Innovation Hub projects

St Vincent’s Hospital is exploring what the future of community health care looks like through their Green Park Urban Health Hub project - a visionary initiative reimagining how mental health care is delivered.

Commissioned by the Turnbull Foundation - this project maps and profiles UNSW’s interdisciplinary expertise across the NSW housing crisis - a deeply complex, multifaceted issue that defies simple solutions and demands coordinated, systemic responses.

A curated program of creative arts-based interventions designed to enhance the wellbeing of hospital staff after the workplace pressures, stress, and flow-on effects of the COVID-19 pandemic - drawing on the talents of performing artists, designers, researchers, and creatives spaces from across UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture.

The co-design and delivery of an immersive production taking the audience through an experience of their five senses. Written and directed by Bruce Mau of Massive Change Network®, with original music, digital media design, choreography, graphic design, and animation by an ADA creative team led by the Innovation Hub.

A series of conversations designed to explore and untangle important developments in the creative industries. These dynamic conversations unpacked topics from a range of diverse perspectives, stimulating connection to ensure a thriving creative community in Sydney.

Exploring creative methods to integrate and understand inclusion, with a focus on uncovering less visible experiences (and spaces) of belonging. This project explored story-driven ways to imagine, understand and map lived experiences of inclusion within our campus environments.

An immersive two-day workshop and design sprint designed to empower students from all disciplines as levers of change in a circular economy. Sixty students from twelve schools were challenged to think differently, to work creatively, and problem solve by collaborating in diverse, interdisciplinary teams.

From 2022-2024 the Innovation Hub partnered with designers Bruce Mau and Aiyemobisi (Bisi) Williams and their Massive Change Network® on a collaborative Design Sprint focusing on the areas of power, health, climate & translation, accelerating the ADA2051 strategy commitment to seek and solve problems to improve life on earth.

A project redefining mental health support through community-driven, trauma-informed resources. Using immersive tools like VR, it empowers people to address trauma, foster connections, and spark transformation beyond the limits of traditional medical models.

A proactive, culturally and environmentally just initiative, that provides UNSW ADA staff the opportunity to undertake up to four days additional leave per year to volunteer and give back to Country.

A grassroots movement transforming environmental engagement through simple, joyful activities. Themed weekly practices empower people to reconnect with each other and the planet through simple, delightful actions that disrupt harmful norms. By spreading joy and care, it builds a global culture of positive, restorative change.

Using speculative design to help us imagine what media could look like in a hopeful, climate-positive future. UNSW designers, directors, visual effects creators, and writers create short, shareable media clips to show what possible futures might look like.

Designers have a responsibility to make informed decisions. re-situ imagines a digital platform that aims to connect different perspectives and knowledge systems and suggests tools to reflect on our practice, challenge our perceptions and encourages that we unlearn limiting beliefs and bias.

Our Unconvention trialled a new model for open and inclusive collaboration with a continuous evolution of participants and ideas. We brought 100 potential partners into conversations about five ongoing initiatives from our Massive Action Sydney program that addressed the wicked problems of climate, mental health, and environmental stewardship.

A co-produced creative collaboration between the Innovation Hub and the office of the Pro Vice Chancellor Education and Student Experience. The project produced a virtual reality experience designed to support the development of a sense of belonging in first year international students.

An international poetry slam competition hosted by the International Universities Climate Alliance, World Poetry Slam Organization, Climate Students Movement and the Innovation Hub. Students from across the globe were invited to re-imagine our world through the medium of slam poetry to celebrate Earth Day 2023.

This project offered students the opportunity to experience the world-leading research labs across the faculty of Art, Design and Architecture through a short-form research project.

An initial attempt to tackle the question: How do we understand racism, and what is the role of the university in tackling racism and racialisation both within the institution and more broadly?

In 2021, five ADA project teams received seed funding to develop creative strategies for the new UNSW Health Translation Hub, a key building within the Randwick Health & Innovation Precinct.

2022 was a big and exciting year for the Innovation Hub, culminating in our annual showcase, which featured five out of our six current projects, highlighting the amazing work achieved throughout the year by over 220 members of the ADA community.