Zak World of Façades Zak World of Façades
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Zak World of Façades Australia

edition

206

Date

19 February 2026

Venue

Australia

City

Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre

Official page Watch the Event

Speakers & Panelists

Conference Agenda

Every speaker for the day, grouped by session. Select a topic to see who is presenting, the session focus and the talk points.

Session 1

08:00 — 08:50 Delegate Registration & Networking
08:50 — 09:00 Welcome Address
10:25 — 11:20 Networking Tea / Coffee Break

Session 2

13:20 — 14:10 Networking Lunch Break

Session 3

16:00 — 16:05 Vote of Thanks & End of the Conference
16:05 — 17:05 Networking & End of the Event

Kavita Gonsalves

Head of Sustainability - APAC

Populous

Topic

Event Convenor & Host

09:00 — 09:30

Naveen Dath

Director

Cottee Parker

Topic

Reframing Subtropical Urbanism: The Façade as a Civic Interface at Queen’s Wharf Brisbane

Talk points

Design and delivery of a façade system that responds simultaneously to climate, placemaking and skyline identity
How the project’s distinctive curvilinear towers reinterpret Brisbane’s river morphology while introducing a façade strategy anchored by its subtropical performance. This includes operable wintergardens with motorised lift-and-tilt windows, high-performance glazing, integrated shading, vertical greenery and climate-responsive detailing that reduces energy loads
Technical coordination that required to deliver vertically integrated public spaces such as the Sky Deck and podium oculus where façade, structure and landscape merge to enable light penetration, airflow, thermal comfort and public accessibility at height
Ahead of the 2032 Olympics, this project demonstrates how façades can extend beyond enclosure to become catalysts for urban regeneration, sustainability and authentic city identity

09:30 — 09:55

Simon Barnes

Principal | Building Envelope Practice Leader - APAC

Arup

Topic

Delivering Olympic-Ready Stadium Façades: The Value of Specialist Integration and Industry Collaboration

Talk points

How high-performance stadium envelopes rely on tightly coordinated façade, structural, wind, fire, environmental and digital inputs to address geometry, airflow, acoustics, thermal behaviour and constructability as one system
Close collaboration with fabricators, suppliers and installers keeps innovation practical, reduces risk, accelerates refinement and ensures venue-specific integrated solutions
Case studies from Optus Stadium in Perth, Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong and the Santiago Bernabéu Redevelopment in Madrid, demonstrate how multidisciplinary expertise and industry partnerships enable advanced stadium envelope outcomes
The opportunity ahead for Brisbane 2032: Uniting specialists and industry from the outset, and delivering unique and circular Olympic-ready façade solutions

09:55 — 10:10

Michael Lette

Market Development Manager - Façades

Design Solutions Group, Lysaght and Fielders

Topic

Elevating Façades: Freedom in Design, Confidence in Compliance, Efficiency in Delivery

Talk points

Unmatched design flexibility - Bold or subtle – achieve design outcomes through flexible profiles, precision detailing, and smooth integration on complex geometries
Engineered for complete compliance - Fully designed to Australian Standards (AS) and the National Construction Code (NCC) to deliver structural confidence, performance, and risk-free specification
Efficient, durable and future ready - Optimised for speed and precision through offsite manufacturing and quick installation, reducing labour costs, improving timelines, and supporting sustainable, long-lasting outcomes

10:10 — 10:25

Bernat Miñana

Managing Director

Frontek Australia

Topic

Porcelain Cladding in Unitized Systems and Complex Geometries

Talk points

33 Alfred Street - Horizontal configuration on unitized systems
Frankston Hospital - Vertical horizontal combined configuration on unitized systems
Macquarie University – Complex geometry cladding

11:20 — 11:40

Todd Grice

Director

Bligh Tanner

Topic

Why do Façades Keep Leaking?

