Explore every episode of the podcast 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 certification.

Clinton holds two degrees in Architecture and is a registered Architect, a licenced Builder and accredited Construction Supervisor with over 20 years’ experience in the industry. A frank and fearless contributor to professional debate, he’s often invited to present to industry peers, academic panels and design publications.

In this revealing interview, Clinton Cole talks about what it takes to build a genuinely sustainable home in Australia.

This podcast was sponsored by CSR

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 Director at Autex Acoustics, has more than two decades of experience across design and manufacturing, with a career spanning mechanical engineering, product design, materials innovation, and acoustics. 

At Autex, he leads a team across design and engineering and has contributed to recycling technologies, product development, and the company's broader sustainability journey. 

In this episode, Jonathan shares a particularly interesting perspective from the intersection of product design, manufacturing, and architecture—three areas that increasingly need to work together if we're going to reduce the built environment's carbon impact. 

This podcast is brought to you in association with Autex Acoustics, proud sponsors of our 2026 Sustainability series of podcasts.

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 contribution to healthcare design in Australia and internationally. 

Her approach is particularly interesting because it goes beyond simply designing healthcare buildings. 

She’s a strong advocate for evidence-based, user-focused design and for thinking about how architecture can influence how people feel, heal, and connect. 

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 sector, advocating for the practical use of BIM and artificial intelligence to reduce waste, improve productivity and fundamentally change how buildings are delivered. 

Kapitol now models every project before construction begins, helping eliminate costly clashes, reduce rework and improve project certainty. 

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. 

Through recession, war, boom times, low times and a new millennium, 44 principals have passed on the baton of shared partnership and authorship, bolstered by thousands of alums, countless collaborators, clients, supporters and friends, united by a shared purpose to design a better future.

So, a century later, BVN's journey is now all about looking to the future with optimism and gratitude for those who have persevered, fostering the belief that architecture matters to society and pursuing that with integrity, creativity and care.

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 population. 

In this episode, Jocelyn discussed her vision for HIA, the role of industry advocacy, what governments need to do differently, and how the residential building sector can innovate while staying firmly focused on people. 

This podcast was sponsored by CSR

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 transform how buildings are designed and constructed. 

So, can technology solve our workforce crisis? Or do we simply need to rethink how we attract, train, and retain the next generation of tradespeople? 

In this episode, Robert Sobyra, Executive Director of Research and Planning at BuildSkills Australia, whose research has become central to Australia's conversation about construction skills, housing delivery, and the future workforce, offers a range of solutions to our building industry skills shortage woes. 

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 experiences long before the main event begins. 

 One of the latest examples is the transformation of the hospitality spaces at Afterpay Arena, where two distinctly different bar environments have been reimagined to deliver unique experiences while maintaining a cohesive architectural language. 

The project also incorporates Australia's most comprehensive square-powered venue commerce deployment, seamlessly integrating technology into the hospitality experience. 

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 the industry's chronic boom-and-bust cycles are the real culprit—creating labour shortages during the good times, losing skilled workers during downturns, and ultimately reducing both productivity and build quality. 

Joining us for this episode is the report's lead author, Associate Professor Andrea Sharam from RMIT University, to unpack why Australia's housing system needs structural reform if we're serious about delivering more homes. 

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 openness, and local identity with a consistent global brand?

Joining us in this episode are Joanna Ho, interior designer, and Rosie Morley, principal architect from Hassell, who share with us their extensive experience designing airport lounges and aviation hospitality environments.

This podcast is brought to you in association with Autex Acoustics, proud sponsors of our 2026 Sustainability series of podcasts.

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?  

"Rather than viewing their gradual decay as failure, we could explore design-driven alternatives that merge the contrasting forces of grief and play, transforming decay into a catalyst for civic engagement. 

"This approach could inspire innovative design strategies for revitalising forgotten urban spaces, creating a new type of urban environment that bridges grief and play, memory and adaptation."

In this episode, we talk to Isabel about applying urban design ideas to a necropolis.

 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 create spaces that are not only environmentally sustainable, but actively support human health, wellbeing, performance, and connection? 

This conversation also explores the evolving relationship between sustainability and wellbeing across workplace, airport, and hospitality design and will examine how designers are responding to changing expectations around equity, flexibility, resilience, and the human experience. 

This podcast is brought to you in association with Autex Acoustics, proud sponsors of our 2026 Sustainability series of podcasts.

