urban
QLD
Living outside the box
At Northshore Hamilton, Plus Studio’s Danny Juric is looking beyond the apartment tower as an isolated object, drawing on mature trees, Brisbane’s subtropical climate and the rituals of outdoor living to shape Duet.
Events
We talk to Anupama Kundoo ahead of Living Cities Forum 2026
As the Living Cities Forum returns to Sydney and Melbourne this August, Kundoo — appearing alongside international speakers such as Finn Williams and Ludwig Engel — tells us about time, abundance and care in her work.
Project
A new mixed-use precinct for West London
TURNER’s first major UK project brings together more than 400 apartments, retail and communal spaces in a Brentford precinct shaped by view corridors and infrastructure.
Workplace
Workplace designed as an urban sanctuary
Bean Buro discusses the design of Palatino Hospitality’s Hong Kong workplace, where biophilic design, warm materiality and hospitality principles combine to create a calm retreat within the city.
Project
“Density can be done well”: JPW project increases social housing offering by 300%
As a significant renewal of an established social housing project, JPW’s recently completed Cowper Street Housing in Glebe, Sydney aims to bring sustainable and community-focused density to an inner city suburb.
Events
Tom Kundig joins the podcast in Sydney
The renowned American architect stopped by to record a STORIESINDESIGN episode with Timothy Alouani-Roby, delving into his philosophies of design and the landscapes that inspire his work.
Events
Sydney Open gears up for some Home Truths
What does home mean to us and how does it shape the way we live? These questions and more will be the focus for the second Sydney Open Symposium on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th May, 2026.
Ideas
SyLon Report: Housing as infrastructure, housing in crisis
AFK Studios’ Earle Arney joined STORIESINDESIGN podcast last year to speak about SyLon. Here, we reproduce a summary on a recent report with NLA that builds on research into housing as infrastructure amidst a landscape of housing crisis.
Project
Student housing moves into the city
With projects such as Scape Kensington by Plus Studio, student accommodation in Sydney is shifting from isolated housing towards integrated urban infrastructure.
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.
Events
Designing density with character in our inner suburbs
Kerstin Thompson of KTA and Neometro Director Lochlan Sinclair discuss density, character and the inner city during a recent gathering in St Kilda East.
News
Taylor Square Pride of Place event in Sydney
An event at Qtopia Sydney explored the past, present and future of Taylor Square, highlighting its role in LGBTQI+ community life.
Project
Re-imagining Bangkok’s urban landscape
A standout pavilion from this year’s Bangkok Design Week explores shade and light for people and place.
News
Design stewardship with John Walsh
Following his appointment as Principal at Plus Studio’s Sydney office, architect John Walsh speaks with us about design culture, integrated typologies and why stretching the brief is often where the most meaningful outcomes emerge.
News
DKO strengthens leadership across architecture, interiors and landscape
DKO announces senior promotions across architecture, interiors and landscape, reinforcing leadership growth across Australia and Asia-Pacific.
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
Melbourne Metro and the design heft of transport infrastructure
Ingrid Bakker, Principal and Joint Project Director at Hassell, discusses the wider importance of the “city-shaping” Metro Tunnel completed alongside WW+P Architects and RSHP.
Ideas
Architecture, democracy and feeling at home in our cities
The built environment is all around us; would the average citizen feel less alienated if the education system engaged more explicitly with it?
People
Simple Living Passage completes HAS design and research’s Simple World series in Hefei
The Simple Living Passage marks the final project in the Simple World series by Jenchieh Hung + Kulthida Songkittipakdee of HAS design and research, transforming a retail walkway in Hefei into a reflective public space shaped by timber and movement.
Project
Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel marks major transport expansion
A collaboration between Hassell, Weston Williamson + Partners (WW+P Architects) and Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) sees the opening of five new underground stations.
Project
Designing infrastructure and care at Kampung Mrican
SHAU’s Kampung Mrican revitalisation transforms community life through social architecture, local collaboration and sustainable design.
Ideas
HDR predicts seven megatrends to shape Australian architecture and design in 2026
In the New Year, architecture will be defined by its ability to orchestrate relationships between inside and outside, public and private, humans and ecology, and data and intuition.
News
Connecting people and place
A research exhibition reimagines St Kilda’s civic spaces through soft infrastructures that enhance wellbeing and urban experience.
Ideas
Anthony Gill and Jason Gibney on urban density and bushfire resilience
Winners of the 2025 Habitus House of the Year and Editor’s Choice Award respectively, Anthony Gill and Jason Gibney join the podcast to discuss the state of housing in Australia today.
News
Parliamentary Friends for Australian Urban Design reconvenes for the 48th Australian Parliament
The Parliamentary Friends reconvened at Parliament House, uniting political and professional leaders to champion architecture and design.
Project
Inside Surry Hills Village
Seven years in the making, the new Surry Hills Village is here with doors open and crowds gathering.
Project
Parramatta Light Rail Stage 1 wins Australian Good Design Award Gold
Australia’s first planted light rail corridor sets new benchmark for transport-led urban transformation.
