Designing for Resilience: Lessons from the 2025 Living Future Institute Symposium

The sixth annual Living Future Institute Australia Symposium brought together designers, thinkers, and innovators to explore what it truly means to design for resilience. Across two days of talks, workshops, and case studies, the event challenged attendees to consider how buildings and cities can not only endure challenges – but grow stronger through them. 

As platinum sponsors of the event alongside the University of Sydney, COX sent seven team members to take part in the conversation – sharing insights, learning from peers, and deepening their commitment to regenerative design and climate-positive practice.

For Tony Lam, Senior Architect collaboration and agility were stand out topics for the event.

“Finding the right collaborators is key – local salvage experts, demolition contractors, and aligned design teams make a huge difference,” he said.Tony also reflected on the broader purpose of sustainable practice. “Change is possible through deep engagement with stakeholders across the value chain. This ensures outcomes that are holistic and considerate of social, economic, and ecological sustainability.”

For Laura Turner, National Regenerative Design Leader, the Symposium was a reminder that leadership in sustainability demands both courage and creativity.

“Real leadership isn’t about reacting to the present; it’s about shaping the future. Materials are storytellers, transparency builds trust, and regenerative design is a team sport. And hope? That’s an action!”

She spoke of the creative bravery emerging in projects that embrace reclaimed materials and unconventional systems – proving innovation often begins with experimentation and trust.

Bastiaan Kolff, Senior Associate, captured one of the Symposium’s simplest but most enduring truths:

“The success of a sustainable project starts with thoughtful design and the specification of materials.”

Dr Matthias Irger, National Head of Sustainability, echoed that sentiment, highlighting the event’s inspiration and immediacy:

For Joanne Andrade, National Sustainability Lead, the Symposium underscored the many dimensions of resilience.

“It explored the balance between foundational and future thinking, the importance of multi-disciplinary practice and research, hybrid and non-linear approaches to design, nature-based materials and solutions, and the need for climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction.”

Rhiana Roberts, Interior Designer, reflected on the role of designers in driving material innovation:

“Sustainable design advances when designers and architects push the boundaries of what’s standard practice. Just as COX does, we need organisations that look to the future rather than waiting on legislation to effect change. Our selections, and even our enquiries, drive supplier evolution. Deep material understanding is key to designing more resilient projects.”

Across workshops, presentations, and discussion, the COX team came away reminded that resilience is not a static goal, but instead a mindset. 

[All Photography: Evan Maclean]