Talking Architecture & Design

Clinton Cole is a boundary-pushing architect and builder who believes we can all be a force for good. With industry-leading expertise in regenerative design, he creates premium homes that actively repair damage to our planet and give back to future generations. In the same spirit, he puts ethics and responsibility front and centre at CplusC, one of only five Australian architects to earn B Corp ce...

In our first Shortcast in over two years, we talk with Will Messiter, Chief Operating Officer - Residential Communities and Home Building at Sekisui House Australia, at the company's manufacturing and assembly facility in southwest Sydney, about house building, the bottlenecks in Australia's building market, and how prefab and modular can offer a solution to our house affordability woes.

 As operational energy efficiency improves, attention is increasingly turning to embodied carbon—the emissions associated with extracting raw materials, manufacturing products, transporting them, installing them, and, ultimately, dealing with them at the end of their useful life.  That puts materials and material innovation firmly at the centre of the conversation.  Jonathan Mountfort, Creative Di...

Tara Veldman, Managing Director and Principal at Billard Leece Partnership, has played a major role in growing BLP’s health architecture practice and has worked across hospitals, health hubs, research facilities, education precincts, and other complex environments.  In 2025, Tara was named the inaugural recipient of the Australian Health Design Council Gold Medal , recognising her leadership and c...

Kevin Hogan, Head of Design & Digital Engineering at Kapitol Group leads an in-house team of more than 20 digital engineers, design managers and architects, driving Virtual Design and Construction (VDC), Building Information Modelling (BIM), and the development of custom digital tools including Kapitol’s 3D Construction Tracker.  He’s also become a leading voice across Australia’s construction...

We talk with BVN CEOS & principals, Ali Bounds, Principal & Co-CEO (Sydney) and Neil Logan, Principal & Co-CEO (Brisbane) about the signifance of BVN reaching its' 100th birthday. In August 1926, Arthur Bligh, BVNs founding principal, set in motion a trajectory of architectural endeavour defined by curiosity, reinvention and collective effort that has endured for 100 years.  Throu...

After more than a decade with the HIA in senior leadership roles, Jocelyn Martin, Managing Director of the Housing Industry Association stepped into the organisation’s top position at a time when Australia’s housing sector is facing unprecedented pressure—from affordability and supply constraints to skills shortages, planning reform and the challenge of delivering enough homes for a growing popula...

Australia has committed to building 1.2 million new homes over five years, but there's one enormous obstacle standing in the way: people.  According to BuildSkills Australia, the nation needs around 90,000 additional construction workers if we're to have any realistic chance of meeting that target. At the same time, automation, robotics, AI, and advanced manufacturing are beginning to tr...

In this episode, we're talking with Renee Gigliotti, Associate Director at The Studio Collaborative* at how thoughtful interior architecture can transform not just a venue, but the entire visitor experience.  Australia's major entertainment venues are increasingly becoming destinations in their own right, where hospitality, technology, branding and design converge to create memorable exp...

Australia is facing one of its biggest housing challenges in decades, with the federal government's National Housing Accord aiming to deliver 1.2 million new homes by 2029. But what if the biggest obstacle isn't planning approvals, land supply, or even skills shortages?  A major new report from RMIT University, prepared for the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, argues that...

For decades, airport lounges were viewed simply as waiting rooms for premium travellers. Today, they're something much more sophisticated—extensions of airline brands, wellness spaces, workplaces, hospitality venues and, increasingly, destinations in their own right. But what actually makes a great airport lounge? How do architects and designers balance luxury with durability, privacy with op...

According to PhD graduate Isabel Lasala, who is also an architect and landscape architect, and one of the directors of Lasala & Lasala Design Studio, "Cemeteries have long been central to our relationship with death, traditionally viewed as sacred and static places.  "But what if we reimagined cemeteries as dynamic, hybrid spaces shaped by time, memory, and ecological processes?   &q...

