A look back at our 2024 Speaker Series

This year, we launched a Friday night Speaker Series, bringing together architects, artists, curators, and other creatives to inspire lateral and collaborative thinking within our practice. The series featured a diverse range of external guests alongside contributions from the extensive expertise within our own team, sparking lively discussions and debates about the future of architecture.

Last month, we were thrilled to welcome Anna Jankovic and Andre Bonnice from the research-based practice Simulaa. Their talk, titled “…it just took ages to get the right yellow…”, showcased their extensive body of work, which focuses on the tangible effects of anthropogenic global warming and explores the intersection of architecture, systems, and innovative models for sustainable, integrated design. Through a range of unbuilt proposals, installations, and publications, Simulaa tests these new processes as case studies, demonstrating their research findings through design.

David Sequiera, artist and Director of the Fiona and Sidney Myer Gallery at the University of Melbourne.

Similarly, David Sequeira, Director of the Fiona and Sidney Myer Gallery at the University of Melbourne, seeks to create cultural disruption through his work. His talk, titled “Colour & Geometry / Art & Interruption”, delved into themes of high and low art, personal and shared histories, banality and profundity, and the reverberations of colonisation. David has also held senior roles in major cultural institutions, including Australian Parliament House and the National Gallery of Australia.

On a more technical note, long-time collaborators Bush Projects, a multidisciplinary landscape architecture studio, presented their independently developed set of Rhino tools, DOCOlab. Through a live demonstration, directors Niki and Matt showcased how the tools support design analysis and communication, maintain full-colour documentation throughout the IFC phase, and facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration in a fast-moving design context.

In addition to external guest speakers, it was important to celebrate the invaluable expertise of our staff nationwide. “How it Started… A Retrospective” was a series of exhibitions that encouraged staff to reflect on their humble beginnings. A variety of work was presented, including early thesis works, furniture design, exhibitions and independent publications, fostering a constructive and inclusive dialogue amongst staff of all levels.

“How it Started… A Retrospective” was an internal retrospective, showcasing personal creative projects.

ARM has always championed architectural education, underscoring the importance of teaching. This year, we were delighted to feature studio reflections from staff who led Bachelor’s and Master’s studios at RMIT and the University of Melbourne. Additionally, we hosted thought-provoking discussions on the future of architectural education, the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Architecture, and how AI-driven design processes are being integrated into ARM’s work.

Lastly, we were delighted to hear from ARM Co-Founder Ian McDougall and Design Director Neil Masterton on their travels abroad. Over a glass of Vermouth, Neil shared architectural insights on his travels to Spain and Portugal, from the infinite nature of the Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba to the Art-Deco Modernism of the Serralves Villa in Porto. Further East, Ian and Dr Ben Milbourne (RMIT) unpacked the latest Venice Biennale, “Foreigners Everywhere,” which showcased artists from diverse and historically marginalised backgrounds.

More recently, Ian shared insightful observations after a road trip through the midwestern United States, starting in Chicago and finishing in Dallas. He travelled through predominantly smaller towns, focusing on 19th & 20th century architectural gems by architects such as Louis Sullivan, Bruce Goff, Mies van der Rohe, Marion Mahoney, Walter Burley Griffin, and Frank Lloyd Wright among others. Bruce Goff’s avant-garde approach was applauded, the ornamented regional bank buildings by Louis Sullivan were jaw-dropping, and Ian’s insights into the architectural traditions tested and built upon in this era highlighted their significant impact on ARM’s work and the contemporary world of architectural design internationally.

While having only scratched the surface, we look forward to continuing the ARM Speaker Series in 2025, welcoming a diverse range of speakers to deepen and broaden our understanding of how we respond to the challenges facing contemporary architecture today.

The 2024 Speaker Series was curated by Domenica Cosentino, Nessie Frangos and Ricky Ricardo. This reflection was written by Domenica Cosentino and Nessie Frangos.