UTZON Lecture Collective
Established in 2010, and named in honour of Jørn Utzon AC, the UTZON Lecture Collective is a public lecture series from UNSW Built Environment, bringing global voices together to explore the ideas shaping architecture, cities and the built environment.
Watch the 2026 Paul Reid UTZON Address
The Hill of Hysteria - Marco te Brömmelstroet
Professor Brömmelstroet's lecture explores why resistance to change in the built environment is often predictable, how leaders can navigate periods of uncertainty, and what it takes to create cities that are more liveable, inclusive and resilient.
All UTZON Lectures
Explore more than a decade of UTZON Lectures - a rich public archive of ideas shaping the built environment. Listen to influential voices across architecture, urbanism, planning, policy and design.
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Great Squares and Public Spaces and Why We Need Them
Henriette Vamberg, Managing Director, Gehl, Gene Willsford UTZON Lecture.
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Global Disaster Risks: The Power of Local Action
Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the United Nations, Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, and Head of UNDRR. 2025 Judith Neilson UTZON Lecture.
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Sustainable and Local Architectural Design in Practice
Vinu Daniel, Founder, Wallmakers. 2025 UTZON Lecture.
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Tackling Our Housing Crisis
The Hon. Rose Jackson, MLC, Minister for Water, Housing, Homelessness, Mental Health and Youth. 2024 Gene Willsford UTZON Lecture.
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Why Social Capital and Social Infrastructure are Critical for Resilience
Professor Daniel Aldrich, Northeastern University. 2024 Judith Neilson UTZON Lecture.
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50th Anniversary of the Sydney Opera House
Jan Utzon, Utzon Architects. 2023 UTZON Lecture.
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How can we strengthen Australia's Climate Resilience?
Professor Briony Rogers, Monash University. 2023 Judith Neilson UTZON Lecture.
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Mind the Gap: Autonomous Designers and Builders in the Digital Age
Phil Bernstein, Deputy Dean and Professor in the Practice, Yale University. 2023 UTZON Lecture.
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Deciding Sydney's Density Destiny
Dr Rob Stokes, Group Executive, Anglicare. 2023 Paul Reid UTZON Lecture.
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Radically Rethinking Urban Architecture
Mun Summ Wong and Richard Hassell, Co-Founding Directors, WOHA. 2023 Donald K Turner UTZON Lecture.
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Shaking Up the Construction Industry
Alison Mirams, 2022 Gene Willsford UTZON Lecture.
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Investigating Xinjiang's Network of Detention Camps
Alison Killing, Financial Times. 2022 Judith Neilson UTZON Lecture.
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Redeveloping Black Communities | Learnings from American Urban Planning
Baye Adofo-Wilson, CEO BAW Development. 2021 Judith Neilson UTZON Lecture.
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Nature Inside | From Domestic Décor to Climate Change
Professor Penny Sparke, Kingston University. 2021 Gene Willsford UTZON Lecture.
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Cities, Construction and Corruption
Professor George Ofori, London South Bank University and Professor David Sanderson, UNSW Sydney. 2020 Judith Neilson UTZON Lecture.
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Humanising High Density
Zhizhe Yu, Co-Founder, AI Space Factory. 2020 Paul Reid UTZON Lecture.
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Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal
Hank Koning and Julie Eizenberg, Partners at KoningEizenberg Architects, Donald K Turner 2019 UTZON Lecture.
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The Global Refugee Crisis: The Role of Built Environment Professionals
Brett Moore, Head of Shelter and Settlements at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 2019 Judith Neilson UTZON Lecture.
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Reducing Risk, Building Resilience
Jo da Silva OBE, Arup Fellow and Director of Arup International Development, 2018 Judith Neilson UTZON Lecture.
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The House in the City, the Child in the Sports Hall
Professor of Practice Rachel Neeson, Director Neeson Murcutt Architects, 2018 Donald K Turner UTZON Lecture.
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The Work of Estudio Carme Pinos
Carme Pinos, Director, Estudio Carme Pinós, 2018 UTZON Lecture.
View recordingChina's Changing Urban Communities
Professor Peter G. Rowe, Harvard Graduate School of Design, 2018 Paul Reid UTZON Lecture.
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Humanitarian Architecture: Who Really Designs?
Dr Anshu Sharma, 2017 Judith Neilson UTZON Lecture.
View recordingResilience Beyond Rhetoric - Design for a New Sustainability
Associate Professor Nina-Marie Lister, Nina-Marie Lister is Professor and Graduate Director of the School of Urban and Regional Planning at Toronto Metropolitan University.
View recordingHomes and Cities: Growth and Inequality
Professor Duncan Maclennan, Universities of Glasgow and St. Andrews, 2017 UTZON Lecture.
View recordingCulture, Ideas, Strategies in the Making of the City: Baukultur and the Germna Federal Cities Program
Reiner Nagel, Director of the German Federal Foundation of Building Culture, 2017 Paul Reid UTZON Lecture.
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Innovation to Zero in the Construction Sector
Professor Mattheos Santamouris, Scientia, Distinguished, Professor of High Performance Architecture at UNSW, past Professor in the University of Athens, Greece.
