NSW ARB Summer Fellows (Architecture) Announced for 2026

The Summer Fellows (Architecture) program offers registered architects and architecture students a 3-month residency at the State Library to explore how design, history and public life intersect within the built environment. Each Fellow receives a $1,000 grant, a dedicated workspace in the Donald and Myfanwy Horne Room, and specialist support from Library staff. Residencies will run through summer 2025–26 and culminate in a public presentation at the Library in February 2026.

According to NSW ARB Registrar Dr Kirsten Orr: “The Summer Fellows (Architecture) program, offered for the first time in 2026 in partnership with the State Library, is a unique opportunity for architects to work creatively with the Library’s extraordinary architecture collections. We are excited to see the work that emerges from our inaugural architect Fellows, which promises to deepen our understanding of architecture’s role in public life.”

According to State Librarian Dr Caroline Butler-Bowdon: “It’s especially exciting, as the Library turns 200, to see our collections used in so many different ways; we really do have stories for everyone.”

The 5 Summer Fellows (Architecture) are:

Andrew Broffman – NSW ARB 6304
Shifting Neighbourhoods: Social Housing Crises and Design in Sydney
Through comparative research on two Harry Seidler buildings — Stephen Towers in Paddington and Rosebery Apartments in Rosebery — Andrew will explore how design, policy and economic change intersect in Sydney’s social housing history. Drawing on the Library’s archives, he will examine how architecture both reflects and resists the city’s recurring housing crises.

Shane Byrnes – NSW ARB 11724
Past Patterns, Future Homes: Lessons from Post-War Australian Modernism
Building on Australia’s post-war experimentation with modular and prefabricated housing, Shane will investigate how architects such as Ken Woolley, Nino Sydney and Harry Seidler responded to the need for affordable, efficient homes. His research will connect these modernist innovations to current approaches in sustainable, digitally enabled construction.

Rhys Grant – NSW ARB 12956
A Construction Riddle: Jørn Utzon’s Unbuilt Facades for the Sydney Opera House
Using the Library’s original drawings and models, Rhys will digitally reconstruct Jørn Utzon’s unrealised glass façade designs for the Sydney Opera House. The project aims to reveal new insights into Utzon’s design process, technical problem-solving and the architectural ideas that shaped one of Australia’s most significant buildings.

Jamileh Jahangiri – NSW ARB 10473
Demolished Memory: Sydney’s Lost Public Architecture
For Jamileh, the Library’s architectural and photographic archives will provide a foundation to re-examine Sydney’s demolished civic buildings — from the State Office Block, to Ryde Civic Centre and the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre. Her research will reflect on what these losses reveal about changing public values and the city’s collective memory.

Ryan Wazir – NSW ARB 10349
Noble Gases, Electric Streets: Neon Signage and the Public Realm in NSW
Exploring the cultural legacy of neon signage across Sydney and regional NSW, Ryan will trace how light and colour have transformed the appearance and atmosphere of streetscapes from Kings Cross to Goulburn’s Paragon Café. His research will investigate how neon has shaped architectural identity and the visual language of the public realm.

About the Program

Offered for the first time in summer 2025-26, the Summer Fellows (Architecture) program is part of the Year of Architecture collaboration between the NSW Architects Registration Board and the State Library of NSW. It supports architects to undertake original, archive-based research that connects design practice with public culture — strengthening understanding of how architecture shapes the spaces and stories of New South Wales.

The NSW Architects Registration Board congratulates all 5 Fellows and looks forward to their presentations at the State Library in February 2026.