Australian Architecture Conference 2026
Conference: Friday 30 – Saturday 31 October
Fringe Events: Thursday 29 October and Sunday 1 November
Venues: Brisbane (Meanjin) | Concert Hall of the Queensland Performing Arts Centre and the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Together. Or Not At All?
Architecture is often practiced in isolation – in studios, on site, behind screens, but it only advances through conversation. The 2026 Australian Architecture Conference brings Australia’s architects together for the profession’s most important conversation in a decade: about practice, advocacy, climate, housing, equity and what it means to stay relevant in a rapidly changing world.
Together. Or Not At All? is a provocation for the future of architectural practice. The question speaks to the paradigm shift already underway: the innovations and crises, the friction and momentum, the vulnerability inherent in changing how we work, and the simple truth that none of it is possible alone. With past approaches faltering and uncertainty about the future growing, it is a timely catalyst for amplifying change and shared debate. It asks us to interrogate how the profession can strengthen collective responsibility: with Country, community, clients, climate, and the future of practice.
The innovations and crises. The friction and momentum. The vulnerability of changing how we work. The simple truth that none of it is possible alone. With past approaches faltering and uncertainty growing, this is not a conference. It is a reckoning.
Isolation Increases Cost. Collaboration Increases Value.
Right now, someone in Cairns is solving the same climate risk problem you are. Someone in Sydney too. Same challenge, solved separately, hundreds of times over.
Architecture advances through conversation, but it’s too often practised in isolation. The conference exists to close that gap.
Why attend.
Two days in Brisbane. Here’s what you take home:
- Practical tools instead of theory: Sessions are structured as debates, case studies, and working formats. Fees, climate response, practice resilience tackled directly, with real-world application built in.
- Connections that outlast the conference across states, sectors, and career stages. People to call when you’re stuck. Collaborators for projects you haven’t imagined yet.
- Up to 10 CPD points across both days, across formats that reflect how architects actually think and work.
- A shift in perspective: Past attendees consistently describe this as the real return on those two days. The hours matter. What you do differently afterward matters more.
Brisbane as backdrop. The profession as focus.
This year’s conference takes place in Brisbane, a city navigating rapid growth, climate resilience, and the gap between design ambition and delivery. The pressures shaping its built environment are the pressures this conference addresses.
The Concert Hall at QPAC and the BCEC were chosen for utility: accessibility, acoustics, and spaces that make thinking easier and conversation natural.
Some of the most valuable exchanges will happen between sessions. In the breaks. At the evening events. This is where ideas become collaborations.
Who this is for.
This conference is specifically designed for:
- Practicing architects at every career stage. From emerging practitioners finding their place, to mid-career professionals navigating practice pressures, to established leaders shaping the profession’s future.
- Built environment professionals working at the intersection of architecture: engineers, planners, landscape architects, construction professionals committed to delivering design intent and advancing quality.
- Anyone who has looked around their studio and thought: we’re solving this as if we’re the first people to face it. You’re not. Neither is anyone else in that room.
The challenges facing the profession – climate, housing, procurement, equity, technological disruption cannot be solved by architects alone. They require coordinated responses across disciplines.
If you are a professional in the built environment looking to step out of day-to-day pressures and into the bigger conversation about where we are headed and how we get there together, this is for you.
Registration designed to meet you where you are.
The conference pricing structure reflects where you are in your career and what you need from the event:
Super Early Bird & Early Bird | Best value for those who plan ahead. Members and non-members. |
Emerging passes | Accessible entry for students and early-career professionals. Your seat at the table should not wait. |
ArchiPass (Premium) | Enhanced experience for established leaders. Reserved seating, lounge access, VIP event. Limited to 100 passes. |
Single day passes | If you cannot commit to both days, register for Day 1 or Day 2 individually. |
PRICING
Archi Pass (A+ Members only)
Super Early Bird (CLOSED)
Early Bird (OPEN)
Standard (JUN 12 - OCT 29)
Late (OCT 30 - OCT 31)
EXTRAS
View Ticket Inclusions
All conference passes include professional development, networking and catering. Additional benefits vary by pass type.
