Dreaming tomorrow’s campuses today – through collaboration, knowledge and networking.
Dreaming Tomorrow’s Campuses Today captures the role of property professional as an enabler of bold ideas and practical action – turning future-focused aspirations into real, working campus environments today.
The theme centres on the integration of four essential pillars to inspire innovation, strengthen collaboration, and proactively shape campuses that are sustainable, adaptable, and ready for what’s next.
- People: Enabling Vision, Capability, and Community
Tomorrow’s campuses are imagined, delivered, and experienced by people. FM plays a critical role in empowering those who plan, design, build, manage, operate, and use university environments.
This pillar focuses on capability, culture, leadership, and collaboration. It ensures our university communities are equipped to translate bold ideas into meaningful outcomes.
- Property: Designing Campuses for the Future, Today
Our campuses are living environments where future ambitions take shape now. This pillar explores how property and infrastructure can be planned, designed, and managed to support evolving learning, research, and community needs. At the same time, we are embedding sustainability, resilience, and long-term value at their core.
- Processes: Turning Vision into Action
Dreaming big requires practical, efficient, and agile ways of working. Modern FM demands smarter, more integrated processes that enable responsiveness, reduce friction, and support continuous improvement. It bridges the gap between strategic intent and day-to-day delivery.
- Platforms: Digital Foundations for Tomorrow’s Campuses
Technology is a critical enabler of future-ready campuses. This pillar examines how digital platforms, data, and emerging technologies can be leveraged today to create smarter, more connected, and more predictive facilities that support informed decision-making and unlocking new possibilities.
Conference program
Site tours | Lectures | Workshops
How to register to site tours?
- Log on to your registration portal (you need to have a valid TEFMA26 Conference registration).
- Go to Add-ons
- Click “Select more add-ons” and follow the prompts on screen.
Monday 14 September | 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
435 Bourke Street
435 Bourke Street is one of Australia’s most advanced office towers, combining world-first sustainability features with exceptional tenant amenity. The tower is operational with tenants occupying 1/4 of the building, however the remaining portion is currently still under construction.
Designed by Bates Smart, the $1.1 billion, 48-level tower will deliver 62,000 sqm of premium office space, 1,300 sqm of retail and a dramatic three-level sky garden, creating a vertical village for more than 5,500 workers.
At the heart of the design is a solar skin façade with over 1,300 integrated panels generating up to 20 per cent of the building’s electricity needs on site. Together with off-site renewables, the all-electric tower will operate at net zero carbon from day one.
Innovation extends through every layer, from low-carbon construction materials to cranes powered by renewable biofuels. The project is targeting a 6 Star Green Star Buildings rating, Platinum WELL certification and a 5.5 Star NABERS Energy rating.
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Arts Centre Melbourne
Arts Centre Melbourne, originally known as the Victorian Arts Centre and briefly called the Arts Centre, is a performing arts centre consisting of a complex of theatres and concert halls in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, located in the central Melbourne suburb of Southbank in Victoria, Australia.
Arts Centre Melbourne features a large steel spire with a wrap-around base. It is a complex of distinct venues. Hamer Hall is a separate building and the largest of the venues. The other venues (the State Theatre, Playhouse, Fairfax Studio and The Show Room) are housed in the Theatres Building (under the spire). Pending access requirements, the tour will visit all performing spaces and back stage areas showcasing a full site visit for all.
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Marvel Stadium
Behind the scenes – led by CBRE
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Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
Behind the scenes at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
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Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre
Located in Albert Park, Melbourne, MSAC is one of Australia’s premier multi-sport and aquatic facilities and is operated by the State Sport Centres Trust. It serves both elite athletes and the broader community, making it an excellent example of a large-scale, multi-use sporting and recreation venue.
Key Features
Two international-standard 50-metre competition pools (indoor and outdoor).
A 25-metre lap pool, hydrotherapy pool, diving pool, wave pool and recovery facilities including spa, sauna and steam room.
Extensive indoor sports facilities for basketball, badminton, volleyball, table tennis and squash.
Facilities used by high-performance athletes, including Victorian Institute of Sport programs and major sporting organisations.
Major Events
MSAC has hosted significant international events including:
2006 Commonwealth Games
2007 World Aquatics Championships
Various national and state swimming, diving and indoor sports championships.
Why It Would Appeal to TEFMA Delegates
For facilities and property professionals, MSAC offers insight into:
Managing a complex, high-volume public facility.
Aquatic facility operations and maintenance.
