sustainable design
Events
Jia CURATED: Bigger and better in 2026
The 2026 Jia CURATED festival in Bali set exactly the right tone for community, education and inspiration over a sensational five days devoted to architecture and design, with sustainability at its heart.
Project
A theatre of invention for Western Sydney
HDR’s Factory of the Future at Western Sydney University turns an awkward slice of Bankstown City Campus into a hands-on learning environment for robotics, digital fabrication and advanced manufacturing.
Project
A retail fit-out that grows from the street
For The Eye Piece’s fourth store, Ricci Bloch brings general optometry and a dedicated Lindberg shop-in-shop together within a double-height tenancy at Sydney’s EY Centre.
Events
A bold light and sound experience by Autex Acoustics and DARKON
Presenting a sound and light event in Melbourne’s CBD, Autex Acoustics and DARKON showcased their exemplary products and raised the bar for better design.
Events
The next phase of Passivhaus in Australia
Returning to Melbourne this month, Australia’s official Passivhaus conference THRIVE turns its attention to the commercial case for high-performance building.
Project
A place of water in the Park Lands
Designed by JPE Design Studio with Warren and Mahoney and cultural creative designer Karl Winda Telfer, Adelaide Aquatic Centre — Kauwingka — recasts civic leisure as landscape, gathering place and cultural story.
Project
Newcastle Quay rethinks the harbour edge
Led by SJB, Newcastle Quay is imagined as a mixed-use waterfront precinct where housing, hospitality, public space and heritage work together to reconnect Newcastle with its harbour.
Events
Living small, thinking circular
Joanne Odisho has been named the 2026 Australian Furniture Design Award winner for Mod-u, a modular lighting system made from eggshell composites and bio-filament.
Project
La Marzocco finds its Sydney rhythm
Inside La Marzocco Sydney, Open Creative Studio has turned a Botany warehouse into a flexible showroom, training space and events venue — one that understands coffee culture as both technical craft and social ritual.
Products
Designing colour with intent: Inside the Breathe palette
Tamara Veltre, director at Breathe, reflects on the studio’s collaboration with Haymes Paint — a deliberately reduced, architect-designed palette that reframes colour as part of architecture, not an afterthought.
Articles
Sound solutions
Celebrating 50 years in Australia and 35 years successfully manufacturing in Australia, the significance of this longevity required a project that truly acknowledged this milestone – the development of a new headquarters designed for the future.
Project
A new chapter for Melbourne’s North Wharf
Designed by FK alongside One Design Office, 1 Hotel & Homes Melbourne at Seafarers is part of Riverlee’s long-game regeneration of North Wharf and finds its footing in reuse, restraint and a refusal to start from scratch.
Project
Kōri Windsor remixes the ice cream parlour
Blurring the line between dessert bar and listening lounge, AIR Design Studio delivers a modular, low-waste fit-out where sound, sustainability and social ritual take centre stage.
Project
A vertical hospital shaped by Country and community
At Peninsula University Hospital, a people-centric design approach brings together healthcare, culture and landscape — redefining the experience of care on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
Project
Designed for better education
Taking inspiration from nature, the design of St Francis Xavier College Berwick GPFLA by Bellemo & Cat provides an educational environment that enables best practice in learning and teaching.
Project
Recasting density in the suburban garden
In Melbourne, Justin Mallia Architecture reshapes a compromised heritage site into a flexible, multi-residential home — balancing density, landscape and long-term adaptability through a careful reworking of form, light and ground.
News
The heritage, humanity and provenance of comfort, with KFive
KFive kicks off a year of 25th anniversary celebrations with an intimate in-conversation about ‘comfort’, at the Melbourne Art Fair.
Project
The Catcher: a rural guesthouse framed by rice fields
Set among the rice fields near Shanghai’s Xinchang Ancient Town, The Catcher by TEAM_BLDG reworks two rural houses into a guesthouse that mediates quietly between architecture, landscape and time.
Articles
Crafting a unique sense of place
In design for contemporary commercial buildings, the nexus of design energy revolves around human wellbeing and planetary stewardship, two concepts that are woven into the approach of Tappeti, creators of fine hand-crafted rugs and carpets.
