The Architecture Symposium: Designing for the 99%

The Architecture Symposium is part of the Design Speaks series, an ongoing programme that brings together architects, planners and critics to address pressing questions in the built environment. The 2026 edition, titled “Designing for the 99%,” shifts the conversation away from high-end residential work to examine how architecture can reclaim relevance through open-source construction methods and systemic responses to the housing crisis.

The programme takes a peer-led format that prioritises practitioner expertise over conference-circuit presentations. Speakers are drawn from practices and institutions with direct experience in delivering housing at scale, offering substantive and technical perspectives on the challenge of accessible architectural production.

The Architecture Symposium is held at the Sofitel Melbourne on Collins on 4 September, the same day as the Houses Awards 2026 Presentation, making it a significant date in the professional calendar for Melbourne architects working in the residential sector.