Sustainability and waste-management practices.
Event operations and venue presentation.
Balancing community access with elite sport requirements.
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Paul Roberts Lecture (Foundry Room)
Paul Roberts has extensive experience acting for Higher Education Institutions internationally, advising on a variety of complex campus estate strategy, master planning, and delivery projects. Across the Australian higher education system, Roberts has acted for multiple universities, in particular he has advised the University of Melbourne over the last eleven years. This followed a 15 year period as strategic estates advisor to the University of Oxford. Paul was joint author on a seminal book University Planning and Architecture – the Search for Perfection, alongside three more recent books own campus trend. He has a unique insight into the future of Australian Universities in a global context.
The lecture will trace the long-term evolution of university campuses internationally, establishing their recent developments before turning to the challenges institutions face today, particularly those financial challenges.
By positioning the challenges universities currently face alongside the recent trends across the sector, Roberts will identify how universities are responding. In addition to this, the lecture will analyse how emerging technologies such as AI and Quantum will continue to shape the Higher Education ecosystem and the campus. Brought together, the lecture will guide how institutions can respond to global challenges and will identify what the future will look like for the university campus.
Speaking directly to the conference’s theme of Dreaming Tomorrow’s Campuses Today, Roberts’ keynote will be of particular relevance to those wanting to understand how their own campus should evolve and opportunities to implement change. This will guide professionals to enable change, turning ambition into the campus of tomorrow.
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RMIT University’s City North Social Innovation Precinct
Join fellow TEFMA delegates for a guided walking tour through RMIT University’s City North Social Innovation Precinct, showcasing two distinctive spaces that bring RMIT’s commitment to place, community and innovation to life.
The tour begins at the Living Places Exchange, a dynamic exhibition and engagement space that serves as a tactile expression of RMIT’s Living Places Plan. More than an exhibition, the Exchange is a platform for an evolving ecology of ideas, connecting research, teaching and practice through projects that respond to the Plan’s four goals: Country, Place and Identity; Community, Connection and Experience; Applied Innovation and Knowledge; and Sustainability and Regenerative Futures. Delegates will explore an exhibition of place-based projects from across the university that demonstrate how RMIT is translating ideas into action in the places where we live, work and learn.
The tour continues to the Multifaith and Wellbeing Centre, a purpose-designed building that reflects RMIT’s commitment to inclusion, wellbeing and belonging. The building provides welcoming spaces for reflection, contemplation and spiritual practice, supporting the diverse needs of students, staff and visitors while fostering connection across cultures, faiths and communities.
Together, these destinations offer insight into how RMIT is reimagining the campus as a living, connected and socially innovative place, where people, ideas and environments come together to create positive impact.
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Southern Cross Station
Take a walk through Southern Cross Station with the Wilson Security team to see how security is delivered in one of Melbourne’s busiest transport hubs. The tour will cover day-to-day operations, incident management, working alongside key stakeholders, and the challenges of managing a high-traffic public environment. Suitable for operational leaders, security professionals, clients, and anyone interested in how security is managed in a live transport setting.
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State Library Victoria
SLV is now the third most visited library in the world. Students of all ages flock to the library as a place for intensive focus, group work and social engagement. SLV’s Vision 2020 redevelopment acknowledges the myriad of library users and creates spaces for everyone to feel comfortable and connected. It is a master-class in refurbishment and adaptive re-use showing how space, volume, acoustics, lighting, materials and interior settings are designed to host a huge array of learning activities. For anyone dealing with heritage fabric and aged and underutilised spaces, this site visit will provide tangible examples of transformative, impactful adaption.
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UniLodge Melbourne Central
The tour will be of UniLodge Melbourne Central. It will showcase the key facilities , services and amenities of the building.
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University of Melbourne Parkville Campus Biodiversity Tour
Description: This tour is designed to cater to mutiple levels from Directors of Estates, Sustainability Professionals to Grounds Team members. You will learn about the
University of Melbourne’s Biodiversity Monitoring Framework and how this has helped improved both landscape planning and operations as we walk the campus and see some real world examples.
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University of Melbourne Waste Tour
Learn about the University’s waste management programs! See the Choose to Reuse Plate Program in action in the Student Precinct and tour two of our Waste Hubs which home our compactors, waste scales and a food waste processor.
