A group of Master of Architecture students from UNSW Sydney is being challenged to design real-world solutions using a Landcom project as the basis for their designs. 

Led by Landcom and UNSW Sydney, the design competition will put these final‑year students in the middle of a real urban infill scenario, asking them to grapple with the considerations shaping housing delivery today: affordability, density and sustainability.  

Students are basing their designs on an inner-west site in Annandale, where Landcom is transforming a former WestConnex construction site into a new mixed-use precinct with around 580 homes, including build-to-rent housing for essential workers.

Students are working to real planning controls, site data and delivery constraints, developing medium- to high-density housing projects for the Annandale site.  

Among the students taking part is Raphaela Challita, who is proposing a colourful scheme that reimagines affordable housing through interconnected micro-community spaces and adaptable homes, designed to foster a lasting sense of ownership, dignity and belonging for its residents.

Embedded in UNSW’s School of Built Environment coursework, the competition connects academic learning with the practical realities of building new homes. Prominent Sydney practitioners Simon Mather and Alexander Koll of MAKO Architecture lead this course, alongside academics Dr. Michael Zanardo and Shaowen Wang of UNSW, bringing specialist housing design expertise to the studio.  

Key facts: 

• More than 30 final-year architecture students from UNSW’s Master of Architecture Housing Stream involved
• A total prize pool of $10,000, including $5,000 for the winning design
• Finalists shortlisted in September, with winners announced at ’GradEx’, the School of Built Environment’s  graduation exhibition at White Bay Power Station in December.

The initiative forms part of Landcom’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 2026, reflecting a shared focus on supporting the next generation of designers to help address the state’s housing challenges. 

Landcom media contact – Raema Melverton, media@landcom.nsw.gov.au, 0419 442 535

UNSW media contact – Samantha Dunn, Samantha.dunn@unsw.edu.au 0414 924 364 

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said: 

"Embracing innovation is critical to NSW delivering more homes to meet the needs of communities all over the state, and this is a great example of government, industry and education working together to do just that." 

"The Joinery Annandale is a flagship NSW Government project, and I look forward to seeing how this partnership supports students to gain a real world understanding of what’s involved in housing delivery." 

Landcom CEO, Alexander Wendler said: 

“We’re asking the next generation to take on the same challenges we face every day: how to deliver well‑designed housing that people can afford.” 

“This is about giving future designers early exposure to what it actually takes to make homes happen.” 

Head of School, UNSW School of Built Environment, Professor Philip Oldfield Hon. FRAIA. said: 

“This partnership with Landcom is a great example of how UNSW architecture students are exposed to real-world projects with industry partners. The experience will provide a platform for our students to have impactful careers tackling some of the greatest challenges we face in our cities today, such as housing affordability.”