A new addition to the Sydney design calendar is set to make its debut this August. Museums of History NSW has announced the launch of the Sydney Open Symposium, a concentrated day of conversation and analysis on architecture, design, history and the evolving city. The inaugural event takes place on Saturday, 23 August at Macquarie Group’s 1 Elizabeth Street headquarters – a location that’s also the focus of much of the day’s discussion.

Conceived as an extension of the long-running Sydney Open program, the symposium brings together key voices from government, design, planning, academia and the cultural sector to examine one of the city’s most ambitious infrastructure projects: Sydney Metro Martin Place.

Delivered over ten years and drawing on the work of more than 10,000 people, the Sydney Metro Martin Place precinct includes a fully integrated transport interchange and the new global headquarters of Macquarie Group. On the traditional land of the Gadigal, this site carries layers of historical significance – from the Tank Stream and its cultural importance to its development in the 20th century as a civic and commercial centre.

The morning keynote, 10 Million Hours, will unpack the complexity of the project from concept to completion, featuring insights from Macquarie Group, JPW Architects, and Sydney Metro.

Later in the day, the symposium will shift its lens outward. How to Be a City, an afternoon panel, will explore urban growth, public space activation and the push-pull between heritage and innovation that shapes contemporary Sydney.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Professor the Hon Bob Carr
• Graham Jahn AM, Chief Planner and Executive Director, City of Sydney
• Hugh Lawson, Project Director, Sydney Metro City & Southwest
• Matthew Morel, Director, JPW
• Annette Pitman, CEO, Museums of History NSW
• Jess Scully, former Deputy Lord Mayor of Sydney and consultant to the World Bank
• Michael Silman, Global Head of Corporate Real Estate, Macquarie Group
• Philip Thalis, Principal, Hill Thalis Architecture + Urban Projects

The Sydney Open Symposium takes place 10am–2pm, Saturday 23 August, at 1 Elizabeth Street, Sydney.

Discounted tickets are available for Museums of History NSW members and students.

Further details and images are available via Museums of History NSW.