We often see the finished product on display in gallery spaces, so it’s refreshing to see the thinking and grunt work behind the scenes become the focus. This exhibition at RMIT Galleries in Melbourne ventures into how practice research has provided powerful methodologies for developing new visions, ideas and processes that shape the future of our built environment.

VENTUROUS: Design Practice Research Futures in Architecture & Urban Design, brings together the projects and design research of 23 Australian and international architects and designers, all of whom are alumni of the RMIT School of Architecture and Urban Design’s design-practice research PhD program. 

Unlike a traditional PhD, the RMIT design-practice program is conducted through actual design practice. PhD candidates are practising designers from a range of career stages; some develop their research during the PhD process, and some draw from their existing body of work.

The combined work of the exhibiting practitioners contributes to the understanding of design process and important contemporary topics, including design for regenerative and sustainable futures, designing with Country and First Nations empowerment in the built environment, housing affordability, inclusive public spaces and the use of advanced and emerging technologies, including the ethical use of generative AI in design.

“Our aim for the exhibition is to make visible how design practice research operates, particularly in developing new ideas and design processes for the design of our buildings, spaces and cities,” says Professor Vivian Mitsogianni, dean, RMIT School of Architecture & Urban Design. “We wanted to capture this moment in time and look forward to the future of our disciplines, while having a conversation about the various forms and contexts of applied research in our programs.” 

“The design research showcased in this exhibition is only a small part of a much larger body of work that adds up to an extraordinary, and unprecedented, body of knowledge about architecture and architectural culture in our city,” says exhibiting practitioner Professor Carey Lyon (Lyons co-founder and RMIT PhD alumnus).

Curated by Mitsogianni, Dr Leanne Zilka and Sophie Sung, who are architects and practitioner academics, the exhibition is presented through a video format as mini documentaries displayed on screens hung from a field-like structure dispersed through the gallery.

“RMIT is described as a University of Technology, Design and Enterprise, and this is what the VENTUROUS exhibition showcases – the interface between technology, design and enterprise,” says Distinguished Professor Calum Drummond AO, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Innovation.

The exhibition is free to attend and is running until 19 September 2026 at the RMIT Design Hub Gallery. 

For more information, visit the event website. 

Images: Christian Capurro.