Talking Architecture & Design

Gabriel Solorzano Torres is the Executive Director of Commercial, Sustainability and Infrastructure at Melbourne Polytechnic.  He brings deep strategic and operational experience in infrastructure and industry development — and is at the forefront of the new Future of Housing Construction Centre of Excellence, a national initiative aimed at scaling Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) skills and i...

Ingrid Bakker is a Principal architect, a board director for Hassell and a Life Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects. Craig Guthrie is a specialist in Landscape Architecture and Urban Design with over 25 years of experience As Hassell Studio Principals Ingrid Bakker and Craig Guthrie talk about the legacy for Melbourne and how the newly-built Metro Tunnel uses design to increase the ci...

Daniel Jarosch, Chief Executive Officer of Sydney Fish Market has lead the organisation through a once-in-a-generation relocation and reopening that has attracted millions of visitors and redefined this iconic waterfront for the future. He explains how the new Sydney Fish Market is a game changer in terms of designing for place and the future of retail and hospitality design in busy and growing ci...

Lisa Munao, Managing Director and Principal of Gensler’s Sydney office leads the strategic growth and operations of the firm across Australia and New Zealand.   With over 25 years of experience in the design industry, Lisa has guided major interior and workplace projects for global and local organisations and brings a passion for creative thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and sustainable de...

We talk with architects and founders of Taylor Buchtmann Architecture, Anne Taylor, and Michael Buchtmann, who are also the winners of the 2025 Sustainability Award in the Adaptive Reuse – Alteration/Addition category about their extraordinary award-winning project, The Stopover.  This remarkable build transformed a dilapidated grain store into resilient, sensitive accommodation that honours both...

With a background in architecture and interior design, emerging leader in sustainable design and the Green Star Program Lead at the Green Building Council of Australia, Gabrielle Pavicic is helping reshape how the built environment approaches sustainability — particularly at the fitout level, where waste and embodied carbon have long been overlooked.  Her work bridges design thinking with technica...

Known for his thoughtful, context-driven approach to design, acclaimed Australian architect Ed Lippmann, owner and founder of architectural practice, Lippmann Partnership, has a design portfolio that spans decades of civic buildings, cultural spaces, religious buildings, educational projects, and private residences that have helped define parts of Australia’s, as well as his own architectural iden...

Across more than three decades, UNSW Professor Deo Prasad has shaped the national and global conversation on low carbon living through research, education, policy leadership, and industry collaboration.  From pioneering sustainability education in the southern hemisphere to leading Australia’s largest built-environment research collaboration through the CRC for Low Carbon Living, his impact spans...

 In this episode of Talking Architecture & Design , host Clémence Carayol heads to Melbourne’s west to unpack one of Australia’s most ambitious health projects: the new Footscray Hospital.  More than a deep dive into a major piece of infrastructure, the conversation explores how architecture can reshape the experience of healthcare itself. The $1.5 billion hospital, designed by COX Architectur...

To help us unpack what it really means to build not just for a few weeks of sport, but for decades of community benefit, reuse, and resilience we spoke to two experts from design firm Populous: Dr. Kavita Gonsalves, Associate Principal - Sustainability Design Lead ‑ APAC, and Brayden Goodwin, Principal, Architect — Brisbane, on how circular design and sustainability are transforming sports infrast...

Catherine Skinner, Principal, BVN, Audun Opdal, Senior Partner, 3XN, Louise Pearson, Studio Director, ASPECT Studios, and Miguel Serrao, Associate, ASPECT Studios, sat down with Talking Architecture and Design at the recent opening of the stunning Sydney Fish Markets, to talk about the highlights, surprises and challenges of working on such a large, iconic and complex public infrastructure project...

In this episode of Talking Architecture & Design , we’re joined by Katrina Sedgwick, the inaugural Director and CEO of the Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation (MAP Co), who is leading one of Australia’s most ambitious cultural transformations – a $1.7 billion revitalisation connecting Federation Square through to Southbank. Sedgwick shares what it’s like to build a new organisation while simul...

