang, the Sustainability Summit will be headlined with a morning keynote address from Phoebe Roberts, Senior Associate (Climate Risk Governance) at MinterEllison. As an expert on contractual climate risk allocation and the implementation of decarbonisation strategies in the built environment, Roberts provides a specialist understanding of the legal and commercial complexities of project delivery. Working alongside some of the world’s most influential bodies, her address will provide a forecast into global decarbonisation strategies and Australia’s place in the wider movement to drastically reduce the built environment’s climate impact.

Immediately following the keynote, UTS’ Head of the School of Built Environment, Jua Cilliers, will lead a panel taking a deep dive into the new NCC changes, exploring the politics, barriers and likely outcomes for the proposed amendments. Cilliers will be joined by Kate Nason (Frasers Property Australia), Summer Wang (Hatch), Richard Choy (NATSPEC) and Dr. Chris Jensen (University of Melbourne) as they explore themes of implementation, fire safety and thermal performance in construction.

Responding to the confronting and traumatic natural disasters we’ve seen in Australia and abroad over the last few years, the panel Learn Design and Adapt: Lessons on Designing a Disaster Resilient Building will be a must see. Join moderator Professor Geoff Hanmer (ARINA), and panellists James Davidson (JDA co), Dr. Leonardo Moraes (University of Melbourne), Ramona Meyricke (Taylor Fry), Matthew Press (NSW Building Commission) and Professor Hilary Bambrick (The Australia National University) as they explore how the built environment can be better prepared for major disasters and how it can actually be designed and built to help ease, prevent and recover from them.

What is a summit on sustainability without a panel on circular economy, and once again, the Sustainability Summit puts this front and centre. Session moderator Damien Giurco (UTS) will ask how the circular economy can drive greater sustainability and new business opportunities, devoting an hour to exploring the business case and capital growth around a more circular approach to design and architecture. Joining Giurco will be a panel of experts, including Dr. Nicole Garofano (Planet Ark), Katarzyna Jurkiewicz (Grimshaw), Alison Scotland (ASBEC), Enrico Zara (ARUP) and Samantha Peart (HASSELL).

The day’s panels will end on a theme of social sustainability with two panels on value chains and affordable housing respectively. Immediately preceding the afternoon tea break will be an exploration of design that supports wellbeing and community engagement in the panel Creating Social Sustainability Value Chain – Designing Places that Work well for People and the Environment. Moderator Professor Leena Thomas (UTS) and speakers Tammy Beck (William Ross Architects), Michael Hegarty (dwp|design), Gavin Ashley (HIP V. HYPE), Dr. Esther Charlesworth (Architects without Frontiers) and Councillor HY William Chan (City of Sydney), will look at the process behind design and how to make improvements and adjustments to improve a project’s holistic outcome.

This will lead into the final panel of the day, which is dedicated to social and affordable housing in Australia. Perhaps the most topical session, as we look down the barrel of ever increasing house prices and nation-wide rent shortages coupled with astronomical rent rises, this panel will analyse what can be done to solve a growing homelessness issue in Australia, and how affordable and social housing can be more successful, equitable and accessible. Join moderator David Kaunitz (Kaunitz Yeung Architecture), Professor Hal Pawson (UNSW), Maria Yanez (Nightingale Housing), Allison Stout (GHDWoodhead), Lee Hillam (Dunn & Hillam Architects) and Ali Galbraith (Breathe) for this unmissable discussion.

PLUS

Join the partners of the Sustainability Summit and Awards for two exclusive panels that will explore the role of manufacturers and product designers in contributing to a pathway to decarbonisation. From innovations in embodied carbon reductions, to lessons and insights into circular economy, sustainable manufacturing and policy, join us for two product panels and earn an additional two formal CPD points. Hear from the likes of Anthony Adamo (Verosol), Karen Amery (Sika), John Dalla Via (ForestOne), Cyril Giraud (Holcim), Dr. Trevor Innes (NeXTimber by Timberlink), Geoff Marsdon (Bondor), Rebecca Steffanoni (Big Ass Fans), Llewellyn Regler (Network Architectural), Anton Bourtsev (Kaolin), Troy Creighton (Stormtech), Robert Jones (Autex Acoustics), Monica Mazioun (Electrolux), Joel Williamson (GH Commercial), Philippa Stone (BlueScope), Paolo Lavisci (FWPA) and Kathryn Walker (Etex).

So what are you waiting for? Get your ticket today!

Event Details:
2022 Sustainability Summit
November 10, 2022
In-person at the Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney, or join online anywhere across Australia