Inclusions | ArchiPass | Full Conference | Day 1 Pass | Day 2 Pass |
Day one conference access | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Day two conference access | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Day one catering (as scheduled) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Day two catering (as scheduled) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Reserved seating | ✓ | |||
Swag bag | ✓ | |||
Water Bottle | ✓ | |||
Access to Exhibition Hall Showcase | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Refuel sessions | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
ArchiPass Lounge access | ✓ | |||
CPD session recordings on-demand | ✓ | |||
CPD sessions recording (limited time) | ✓ | |||
Archi-Party: VIP pre-party cocktail function | ✓ | |||
Archi Party | ✓ | |||
Conference Closing Drinks | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
View Accommodation Deals
Preferential rates have been negotiated specifically for the 2026 Conference at hotels and serviced apartments conveniently located near the venue.
*Please note that availability is based on first come, first serve.
Hotel | Information | Booking Link |
Voco Brisbane | Leisure walking pace to BCEC: 10 mins Room type and rate: Queen Standard Room (room only): $260 per night + Breakfast: $28 per person |
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Hotel Indigo by IHG | Leisure walking pace to BCEC: 10 mins Room type / rate: King / Queen Standard Room (room only): $260 per night + Breakfast: $28 per person |
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Cllix Apartments
| Leisure walking pace to BCEC: 3 to 7 mins Special conditions: 3 minimum nights say required. Applicable for the four apartments only. 12% discount on NETT rates | Enter code: ARCHI26 to avail discounted rates |
Courtyard by Marriott South Bank | Leisure walking pace to BCEC: 17 mins Room type and rate: | |
The Westin Brisbane | Leisure walking pace to BCEC: 17 mins Room type and rate: | |
Royal on the Park | Leisure walking pace to BCEC: 18 mins Room type and rate: | Enter code: Group15 to avail discounted rates |
Not a member of the Australian Institute of Architects? Join today to secure member pricing.
Not convinced? Register at non-member rates and upgrade later.
Have questions about registration?
Contact the AAC 2026 team at conference@architecture.com.au
Get involved. Volunteer with us.
Expressions of interest are now open for volunteers. Join us to be part of the experience and bring the conference to life.
The people making it happen.
The conference is a significant undertaking by the Australian Institute of Architects, bringing together practitioners, thought leaders, and built environment professionals from across Australia and the globe for two days of structured conversation.
Steering Committee: Andrew D’Occhio · Gina Engelhardt · Shaneen Fantin · Jack Gillmer · Blake Hillebrand · Ian Moore, Debjani Sarkar · David Wagner · Cameron Bruhn
Fringe Committee: James Du Plessis (Chair) · Dr Ashley Paine · Dr Cecilia Bischeri · Hudson Smith · Dr Kirsty Volz · Liehan Janse van Rensburg · Prof Paul Loh · Sam Bowstead · Senlina Mayer · Yolande Vorste
Combined, they are responsible for translating the vision into an event that delivers on its promise.
But it takes more than two people to make a conference of this scale work.
Behind the program is a team of Institute members, event partners, venue specialists, and logistics coordinators who ensure that when you arrive in Brisbane, everything from registration to catering to session timing works seamlessly.
The 2026 program is shaped by practitioners, educators, and advocates who have spent their careers navigating the exact pressures this conference addresses.
The Steering Committee.
The Fringe Committee.
Partners & Sponsors
The Conference is made possible with the support of our partners and sponsors- organisations that share our commitment to a stronger, more connected built environment profession.
Sponsorship and partnership opportunities are available. Contact us at conference@architecture.com.au to find out how your organisation can be part of Australia’s most important built environment conversation.
2026 Australian Architecture Conference Partners