Project
R.Evolution: Plus Studio completes nine-year vision for South Melbourne
The final tower in R.Corporation’s R.Iconic precinct demonstrates how density can create connection — through a 20-metre void, one-acre rooftop and nine years of learning what makes vertical neighbourhoods work.
Project
Setting the blueprint for Bradfield City’s first precinct
The master plan and reference design for Bradfield City’s First Land Release has been unveiled, positioning the precinct as a sustainable, mixed-use gateway shaped by Country, community and long-term urban ambition.
Project
A build-to-rent landmark shaped by context and community
Designed by DKO, Indi Southbank has opened, adding a 434-apartment tower to Melbourne’s growing build-to-rent (BTR) sector.
Project
Designing education on a grand scale
Monash University Malayasia will be making its presence felt with a grand new project in Kuala Lumpur.
Articles
Legacy, Refined
Herman Miller’s reintroduction of the Eames Moulded Plastic Dining Chair balances environmental responsibility with an enduring commitment to continuous material innovation.
Articles
The bedrock of beautiful interior realms
Finding inspiration from the textures, geometries and mineral hues of landscape formations, Godfrey Hirst has released a new carpet tile collection that offers earthly treasures to enhance commercial office and hospitality spaces.
Articles
LINAK EXPERIENCE™: Movement, heritage, and design responsibility
Designing for movement is not just about mechanics and aesthetics, it is about creating spaces that move with us, support wellbeing, and integrate responsible material choices.
Articles
A lasting legacy with King Living
With steel frames and modular components, King Living sofas are designed to endure – as seen in the evolving modularity of the Jasper Sofa and the reimagined 1977 Sofa collection.
Events
Reframing the vertical: Lessons from Miami, Doha and the Gold Coast
Following the World Architecture Festival (WAF) towards the end of 2025, Plus Studio Director Michael McShanag reflects on high-rise living from Miami to the Gold Coast.
Project
The new Sydney Fish Market opens as a landmark destination
Signalling a transformative moment for Blackwattle Bay and the redevelopment of Sydney’s harbour foreshore, the newly open Sydney Fish Market demonstrates how thoughtfully designed public realm and contemporary market space can unite to create a landmark urban destination.
News
Five projects embracing the next wave of circular design
From radical material reuse to office-to-school transformations, these five projects show how circular thinking is reshaping architecture, interiors and community spaces.
Project
Landscape as a blueprint: a workplace anchored in Western Australia’s terrain
Designed by Woods Bagot, the new fit-out of a major resources company transforms 40,000-square-metres across 19 levels into interconnected villages that celebrate Western Australia’s diverse terrain.
People
Designing for longevity: the product-led practice of Dirk du Toit
From furniture and homewares to lighting, Dirk du Toit’s Melbourne-based studio Dutoit is built on local manufacturing, material restraint and the belief that longevity is central to sustainable design.
Project
Designing infrastructure and care at Kampung Mrican
SHAU’s Kampung Mrican revitalisation transforms community life through social architecture, local collaboration and sustainable design.
Articles
Peerless design meets planet-aligned professionalism
True sustainability doesn’t have to be complicated. As Wilkhahn demonstrate with their newest commercial furniture range.
Ideas
The humble brick: Timeless foundations meet contemporary innovation with Brickworks
Brett Ward, General Manager of Marketing at Brickworks, tells us how modern approaches to sustainability are intersecting with the long history of the brick.
Project
Requiem of Ruins: Multitude of Sins turns leftovers into living design
Bangalore studio Multitude of Sins elevates true leftovers — not surplus — into a richly layered workspace where waste materials become narrative, structure and sculptural expression.
Project
The calm space
Through expert architecture, EBD Architects has provided a human face to great design and created a project that enhances the lives of people and community.
Workplace
Stepping into Singapore: Humanscale HQ marks APAC expansion
Humanscale’s new showroom is about the modern workplace, with ergonomic excellence, sustainable design and architectural heritage in Singapore.
Articles
The Material and the Maker: Celebrating Dynamic Design in Southeast Asia
The final instalment in our three-part series on collaborations between the world’s best designers and the American Hardwood Export Council.
News
Australian Furniture Design Award 2026 registrations open
Stylecraft and NGV call for furniture and lighting designs addressing small-space living, with $20,000 prize and commercial development opportunity.
