Retrofit Forum
About this Event
June Theme: Mid-Century Concrete Buildings: Retrofit and The John Medley Building.
Date: Tuesday 30th June 2026
Time: 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Join us to discuss the challenges of retrofitting 60’s/70’s buildings and how to overcome them. We will be interrogating a University Campus building currently slated for demolition: The John Medley Building, designed by Sir. Roy Grounds.
Speakers: Hannah Kuek (Senior Associate at ARM Architecture) and Dr. Kirsten Day (Senior Lecturer in Technology and Practice, Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning, University of Melbourne)
Location: Japanese Room (Level 4, Glyn Davis Building, University of Melbourne, Parkville Campus) and via Zoom .
Zoom Link: To be shared on the day
Hannah Kuek (Senior Associate at ARM Architecture)
Hannah Kuek is a Melbourne-based architect with experience working across a diverse range of projects through all stages of the project life cycle. Hannah has worked on significant workplace, education, heritage and arts projects, specialising in interior architecture and stakeholder engagement.
Dr. Kirsten Day (Senior Lecturer in Technology and Practice, Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning, University of Melbourne)
Kirsten Day is a Senior Lecturer in Architecture (Technology and Practice) at the University of Melbourne and Principal Architect at Norman Day + Associates. Her work is unified by a single question: who gets to participate in architecture, and what structures include or exclude them. She pursues this across research, teaching and practice — examining how architectural knowledge is produced, who is able to enter and remain in the profession, and whose design knowledge is preserved or lost over time.
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The Retrofit Forum, hosted by The Retrofit Lab at the University of Melbourne, unites industry, government, and academia. Its goal is to promote sustainable retrofitting in Australia. We are returning in 2026 from March. This monthly event will showcase expert talks and discussions. It will cover key challenges and opportunities across four critical areas:
- Housing: Upgrading homes for climate, health, and affordability.
- Landscapes: Supporting resilient, low-carbon cities.
- Skills: Training the workforce for retrofit needs.
- Digital: Leveraging technology, such as digital twins.
Held in-person and online, the forum fosters collaboration to drive retrofitting innovation. Organised by The Retrofit Lab and the Melbourne Centre for Cities at the University of Melbourne.
Upcoming forums and retrofit initiatives. Visit our contact page for more information.
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Agenda
🕑: 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
June: Mid-Century Concrete Buildings: Retrofit and John Medley Building
Host: Hannah Kuek (ARM Architecture)
May: Bushfire Resilience and Retrofitting
Host: Prof. Alan March (University of Melbourne)
🕑: 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
April: Adapt! Designing New Lives for Old Buildings Book Discussion
Host: Prof.Hannah Lewi (ACAHUCH, University of Melbourne)
🕑: 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
March: Commercial Conversions and Regenerative Retrofit
Host: Dr. Giorgio Marfella (ABP, University of Melbourne)
Have an idea for a Forum? Contact us via the Retrofit Lab email
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
AUD 0.00
