ACA at the Arch_Manu 2026 Research Symposium

ACA CEO Angelina Pillai and NSW/ACT President Ivana Simkovic recently joined researchers, industry leaders and practitioners at the Arch_Manu 2026 Annual Research Symposium at UNSW.

The two-day event brought together close to 80 attendees, with 27 researcher presentations, four industry partner presentations and eight panel discussions exploring the future of architectural practice and manufacturing. Angelina presented on the ACA’s involvement in the Arch_Manu research project, with a particular focus on the important connection between industry and research, while Ivana joined a panel exploring the impact of AI on copyright, liability and fees.

The presentations and conversations during the symposium ranged from sustainable prefabrication and digital transformation to AI, leadership, organisational digital implementation and computational tools in architectural practice. Former NSW/ACT Vice President, Michael Lewarne also provided some interesting thoughts on reverse mentoring to support digital transformation in businesses. And across the discussions, the message was loud and clear… technology may be changing practice, but people, communication and collaboration remain central to successful transformation.

Angelina concluded the symposium with reflections from the Wellbeing of Architects research, in which the ACA has been closely involved, highlighting the importance of keeping people and wellbeing firmly in view as the profession changes.

She also reinforced an important ACA message… research into the future of architecture must reflect the realities of small practices, which make up the majority of architecture businesses in Australia.

The symposium provided a valuable opportunity to connect research with the practical challenges facing architectural businesses – and to ensure the voice of practice is part of conversations about the profession’s future.

Check out the symposium’s catalogue on the Arch_Manu website.