News
The Commonwealth Association of Architects marks 60 years of design collaboration
Celebrating six decades of architectural excellence, the Commonwealth Association of Architects launches a year-long campaign.
Project
Baker Bleu’s refined industrial space by IF Architecture
IF Architecture crafts Baker Bleu Cremorne into a refined, sustainable bakery and café where industrial design meets artisanal warmth.
Ideas
Comment: “Heritage architecture and climate resilience – don’t throw the baby out with the floodwater”
David Gole, principal at leading climate-resilient design practice JDA Co., comments on the intersection between heritage and climate in architecture.
Articles
Minimalism comes full circle
With a minimalist aesthetic and an inventive approach to product, ZETR is challenging the way electrical accessories are designed, made and experienced.
Products
Cosentino launches Éclos®: a new generation of mineral surfaces
Cosentino introduces Éclos®, a new mineral surface brand featuring zero crystalline silica, high recycled content and Inlayr® technology that brings 3D layered realism to design.
Workplace
Architectural asset management
In Auckland, Wingates designs a new headquarters for a specialist investment firm focused on future growth, biophilia and collaborative work.
News
“Designers can no longer claim they don’t know the consequences”: Q&A with curator Ewan McEoin
At the NGV’s Making Good: Redesigning the Everyday, design becomes a force for repair. From algae-based vinyl to mycelium earplugs, the exhibition proves that rethinking the ordinary can reshape our collective future.
News
Armadillo unveils Gaia: a sculptural rug collection by Barcelona artist Carla Cascales Alimbau
Armadillo collaborates with Barcelona artist Carla Cascales Alimbau on Gaia, a sculptural rug collection that translates fine art into handwoven form.
Project
Rattan Reimagined: Enter Projects Asia for Massimo Dutti
Crafting form and creating function with rattan, Patrick Keane and Enter Projects Asia’s latest project is proving to be a draw card for shoppers at the dynamic fashion house Massimo Dutti.
Events
Alba Thermal Springs joins the Sustainability Summit as exclusive prize partner
Experience sustainability and luxury in one unforgettable stay! Alba Thermal Springs joins the Sustainability Summit as our exclusive prize partner.
Events
CPD Live Returns: 14-16 October 2025
Join CPD Live from 14-16 October for three days of live, interactive education – 100% online, 100% free, and packed with insights to keep your knowledge current and earn CPD points.
Articles
Familiar forms and new horizons with Arper’s outdoor expansion
Arper expands its outdoor offer by re-engineering some of its most recognisable indoor pieces for life outside.
Workplace
Quantum precision: Architectus designs Q-CTRL’s Sydney HQ
Architectus’ new headquarters for Q-CTRL addresses complex technical requirements while creating an enjoyable place to work.
Events
Foster + Partners exhibition is coming to Sydney’s Parkline Place
‘Civic Vision | Foster + Partners’ is the first comprehensive exhibition of the practice’s work to be held in Australia, providing an in-depth look at its global portfolio of work since it was founded in 1967 by Norman Foster.
Events
KEEP: Forever Objects by six Australian architects
AHEC’s KEEP exhibition at Cult Sydney sees six Australian architects craft lasting furniture pieces, on view until 4th October.
Articles
Dishing up ambience at Wooss Café
Serving up the perfect dessert is about more than what’s in the crockery, it is also about cultivating an ambient, immersive setting that enhances the treats.
Events
The future, today
NGV exhibition ‘Making Good: Redesigning the Everyday’ is open – and be prepared to be amazed and delighted by great creative design.
Ideas
A winning appointment
Leading by design, Erik L’Heureux has recently taken the helm of Monash University’s Department of Architecture, and so a new and exciting journey begins for both L’Heureux and the University.
People
“Made with care and intention”: Stuart Williams in profile
In Tasmania, Stuart Williams crafts his work with care and creates objects of desire with sustainability at their heart.
Articles
Zenith Design Studio’s newest range is an intuitive and elegant take on workplace design
Discover the range designed to let people gather and ideas flow
Articles
Designing for connection: The hospitality trends shaping a new age of commercial fit-out
Hospitality is evolving fast, demanding interiors that can flex as quickly as guest expectations. From modular seating to stackable silhouettes, Bowermans brings global design brands and local know-how to help designers shape spaces that perform as well as they inspire.
