Talking Spaces 11: Wellbeing, Space, Learning: Exploring the strategic redesign of schools

About the event

This two-day event will take place on 18-19 April 2024 in the multi-award-winning facilities of the Centre for Higher Education Studies, Melbourne.

Talking Spaces events are attended by architects, school leaders, teachers, school system administrators, and researchers who share a common goal to create great learning environments and are framed by the idea that everyone attending brings expertise from their context or profession.

Together, we will explore connections between wellbeing, space, and learning through conversations about how schools can be strategically re-designed to better meet the current and future needs of students, teachers, and the wider community, supported by stimulating provocations from expert panelists and workshop facilitators. Students from the Centre for Higher Education Studies will also share their expert voices and perspectives.

The promotion of wellbeing is of vital importance so learners, teachers and their broader communities can thrive. How do we understand wellbeing? How can we strategically re-design our school systems to promote wellbeing? What role can our physical environments play?

We hope you can join the conversations!

From the LEaRN Co-directors and your co-hosts: Associate Professors Ben Cleveland, Wes Imms (University of Melbourne) and Julia Morris (Edith Cowan University).

Speakers

Speaker Profiles

Panel: How can strategic design address wellbeing, space and learning?

Steve Coster is a strategic, engaging, empathetic leader of high-performing creative organisations who believes in the power of strategic design to unlock social, cultural and economic value.

Dr Fiona Young is an architect and learning environments researcher who focuses on empowering people in the design and use of their environments.

Professor Dan Hill is a designer, strategist, urbanist, educator and experienced leader at the intersection of design, technology and cities.

Panel: What do we mean by wellbeing?

Professor Diane Vella-Brodrick is a psychologist and directs the Centre for Wellbeing Science at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne.

Professor Pasi Sahlberg focuses on educational leadership and works with academics from various education-focused contexts, including early years, primary, secondary and tertiary and into adulthood.

Professor Lisa Gibbs is the Director of the Child and Community Wellbeing Unit in the School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne.

Stewart Milner brings extensive school leadership experience and is the principal of the Centre for Higher Education Studies (CHES).

Panel: How can school design promote wellbeing?

Georgina Blix is the Director of Blix Architecture, a design studio informed by the science of wellbeing. Her National Wellbeing Framework White Paper reviews the framework from the built environment perspective.

Ass/Professor Christhina Candido is the Director of the University of Melbourne's Sustainable and Healthy Environments (SHE) Lab, a research program investigating how built environments can promote health and wellbeing.

Julian Kosloff is a Director of Kosloff Architecture, a practice focused on community impact through projects such as Warrnambool Library and Learning Centre.

Amelia Borg co-founded Sibling, a design studio seeking to improve lives through projects such as Wangaratta District Specialist School.

Workshop Design and Provocation

Dr Dion Tuckwell is a Lecturer of Communication Design at Monash University's School of Design. Dion brings expertise in designing engaging workshops for maximum participation.

Architects' Overview of the Centre for Higher Education Studies

Brand Architects and Fieldwork collaborated on designing and delivering the multi-award-winning Centre for Higher Education Studies.

Laurence Robinson, a Director of Brand Architects, brings in-depth knowledge of the design and operation of a wide range of public buildings, including education and community services.

Tim Brooks, an Associate Director of Fieldwork, has extensive experience in architecture design and delivery in the public, commercial and residential sectors.

Programme