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Latest Articles added to the 2024 Conference and Design Awards Page

The LSAA held a one day event in 2022 in conjunction with Swinburne University - you can see the style of that event at 2022 Seminar and Design Awards.

We are again working closely with Swinburne, University of Melbourne and RMIT on a two day event in September 2024. This page will contain details and articles related to the upcoming event.

For the following links you may need to use your "Back" button to return here - the links may replace this page.

Our two Keynote Speaker profiles have been added - Rachaporn Choochuey,  Design Director, all(zone) and Alastair Richardson is a Director of COX. (March 21 2024)

Very Preliminary Program - (March 21 2024) Can be downloaded as a PDF HERE

Sponsorship Packages - now available for download from March 22, Applications Close April 26 2024

Conference Theme - expect to hear more about the impact of AI on teaching and design

General Information about the Design Awards - start getting your entries together. Closing Date August 14 2024
Brief Introduction to the Inaugural Student Awards

Some Lightweight Structures in Melbourne - worth extending your stay in Melbourne?

Vibrant Melbourne and Conference Venue Images (added Feb 20 2024)


Details yet to be added include:

The Conference Sub-committee has been putting together an informative and inspiring program.

Several details need to be confirmed

The current (March 21 2024) program can be viewed as a PDF HERE

Rachaporn Choochuey Keynote Speaker LSAA 2024

Rachaporn Choochuey,  Design Director, all(zone)

Born in Bangkok, received her B.Arch from Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, M.S.AAD. from Columbia University and Ph.D. in Architecture History from The University of Tokyo. She was a faculty member of Faculty of Architecture, Chulalongkorn University during 2002-2022. Rachaporn regularly gives a lecture and teaches internationally. In Fall 2022 she was Louis I. Kahn Assistant Visiting Professor at Yale School of Architecture. She is currently Dean’s Visiting Assistant Professor at Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Columbia University.

In 2009, she co-founded all(zone) in Bangkok where she is the design director. The studio is fascinated by ever-changing mega tropical metropolises that give form to their everyday life. Their observations are always captured by contemporary vernacular design solutions leading them to create built environments where all could feel ‘at home’ in the world.

In 2016 all(zone) completed MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum in Chiang Mai, the first contemporary art museum in Thailand and awarded as Best New Museum of Asia Pacific in 2017. Domus magazine selected all(zone) as one of 100+ Best Architecture Firm in 2019. Monocle magazine awarded a project of all(zone) as one of Top 50 Best Design Award 2021. all(zone) is commissioned to design MPavilion 2022 in Melbourne. Their international participations and exhibitions are including those at Guggenheim Museum, New York, Chicago Architecture Biennial 2015, Vitra Design Museum 2017 and Triennale di Milano 2018 and Echigo-Tsumori Triennale 2018 and Sharjah Architecture Triennial 2019, La Casa Encendida Madrid 2022, Thailand Biennale Chiang Rai 2023, and Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, Riyadh 2024.

Her Keynote Address on Day 2 is titled "The Art of Living Lightly"

Alastair Richardson - LSAA 2024 Keynote Speaker

Alastair is a Director of COX, and one of the pre-eminent sports architects in Asia Pacific. He is responsible for the design and delivery of global sporting projects that deliver a fan-first experience, providing enhanced revenue for owners and operators.

At the forefront of sports design for the past 25 years, Alastair is working with national and international clients and partners to advance the typology of sport and entertainment venues. He has a track record of involvement in most of the major stadia and arena in Australia and New Zealand, including Allianz Stadium, Optus Stadium, Adelaide Oval, Rod Laver Arena, the SCG and Eden Park. See complete list


Alastair’s extensive sport work has allowed him to develop strategies that assist clients and Governments in the creation of new developments. His strategic and future insights have helped define the needs of major sporting infrastructure throughout the Asia Pacific.


His work has been recognised internationally and locally with numerous architectural and industry awards. Alastair is a regular contributor to conferences and international publications.

The LSAA was founded at the University of NSW back in 1981.

The recent Conferences have been hosted at a number of Universities in Melbourne (Monash and Swinburne) and UTS in Sydney.

Swinburne, University of Melbourne and RMIT are creating the Inaugral Student Design Award at the 2024 event.

