The UN #11 SDG of making “cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”, underlines the need for improvement of built environments that support wellbeing and liveability. As designers of the built environment, Architects thoughtfully consider the social and environmental impacts of their activities by adhering to QLD planning policy goals that promote diverse, accessible, sustainable, efficient and aesthetically pleasing built environments for an equitable and inclusive future. In doing so, designers can achieve quality urban design and effective place making outcomes that improve community health and wellbeing and facilitate social cohesion. Certainly, quality design can greatly influence daily life in the inclusive built environment when designers carefully consider the diverse needs of stakeholders, because space planning can control who can and can’t access spaces, where social connection opportunities may occur, even how people ultimately feel in their emotional experience of those environments.

So, what does this mean for students who are posed with these big social sustainability questions about human well-being, prosperity, and equity for diverse, inclusive, and participatory built environments? Furthermore, what exactly constitutes “good design” in Australian built environments in the first place?

At Parklands Christian College, Year 9 Design students explored these concepts in their Architectural Corner Café unit. Conducted across two terms, the expansive project utilised designing with empathy as an approach to understand diverse stakeholders’ needs and wants, whilst imploring students to consider ergonomics, and universal design for accessibility. Students then explored Herman Hertzberger ‘people watching’ opportunities whilst utilising the Elements and Principles of Design and Gold Coast Architectural Styles to reimagine exterior façade designs for the Gold Coast motorcar experience. The highlight of the unit was a whole day excursion that investigated several landmark contemporary Gold Coast buildings to discover Architectural design in practice, and the university pathways that take them there!