Australian Health Design Council upcoming events

Weekend Superstudio (Friday, October 09, 2026)

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 13:00:00 GMT

The Weekend Superstudio is a two-day, in-person design sprint hosted by AHDC Connect, connecting postgraduate architecture students with practising health design architects. The event aims to build early engagement between emerging talent and the health design sector, while giving AHDC Connect member firms visibility with the next generation of practitioners.

Running from Friday 9 to Saturday 10 October 2026 at Billard Leece Partnership's Surry Hills studio, this is an opportunity for 16-20 postgraduate (masters) architecture and interior design students, working in groups of 2–3. Students will select from two live briefs developed to reflect real-world healthcare and social infrastructure challenges.

Across the two days, teams are supported by AHDC Connect members and mentors from BLP, Bates Smart, Architectus and more, culminating in final presentations and jury judging on Saturday evening. A cash prize and one year's AHDC membership will be awarded to the winning team.

Programme

Day 01 - Friday 9 October 2026 - 5pm - 8pm
- Introduction and Welcome
- Presentation of briefs
- Networking and Catchups
- Forming groups
Day 02 - Saturday 10 October 2026 - 10am - 8pm
- Small group tutorials with mentors
- Access to BLP office all day
- Coffee / tea and snacks all day
- 5pm Submission deadline
- 5:30 - 7pm - Student presentations
- Jury deliberations and winner selected!

> Participate!! (Google Form)

How to be involved:

Participate in the Studio: Register via google form and you will receive email confirmation.
Attend the presentations: RSVP to this event to attend the presentations and more details will be sent to you.
Mentor or Volunteer: Help us support our students - email ryan@blp.com.au to be involved as a mentor or adviser on the day!

Important Details for participants:

This event is open to all post-graduate architect and interior students enrolled in an Australian University. To participate, please complete the Google Form registration with your details. You can join as a team or as an individual and we will match you up.
You will need to bring your laptop and any stationary and tools you may need. Limited printing will be available. The presentation will be in powerpoint format.
Participation is required across both Friday evening and Saturday. The office will not be open outside of the published times, but you are free to work from elsewhere or after hours if you wish.

Complex Challenges, Connected Thinking | Aligning Policy, Care and Place (Thursday, October 22, 2026)

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 05:00:00 GMT

We are proud to announce the fourth event in the Complex Challenges, Connected Thinking series. This landmark session marks our first Victorian government agency partnership, presented in collaboration with the Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority (VIDA) Health. The event also features an outreach component, hosted in person in partnership with the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) in Hobart.

The event brings together leading voices from government, health and industry to explore how system-level priorities are translated into service models, infrastructure responses and innovative approaches to healthcare delivery. Through a combination of project presentations, a panel discussion and a short presentation showcase, the program examines how strategic planning, co-design, standardisation, digital innovation and sustainable design can work together to deliver more responsive, efficient and future-focused health infrastructure. The event will be followed by an informal get-together at the Imperial Hotel on Bourke Street.

The program will explore these themes through the following sessions:

Opening Remarks

An overview of the key strategic priorities and initiatives VIDA Health is leading.

Transforming Care in Victoria: PSRACS & YPARC

Orbost Residential Aged Care Facility: This session is a reflection on the journey of delivering the Orbost Public sector residential aged care services (PSRACS) project in Far East Gippsland, from concept and design through to resident occupancy. The presentation explores the design philosophy behind creating a home-like environment that supports dignity, independence, and connection for older Victorians.
Youth Prevention and Recovery Centres (YPARCS): This presentation will discuss the design processes and key considerations in developing a recovery-focused, sub-acute residential mental health service for people aged 16-25 through a co-design involving young people with lived and living experience of mental ill-health, families, carers, clinicians, service providers and design specialists.

Panel Discussion: How can health infrastructure deliver more with less?

This discussion explores how Victoria is using system-led planning and standardisation to support more efficient healthcare infrastructure delivery.

Short Presentations

To conclude the session, short presentations will be delivered—a fast‑paced, high‑impact format where speakers share insights into future-proofing and how digital innovation and design decisions are helping reduce embodied carbon across the health infrastructure lifecycle:

The Evolving Understanding of Future-Proofing for Hospital Building Design: Exploring the evolving concept of future-proofing, unpacking the strategic opportunities, practical challenges, and implications for designing and delivering adaptable and resilient hospital buildings.
Digital design: Exploring how VHBA is using digital tools such as Cupix (digital twins and reality capture) and dRofus (data-driven briefing and space planning) to improve project planning, design coordination, assurance and asset information management across the health infrastructure lifecycle.
Northern Hospital Ambulatory Care Centre: Reducing upfront carbon in Victorian public health infrastructure- Exploring how the Northern Hospital ACC project reduced its upfront carbon impact using a lightweight, high-performance façade and lower-carbon concrete. As a test case for the VHBA Net Zero Building Handbook, the project demonstrates how carbon emissions can be reduced without compromising project delivery.