 In this episode, sponsored by Autex Acoustics, we talk with Tamara White from Warren and Mahoney (WAM), whose work spans creating environments that support human performance, connection, and healthier futures.  We discuss how designers are redefining what sustainable spaces look and feel like — and what that means for the people using them.”  Our theme is on how can architects and designers creat...

Drawing from his local and overseas architecture experience, recently appointed Plus Studio principal John Walsh, in this episode, unpacks how shared-use, hybrid buildings—blending education, civic, and commercial functions—are redefining how we design for density, community, and long-term value.  From navigating security and adaptability to stretching the design brief for greater impact, this con...

Derek Layfield, Managing Director of Durra Panel, who has championed straw-based panel technology for decades, and Michael Jones , Studio Lead – Design at AJC Architects, a registered architect with a wealth of experience specifying bio-based materials, including Durra Panel projects and recent Byera Hadley research into straw and prefabricated systems, explain why straw is the ultimate building m...

 David Holm, Principal at Cox Architecture has a career spanning major transport and civic infrastructure—from international airports like the new Western Sydney airport and Changi airport in Singapore to urban masterplans and public spaces—David’s work sits at the intersection of connectivity, culture, and placemaking.  He’s also a passionate advocate for drawing as a design tool and has contribu...

In this episode of Talking Architecture & Design, we speak with Kjetil Thorsen, co-founder of Snøhetta—the Oslo-based, globally recognised practice known for its transdisciplinary approach to architecture, landscape, interiors, and design.  From iconic cultural landmarks like the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet to the National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion, Snøhetta has built a rep...

Jacob Burke is the founder of Mijasu, an interdisciplinary group of design practices focused on people‑centred outcomes across the built environment.  With more than 25 years’ experience in the Australian market, his career was shaped by humble beginnings in a family business and a hands-on experience through design, delivery and business leadership.  He established Mijasu in 2019 as a parent comp...

This episode tackles one of construction’s biggest questions: If the built environment needs to rapidly cut embodied carbon, what materials and manufacturing systems can realistically scale. The construction sector sits at the centre of the climate challenge. Cement and concrete underpin modern infrastructure but remain among the world’s most carbon-intensive materials. At the same time, a new gen...

The Residences at Wahroonga Estate, designed by GroupGSA, is a project that’s generating a lot of discussion up on Sydney’s Upper North Shore.  Capital Corporation has officially broken ground on The Residences at Wahroonga Estate — a landmark luxury development delivered in partnership with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, award-winning builder DASCO, with architecture by GroupGSA and interiors...

Cindy Lee from Stratco Architectural  talks about the strategies needed to bridge the gap between design and delivery in her role at Stratco.  In this recent interview, Cindy Lee shares insights on the company’s evolution, the shifting challenges of practice, and how early collaboration with suppliers can help architects realise their vision.

In this episode of Talking Architecture & Design , Clémence Carayol sits down with Interior Designer Léo Terrando to explore how hospitality thinking is reshaping the way we design and live.  With over two decades of experience across hotels and high-end homes, Terrando brings a perspective grounded in how spaces are actually used, how people move through them, and how they feel along the way....

As demand for healthcare services rises and workforce shortages intensify, universities and health institutions are under growing pressure to educate more students, more effectively, and in environments that reflect the rapidly changing nature of healthcare itself. A recent research whitepaper, Anatomy of Change: Rethinking Healthcare Learning Environments , explores how architecture, planning and...

Breakout Creek / Purruna Pari Stage 3 recently took out both the Landscape & Urban category and Best of the Best at the 2025 Sustainability Awards.  Delivered by TCL in collaboration with Green Adelaide, the City of Charles Sturt and the City of West Torrens, the project reimagines a once-degraded drainage channel as a thriving blue–green landscape. Featuring over six kilometres of new walking...

In this episode, we’re joined by award-winning architect Sarah Lebner, Director of Cooee Architecture.  Sarah recently took out the Hospitality & Tourism Award at the 2025 Sustainability Awards for her remarkable transformation of an old grain silo into The Silos Accommodation — a sustainable, off-grid farm stay that celebrates adaptive reuse, environmental performance, and regional experience...