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 conversation looks at how architects can respond creatively to the pressures of urban growth. 

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 material when it comes to acoustic and temperature insulation.

This podcast was sponsored by Durra Panel.

 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 contributed widely to architectural discourse and education.

His ideas on the intersection of connectivity, culture, and placemaking are a breath of fresh air for Australia's infrastructure sector.

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 reputation for projects that blur boundaries between disciplines while prioritising social and environmental sustainability.

Kjetil joins us during a milestone visit to Australia, marking ten years of Snøhetta’s permanent presence in the region. With projects spanning Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, and a keynote at the University of Melbourne, this conversation explores how architecture can shape culture, public life, and collective futures.

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 company designed to acquire, integrate and scale high‑quality design practices within a unified operating model. 

In this interview, Jacob talks about the major emphasis of his company's focus - streamlining the back‑end of design businesses, simplifying systems, centralising shared services, and removing inefficiencies to create operational leverage and a platform for sustainable growth. 

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 generation of circular manufacturers is turning waste streams into building products designed to replace traditional materials altogether. 

So which path leads to meaningful change? Is the future about decarbonising established industries—or replacing linear systems with circular alternatives? 

In this episode are Zoe Schmidt Technical Marketing Lead from Adbri, one of Australia’s major cement and construction materials companies working to reduce emissions in hard-to-abate sectors, and Paul Charteris CEO, saveBOARD, a company transforming difficult-to-recycle packaging waste into engineered building materials.

Image: Paul Charteris (left) and Zoe Schmidt (right) / Supplied.

If you want to see the work of Adbri and saveBoard, they'll be at FutureBuild, ICC Sydney, 11-13 June.

Adbri: Stand #212

saveBoard: Stand #301

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 by Coco Republic.

More than just a residential project, this development sits at the intersection of design excellence, community impact, and wellbeing — right next door to Sydney Adventist Hospital. With strong early sales and growing demand driven by health-focused living, it’s being hailed as a catalyst for the region’s residential renaissance.

We talk with Jim Hunter, Managing Director of Capital Corporation  to unpack the vision, the partnerships, and what makes this project resonate so strongly with Sydney's seemingly unstoppable residential housing sector.

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. 

He explains that hospitality design has taught him to think beyond aesthetics. In that world, every detail contributes to an experience, from the first impression on arrival to the transitions between rooms. 

That same mindset now informs his residential work, where flow, comfort and atmosphere are just as important as how a space looks. 

The conversation also touches on the idea of timelessness. Rather than following fast-moving trends, Terrando focuses on creating interiors that feel relevant for years to come. 

For him, it’s about balance, combining contemporary elements with materials and layouts that can age gracefully. Simplicity, quality and a clear sense of purpose tend to outlast anything overly decorative. 

As the lines between hospitality and residential design continue to blur, clients are increasingly looking for homes that offer more than just a place to live. There’s a growing appetite for spaces that feel considered and experience-driven, with touches that echo the comfort and ease of a well-designed hotel. 

Looking ahead, Terrando sees this overlap only deepening, especially as developments bring together private living with shared amenities. 

For designers, that means thinking carefully about how different spaces connect and support modern lifestyles. 

As he suggests, good design today isn’t just about creating beautiful interiors—it’s about shaping the way people live in them. 

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 design can help respond to these challenges — from co-locating education with hospitals and research facilities, to creating simulation-rich learning environments, and designing spaces that support collaboration, adaptability, and new models of care.

In this episode, we unpack what the future of healthcare education might look like — and what architects, universities and health providers need to start doing now.

To help with our unpacking we have with us, Leanne Guy Principal & Global Health Sector Leader of Hassell.

As Hassell’s Health Sector Lead, Leanne Guy brings strategic leadership and insight through a background in nursing and design with over 25 years of experience with public and private healthcare clients in Australia and the United Kingdom.

She’s worked on many complex developments, including the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne and recently the New Mount Barker Hospital in South Australia. 

Her extensive portfolio and experience as a health care professional have deepened her understanding of the clinical and operational needs of complex health facilities – and that insight translates into innovative and highly efficient design solutions.

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 trails, wetlands that improve water quality and habitat, and deep collaboration with the Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation, the project shows how climate-positive infrastructure can be embedded into the fabric of a city.

We unpack the thinking behind the design, the engineering and ecological challenges involved, and what this project might mean for the future of urban waterways in Australia.

