There is still time to participate in Sibling’s research project New Agency, which investigates the future of housing through the lens of an ageing population. The first iteration of the project was an exhibition that took place at RMIT Design Hub in 2018 where gallery visitors could participate in a survey, which will inform the next stage of the research. Take part in our research by responding to the online questionnaire to help us re-imagine the future. Read more about New Agency here.

What is the role of women in architecture? Join the Australian Institute of Architects on the 26 of November at Tusculum for Gill Matthewson’s presentation on new data analysis that reveals the role of women in architecture along with a discussion panel between practitioners for the need for the change with Andrew Nimmo, Jess Murphy, Leone Lorrimer and Sibling’s Qianyi Lim.

The city is occupied by diverse groups of people with a variety of needs, but does architecture always accommodate for the needs of its user? In this discussion at MPavilion on November 10, designers, architects, activists and professionals discuss how to create more inclusive environments. Speakers include Margherita Coppolino, Jax Jacki Brown, Celeste Carnegie, Anthony Clarke, Tania Davidge and Jane Caught of Sibling Architecture.

Thoughtful and clever design can make sure our urban streets and parks are safe and vibrant places. Through design, ordinary places can be made extraordinary. Gemma Savio (Savio Parsons Architects), Ela Glogowska (Perumal Pedavoli Architects/Studio [R]) and Qianyi Lim (Sibling Architecture) speak about past and present projects on November 7 at Sydney’s Inner West Council offering fresh thinking for the future.

Join a round table discussion at ACCA on the intersection of form, space and movement in contemporary practice with speakers Jo Lloyd, Simone Slee, Fleur Watson and Sibling’s Jane Caught on October 30. Together they will consider the social potential of sculpture, the idea of deceptive materiality as well as the negotiation between colour, space, scale and disruption in relation to our experience of sculpture.

Buildings made from algae, socially and financially sustainable urban villages and the architectural experiments of the Rice Cake Mafia will been explored in a future-focused panel discussion on October 20 at the Sherman Centre. The four panellists, including Sibling’s Qianyi Lim, will speculate on the future of the built environment, exploring the radical and the practical, the emerging voices and the innovative built and proposed works at the cutting edge of design, architecture and urbanism in Australia and internationally.

What is a open city? What does it look like? or feel like? How can apartments adapt to the social and environmental growth of the city? On October 20 at MPavilion, join a series of panels that bring about important discussions for the future growth of the city. The discussions generate thoughts around the design, experience and the growth of the city as well as the consideration for a fair city. The panels discuss significant themes: new pathways to affordable housing, what makes a good apartment building, and what would an open city look like.

Speakers include: Andy Fergus, Ben Keck, Dr Andrea Sharam, Dave Martin, Mitra Abderson Oliver, Quino Holland, Monique Woodward, Katherine Sundermann, Sarah Lynn Rees, Bree Trevena, Andrea Baker, Bec Hornsby, Helen Marcou and Sibling’s Jane Caught.

A lunchtime discussion with The Coming Back Out Ball participants.

Sibling recently received a Creative Victoria Grant for intensive research into ageing, and how design can play a role in creating more equitable society for all ages and abilities. As a first step Sibling hosted a day called Designing The Age-friendly City at MPavilion, which investigated what can constitute an age-friendly city, by looking at ageing societies and the opportunities they can bring. In the morning, artist Tai Snaith constructed an intergenerational morning workshop for grandparents and children; in the afternoon, Arup presented an interactive workshop exploring how we might combine personal experiences and new technologies to shape ‘all-ages’ environments; while in the evening, the University of Melbourne’s Hallmark Ageing Research Institute (HARI) brought experts together to discuss on how we can adapt a city to make it more age-friendly.

A grandparent-grandchild workshop as part of the day-long program

“What makes a city age-friendly? It’s a question that’s becoming increasingly urgent.”

The last decade has seen a shift in the housing market with many Australians have fallen victim to housing unaffordability and an over saturation of low-quality housing ‘product’. This has seen the arrival of alternative development models. These models may be the alternative today, but could they become the new normal as our ageing population is priced out of traditional options in housing and retirement? This final event for New Agency: Owning Your Future brings together various actors working in and around progressive and alternative housing development models. Audience members are encouraged to bring questions and comments for the panel.

New Agency: Owning Your Future is a research platform by Sibling Architecture.