Project
Bundarra unites heritage and modern design
Smart Design Studio and Those Architects combine landmark and workplace in Bundarra, a Surry Hills gateway blending old and new.
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.
Project
Brunswick Yard: Carr’s largest residential project
Carr’s largest residential project to date integrates concrete, steel mesh and landscape across 122 apartments in Melbourne’s Brunswick.
News
Plus Studio and ICD Property unveil plans for major West End riverside precinct
Plus Studio and ICD Property have submitted a proposal for a development on Brisbane’s Donkin Street, using a 1.68-hectare former industrial site as a new riverside residential and community destination.
Events
Between Sydney and London: Earle Arney on Stories Indesign
The London-based architect was recently in Australia for SyLon, an event broadcast simultaneously in Sydney and London to explore housing solutions across both cities.
Workplace
Sydney’s multipurpose urban courtyard
Tzannes has completed work at The Brewery in Sydney’s Central Park, marking the culmination of an internationally significant adaptive reuse project.
Events
Four architects discuss the NSW Housing Pattern Book
In this episode of Stories Indesign, architects from Studio Johnston, Sam Crawford Architects, SAHA and Carter Williamson discuss their involvement in the recently launched NSW Pattern Book.
Project
BVN and OCULUS’s Pyrmont Place plans
A major urban renewal project has been proposed for Sydney’s inner harbour, with developer Landream revealing plans for Pyrmont Place precinct designed by BVN.
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.
Project
A new precedent for ZARA’s future international projects
AIM Architecture’s new ZARA Asia flagship store located in the heart of Xinjiekou, Nanjing’s commercial district, raises the bar on the experiential for customers and takes the fashion brand to new heights.
Ideas
Ross Harding: What about the work-life balance of our cities?
The Finding Infinity Principal comments here on the question of balance in city life, with architecture and design highlighted as the key levers for making change.
Events
Ballarat’s UNESCO Creative City status drives craft renaissance and economic growth
With events such as Craft Lab and The Great Takeaway, the city of Ballarat is centring design and craft for an economic reawakening.
Ideas
ArtMade Architects’ Director weighs in on NSW Housing Policy
With more NSW Housing Policy rolled out early this year, ArtMade Architects’ Sherif Saad comments on the importance of good design to its success.
Ideas
Behind the Brand on the eve of Sustainable House Day with Helen Oakey
Helen Oakey is CEO of Renew and, with Sustainable House Day 2025 upon us, she talks to us about the climate crisis and what people can do at the scale of the home.
Events
Architectus makes a home in Canberra
Having opened a Canberra studio in 2024, Associate Principal and Canberra Studio Leader Alex Lawlor tells us how things are going in the capital.
Events
Where Melbourne goes next
Looking to the future, NH Architecture has collaborated with RMIT Architecture and embarked on years of research to understand and anticipate the urban landscape of Melbourne.
Project
Finding Brisbane’s 2032 sweet spot
With experience in the 2012 London and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, WilkinsonEyre is proposing a bold new vision to kickstart Brisbane 2032.
Events
Sydney-based architect is joint winner in Norman Foster Foundation competition
In a prestigious design competition for a site in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Jansen Che has been announced as one of three winners at the competition stage.
Ideas
Don’t demolish Flemington Estate, says OFFICE – ‘Retain, Repair, Reinvest’
Australia’s only not-for-profit architectural practice, OFFICE, is supporting the residents of Victoria’s housing estates in their fight to save their homes and communities.
News
The beating green heart of SJB’s plan for Sydney Olympic Park
The next phase for Sydney Olympic Park is now on exhibition as part of the SOP Master Plan 2050.
Ideas
Troy Uleman comment: Sydney Metro and why we need more great stations
The John McAslan + Partners Sydney studio lead and director writes on the importance of transport infrastructure.
News
A river-inspired tribute reshaping Melbourne’s skyline
Seafarers’ intricate façade, designed by FK, is set to leave a lasting legacy on Melbourne’s urban fabric.
Events
“Architecture is the silent scaffolding that enables the making and breaking of worlds”: Kabage Karanja Q&A
We caught up with Kabage Karanja, co-founder and co-director of Cave_bureau, ahead of the Living Cities Forum in Sydney and Melbourne.
Events
Living Cities Forum rolls into Sydney and Melbourne
The 2024 Living Cities Forum hits Australia in September, with a range of international speakers standing out amidst an expanded program.
News
Sydney Metro Central and Crows Nest Stations open to public
Part of Australia’s largest public transport project, the Sydney Metro Chatswood to Sydenham line officially welcomed passengers on Monday 19th August.
Ideas
Richard Francis-Jones: Whose city is it anyway?
Richard Francis-Jones, Design Director at fjcstudio, writes about the search for public space between the consumerism of commercial self-interest and the bureaucratic authoritarianism of the state.
Project
Yashobhoomi Dwarka: A synergy of modernity, tradition and sustainable design
The India International Convention Centre was designed by CP Kukreja Architects as a multipurpose urban development, paying homage to traditional Indian culture and modern design principles.
Events
Learning from the Global South with Tosin Oshinowo
The Nigerian architect was recently in Australia for Melbourne Design Week. We spoke to her about the power of design in cities such as Lagos.
