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Three events in one day.
Choose one or attend them all.
Celebrating regional architecture & design innovation.
Join us for the Illawarra Festival of Architecture & Design, a family-friendly event that showcases the best of regional architecture and design innovation.
Our festival offers a unique opportunity to explore the latest trends in design and construction, and to connect with other design enthusiasts from around the region.
An early morning start launches the Festival with the Archibike ride. Riders will journey from Scarborough to Austinmer, pausing by the beautiful homes that have shaped our community to learn more.
This is followed by a collection of house tours in the northern Illawarra. Get a sneak peek into these homes and meet the architects and builders behind them.
In the afternoon, bring your family and friends along to Buckaroo Leatherworks, Bellambi. We invite you to a series of panel discussions from our industry’s finest in the Illawarra. Young kids will be entertained with games and a dedicated childcare professional, while you can sit back and relax over a bevvy or nibbles for sale at the Festival.
All profits from the Festival panel discussion feature to be donated to ‘Supported Accommodation & Homelessness Services Shoalhaven Illawarra (SAHSSI).
Discover the hidden architectural gems of the stunning northern Illawarra on an unforgettable bike tour through charming seaside towns, ocean bridges, and along the shimmering coastline. Our guided architecture tour is the perfect blend of adventure, culture, and exercise.
Led by festival director, Ben Wollen and the Bike Mayor of Wollongong, Edward Birt, you’ll gain fascinating insights into the design behind each architectural gem you encounter, with the odd quirky abode too. Learn some things about the architects who shaped them as well as what makes them particularly special.
Setting off from Stanwell Park Village and meandering our way south, passing over 15 homes, the tour will end in Austinmer just in time for the Open House tour (in case your thirst for architecture hasn’t been quenched yet!).
For a Grand Designs-esque tour of three homes, enjoy a leisurely morning in the northern Illawarra. Owners have been gracious enough to open their doors to our community for a behind-the-scenes exclusive tour from three local architects and builders behind these exceptional projects. These buildings reflect much of the innovation in our local architecture and design industry.
The Festival has handpicked three homes: one in Coledale, another in Austinmer, and the last one in Thirroul. They are a short drive apart, or you might prefer cycling. Their locations are under wraps for now and will be revealed to ticket holders. Rest assured, you will enjoy the opportunity to peek behind the curtains of these remarkable residences and meet the brilliant minds who brought them to life.
An afternoon of panel discussions with the local industry's best. Meet with local suppliers that feature in some of the Illawarra's finest architectural projects.
Bring the kids along too. We’ve a trained child care professional so they’ll have fun too, while you enjoy some grown-up time.
Hosted at the Bellambi Buckaroo Leatherworks, which has a Design Studio and Gallery Space inside. It sits alongside Barrell Shepherd bar, where you might also enjoy a drink while listening to speakers or a hot snack from our food truck.
Panel 1: Our Interiors Insight
Enjoy reflections from a panel of the Illawarra’s favourite interior designers.
Panel 2: Our Architectural Renaissance
Meet the architects and builders changing the Illawarra one home at a time.
Panel 3: Shifting perspective on community.
Let’s debate how we build capacity in our community spaces.
UTS Architecture Feature
UTS Students to display their project works on Corrimal Coke Works. Meet the students whose inspiration inspires events like ours.
Click either button to download presentations in PDF.
We thank those who have invested in this community with their support for the Illawarra Festival of Architecture & Design.
The Creative Directors and engine behind the Illawarra Festival of Architecture & Design
Open Studio &
Gallery Space
Buckaroo Leatherworks,
16 Bellambi Lane, Bellambi, NSW
IFAD will be held at Buckaroo Leatherworks, in Bellambi, close to Bunnings. Inside the warehouse is the Open Studio & Gallery Space. Enter either from the front of the complex on Bellambi Lane, or drive round the corner and enter from the back, on Pioneer Rd. The back entrance adjoins the boutique bar, Barrel Shepherd. We’ll set aside a dedicated family-friendly space for the kids to play while you enjoy your afternoon.
Please note the venue has limited capacity, and we expect it to sell out. Don’t miss out!
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Our Co-Directors are all Illawarra locals, drawing from varied industries which all support our building industry. Each of our Directors have spent their careers working to help us forge greater connections with the homes and buildings in which we spend time. It’s no wonder our Directors wanted to unite others with this passion in our community.
With so little opportunities in the Illawarra to encourage this curiosity among architecture and design enthusiasts, the answer proved obvious. And so, the Illawarra Festival of Architecture & Design was imagined, and with it we hope to bring together a new insight into the meaningful ways to build in the Illawarra.
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