Meet a Powerhouse festival that is designed to challenge

 

Powerhouse has released details of the Sydney Design Week 2025 program, which will feature events across the city from September 12-24.

This year’s festival is titled ‘Community Design’ and places people at the heart of design with national and international designers whose work "creates connection and fosters resilience". The program will feature talks, tours and industry workshops.

Now in its 29th year, Australia’s longest-running design festival promises events "that reflect the distinctive contemporary and cultural design of the region".

Pritzker Prize-winning architect Francis Kéré, will launch the week in a public conversation with Incidental Architecture’s co-director Daina Cunningham and Western Sydney high school students, discussing how sustainable design can transform schools into places of comfort, culture and creativity.

Beijing-based architecture studio OPEN, led by architects Li Hu and Huang Wenjing, will deliver a keynote at the UTS Great Hall, while the week also features leading Dutch architectural photographer Iwan Baan, who captures the interplay between iconic architecture and everyday life around the world.

From Bangkok to Bonnyrigg, the 2025 program embraces a global-local dialogue. Thai landscape architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom joins Living Lab Northern Rivers’ academic director Professor Elizabeth Mossop, Sydney Water’s Phillip Birtles and CHROFI director John Choi to explore how cities can adapt to rising waters - drawing on urban case studies in New Orleans, Bangkok and Sydney.

A day of ceremony and dialogue led by local cultural leaders at Bibby’s Place in Bonnyrigg will offer space for shared reflection and storytelling.

Design innovation takes centre stage at the Advanced Manufacturing Readiness Facility in Bradfield, where workshops, tours and talks with Industrial Design Xchange (IDX SYD), Australian designer David Caon and architecture studio Hassell will introduce festivalgoers to the future of Australian manufacturing.

Holdmark Property Group Chief Operating Officer Kevin Nassif said: ‘Design has the power to unite, adapt and imagine new possibilities for the way we live. We’re proud to support a festival that puts community at the centre of creativity.’

Powerhouse Chief Executive Lisa Havilah added: "Sydney Design Week 2025 celebrates the power of design to bring people together. This year’s program highlights the role communities play in shaping public spaces, and how design can respond to place, climate and culture in meaningful ways."

To view the full program visit http://bit.ly/4lcyXy3

Image: Sun Tower by OPEN. Courtesy Iwan Baan

Wine Victoria pushes the sustainability message

Sustainability is the key buzzword in the wine industry right and Wine Victoria has announced a series of sustainability workshops to make sure the state's wine producers stay ahead of the sustainability curve.

The workshops are part of the Growing Victorian wine into the future program in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture.

Working with the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) the workshops will cover two key areas:  Sustainable Winegrowers Australia (SWA) certification and moving towards carbon neutrality in the vineyard and winery. 

The first series of workshops are to be held in May and June across five locations and are aimed at supporting Victorian vineyards and wineries seeking sustainability certification (SWA).

Participants will be provided with a set of customisable templates and resources to support their preparation for audit and maintenance of the program.

The second series of workshops, also held in May/June 2023 across five locations, will be are focused on working towards carbon neutrality. 

According to SWA’s 2022 Impact report, 78% of Australians want action and consider a brand’s social and environmental actions when making a purchase. 

Additionally, 54% of global wine drinkers only trust sustainable wine that is officially certified - although I've never come across one of them. In my experience, a large proportion of wine drinkers buy because the label is eye-catching, or they like the price. 

“There has been strong growth in the uptake of the Sustainable Winegrowers Australia certification," says Wine Victoria chair Stephanie Duboudin. 

"Wine Victoria is strongly committed to providing the opportunities for our winemakers and growers to gain this important certification to ensure that our members have the skills and accreditations required for a future-focused industry. 

For a full list of workshops or to register, see https://winevictoria.org.au/growing-victorian-wine-into-the-future/