Talk points

With stronger enforcement of weatherproofing legislation for buildings, why are we still seeing leaks?
Where are the gaps in the current processes and how can they be practically resolved?
Some lessons learnt from chasing leaks

11:40 — 11:55

Jesse Clarke

Technical Innovation Manager - Oceania

Pro Clima

Topic

It’s All a Façade

Talk points

The role of cladding for the performance of rainscreen systems
The science and history of pressure equalised façades
Importance of fully tested AS 4284 façade systems

11:55 — 12:10

Angus Macleod

Director - Australia & New Zealand

Vector Foiltec

Topic

Southern Hemisphere’s Largest Single-span Timber Aircraft Hangar - Clad with ETFE

Talk points

Design and construction of a 98-metre clear-span structure for Air New Zealand’s Hangar 4 utilising timber and steel trusses with an ETFE roof & façade system
Using ETFE to achieve a fully lightweight enclosure in place of traditional glass skylights or other traditional cladding arrangements
Rationale for material selection, design, performance criteria including environmental aspects, construction and weather testing

12:10 — 12:40

James Perry

Director

Koichi Takada Architects

Topic

Naturalising Façades

Talk points

How can architecture become a mediator between nature, climate, and the human experience?
Case studies that answer this with façades that are active, adaptive interfaces; responding to climate, enabling wellbeing and providing a sense of identity

12:40 — 12:55

Christy Irish

State Specification & Sales Manager - QLD

EQUITONE

Topic

Circular Façade: From Strategic Planning to Real World Applications

Talk points

Understanding the role of circularity in reducing embodied carbon and conserving resources
Implementing a '4R' Framework (Refuse, Reuse, Reduce, Recycle) for long-lifecycle material use
Industry collaborations and innovations driving closed-loop systems in façade materials

12:55 — 13:20

Brian Hubbs

Principal | Specialist

RDH Building Science

Topic

Façade Risk Mitigation – A Look to the Future Based on Lessons from the Past

Talk points

Current trends that increase the performance and sustainability of our buildings while often increasing complexity, unknowns, and overall risk to projects. These include offshore procurement challenges, high performance glazing and IGU durability issues such as seal failure, spontaneous glass breakage, and anisotropy
Risks associated with Vacuum Insulated Glazing (VIG), tall mass timber facades, bolt on balconies, and high-performance spandrels/shadow boxes, and solar shades
Forensic case studies that highlight risks associated with these trends and suggest methods to reduce risk on projects

14:10 — 14:35

Daniel Liddy

Partner / Project Design Director

bureau^proberts

Topic

Macro to Micro – Balancing Façade and Form

Talk points

Architecture and identity, taking influence from the urban fabric
Big gestures - small details
Conventional materials used in unconventional ways

14:35 — 14:55

Scott Young

Senior Associate

Omnii

Topic

Façade Compliance with the Fire Safety Provisions of the National Construction Code, an Evolution

Talk points

How façade compliance with the NCC historically was largely ignored or deemed compliant with the BCA by Certifiers and did not involve fire safety engineering and the combustible cladding “crisis” put the spotlight on how façades were being approved for compliance with the NCC, it was identified than in many instances compliance may not have been properly established
Historically, façade engineering was often disconnected from the primary architectural design and building approval, with a separate consultant or specialist company engaged to design and construct the façade
Façades in many instances cannot meet the NCC Deemed-to-Satisfy provisions and require fire engineering involvement as part of a performance solution to demonstrate compliance while fire safety objectives associated with façades to restrict fire spread may be contrary to meeting other façade design objectives e.g. ventilation, moisture drainage and the like

14:55 — 15:10

Allan Ramsay

Business Development Manager

Knotwood

Topic

The Beauty & Longevity of Aluminium for Façade Designs

Talk points

Capability & methodology
Applications & profiles
The benefits: Durability, installation & maintenance

15:10 — 15:20

Colin Niland

National Sales and Technical Manager

Aluminium Façade Systems

Topic

One Façade Supplier, One Façade Solution

Talk points

One stop façade solutions
In house engineering support
50 years of tried and tested systems backed by experienced staff across all product sectors

15:20 — 16:00

Moderator

Balesh Baleshan

Senior Associate

Façade and Sustainability - ANZ, Inhabit

Panelist

Anne Kovachevich

Technical Director Sustainability

Mott MacDonald

Panelist

Richard Fairhead

Director

Building Envelope Group

Panelist

Taryn McQueen

Principal

Populous

Panelist

Alex Ward

Principal

Fender Katsalidis

Topic

Establishing Façade Engineering: A Necessity, Not an Option

Talk points

Shaping the Future of Façade Engineering: Practice and standards
Industry leadership & policy in façade engineering
Professional registration and the future of engineering accountability
Developing competency frameworks for façade engineers

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