Articles
The sheer impossibility: Materialised redefines curtain fabrics
Inspired by an unthinkable design challenge on Sydney Harbour, Materialised’s ingenuity didn’t just fuse acoustic performance with transparent finesse – it forever reimagined commercial curtain textiles by making the impossible possible.
Events
“Architecture is always about more than form; it is about meaning”: In conversation with Lina Ghotmeh
As French-Lebanese Architect Lina Ghotmeh prepares for lectures in Melbourne and Sydney, we hear about the philosophy shaping her internationally celebrated practice.
Project
Layers of the rainforest incorporated into these concept hiking huts
A collaboration of creatives led by Sam Crawford Architects has produced a concept for the ultimate on-Country experience that both respects and sensitively interacts with the landscape.
Articles
Be unique
Welcomed to the Australian design scene in 2024, Kokuyo is set to redefine collaboration, bringing its unique blend of colour and function to individuals and corporations, designed to be used Any Way!
Articles
Gone, not wasted: Hassell, Autex and The Workshop’s lasting message
Quietly signalling this year’s ArchiBuild Expo’s galvanising optimism, The Workshop’s fleeting presence leaves the industry with a particularly lasting and resonant message: zero-waste is not only possible but scalable.
People
“Furniture design offered a creative freedom that felt quite liberating”: Joanne Odisho on working with Knotte
New Australian modular seating brand, Knotte, has collaborated with Melbourne designer, Joanne Odisho, to develop its latest range, Almas. We asked her to tell us more.
Events
Perth Design Week reveals new 2026 format
Following a strong 2025, Perth Design Week (PDW) is set to take on a special format with ten major events in 2026.
Ideas
‘City Living: Neometro residents and works’
This new book tells resident stories about how good design creates liveable, high-density homes with socially led developer Neometro.
Events
All about Sydney Metro as the 2025 NSW Architecture Awards winners are announced
The very best of NSW architecture was celebrated in the Australian Institute of Architects’ 2025 NSW Architecture Awards in a gala celebration at Sydney’s ILUMINA.
Project
The Byron Bay Jardan showroom is an expression of the brand’s alignment with the relaxed Australian lifestyle
Though a retail space, Jardan Byron Bay feels like home, with thoughtfully layered spaces that intimately reflect the local context.
News
First look at Western Sydney International Airport
Cox Architecture, Woods Bagot and Zaha Hadid Architects are all part of the newly completed Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI) terminal.
People
Stepping up for sustainability: Meet Jane Abernethy of Humanscale
Humanscale’s Chief Sustainability Officer is embarking on a tour of Australia, delivering a talk entitled: “Sustainable by Design: Materials Transparency for a Healthier Planet.” At the same time, the company opens a brand new showroom in Sydney. We met her to find out more.
Events
WA’s award-winning landscapes revealed
Bunbury, Albany and Subi East are among the sites taking out prizes at the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) Western Australian Chapter Awards.
News
A celebration of Tasmanian design
Tasmania Makes 25 brings together 16 Tasmanian designers in a double exhibition of material mastery, sustainability and local creativity.
News
Geelong Design Week showcases a UNESCO City of Design
This November, a ten-day festival in Geelong will showcase various events, celebrating culture, craft and creative vision.
Products
Quantum leap with Quantum Zero: WK Stone’s crystalline silica-free revolution
As Australia takes a decisive stand against silicosis with a landmark ban on engineered stone products, WK Stone proudly introduces Quantum Zero – a groundbreaking collection of crystalline silica-free, recycled surfaces.
Project
Preston Crossing takes on a refreshed identity
The social housing project at Preston Crossing by Hayball provides much-needed homes and arguably establishes a new standard in community-focused, sustainable design.
Articles
Shaping the built environment: Alspec’s sustainable legacy
Alspec’s unwavering focus on innovation, sustainability, and social responsibility has positioned it as a leader in the architectural industry.
Ideas
HDR outlines six megatrends for 2024
In a climate of innovation, HDR’s architecture practice has forecasted six trajectories of change that will have a transformative impact over the coming year and redefine city-shaping for the foreseeable future.