Senior Landscape Architect and Associate at Taylor Cullity Lethlean (TCL), Kar Gan, who specializes in landscape architecture and urban design describes the process and ideas behind this award-winning design.

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.

In this interview, we talk about the challenges and opportunities behind that project, hear about her broader vision for sustainable design in Australia, and unpack what’s next for environmentally meaningful architecture. 

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 innovation across the sector.

In this episode, we unpack what MMC really means for architects and designers, how education and training need to evolve, and the role design thinking has in creating the homes Australia needs now.

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 city’s liveability.

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 cities like Sydney.

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 design to everything she does. 

In this conversation she describes how design thinking shapes the future of work, community, and the built environment.

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 place and purpose. 

We dive in and hear from the two amazing minds behind this inspiring work.

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 technical delivery, driving measurable change across buildings and infrastructure. 

She’s also the winner of the Emerging Sustainable Architect/Designer category at the 2025 Sustainability Awards, hosted by Architecture & Design.

In this interview, she explores her journey, insights, and what’s next for a more regenerative built environment.

Brought to you in association with Autex Acoustics, Proud Carbon Neutral Partners of the 2025 Sustainability Awards.

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 identity. 

Ed Lippmann is a very busy man – he is also an author and in his new book, 40 Years of Architecture, he captures this extraordinary journey with surprising warmth and candour, offering insights not only into his many projects but also into the evolution of architecture in Australia over the past four decades. 

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 academia, government, industry, and generations of practitioners worldwide.

He talks about his life's work so far, the value of teaching, the importance of building partnerships and how improving sustainability in the built environment is for the benefit of humanity as a whole.

 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 Architecture in collaboration with Billard Leece Partnership, is delivered by the Plenary Health consortium with Multiplex as builder, alongside the Victorian Government and Western Health. 

Joining the podcast are COX Executive Chair Patrick Ness and BLP Principal Mark Mitchell, who reflect on the ideas behind what has become affectionately known as “the People’s Hospital”.

Central to the discussion is the decision to conceive the hospital as a campus rather than a monolithic building. Five interconnected structures are organised around a village green, forming a civic heart that prioritises clarity, orientation and connection. 

This landscape-led approach reframes the hospital as a place people might visit for a coffee or a walk, not only in moments of illness, reinforcing its role as social and civic infrastructure.

Ness and Mitchell also discuss how human-centred design principles shaped everything from intuitive wayfinding and daylight-filled interiors to the careful management of scale in such a vast facility. 

Access to nature, cultural inclusion informed by collaboration with First Nations Elders, and a strong emphasis on staff wellbeing emerge as critical drivers of the design.

The episode also tackles future-facing challenges. Sustainability targets, including Green Star and WELL aspirations, influenced material choices and building performance, while lessons from COVID-19 informed flexibility and pandemic preparedness.

As the Footscray Hospital opens, this episode positions it as a powerful benchmark for healthcare architecture: a place where clinical excellence, community identity and long-term resilience are designed to coexist.

This podcast is brought to you in association with Autex Acoustics, proud sponsors of our 2025 Sustainability series of podcasts.

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 infrastructure in Australia.

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 simultaneously delivering a project of national significance. Establishing MAP Co’s culture, partnerships, and long-term vision has gone hand in hand with reshaping one of Melbourne’s most important civic and artistic precincts.

The redevelopment is deeply informed by the precinct’s rich history and layered cultural identity. Rather than starting from scratch, the transformation celebrates heritage, architecture, and Melbourne’s long-standing creative community, ensuring the precinct remains both respectful of its past and responsive to the future.

At the heart of the project is Laak Boorndap, a new public garden designed as a place for gathering, reflection, and cultural expression. More than just a green space, it brings together nature, performance, and Indigenous storytelling to create a welcoming and meaningful environment for the city.

Climate resilience is also central to the design, with landscaping, shade, and water-sensitive strategies helping prepare the precinct for Melbourne’s changing conditions. First Peoples principles guide planting, artistic collaborations, and the ongoing care for Country, ensuring Indigenous knowledge and culture are embedded throughout the space.

Drawing on her leadership experience at major cultural institutions such as ACMI and the Adelaide Film Festival, Sedgwick brings a collaborative and community-focused approach to this complex project. Balancing the needs of artists, organisations, visitors, and the wider public is key to creating a precinct that truly belongs to everyone.

