Anthony Burke's By Design – Details, episodes & analysis

Can design save the planet—one soy sauce fish at a time? Meet the innovative minds behind a sustainable alternative to the iconic plastic soy sauce container. Discover how clever design is tackling single-use plastics, reducing waste, and reimagining everyday objects for a greener future

Guest:

• Angus Ware, Co-founder and Director at Heliograf

What happens when architects design for animals instead of humans? In this episode, we explore a bold new frontier where animal behavior—not human comfort—shapes the spaces we build. From wildlife sanctuaries to urban habitats, this surprising trend flips traditional design thinking on its head. How do professionals trained for people reimagine environments for paws, claws, and wings?

Guests: 

• Stuart Harrison, Architect - project Raptor Rehabilitation Centre, Healesville Sanctuary, Victoria
• Mike Drinkwater, Wildlife Project Officer at Taronga Zoo Sydney
• Grey Fisher, Senior Keeper at the Institute of Science and Learning, Taronga Zoo Sydney

Extraordinary Everyday: Backyard Pools

Why do Aussies love a backyard pool? In this episode, we dive into its evolution—from retro status symbol to sleek, sustainable showpiece. Discover how pool design trends have shaped our summers, our homes, and our obsession with outdoor living. It’s a deep end of culture, creativity, and cool innovation!

Guest:

• Professor Hannah Lewi, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, Melbourne University 

Prefab is back—and it’s changing the game. Once a Federation-era staple, prefabrication is now being hailed as a creative design solution and a practical fix for the housing crisis. Innovative modular techniques are delivering sustainable, stylish homes faster than ever before—but is this the future of construction?

Guests:

• Warren French, Lead Architect Valley Workshop Tasmania and expert in prefabricated builds
• Mathew Aitchison, CEO of Building 4.0 CRC
• Amber Laris, Owner of a prefabricated build in Lymington Tasmania

From twigs to tech, the toothbrush has had quite the glow-up! In this episode of Extraordinary Everyday, we brush up on the wild history of dental hygiene—from ancient chew sticks to sleek smart brushes—revealing how this humble tool became a design icon in our daily lives.

Guest:

• Scott Swank, Curator at National Museum of Dentistry in Baltimore, and an associate professor in the Dental Public Health Department of University of Maryland in Baltimore

What does it take to design a floating city? Uncover the secrets of cruise ship design — from sleek engineering and sustainable innovations to creating unforgettable luxury experiences at sea. Discover how maritime architects balance safety, style, and comfort to craft the world’s most spectacular ships.

Guests:

• Inger Sheil, Assistant Curator of Society and Water at the Australian National Maritime Museum
• Lewis Taylor, Design Director at David Collins Studio, designed several significant areas on the Queen Anne
• Daniel Stavert, Expedition Leader on the Douglas Mawson

Anthony Burke's By Design uncovers the ideas and human stories behind the designs, spaces, systems, and objects shaping our lives — from the resurgence of colour in modern interiors to untapped opportunities for Australia in prefab housing, designing habitats for injured and in-captivity wildlife, to Presidential renovations and the mind-boggling considerations behind the perfect cruise ship. If you love design, this is your new happy place!

The program is hosted by Anthony Burke, Professor of Architecture at UTS and one of Australia's leading voices in design and architecture. Known as host of Grand Designs Australia, Grand Transformations, and Restoration Australia, Anthony brings his expertise and passion to conversations that reveal why design matters — across architecture, interiors, urban spaces, products, fashion, and sustainability — in a rapidly changing world.

Hear Anthony Burke's By Design on ABC Radio National Tuesdays at 10am as part of the Radio National Arts Hour, repeated Sundays at 10am, and anytime on the ABC listen app.

Is the open-plan home officially over? How has COVID and the rise of remote work reshaped the way we live; From privacy-friendly layouts to multifunctional spaces, discover why designers are rethinking open-plan living and what the future of home design looks like.

Guests:

• Dr Libby Sander, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour at Bond University
• Eva-Marie Prineas, Lead Architect and Founder Studio Prineas

If buildings speak, the White House never whispers — and recent design overhauls have given it a whole new vocabulary. In this episode, we decode the aesthetic signals embedded in its latest transformations: the dramatic palettes, the opulent flourishes, the bigger‑brighter‑bolder touches that reshape how the building presents power. We ask what these stylistic choices reveal about the identity of a place long touted as “the people’s house,” and how shifts toward grandeur and gloss change the story it tells.Guests:

• Associate Professor Robert Wellington,  Art historian,  Australian National University, author Versailles Mirrored: The power of luxury from Louis XIV to Donald Trump
• Dr Edward Lengel, Former Chief Historian of the White House Historical Association
• Neil Flanagan, Architect and a public historian in Washington, D.C.
• Philip Wegmann, White House Correspondent for RealClearPolitics

Corduroy is back—and its story is wilder than you think. From its origins in ancient Egypt to royal courts, retro fashion, and now a modern design renaissance, this humble fabric has lived many lives. In this episode, we unravel how corduroy went from utilitarian to iconic, and why designers are embracing it in clothing and furniture today.

Guest:

• Elaine Evans, Senior Teaching Fellow in Fashion Design Innovation at the University of Leeds