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Victoria Racing Club – Flemington Racecourse
Flemington Racecourse is Australia’s best-known and oldest continuing metropolitan horse racing venue, globally famous for hosting the Lexus Melbourne Cup. Located along the Maribyrnong River just six kms northwest of Melbourne’s Central Business District, this National Heritage-listed site is managed by the Victoria Racing Club (VRC). It is highly celebrated for its pristine rose gardens, state-of-the-art grandstands, and its unique 1200-metre straight section famously referred to as the “straight six”. A tour through this iconic venue will visit the public grandstands, members club-stand, rose walk gardens, mounting yard and owners/jockey areas. The tour will also touch on key insights and understanding of the operational delivery requirements, to host the Melbourne Cup Carnival in November each year.
**********************************************************************************************
Victoria University: Footscray Park Campus Space Renewal
As presented at TEFMA 2025 this tour will take you through the newly finished outcomes of full floor space refurbishments across six buildings providing students, staff and the community with renewed and activated environments contributing to the invigoration of the Campus Heart. If you are interested in seeing how strategic upgrades of learning, library and workspace environments can transform the campus experience this tour is for you.
Tuesday 15 September | 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
435 Bourke Street
435 Bourke Street is one of Australia’s most advanced office towers, combining world-first sustainability features with exceptional tenant amenity. The tower is operational with tenants occupying 1/4 of the building, however the remaining portion is currently still under construction.
Designed by Bates Smart, the $1.1 billion, 48-level tower will deliver 62,000 sqm of premium office space, 1,300 sqm of retail and a dramatic three-level sky garden, creating a vertical village for more than 5,500 workers.
At the heart of the design is a solar skin façade with over 1,300 integrated panels generating up to 20 per cent of the building’s electricity needs on site. Together with off-site renewables, the all-electric tower will operate at net zero carbon from day one.
Innovation extends through every layer, from low-carbon construction materials to cranes powered by renewable biofuels. The project is targeting a 6 Star Green Star Buildings rating, Platinum WELL certification and a 5.5 Star NABERS Energy rating.
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Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery
Inside the Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery: A Collaborative Model for Research, Innovation and Education
Completed in 2025, the Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery (ACMD) is Australia’s first purpose built biomedical engineering research centre, bringing together clinicians, scientists and engineers to accelerate collaboration, innovation and medical discovery.
Designed to foster multidisciplinary research and education, the facility is focused on advancing chronic disease prevention, early intervention and the development of next generation healthcare technologies. During the tour, attendees will gain an insight into the design, functionality and operational approach of this world class research facility, while exploring how the building supports collaboration between leading health, research and tertiary education organisations.
ACMD’s seven founding partners include St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research, the Bionics Institute, the University of Melbourne, RMIT University, Swinburne University of Technology, and the Australian Catholic University.
This tour will be of particular interest to facilities managers, asset managers, property professionals, capital works teams and tertiary education leaders with an interest in research infrastructure, innovation precincts and collaborative facility design.
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Arts Centre Melbourne
Arts Centre Melbourne, originally known as the Victorian Arts Centre and briefly called the Arts Centre, is a performing arts centre consisting of a complex of theatres and concert halls in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, located in the central Melbourne suburb of Southbank in Victoria, Australia.
Arts Centre Melbourne features a large steel spire with a wrap-around base. It is a complex of distinct venues. Hamer Hall is a separate building and the largest of the venues. The other venues (the State Theatre, Playhouse, Fairfax Studio and The Show Room) are housed in the Theatres Building (under the spire). Pending access requirements, the tour will visit all performing spaces and back stage areas showcasing a full site visit for all.
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Marvel Stadium
Two tours: one led by CBRE and one led by Quayclean
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Monash Clayton
Monash Clayton has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past 15 years, emerging as a benchmark for campus renewal, innovation precincts and place-led planning. This tour explores how a clear master plan framework, combined with strong governance with regular reviews, has supported sustained investment, translating into a series of award-winning projects that continue to shape the campus today.
Participants will see how long-term planning has enabled individual projects to contribute to a broader campus vision, creating a cohesive, vibrant and future-focused environment rather than a collection of standalone buildings. Strategic property decisions have created long-term value by balancing today’s priorities with tomorrow’s opportunities.
The tour highlights Monash’s commitment to delivering a distinctive, high-quality public realm that has fundamentally redefined the campus identity and everyday experience. It will include core academic buildings, key pedestrian corridors, arrival spaces and social destinations where targeted investment has strengthened campus life, encouraged interaction and improved connectivity and a sense of belonging across the precinct.