Suzanne Toumbourou, CEO of the Australian Council of Recycling, shares her insights and helps us understand on the challenges the enormous opportunities that recycling and circular thinking present for Australia’s built environment.  She also explains how architects, designers, builders and policymakers all have a critical role to play in shaping a more sustainable, resource-smart future.

Michael Rayner is a Life Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects, co-founder of Blight Rayner Architecture and the 2025 recipient of the Brisbane Lord Mayor’s Business Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. This prestigious honour — presented only six times in the Awards’ two-decade history — recognises Michael’s remarkable four decades of design leadership, a career that has shaped Brisbane’...

An experienced architect and leader within COX’s sustainability team in Melbourne,  David Henderson is one of the creators of Product Aware, and in this final episode for 2025, David takes us on a deep dive into the sustainable materials maze and how architects can make smarter, lower-carbon decisions without needing to compromise on design embeds as well as explaining how regenerative design can...

Over a career spanning more than 28 years, Hames Sharley's Nic Hughan has gained extensive local and international experience in the planning, design, documentation, and delivery of large and complex projects, with a focus on hospitals, education, and community buildings. Having assumed the leadership role for several high-profile hospital and social infrastructure projects, as well as owning...

In this episode, we head to the warm waters of the southern coast of Athens in Greece to talk about one of Europe’s most ambitious urban regeneration projects — The Ellinikon. Once home to the city’s former international airport, this 6.2-million-square-meter development is being transformed into a “15-minute smart city” — a place where everything from housing and workplaces to parks and cultural...

In this episode, we’re joined by Jerome Frost, the Global CEO of Arup and former Head of Design and Regeneration for the London 2012 Olympic Delivery Authority—a role that helped transform East London and redefine how major sporting events can deliver long-term urban and social value. As Brisbane accelerates preparations for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we’ll discuss what lessons can be...

In this podcast, Sarah Butler, a partner with Holding Redlich , specialising in intellectual property (IP), commercial and technology law, and media and advertising regulation across a range of industries explains why intellectual property still often overlooked in construction contracts, despite the sector becoming more design-led and digitally enabled?

Foolscap Sydney Studio Director Ellen Rosengren-Johnson brings a unique international perspective to Australian design, having spent a decade in Norway delivering award-winning hospitality and residential projects before returning home.  Her work is defined by a deep commitment to collaboration with local makers, craftspeople, and suppliers – a skill she’s currently bringing to life in the boutiqu...

The latest episode of Talking Architecture & Design features J ohn Czechowski, Senior Associtae at Gray Puksand , whose career spans more than three decades of shaping public and multi-use precincts across Australia.  Born in Canada and trained at the University of Toronto, with formative studies in Florence and Paris, his practice has stretched from infrastructure and stadia to high-rise livi...

Dr Caroline Noller is a qualified quantity surveyor, Climate Active Product assessor, and past, MECLA benchmarking working group Chair, ALCAS board member and EPD Australia board member and holds a phD in the Built Environment. These days Dr Noller provides independent oversight and technical assurance for the Rebuilt Product Carbon Footprint methodology and governance platform.  Drawing on her ca...

Damien Crough from prefabAus, a recognised leader and advocate for Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) in Australia.  As Co-founder and Executive Chairman of prefabAUS, Damien has been instrumental in positioning the organisation as the national peak body for offsite construction.  Under his leadership, prefabAUS has grown from a grassroots initiative into a respected and influential voice shapin...

“Technology is often seen as the answer, but I believe design is the real answer. Technology is there to enable and to empower.” Xavier De Kestelier is a global Head of Design and leader of Hassell’s design technology and innovation team, which sets strategy and advises on the tools and knowledge the international design firm needs to succeed.  Both an architect and technologist, Xavier harnesses...

As CEO of City West Housing, Leonie King leads a committed team that develops affordable housing and provide housing services to some 1,600 residents in metropolitan Sydney. In this episode, Leonie King will be talking about affordable homes, funding, planning approvals, land costs, how can we get governmental outcomes for housing, private developers, and community housing providers working togeth...