{"id":805280,"date":"2026-07-17T03:23:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T03:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/805280\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T03:23:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T03:23:13","slug":"snohettas-gumji-kang-the-biggest-opportunity-is-hidden-in-plain-sight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/805280\/","title":{"rendered":"Sn\u00f8hetta\u2019s Gumji Kang: The Biggest Opportunity is Hidden in Plain Sight"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gumji Kang has built a career on a simple observation: the success of a development rarely comes down to the building itself. It comes down to what happens around it.<\/p>\n

Kang, who is the managing director at Sn\u00f8hetta Australasia, is based in Melbourne and leads a studio balancing global design expertise with local context across civic, cultural and urban projects.<\/p>\n

Watching people inhabit finished spaces, Kang said, has taught her more than any design brief.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Networking<\/p>\n

Urbanity-26 Conference<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe best developments don\u2019t simply occupy land. They create the conditions for life to unfold over time,\u201d she told The Urban Developer.<\/p>\n

\u201cRather than seeing projects as individual objects, I now see them as ecosystems, where the quality of the relationships is often the greatest determinant of long-term success.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kang said the property sector still treats financial performance, sustainability, social value and design quality as competing priorities rather than connected ones.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my experience, the strongest developments recognise that they\u2019re mutually reinforcing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t design a building only within the boundaries of its site, you design how it contributes to everything around it. A building should be a good neighbour.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked about the greatest untapped opportunity in the built environment, Kang said she\u2019s keen to see more attention turned to \u201cmaking our existing neighbourhoods denser, greener, more walkable and more connected\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe the biggest opportunity might be hidden in plain sight. The reason everyone isn\u2019t chasing it is because it\u2019s messy and complicated, but it\u2019s possible, and brings back more value,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Sn\u00f8hetta\u2019s Melbourne studio started with the firm\u2019s first Australian project, Pridham Hall in Adelaide with JPE Design Studio.<\/p>\n

It has since built a portfolio featuring Brisbane\u2019s Glasshouse Theatre<\/a> with Blight Rayner, Sydney\u2019s Harbourside with Hassell and the adaptive reuse of Melbourne\u2019s Tea House<\/a> for client Monno.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur work on Harbourside alongside Hassell and Djinjama reaffirmed how vital it is to embed First Nations perspectives from the outset, not as an add-on but as the foundation for design that truly cares for Country,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Kang said short-term thinking is something that keeps her up at night.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe design cities that will be around for a century, yet many decisions are made on timeframes measured in quarters and election cycles,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

And what pulls her back into the work each day? An industry with influence that outlasts any single project.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are not many professions where the work you do today might shape how thousands of people live, work and connect for decades. That\u2019s a huge responsibility, but it\u2019s also endlessly motivating.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gumji Kang will join the ideas showcase line-up at Urbanity-26<\/a>, bringing her perspective on design, culture and city-making to the stage. If you\u2019re not there, make sure to check out our OnDemand<\/a> section for post-event coverage.<\/p>\n

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