Edmiston Jones started holding the workshops following the architectural firm’s relocation to Crown Street Mall.

It was a deliberate move to actively engage with the city and provide an interactive space for conversations and collaboration.

“Our most recent series of discussions have been loosely structured around the theme of ‘sustainability‘,” Mark Jones said.

Edmiston Jones invited three speakers to enlighten local business leaders with different perspectives.

The topic was “the changing shape of university campuses in a regional context’. 

University of Wollongong’s Paul Mourtos gave a global overview of university campuses following a world tour by UOW representatives.

iAccelerate chief executive Omar Khalifa spoke from his first-hand experience with start-up businesses closer to home at the University of Wollongong Innovation Campus.

“A little further afield, we were given a glimpse of what is possible as Colonysix’s Steven Turner shared his work with the Australian National University’s new Kambri development connecting and merging with the adjacent Canberra city centre,” Mr Jones said.

Mr Jones said although there were disparate examples, common themes did emerge.

“Not surprisingly, it is about putting people first,” he said.

“The more students can have their say (early) in the design process, the better the result. Equally, the community in its many guises, needs to be genuinely engaged at the outset of any master planning process to benefit from their wisdom and sensitivities.  The alternative is a reaction late in the process with the inevitable consequence of protracted delays.”