Themed as ‘City Building & Workplace’, we look at what it is that makes a city sing. The projects are brilliant, with 1 Elizabeth St an impressive example of meeting workplace needs. In China, the Alibaba Campus XIXI Park C will cater to 30,000 employees with parklands and kitchen gardens, ponds and vistas. Conversely, Golden Hour is an appropriately intimate workplace with an edgy aesthetic.

Culture of place is strong with the Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi, where a cultural precinct has turned a field into a major destination. Hermès continues to be a marker of a city’s success, with the latest iteration in Taichung proving that good design can and does perpetually evolve. As do great public spaces, with St Kilda Pier’s refresh improving the amenity for locals immensely while drawing in a new and leisure-conscious crowd

Culture is a primary driver, with small cities punching above their weight, as we see with Orange Regional Gallery’s exhibition Purple Haze by Nike Savvas. Larger cities, such as Brisbane, are layering this cultural aplomb with an emphasis on great art, with a mind-blowing exhibition by Olafur Eliasson and great architecture supported by phenomenal infrastructure and design. It is this combination of pace-defining architecture and cultural gravitas that gives a city weight, and Brisbane is excelling across the board. One of the very first multifunctional spaces, the Basilica di Massenzio (which speaks to Domenic’s Italian heritage) in the Roman Forum, has been refreshed while Younghusband in Naarm / Melbourne is emerging as a new model for multiuse development.

Our darling friend Adam Haddow, SJB Partner, Churchill Fellow, and National President of the Australian Institute of Architects, gives his thoughts on contemporary workplace design. More friends are coming your way, with artist Nike Savvas profiled by Donna Brett-West, Sloan Fellow, Associate Professor, and Chair of Art History at the University of Sydney. The Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson also comes under the gaze of art consultant Sarah Hetherington.

The INDE.Awards 2026 Luminaries are revealed and as always, the profiles by design maven Jan Henderson are incredible.

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