Project
This bamboo-built ‘sea-to-table’ pavilion cultivates and serves its own oysters
Reinvigorating its local Angsila economy, this pavilion in Thailand becomes a floating restaurant where fishermen and visitors can select and eat their own oysters. No wonder it won The Influencer award at INDE.Awards!
Events
Plus teams up with AXOR to take home People’s Choice at Saturday Indesign
With its inspiring in-showroom installations, The Project is one of Saturday Indesign’s major highlights. The 2023 People’s Choice winner is ‘f l u i d’ by Plus Architecture with AXOR.
Ideas
“Leaving things better than you found them”: Advocating for a regenerative future with LFIA’s Laura Hamilton-O’Hara
As CEO of the Living Future Institute of Australia (LFIA), Laura Hamilton-O’Hara is concerned with how various factors come together to produce our built environment. Initiatives such as the Living Building Challenge are pushing towards a sustainable status quo.
Events
Our response to the Architects Declare Open Letter to design media
What is the media’s role in pushing a more sustainable agenda? Indesign Media Asia Pacific editor Aleesha Callahan responds to the open letter.
Ideas
These 4 ‘big ideas’ will shape architecture in 2023
Fresh from her trip to the World Architecture Festival in Lisbon, Fender Katsalidis’ Nicky Drobis outlines four big ideas that will shape architecture in 2023.
Ideas
How can we, as designers, reach the net-zero target by 2040?
Interiors have a significant embodied carbon footprint and their churn rate is much greater than base buildings. Dr Caroline Noller of The Footprint Company lays out the situation.
Events
Growth industry: Students leading the way in biodesign
In a competition held by K5 Furniture in collaboration with Monash University, students were challenged with a brief of mycelium-based product design. We visit the avant-garde with the exhibition ‘Metanoia’.
Ideas
Get ready for Greenhouse by Joost – The Movie
Watch key clips from Joost Bakker’s new movie, Greenhouse by Joost. There’s also a series of travelling Q&As if you’re in Canberra, Bowral, Sydney, Avoca and more.
Articles
American hardwood helps us rethink sustainable design
Many designers claim that sustainability is at the core of their work, but what does this actually mean? In collaboration with local designers, the American Hardwood Export Council puts its materials to the test.
CPD
The brave new world of plumbing
Produced by Saniflo
CPD
Smart, sustainable and stylish: Engineered stone products breaking new ground
Produced by Smartstone
Project
Mixed-use design enhances learning at The Hedberg
Designed by LIMINAL Architecture with WOHA, The Hedberg in Tasmania sets the scene for a new way to educate. Welcome to the winner of The Learning Space, INDE.Awards 2022.
People
Working towards a holistic solution: Think Brick on a new carbon rating system
Think Brick Australia has been investigating the lifecycle of building materials when it instigated the brick industry’s first broad-scale research.
Project
Make some design noise: Wellard Architects
Wellard Architects is a practice that doesn’t make a fuss, or shout out its name. The practitioners of this studio are the quiet achievers but they happen to be making quite a lot of design noise at the moment.
People
Building the narrative with Daniel Boddam
Meet Daniel Boddam: Creative visionary of Daniel Boddam Studio. Gillian Serisier catches up with Daniel to talk about all things design.
Articles
Inhale, exhale: How carpet tiles are clearing the air
Here’s a product innovation that actively fights pollution and delivers high performance. Above Left and Carpets Inter have developed a modular carpet tile collection on EcoSoft backing. It is aptly named, Breathe.
People
Hassell’s Richard Mullane on the future of urban design
Taking up the reigns of Managing Principal for Hassell’s Melbourne Studio, Richard Mullane says: “We plan to build a more inclusive, sustainable future for communities – and create a more socially and ecologically resilient world.”
Events
Sustainability Awards entries open and ready to make history
It’s not just history we will be celebrating at the 2022 Sustainability Awards, but the future as well. Projects that can show long-term sustainability will be recognised this year. Branko Miletic reports.
Project
Cabin designs that immerse you in nature
Weaving through Victoria’s Grampians (Gariwerd) wilderness is this series of hiking camps and cabins that blend with the pristine natural beauty around them.
Articles
Did you know? You can now carbon offset your EchoPanel
Woven Image is offsetting 100 per cent of the embodied carbon emissions of its PET acoustic panel EchoPanel®. Here’s what it means for you and your projects.