Details of the Design Brief, Rules for Teams and the delivery product will be added to this article. (March 22 2024)

LSAA 2024 Conference Graphic

‘Connecting to Tomorrow’

In the modern world of lightweight structures, we often find ourselves at the crossroads of architectural trends. Digital transformation offers us ground-breaking pathways to innovate on novel platforms in strange new ways, with the rise of AI asking us to rethink all we knew.  A climate-crisis-driven focus on sustainability has asked us to consider our impact on the world around us through smart materials and biophilic urbanism.  And new human-centric approaches to our fields have offered up frameworks spanning vast disciplinary bounds to tackle our world’s most pressing problems.

Today’s world must seize hold of all these new trends. Held on September 12 and 13 in Melbourne Australia, the LSAA 2024 Conference and Design Awards will spearhead the industry’s approach to all these vital challenges under the banner of ‘Connecting to Tomorrow’.

The theme seeks to encompass all the connections that will make up tomorrow’s lightweight structures fields – connections to technology, to environment and to each other. Featuring the world leaders in the field of lightweight structures, this conference stands at an inflection point, seizing the vast opportunity to deal with these crucial issues as we build tomorrow’s world, today.  

As for past LSAA Conferences we have appreciated the financial support from a number of our LSAA Members.

For 2024 we have a range of Sponsorship Packages including Platinum, Gold, Silver levels as well as for the Conference Dinner and Design Awards.

The 2024 Conference is also working hard to involve our future designers and thinkers with a developing Student Award category.

Details of these packages, including application details, will be emailed to Financial Members of LSAA on March 22 2024 with a closing date of April 26 2024.

Alternatively, they may be downloaded here in a PDF form or MSWord (docx) version (March 22 2024)

Companies and organizations wishing to either exhibit or take out a sponsorship package should email the coordinator This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

LSAA 2024 Design Awards - General Details

LSAA Members and non-members may enter (different fees apply).

The 2024 Awards are for completed structures since May 2022 and are open to companies or individuals who have acted as the main designer, fabricator or installer. 
The "project" may be part of larger facility - e.g. an Atrium, Facade, Entrance, Roof.

However only one entry per project will be considered.

Draft 2024 RULES and ENTRY FORMS can be downloaded. Closing Date is August 14 2024

We are also working on an open award for the conceptual design and visualization of an application of lightweight structures in a public venue. This new Award would be open to small teams of students currently enrolled in a tertiary institution to develop and present a conceptual design which embodies the principles of lightweight structures but also emphasizes sustainability and the need to address social and climate change issues.

2024 Conference Break-out area.
2024 Conference Break-out area.

The LSAA 2024 Conference will be held in the excellent facilities at Swinburne University (Hawthorn Campus)

Reaching the venue is easy by suburban Metro train lines (nearest station is Glenferrie about 250 metres walk) or via the fantastic, world famous trams going along Burwood Road.

The following are some images of the Swinburne Campus and the area where Sponsors will set up displays and the most important coffee / tea outlets will be located.

Hypar lattice shells form the lower spire skirt of the Victorian Arts Centre
Hypar lattice shells form the lower spire skirt of the Victorian Arts Centre

When you come to the LSAA 2024 Conference and Design Awards jointly held with Swinburne University, take the time to appreciate "Vibrant Melbourne".

Melbourne is a rapidly growing city - voted the most liveable city for many years.

In recent years there has been an enormous amount of construction in the areas of the Docklands, Spencer Streets and Southbank.

Some of the new high rise are towering over the old heritage structures which have been retained and are the heart and soul of Melbourne. There are numerous lightweight structures to view as well as a range of interesting footbridges crossing the Yarra River - some are in this article.

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Sidney Myer Music Bowl - A very early cablenet
Sidney Myer Music Bowl

There are a number of lightweight structures in and around Melbourne.

There are the roof structures at the major sports stadia - Tennis Centre (Rod Laver and Margaret Court Arenas), the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), the Rectangular AAMI Stadium, the Etihad Stadium and the Southern Cross train station.

The Victorian Arts Centre Spire, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl and the nearby Aquatic Centre are other examples.

Smaller tensioned fabric structures can be found throughout Melbourne.