UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture

04/09/2026

Life doesn’t always go according to plan, and this is certainly true of life at school.

There are bound to be setbacks - and also disruption and change.

Professor Andrew Martin, an expert in educational psychology from ADA’s School of Education, has just co-authored a new study looking at how the ability to deal with adversity and adjust to disruption interact and support students’ academic wellbeing.

In the link below, Prof. Martin shares six practical strategies that help students navigate adversity and three ways they can boost their adaptability to deal with disruption and change.

“We cannot remove adversity from education. Nor would we want to remove all disruption and changes,” says Prof. Martin.

“New subjects, new people, new ideas and new opportunities are part of learning. The task is to help students deal effectively with both.”

Read more: https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2026/09/school-rarely-goes-to-plan-here-are-9-ways-students-can-deal-with-setbacks-and-change

03/09/2026

What if your study space could transport you somewhere else?

ADA student Evelyn Tong won a student artwork competition to create a mural for the Rupert Myers Building.

Inspired by the theme ‘The Prospect of Nature,’ Evelyn’s mural transforms the study space into an imaginative sci-fi world filled with native NSW flowers and playful flower spirits and fairies.

“Since this was for a student space, I wanted to create an environment that a student feels like they could step into,” Evelyn says.

02/09/2026

As fire seasons become more extreme, new technology is helping firefighters prepare for the unpredictable.

The iCinema Centre, in collaboration with Fire and Rescue NSW, recently launched iFire 2.0 - the world’s first AI-driven scenario-modelling system at AFAC26 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Combining artificial intelligence, immersive visualisation and advanced simulation, iFire 2.0 is designed to strengthen emergency response capability and community resilience.

Building on iFire 1.0, the new system uses advanced machine-learning trained on a large fire-behaviour data sets to model fast-moving, unpredictable fires like those seen during Australia’s Black Summer and current European seasons.

“iFire 2.0 lets users rehearse their response to these unpredictable conditions in a safe, immersive environment,” says Scientia Professor Dennis Del Favero, Director of UNSW’s iCinema Research Centre.

Check out the video 👉🏻

Latest progress of research by Scientia Prof. Dennis Del Favero of ...

31/08/2026

They say the devil is in the details, and the new-look NDIS still has a lot of unknowns.

While reforms to the scheme have passed, many of the details are still being worked out – including how eligibility will be assessed and how automated decision-making will be used.

“While there’s a legitimate case for greater consistency in decision-making, standardisation also carries risks,” says ADA’s Dr Georgia van Toorn.

“If these reforms are to deliver fairer and more consistent decisions, people with disability and disability representatives need to be central to that work, not simply consulted after the key decisions have been made.”

Read more: https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2026/08/confused-about-ndis-changes-heres-whats-coming-and-whats-still-being-worked-out

27/08/2026

🏙️ The scale of construction worldwide is mind-blowing.

It’s construction that helps meet urgent needs for homes, workplaces, schools, and community spaces.

But it is also generating enormous amounts of embodied carbon - the emissions created by building materials and construction processes.

New research from ADA’s School of Built Environment’s Professor Philip Oldfield and Dr William Craft shows Australian office buildings alone are projected to produce 138 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions between 2024 and 2049.

The research points to a different way forward: refurbishing existing buildings, building smaller or fewer new buildings, and regulating embodied carbon.

Sydney’s Quay Quarter Tower shows what is possible. By extending and reusing much of the original 1976 structure, the project increased office space while saving around 8,000 tonnes of embodied carbon.

Find out more about how we can build the spaces people need without compromising the planet: https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2026/08/were-building-a-new-york-sized-city-every-month-thats-worrying-for-our-climate

26/08/2026

The countdown to Open Day is officially on! 🎉

Thinking about studying with us? Come and experience UNSW ADA for yourself and get a taste of the exciting opportunities awaiting you.

Expect a jam-packed day of hands-on activities, lectures from our academics, opportunities to connect with current students and tailored study advice from our Advisory Centre.

We can’t wait to see you there!

🔗 Register here: https://www.openday.unsw.edu.au/

25/08/2026

The Paddington Campus courtyard has been transformed into a welcoming place to gather, connect and look up at a growing canopy of fig trees.

Inspired by the native fig trees that have surrounded the campus for generations, Jonty Davies-Conyngham's winning design, ‘Figs of Paddington,’ adds three new trunks to the landscape. Each courtyard pillar features artwork drawn from a specific living fig tree in the surrounding area, including the Moreton Bay Figs at Victoria Barracks and the Hills Weeping Figs on Selwyn and Napier Streets.

Jonty’s artwork was selected through a competition open to all Art & Design students. His concept stood out for its depth of research, sophisticated approach to placemaking and strong technical ex*****on.

For Jonty, adding more fig trees to the campus canopy felt like a fitting way to create something long-lasting that could contribute to the future of the UNSW community.

“One of the great things about UNSW is that opportunities like this are always coming up. When you find one that feels right for you, you should absolutely go for it,” Jonty says.

24/08/2026

What happens in Year 9 can shape a student’s path through to Year 12.

New research tracking more than 40,000 Australian secondary students over three years shows how teacher support in the early years of high school can influence students’ academic journey through school - and is linked to completing Year 12.

“The findings from this collaboration with the NSW Department of Education highlight the lasting impact teachers can have. Strong relationships, high expectations and support that helps students see value in their learning can make a meaningful difference to their future pathways,” says study co-author Professor Andrew Martin from ADA’s School of Education.

Read more about why your child’s Year 9 teacher matters:
https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2026/08/why-your-childs-year-9-teacher-matters-for-completing-year-12-new-research

24/08/2026

👏👏👏 Congratulations to ADA’s School of Built Environment graduates who were recognised for their outstanding achievements at the Graduate of the Year Awards, hosted by the Design Institute of Australia, last Thursday.

In the Higher Education Use category Christina Chen (Bachelor of Industrial Design (Hons) was recognised as the Australian Graduate of the Year. Her GOYTA submission included the Equa chair, designed to support neurodivergent adults in modern open-plan office spaces, as an example of her design practice.

In the Interact category, Bachelor of Design graduate Maali Sabir was awarded Australian Graduate of the Year. Her GOTYA submission included The Garden, an interactive website designed to support women in learning about their reproductive health.

(Both Christina and Maali also received the NSW Graduate of the Year awards for their categories.)

Three Bachelor of Interior Architecture (Hons) graduates - Ella Rogut, Brooklyn Jack and Natasha Carter - received joint first place in the NSW Higher Education Place category.

Design makes a difference to the places we spend our time, the objects we use and how we interact and communicate. We can’t wait to see what these amazing graduates do next.

21/08/2026

Crying at some of these responses wasn’t on this week’s bingo card 🥹

Congratulations to all of our ADA graduates who graduated this week. You did it! 🎓