With Federation Square now under MAP Co’s stewardship, the vision is for a connected cultural corridor where art, public life, and civic space come together. From major events to everyday moments of connection, the precinct is being shaped to inspire creativity and community for generations to come.

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’s skyline, enriched Australia’s civic identity, and taken Australian design to international audiences.

From the  Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney Exhibition Centre, Sydney Football Stadium, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, QPAC’s new Glasshouse Theatre to Sydney’s Barker College and a veritable smorgasbord of global high profile projects such as the National Maritime Museum of China, — Michael’s work has continually asked the same question: “What else?”

In this episode, we’ll explore his philosophy, the evolution of Brisbane’s architectural identity, and what true city-shaping leadership looks like in an era of rapid growth and change.  

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 be designed into all phases of projects from inception to delivery.

This podcast is brought to you in association with Autex Acoustics, proud sponsors of our 2025 Sustainability series of podcasts.

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 and running his own practice for 10 years, Hughan developed a strong focus toward project delivery and team management, as well as broader strategic and business development areas.

In this episode, Hughan shares his thoughts, ideas, skills and experience he learned during his career that spanned not just Australia, but a number of countries around the world.

This podcast is brought to you in association with Moddex, proud sponsors of our 2025 Commercial series of podcasts.

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 spaces are within a short walk or bike ride.

To discuss this incredible transformation are two key figures behind The Ellinikon’s residential vision, we spoke with Alexandros Moulas, Lamda's Chief Commercial Officer for Residential, and Andreas Kambanellas, Commercial Director for Residential, also from Lamda, the developer of this unique project.

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 drawn from London 2012 and other global events, how design thinking can shape Brisbane’s legacy, and how thoughtful planning can ensure Olympic investment benefits communities for decades to come.

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 boutique retail fit-out for Alpha60 in Sydney (due to be completed in spring 2025).

In this interview, Ellen explains the sheer importance and enduring legacy of hospitality design done well.

The latest episode of Talking Architecture & Design features John 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 living and large-scale master planning.

In this conversation, Czechowski reflects on how precincts have evolved from purely functional places into community-defining spaces. He explains the delicate balance between commercial viability, accessibility and cultural identity, stressing the importance of listening to community voices rather than treating consultation as an afterthought. 

The discussion also explores the unseen decisions that shape the built environment, from long-term material performance and compliance to the role of pathways and in-between spaces that guide how people experience a precinct.

Technology, climate resilience and cultural diversity are all pressing forces in design, and Czechowski offers insight into how these will influence the next generation of projects. 

This podcast is brought to you in association with Moddex, proud sponsors of our 2025 Commercial series of podcasts.

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 career in life cycle assessment, carbon science, and software innovation, she verifies data integrity and ensures Rebuilt’s outputs align with international standards.

In this episode, Dr Noller explains the Brave New World of fully declared and verified clean, green building products.

This podcast is brought to you in association with Autex Acoustics, proud sponsors of our 2025 Sustainability series of podcasts.

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 shaping policy, driving research, and fostering collaboration across government, industry, and academia.

We also have Martin Fenn, Chief Delivery Officer at PT Blink, a construction technology company transforming the delivery of multi-storey buildings. 

He leads the strategic rollout of its rapid-assembly kit-of-parts platform, partnering with developers to accelerate projects, mitigate delivery risk, and generate measurable commercial advantage through innovation.

He also serves as the MMC Lead for Oceania with the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), the world’s largest professional body for construction management.

In this interview, they explain how  Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) is the future of a sustainable house building sector in Australia.

This podcast is brought to you in association with Moddex, proud sponsors of our 2025 Commercial series of podcasts.

“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 technology to create more powerful, future-focused design solutions. That means he’s responsible for overseeing Hassell’s work in computational design, building information modelling, visualisation and virtual reality worldwide. 

Over the past decade Xavier has forged a reputation as an industry leader in the exploration and adoption of parametric design and digital fabrication. Most recently, he was behind Hassell’s concept for a ​‘home’ on Mars – part of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge.

A TED talker and regular speaker at major design and tech events, Xavier is also a director of Smartgeometry, a non-profit, global educational network for computational and digital design specialists.

He talks exclusively top Talking Architecture & Design about the future of lunar design.

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 together to better to solve our housing crisis & much, much more.

This podcast is brought to you in association with AWS, proud sponsors of our 2025 Residential series of podcasts.