Informal get-together and post-event networking

After the conclusion of the formal part of the event, attendees may wish to join a casual gathering at the Imperial Hotel, (2-8 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000). Please note that attendance will be at participants’ own expense.

In-person spaces in Melbourne and Tasmania are limited, so book your spot quickly.

A special thank you to all of our event partners, and in particular our lead event partner VIDA Health and outreach partner, The Australian Institute of Architects - Tasmanian Chapter, for offering their venues.

Please note there will be no option to dial in. If you cannot attend in person, please do not register. The sessions will be recorded (subject to speaker consent) and made available to AHDC members following the event.

You'll Hear From

Opening Remarks:

Priscilla Radice, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), VIDA Health

Presentation: Transforming Care in Victoria through PSRACS & YPARC

Sophia Motamed, Project Director, VIDA Health
Vignesh Chandrasekaran, Senior Associate, CHC
Sarah Skeels, Senior Project Manager,VIDA Health

Panel Discussion: How can health infrastructure deliver more with less?

Glyn Devlin, Director, Victorian Department of Health
Yvette Wazny, Senior Specialist, Design, VIDA Health
Luke Baxby, Managing Principal, Create Health Advisory

Short Presentations:

Dr Sanaz Memari, Researcher at Deakin University, Board Member & Research Lead at AHDC
Paul Morgan, Senior Specialist, Digital Build, VIDA Health
Matt Sykes, Specialist, Environmental Sustainability, VIDA Health
Andim Taip, Principal, Lyons

When:

22 October 2026, 4 PM to 7 PM (AEDT)

Where:

Melbourne: The Academy Hall, 41 St Andrews Place, East Melbourne
Tasmania: AIA Tasmania (1/19a Hunter Street Hobart TAS 7000)

AHDC 2026 - Explore: Member Site Tours (Wednesday, November 04, 2026)

Tue, 03 Nov 2026 22:30:00 GMT

Kick off the National Conference in Brisbane with exclusive pre-conference site visits to recently completed projects, led by the designers, planners and health professionals who worked on them. These morning tours start and finish close to the CBD, giving you time to head straight to the next event, Engage.

There are four concurrent site visits, so you'll need to select one. Tours include bus transfer to and from Brisbane CBD. Ticket sales open on Monday 17 August. Tickets are strictly allocated on a first come, first served basis and these tours sell out fast.

Tours Available

1	Translational Research Institute	Visit Brisbane's Translational Research Institute and its new ENTRI biomanufacturing facility at the Princess Alexandra Hospital campus. See how a $350 million research hub and Australia's first open-access cGMP biomanufacturing facility bring researchers, clinicians and industry together under one roof.
2	*Herston Precinct*	Walk through three landmark projects: the STARS rehabilitation facility, the Herston Biofabrication Institute, and the Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology headquarters. The tour traces the shift from patient-centred care through to regenerative medicine and large-scale diagnostic infrastructure.
3	*Mater Springfield*	Tour the newly opened $350 million expansion in Brisbane's western corridor, featuring a nine-storey clinical services building that lifts capacity to 234 beds. Coach transport will be provided from the Brisbane Convention Centre.
4	*Caboolture Hospital*	The $395 million project delivered a new Clinical Services Building, 130 new beds, refurbished spaces in the existing hospital, expanded health services and a new Multistorey Car park. It was awarded the FDG Stanley Award for Public Architecture and the Social Impact Prize at the 2025 Queensland Architecture Awards

Details

Arrive at 8:30am to meet the bus.
Pick-up location will be confirmed, located in Brisbane city area.
Tours are open to all AHDC Members. Login before registering.

Note: This registration is for the Explore Event only, to register for the conference and other events, go to www.aushdc.org.au/conference

AHDC2026 - Engage: Research Lunch and Workshop (Wednesday, November 04, 2026)

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 03:00:00 GMT

You are invited to attend this interactive workshop bringing together architects, designers, researchers, health professionals, policymakers and industry partners to translate healthcare design evidence into practical outcomes.

