THE ADVENTURE COLLECTIVE® · Independent discovery and booking for outdoor travel
Spend an afternoon with architects and thinkers at Artbank Melbourne while exploring Walsh Street’s modernist details. This focused 5.5-hour symposium offers presentations, CPD points, afternoon tea and a chance to photograph Robin Boyd-related sites.
Spend an afternoon with architects and thinkers at Artbank Melbourne while exploring Walsh Street’s modernist details. This focused 5.5-hour symposium offers presentations, CPD points, afternoon tea and a chance to photograph Robin Boyd-related sites.
Book with Robin Boyd Foundation
Verified experiences and guided adventures in the surrounding area.
Operated by Robin Boyd Foundation · Collingwood, Victoria
small symposium arrives as an energetic afternoon of public architecture at Artbank Melbourne in Collingwood, Victoria, Australia. Curated by Kerry Kounnapis and the Robin Boyd Foundation, this 5.5-hour forum travels through the potential of compact briefs and the everyday craft of housing and civic projects. The program gathers speakers including Alexei Haddad, CARD, Curious Practice, MAPA, Mel Dodd, Michael McMahon, Nancy Ji, Taylor and Hinds Architects, Kerry Kounnapis and others to discuss small-scale interventions that reshape cities and regions. Start of day: attendees meet at 290 Walsh Street, South Yarra—an invitation to compare Boyd's own Walsh Street house with contemporary practices—then move to Artbank Melbourne, 18/24 Down St, Collingwood VIC 3066 for presentations, conversations and afternoon tea. Sessions are structured around design strategies for tight budgets, collaborative and provisional gestures, quiet acts of care on Country, and the reinvented home. Expect concentrated case studies, practical detail, and time for questions with practitioners working across metropolitan and regional contexts. What makes this gathering special is its focus: small projects that punch above their footprint. The speakers examine material economy, adaptive reuse, and community-centred processes; you will hear about lived-in details and scaling decisions often omitted from larger departmental reviews. A highlight is the chance to photograph Walsh Street’s distinctive modernist façades and to study a rare archival image: Neptune’s Fishbowl (1970), a photographic detail by Peter Wille that ties Boyd’s visual practice to his architecture. Practicalities are crisp: tickets include all sessions, afternoon tea and post-forum grazing and refreshments; lunch is not included and external food cannot be consumed on site. Attendees must be 16 or older; large bags and backpacks will need to be checked at entry. The program also offers informal CPD points and attendance certificates by request. If you need mobility support, the Robin Boyd Foundation asks you to email [email protected] to arrange accommodations. For designers, students, and curious travellers the small symposium works as a concentrated field trip—part lecture, part workshop, part salon—anchored at Artbank Melbourne, a city address that foregrounds practice and public conversation. Whether you’re chasing precedents for a tight-site project, collecting photographic detail from Walsh Street, or simply wanting to sit in with people who care about making built things that last, this event is an efficient, day-long injection of ideas and connections in Melbourne’s architecture circuit. Getting there is straightforward by tram or train; Collingwood and South Yarra are both served by Melbourne’s public transport network. Allow extra time for bag check-in and photography at Walsh Street; comfortable shoes and a weather jacket will make standing during sessions and walking between stops easier. Tickets are sold through the event page; refer to the Robin Boyd Foundation and Artbank listings for exact start times.
Attendees must be 16 years or older.
No — tickets include afternoon tea and post-forum grazing and refreshments but not lunch; external food is not permitted.
Yes — the program offers 2.0 informal CPD points and attendance certificates on request.
The listed meeting point is 290 Walsh Street, South Yarra, Victoria AU 3141 before moving to Artbank Melbourne at 18/24 Down St, Collingwood VIC 3066.
Email [email protected] to discuss tailored mobility support or other accessibility needs.
Large bags and backpacks will need to be checked in at entry; plan accordingly and travel light.
Robin Boyd Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to preserving and promoting the life, work and legacy of Australian architect Robin Boyd. Based in South Yarra, Victoria, the Foundation manages Boyd’s 1957 Walsh Street residence and archives, delivering guided tours, talks, walking tours and creative workshops that connect visitors with modernist architecture and Melbourne’s built history. The Foundation offers a range of experiences: guided tours of the Walsh Street house, evening events such as Sunset Cocktails at Walsh Street, themed talks on modern design and conservation, neighbourhood walking tours through South Yarra, and drop-in drawing sessions that pair architectural insight with sketching and photography. Each program is led by experienced guides, architects and guest speakers who present research-based commentary and curated access to Boyd’s preserved home and materials. As a custodian of a significant heritage property and archive, the Foundation collaborates with conservation specialists, historians and design practitioners to ensure accurate interpretation and careful site stewardship. Its events are rooted in documented scholarship on post-war modernism and local architectural history, providing reliable context for students, professionals and the general public. Visitors can expect small-group formats, focused storytelling and opportunities to photograph and study Walsh Street’s distinctive modernist features. The Foundation’s stewardship of the property, structured programming and partnerships with experts underpin its reputation as an authoritative resource on Robin Boyd and mid-20th-century Australian design. Public programs are scheduled seasonally and include limited-capacity events, making bookings recommended for visitors seeking guided access to Walsh Street and related exhibitions and archival displays.
Book with Robin Boyd Foundation