Events
New crises, normal solutions: Innovative design prototypes on show at Powerhouse
Building on its beginnings in Melbourne Design Week, A New Normal is a new exhibition presented by Vivid Ideas Sydney at Powerhouse Ultimo.
Ideas
Bradfield City Centre, the climate-responsive masterplan aiming to green Western Sydney
Designed by TURNER, Hatch Roberts Day and Turf Design Studio, the Bradfield City Centre masterplan is the blueprint for a new CBD taking shape in Sydney’s west.
News
Te Kaha: From reuse to mixed-use at One Queen Street by Warren and Mahoney
Warren and Mahoney’s mixed-use project in Auckland is approaching full occupancy, with big plans across hospitality, workplace, retail and more.
Ideas
The dialectic of colonialism: Rethinking maps, remaking our cities
Dallas Rogers, Head of Urban Discipline at the School of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney, comments on the history of map-making in our cities.
Events
Parliament unites to champion urban design excellence in Australia
Designed to drive positive change, promote sustainable practices and cultivate inclusive communities, the recent launch of the Parliamentary Friends of Australian Design will champion the role of urban design in shaping the nation’s identity.
Events
AI, Tokyo Metabolism and the city of the future
From INDESIGN #90, the ‘Future Cities’ issue, we consider a precedent from mid-century Japan in terms of confronting crises and rapid technological change.
Project
Dining in the wilderness with Pig Design
With a material palette limited to stone, exposed aggregate, recycled wood board, metal and paint, there is a poetic simplicity to Pig Design’s realisation of Wild Back that ties it succinctly to nature.
Ideas
Hatch comment: The future of urban regeneration is here
In this comment piece, Mike Day, partner at Hatch, draws on his three decades as an urban design leader to offer insights into how Australian cities could become fit for the future.
Project
SJB comment: The value differentiator in build-to-rent
In this comment piece, SJB director Nigel Morris discusses a test case for amenity-driven living in the build-to-rent sector.
Ideas
Meet Dikshu Kukreja, a man of vision
Dikshu Kukreja is a man of stature. Not only is he a leader in architecture and design, he conceives projects and speaks of change that looks to a future of more thoughtful, sustainable urbanism.
Project
Decluttering Central Station for space, light and circulation
The Northern Concourse at Sydney’s Central Station, a significant infrastructure project in the context of the city’s evolving transport system, has recently been completed by Woods Bagot in collaboration with John McAslan + Partners.
News
Architectural rhythm builds with Carr’s plans for 623 Collins Street
Urban renewal which opens a dialogue from the past to the present; Melbourne’s Western CBD is on track for complete revitalisation.
Project
HDR’s NEXTDC Data Centres mark a new chapter in urban integration
NEXTDC’s M3 and M2 data centres represent a novel approach to the harmonious coexistence of advanced technology infrastructure and local communities.
Project
From birdsong to crashing waves: The sound and vision of Vivid Sydney 2023
As Vivid Sydney wraps for another sensational year, Gillian Serisier spoke with Mandylights lighting designer Tom Wightwick, one of the incredible minds behind recent light events including Sydney World Pride (Opening Ceremony, Domain Dance Party, Rainbow Republic), Poem of the Eternal City (a major theatrical production in Uzbekistan) and this year’s Vivid.
Project
The green oasis amidst the urban jungle of Shanghai: LOAM cafe&bar
Delve into a transformative journey from a porcelain house in the heart of the West Bund, Shanghai, to LOAM cafe&bar. STUDIO8 has cultivated a blend of openness and privacy while paying homage to the original structure and its surroundings.
Events
Sustainable, livable and naturally urban: Sydney’s future at the VIVID Collectivity Talks
While Sydney’s VIVID celebration is typically associated with stunning visuals and light shows, it is also a place to ponder the futures of the harbour city.
News
Inside the agency crafting Sydney’s third CBD
In our own backyard, the Western Parkland City Authority is tasked with creating Sydney’s third city, the parklands city. We speak with its CEO, Sarah Hill, about what it takes to shape a city.
Ideas
<em>INDESIGN</em> #79 out now! The ‘City Futures’ issue
Featuring a huge range of perspectives, opinions, projects and people, the ‘City Futures’ edition of the magazine unpacks the most pressing and timely conversations for the future of our cities.
News
<em>Civilization: The Way We Live Now</em> captures urban life and the human condition
Now open at NGV Australia, Civilization: The Way We Live Now is a photographic exploration of the globalised world – including people, movement and of course buildings.
People
5 minutes with Sérgio Brodsky on smart cities
With Pause Festival just around the corner, we spend five minutes with Sergio Brodsky who is presenting a talk on Urban Brand Utility: the regenerative strategy accelerating the evolution of smart cities.
Dissections
BEON Energy Solutions (Powercor CitiPower) by Siren Design
What are the principles and strategies behind designing for incidental staff collisions and chance encounters? Siren Design maps out its creative thinking and approach for Powercor CitiPower’s BEON Energy Solutions, Melbourne: a purpose built workplace which encourages its staff to ‘interact’ and ‘collide’.