This year’s roster for the 2023 Sustainability Summit will see a suite of well-versed architectural professionals descending upon Sydney’s Allianz Stadium on the morning of 9 November in the lead up to the Sustainability Awards.

Each year the Sustainability Summit program endeavours to educate and provide insight to audience members deeply embedded within the design industry. Able to be viewed in person or online, the panels will cover an array of topics and issues, namely natural disasters, home efficiency, sport and infrastructure.

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

2023 Sustainability Summit Speaker Lineup

Proceedings will commence with a keynote address given by Cox Architecture’s Russell Lee, Director of the esteemed practice. Lee’s expertise lies in the realms of sports, leisure and hospitality projects, developed over 35 years. Involved heavily in the design of ‘Sus’ venue Allianz Stadium, Lee’s storied career and his experiences make him the ideal keynote candidate for 2023.

Immediately after Lee’s address, current Lifetime Achievement champion and decorated sustainability luminary Chris Nunn will discuss the expected rise to prominence of build-to-rent precincts in our metropolitan areas and the adoption of PassivHaus design principles to ensure the new builds do not place strain on the built environment.

The first session, ‘Why 10-Star Homes Will Become The Norm In Residential Design. But How To Get There?’ will feature a number of efficiency experts, including Flux Consultants Director Ché Wall; Clare Design Director Kerry Clare and ONE20 Group Architects Managing Director Adrian Light, who will moderate the panel. Bondor Metecno Executive General Manager Geoff Marsdon and ForestOne Australasian Sales Manager John Dalla Via will provide product expertise.

The second panel, ‘Sense & Sustainability – How 3 Women Changed Our Approach To Sustainability’ is fairly self-explanatory. IS architecture Founder Isley Sutherland; Fender Katsalidis Partner Nicky Drobis and Frasers Property Australia Sustainability Advisor Kate Nason will lend their collective insights to the in-person and online audience, while Yaara Plaves from Hames Sharley will tune in via video link. Electrolux Design Lead – Sustainability, Monica Mazioun will also sit in on the panel.

With Australia’s first Summer Olympics since Sydney 2000 on the horizon, ‘The Road To Brisbane 2032: Creating A Legacy Of Sustainability & Social Amenity In 21st Century Sports Infrastructure Design’ will see a number of experts convene to talk about all things sporting design. Ivana Simkovic, dwp Principal and sports expert; NH Architecture Director Hamish Lyon, Timber Queensland’s Clarissa Brandt (on behalf of WoodSolutions) and Holcim’s National Products & Services Manager Joshua Marks will take the stage for the panel, moderated by USYD Architecture Associate Professor Emma Heffernan.

11:30 session ‘The Rise Of New Multi-Residential Housing Models And How They’re Changing The Way We Live’ speaks upon the current housing crisis and how communal living precincts are altering our residential built environment. City of Sydney Councillor and Sustainability Awards Ambassador HY William Chan will moderate a panel that features Davina Jackson (Independent), Lisa Sorrentino (City West Housing), Craig Baudin (Fender Katsalidis), Troy Creighton (Stormtech) and Kelly Watson (Knauf).

Biophilic design principles are a hallmark of contemporary architecture, but using plants as a power source? You bet. Moderated by University of Melbourne’s Chris Jensen, ‘How To Use Biophilia To Design Buildings That Generate Their Own Energy’ will feature sustainability experts Julieta Loya (Woods Bagot), Daniel Walker (Billi ANZ), Claire Martin (Oculus), Arup’s Miranda Snowdon and Sika Specification Consultant Karen Amery.

12:30 session ‘Creating Sustainable Outcomes, Wellness, And Performance By Using Industrial Design’ will explore the dynamic interplay between industrial design and sustainability, revealing how innovative choices, product life cycles, and a visionary concept called Cradle-to-Cradle can reshape our building and construction industry for a more eco-conscious future. Moderated by Tim Phillips (Tilt Industrial Design), the panel will include expert speakers Alisa Newey (Re:New Design), DECO’s Richard Hamber, Aidan Hill (Autex Acoustics) and Harriet Oswald (Grimshaw). 

‘Designing For Resilience And Disaster Planning – Why Sustainability Now Also Means Being Prepared’ will touch on the very daunting future we face in our disaster zones. Resilience experts James Davidson (JDA Co), Kathryn Walker (Etex Australia, representing Siniat), Kate Cotter (Resilient Building Council, representing BlueScope), Llewellyn Regler (Network Architectural), Nigel Bell (ECOdesign Architects) and Jamileh Jahangiri (Studio Orsi) will discuss how to design a more resilient Australia.

‘How To Design And Establish Social And Sustainable Affordable Housing For Communities’ will delve into the innovative Nightingale Housing model and the AssembleFutures concept, showcasing the effective implementation of the model within a number of contexts. Speakers include Robert Mosca from Hayball, Nemesia Kennett from Nightingale Housing, Nick Bourns from NH Architecture, and Aidan Mullan from Interface.

Five years from now, one in six cars on Australian roads will be electric. What does that mean for our built environment? Are we well prepared? ‘How Electric Vehicles Will Impact Both Design & Sustainability In The Built Environment’, moderated by Environa’s Tone Wheeler, comprises a panel including Hussein Dia (Swinburne University of Technology), Tessa Knox-Grant (Arup), Samantha Johnson (Polestar) and Christopher Cormack (JLL), who will aim to address issues regarding all things EV.

The vital relationship between sustainability certifications, compliance and their impact will be explored in the session ‘Sustainability Certifications & Compliance – Why This Means Everything For Your Business’. Providing the audience with a comprehensive understanding of sustainability objectives, aiming to curtail non-renewable resource consumption, the talk will hear from GECA’s Josh Begbie, Trevor Innes from NeXTimber, Taryn Cornell from GBCA, Joel Williamson from GH Commercial, and Anthony Adamo from Verosol and will be overseen by David Baggs from Global GreenTag International.

The 17th annual Sustainability Summit will be held on Thursday November 9 as a hybrid event. Join in person at Allianz Stadium, Sydney, or online wherever you have an internet connection. Get your ticket now and be in with the chance of winning from our sustainable prize pool on the day.

The Sustainability Summit and Awards are proudly presented by Best of the Best and Carbon Neutral Partner Autex Acoustics, and category partners Billi, BlueScope, Bondor Metecno, DECO, Electrolux, ForestOne, GH Commercial, Holcim, Interface, Knauf, Network Architectural, NeXTimber by Timberlink, Sika, Siniat, Stormtech, Verosol and WoodSolutions.