Robin Boyd designed Walsh Street for his family in 1957 – he used the opportunity to reject domestic convention and create an experimental home. The Walls Around Us invited students to imagine a new way of living on the Walsh Street site.

An accompanying exhibition of shortlisted designs by Agnes Leonardi, Alice Stewart. Andy Wilson, Charlie Eastwood, Connor Harris, Felix Tie, Je Yen Tan, Ming Hin Chung and Yu Qin Tan will be on display.

This year, The Walls Around Us invited students to think critically about how we use materials, minimise quantities, be tactical in their composition, and extend the life of both structures and materials. A jury comprising Dr Christine Phillips, Eve Castle and Gerard Reinmuth reviewed the submissions and selected a winner – who will head to Venice for the Biennale Architecture 2025! ⁠

Entrants responded to a brief to develop a design engaging with the theme of circularity and reuse; this included adaptive reuse, retrofit, kit-of parts analysis + reassembly or designing for disassembly. Students championed brick or blockwork and engaged with Boyd’s ideas, interests, and architecture to inspire their residential concepts.⁠

The Walls Around Us Student Competition is generously Sponsored by Brickworks Building Products.