The tour will also demonstrate the role of strategic partnerships in driving precinct renewal, including significant investment in public transport infrastructure, showing how collaboration between the University, industry and research partners has catalysed new facilities, enhanced campus amenity and reinforced Monash Clayton’s position as one of Australia’s leading education, research and innovation precincts. The Masterplan continues to evolve with the most recent update addressing the opportunities and challenges emerging from the planned Suburban Rail Loop, Monash Station to be located at the north of the campus.
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Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
Behind the scenes at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
**********************************************************************************************
Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre
Located in Albert Park, Melbourne, MSAC is one of Australia’s premier multi-sport and aquatic facilities and is operated by the State Sport Centres Trust. It serves both elite athletes and the broader community, making it an excellent example of a large-scale, multi-use sporting and recreation venue.
Key Features
Two international-standard 50-metre competition pools (indoor and outdoor).
A 25-metre lap pool, hydrotherapy pool, diving pool, wave pool and recovery facilities including spa, sauna and steam room.
Extensive indoor sports facilities for basketball, badminton, volleyball, table tennis and squash.
Facilities used by high-performance athletes, including Victorian Institute of Sport programs and major sporting organisations.
Major Events
MSAC has hosted significant international events including:
2006 Commonwealth Games
2007 World Aquatics Championships
Various national and state swimming, diving and indoor sports championships.
Why It Would Appeal to TEFMA Delegates
For facilities and property professionals, MSAC offers insight into:
Managing a complex, high-volume public facility.
Aquatic facility operations and maintenance.
Sustainability and waste-management practices.
Event operations and venue presentation.
Balancing community access with elite sport requirements.
**********************************************************************************************
Southern Cross Station
Take a walk through Southern Cross Station with the Wilson Security team to see how security is delivered in one of Melbourne’s busiest transport hubs. The tour will cover day-to-day operations, incident management, working alongside key stakeholders, and the challenges of managing a high-traffic public environment. Suitable for operational leaders, security professionals, clients, and anyone interested in how security is managed in a live transport setting.
**********************************************************************************************
State Library Victoria
SLV is now the third most visited library in the world. Students of all ages flock to the library as a place for intensive focus, group work and social engagement. SLV’s Vision 2020 redevelopment acknowledges the myriad of library users and creates spaces for everyone to feel comfortable and connected. It is a master-class in refurbishment and adaptive re-use showing how space, volume, acoustics, lighting, materials and interior settings are designed to host a huge array of learning activities. For anyone dealing with heritage fabric and aged and underutilised spaces, this site visit will provide tangible examples of transformative, impactful adaption.
**********************************************************************************************
UniLodge Melbourne Central
The tour will be of UniLodge Melbourne Central. It will showcase the key facilities , services and amenities of the building.
**********************************************************************************************
University of Melbourne Parkville Campus Biodiversity Tour
Description: This tour is designed to cater to mutiple levels from Directors of Estates, Sustainability Professionals to Grounds Team members. You will learn about the University of Melbourne’s Biodiversity Monitoring Framework and how this has helped improved both landscape planning and operations as we walk the campus and see some real world examples.
**********************************************************************************************
University of Melbourne Waste Tour
Learn about the University’s waste management programs! See the Choose to Reuse Plate Program in action in the Student Precinct and tour two of our Waste Hubs which home our compactors, waste scales and a food waste processor.
**********************************************************************************************
Victoria Racing Club – Flemington Racecourse
Flemington Racecourse is Australia’s best-known and oldest continuing metropolitan horse racing venue, globally famous for hosting the Lexus Melbourne Cup. Located along the Maribyrnong River just six kms northwest of Melbourne’s Central Business District, this National Heritage-listed site is managed by the Victoria Racing Club (VRC). It is highly celebrated for its pristine rose gardens, state-of-the-art grandstands, and its unique 1200-metre straight section famously referred to as the “straight six”. A tour through this iconic venue will visit the public grandstands, members club-stand, rose walk gardens, mounting yard and owners/jockey areas. The tour will also touch on key insights and understanding of the operational delivery requirements, to host the Melbourne Cup Carnival in November each year.
**********************************************************************************************
Victoria University: Footscray Park Campus Space Renewal
As presented at TEFMA 2025 this tour will take you through the newly finished outcomes of full floor space refurbishments across six buildings providing students, staff and the community with renewed and activated environments contributing to the invigoration of the Campus Heart. If you are interested in seeing how strategic upgrades of learning, library and workspace environments can transform the campus experience this tour is for you.