View recordingColliding Worlds
Professor Oya Demirbilek, Associate Dean (Education) Built Enviroment, UNSW.
View recordingResilient Neighbourhoods?
Professor David Sanderson, Inaugural Judith Neilson Chair, Built Environment, UNSW.
View recordingTradition and Newness
Professor Juhani Pallasmaa, Architect, 2016 Droga Architect in Residence, Helsinki.
View recordingRe-imagining the Harbour City
Professor Helen Lochhead, Dean Faculty of Built Environment, UNSW.
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The Tipping Point: Cities on the Edge
Professor Sue Holliday, Director of Urban Policy & Strategy and Professor of Planning Practice Built Environment, UNSW.
View recordingThe Second Digital Turn in Architecture
Professor Mario Carpo, Professor of Architectural History and Theory, The Bartlett, University College London.
View recordingTowards 2026: Completing Gaudi's Sagrada Familia Basilica
Professor Mark Burry, University of Melbourne.
View recordingArchitecture Beyond Experience
Professor Michael Benedikt, The University of Texas, Austin.
View recordingTransforming Sydney: Where it's At, Where it's Headed
Adjunct Professor Graham Jahn AM, Director City Planning, Development & Transport, City of Sydney.
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Architecture and Morality: Geometries of Virtue
Associate Professor Elizabeth Farrelly, Built Environment, UNSW and Associate Professor (Practice) UNSW Graduate School of Urbanism.
View recordingArchitecture in the Museum: The Art of Advocacy
Professor Barry Bergdoll, Meyer Schapiro Professor of Art History and Archaeology, Columbia University & The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
View recordingCities, Competitiveness and Australia’s Competitive Advantage: Why We Must Get Australian Cities Right
Jennifer Westacott AO, Chief Executive of the Business Council of Australia.
View recordingThe Fourth International Utzon Symposium - Keynote Speaker Professor Vishaan Chakrabarti
Professor Vishaan Chakrabarti, Marc Holliday Professor and Director of the Master of Science in Real Estate Development, Columbia University, and Partner at SHoP Architects.
View recordingThe Fourth International Utzon Symposium - Keynote Speaker Liu Jiakun
Liu Jiakun, Founder and Chief Architect Jiakun Architects.
View recordingThe Ageing City: Are we Prepared?
Professor Bruce Judd, Director Australian School of Architecture and Design, UNSW.
View recordingGoverning London: Progress and Prospects
Professor John Tomaney, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, Bartlett School of Planning.
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Driving Detroit: The Quest for Respect in Motor City
Professor George Galster, Professor of Urban Affairs Wayne State University, USA.
View recordingIntelligent Territories: The 21st Century City in Europe and Asia
Dr Alfonso Vegara Gomez, President Metropoli Foundation.
View recordingJustice in the Neo-Liberal City
Professor Susan Fainstein, Harvard University Graduate School of Design. USA.
View recordingArchitecture and Justice: Design Meets the Law
Professor Diane Jones, Executive Director PTW Architects and Adjunct Professor Built Environment, UNSW.
View recordingDoes Too Much Urban Planning Result in Higher Housing Prices or Slower Economic Growth?
Professor Alan Peters, Director of AGSU, Built Environment, UNSW.
View recordingSmart Is Not Enough: The Future of Leadership in Construction
Glenn Palin, President Australian Constructors Association & Group Managing Director at John Holland Group.
View recordingDesigning Dwellings Toward a Highly Aged Society: Japanese Experience as a Forerunner
Professor Satoshi Kose, Shizuoka University of Art and Culture, Japan.
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Sydney Opera House: Legacy and Lessons
Professor Richard Johnson, Built Environment, UNSW.
View recordingEnvisioning Low Carbon Cities: Challenges and Opportunities
Professor Deo Prasad, Built Environment, UNSW.
View recording100th Anniversary of Walter Burley Griffin: Griffin and Canberra
Professor James Weirick, Director of the Master of Urban Development and Design (MUDD), UNSW.
View recordingSticks and Stones Will Make My Bones: Durability in Design
Professor Michael Neuman, Principal Michael Neuman Consultancy, & Professor of Sustainable Urbanism, UNSW.
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Going Green: Risks and Opportunities
Professor Martin Loosemoore, Built Environment, UNSW.
View recordingBuilding Values
Professor Peter Singer AC, Professor of Bioethics, University Centre of Human Values, Princeton University, USA.
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Healthy Built Environments = Healthy Cities
Professor Susan Thompson, Built Environment, UNSW and Professor Anthony Capon, Built Environment, UNSW.
View recordingRecent Parks: Sydney's Great Design Strengths
Adjunct Professor Sasha Coles, Emeritus Professor Linda Corkery, Adrian McGregor, Jane Irwin, Built Environment, UNSW.
View recordingSydney Opera House: The Past, Present and Future
Jan Utzon, Architect, UTZON Architects.
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Please note: Speaker titles, roles and organisational affiliations reflect those held at the time of their lecture and were correct at the time of publication.