Living Legacies - Gold Coast Modernism Revisited

The Gold Coast is continuing to redevelop and expand at an ever increasing rate. Fuelled by the housing crisis, post-Covid interstate migration, and tourism Gold coast's beachside suburbs are densifying, and the inland suburbs are growing outward.

Today, as we confront the challenges of urban resilience, climate adaptation, and livability, our mid-century heritage offers enduring lessons in scale, density, and the role of shared amenity. 

Reflecting on this ongoing legacy invites us to explore deeper questions; how can we maintain character without imitation, how can we densify without erasing, and how do we strike a meaningful balance between preservation and transformation?

Join us as we reflect upon Gold Coast’s built history, and discuss how the city can move forward whilst maintaining some of the character and identity that is cherished.

EmAGN have invited architects who have worked in the Gold Coast and who are involved in research to speak about mid-century development of the Gold Coast, and more recent projects, followed by a panel discussion on the city’s past, present and future.

Together, we’ll explore how adaptation, authorship, and heritage intersect in contemporary practice. In an era of ecological pressure and social need, what kind of city — and what kind of architectural voice — should we be cultivating?

Join EmAGN QLD at 6pm, Saturday 27 September for an insighful panel discussion at The Abedian School of Architecture, Bond University. EmAGN QLD are part of the Australian Institute of Architects.