Healthcare design continues to generate a growing evidence base, but converting this knowledge into practice, policy and funding decisions remains a challenge. This workshop moves beyond discussion, offering a structured format to co-create implementation pathways, build partnerships and develop ideas with potential for future research, pilot projects and funding.

Program

Lightning Perspectives
Short talks from leaders in research, practice, government and healthcare covering emerging challenges, how evidence shapes design and policy, implementation barriers and future priorities.

Collaborative Roundtables
Small group work to identify real-world challenges, develop project concepts, explore implementation pathways and form multidisciplinary collaborations.

From Ideas to Action
A discussion on progressing ideas through research partnerships, funding opportunities, pilot projects and AHDC collaborative initiatives.

For more information, please read the attached workshop synopsis:

AHDC2026 Conference Engage Workshop.pdf

Who Should Attend

The Engage Research Workshop is part of our outreach program, and is open and free to attend for the general public, we encourage students, researchers and local professionals to participate. You don’t need to be an AHDC member or a conference delegate to attend.

Details

Arrive at 14:00 for at 14:30 start
A light lunch will be provided, along with tea and coffee.
Venue will be confirmed, located in Brisbane city area.

Note: This registration is for the Engage Event only, to register for the conference and other events, go to www.aushdc.org.au/conference

Australian Health Design Conference 2026 (Thursday, November 05, 2026)

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 22:00:00 GMT

You are invited to register for the 2026 Australian Health Design Conference. This year we will be heading to Brisbane for a 2-day conference in October. You can find out more on our conference website:

Ticket Types and Conditions

Public and AHDC Member tickets are available at discounted early bird prices for a limited time only. All prices are inclusive of GST.

	Standard	Early Bird
Public	$1,600	$1,320
Member	$1,360	$1,200
Concession*	$1,200
One Day Ticket	$960

Early Bird

Early bird discounts are available until 31 July 2026

AHDC Members

Become an AHDC member for $220 per year for discounted conference rates, site visits, and other events throughout the year. Find out more.

Concessions

Full time students can email events@aushdc.org.au with details of their enrolment for approval of student rates. The discount is also available for AHDC student and non-practicising members.

Site Visits

Tickets for site visits must be purchased separately. You must be a current AHDC member to attend a site visit. Site visits will be announced closer to the event, so please subscribe to the newsletter for updates.

Speakers and Panelists

Speakers and panelists will receive a complimentary one-day ticket, or upgrade to a full conference ticket for $960. A registration code is provided in your speaker confirmation and brief.

How to Register

Payment via credit card or debit card is required to secure your ticket. If you are an AHDC member; please login using your email and password before registering. See Member FAQ page. Please email support@aushdc.org.au if you have any issues with registration.

Partnerships and Bulk Bookings

Becoming an AHDC Foundation Partner includes opportunities to purchase bulk conference tickets and memberships for your team. To find out more, please review our Partnership Invitation.

If your company is a Foundation Partner, please contact your sponsorship manager to organise tickets. Foundation partners receive limited complimentary conference tickets and other discounts.

For bulk bookings, please contact support@aushdc.org.au with a list of names, emails and company details for invoicing and ticketing purposes.

Cancellation Policy

More than 30 days - full refund processed.
Less than 30 days - account credit only.
Substitutions - free at any time.

To cancel, please sign into your AHDC account and navigate to your profile. Go to "Event Registrations" to submit a cancellation. Last minute cancellations will receive an account credit only. This can be used to pay for annual membership and future events and conference tickets.

Substitutions

If you can not longer attend for any reason, we encourage you to nominate someone else to participate in your place. Substitutions will be processed on the day at event registration, please bring a digital copy of the original ticket confirmation.

Other Conditions

The preliminary program is preliminary and subject to change.
Conference tickets cannot be shared with non-delegates or sold by third parties.
Recording, videotaping or live steaming of the AHDC Conference is strictly prohibited.
Photographer and videographers will be present at the event. If you do not wish to be filmed, please let them know on arrival.

AHDC2026: Showcase - Public Session and Exhibition (Friday, November 06, 2026)

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 03:00:00 GMT

Everyone is welcome for the final session (07) of the conference: a dynamic series of short presentations followed by the official conference close. Afterwards, join us for drinks and nibbles while browsing the poster exhibition.

Important information

RSVP is required to attend the Public Session only. Conference delegates do not need to RSVP to this event.
Refer to the Conference Agenda for speaker information.
Session 07 presentations will run from 2 - 3.30pm. If you arrive during a presentation, you will be allowed into the conference space during Q&A/breaks.