Design Speaks Weekly
Episodes
Making waste work | Amy Seo
25 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The design and construction industry generates some of the largest amounts of waste in Australia. Approximately 26.8 megatons were recorded during the...
Thinking like a fox | Neil Durbach, Camilla Block and David Jaggers
18 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Neil Durbach, Camilla Block and David Jaggers are the recipients of the Australian Institute of Architects 2026 Gold Medal – Australia’s highest a...
Who benefits from Indigenous design? | Alison Page
11 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Alison Page is a Walbanga and Wadi Wadi woman and a leading design entrepreneur. Her portfolio spans collaborations with Indigenous designers Dillon K...
Every design project is a research project | Nigel Bertram
04 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Nigel Bertram believes all design projects are research projects. As director of Melbourne-based practice NMBW Architecture Studio and practice prof...
Private vision, public value | Ingrid Richards
27 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ingrid Richards is a renowned Australian architect who co-founded Richards and Spence with Adrian Spence in 2008, and has since contributed significan...
Building as an act, not an object | Níall McLaughlin
20 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Níall McLaughlin founded his London-based practice, Níall McLaughlin Architects, in 1990. Over three decades, the studio has developed a reputation ...
Are we overprotecting play? | Mike Hewson
13 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Mike Hewson is originally from Aotearoa New Zealand and has been based in Sydney for the past decade. He has a background in structural engineering an...
How to practise what you preach | Sarah Lynn Rees
06 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah Lynn Rees is a Palawa woman descending from the Plangermaireener and Trawlwoolwaypeoples of north-east Lutruwita/Tasmania. In addition to her ro...
Has architecture lost its nerve? | Peter McIntyre AO
30 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Architect Peter McIntyre AO is known for his experimental approach and infectious enthusiasm. He’s received numerous awards, including the 1990 Gold...
Should architects resist the ‘emerging’ label? | Belqis Youssofzay
23 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Youssofzay Hart is an award-winning architecture and interior design practice based in Sydney. The studio is well acquainted with the "emerging archit...
The economics of practice | Isabelle Toland and Andrew Nimmo
16 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Commercial viability and creative ambition in architectural practice are a constant balancing act, even more so in this time of economic uncertainty. ...
The language of space and time | Olafur Eliasson
09 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Renowned Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson is best known for his large-scale immersive installations that harness ephemeral materials, including...
Is International Women’s Day still relevant? | Monique Woodward
02 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In March 1911, over 1 million people protested across Europe to mark the first ever International Women’s Day, a landmark moment in the long fight f...
Less house, more life | John Ellway
23 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
John Ellway is one of Australia’s leading residential architects. Since establishing his practice in 2017, he has received multiple state and nation...
Does architecture shape who we are? | Angelo Candalepas
16 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Angelo Candalepas is one of Australia’s most influential architects working today. Since founding his multi-award-winning practice, Candalepas Assoc...
Architecture vs politics | Elizabeth Watson-Brown
09 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
As an established architect and a member of the Australian Greens, Elizabeth Watson-Brown is a strong advocate for the built environment – particula...
Is the sum of parts greater than the whole? | Simon Pendal
02 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Simon Pendal is founder of Fremantle-based practice Simon Pendal Architect, and associate professor and co-chair of the Studio Programme at The Univer...
What kind of designer do you want to be? | Rory Hyde and Grace Mortlock
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There is a lot to be learnt from traditional practice, but architects have the capacity to tackle greater social and environmental issues as well – ...
Advice to a young architect | Sean Godsell
08 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Architect Sean Godsell has won numerous local and international awards, including the 2022 Gold Medal of the Australian Institute of Architects. In h...
Does architecture have a PR problem? | Elizabeth Farrelly
01 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We all interact with architecture in some way, but the public’s understanding of the value and services of architects continues to be limited. Is th...
Indigenising architecture, from the 90s to now | Kevin O’Brien
24 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kevin O’Brien is a Brisbane-based architect of Kaurereg and Meriam heritage and principal at BVN Architecture. Over the past three decades, Kevin ...
Can lessons from London solve our housing crisis? | Alexis Kalagas
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The housing crisis is one of the most important challenges of our time. It is a complex and highly politicised issue, but it is not unique to Australi...
What makes a great Australian home? | Mel Bright
10 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Over the last thirteen years, Studio Bright has garnered numerous national architecture and interior design awards for its residential work. The lates...
From starting out to standing out | Jared Webb
03 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the three years since Jared Webb opened his practice, J.AR Office, the studio has won a number of significant national architecture and interior aw...
Why do architects need to be advocates? | Jennifer McMaster
27 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Architects have always been advocates for design solutions, but as global challenges grow, so too does pressure on architects to stand up and do more....
Can design save the planet? | Ross Harding
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Reducing carbon emissions has long been a global priority. Ross Harding, principal of Finding Infinity – a creative and technical environmental cons...
Does Australia need a federal government architect? | Adam Haddow
13 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Australia has a chief medical officer and chief scientist – but no federal government architect. In today’s episode, associate editor of Architect...
Is “trend” a dirty word? | Rachel Nolan and Patrick Kennedy
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel Nolan and Patrick Kennedy are founding partners of the award-winning practice Kennedy Nolan. Along with its many accolades and acknowledgments,...
Who, or what, defines Indigenous architecture today? | Carroll Go-Sam and Deidre Brown
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Design Speaks Weekly, Carroll Go-Sam and Deidre Brown explore the progress of Indigenous recognition and representation in architec...
Mastering the art of high-low design | Brahman Perera
22 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s episode, editor of InteriorsAu Cassie Hansen speaks with interior designer Brahman Perera about mixing styles, textures and price points ...
What makes a successful Olympic city? | Lawrence Nield and Philip Thalis
15 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week marks 25 years since the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games – an event that reshaped the city through an ambitious masterplan developed by a team o...
Trusting the chaos | Simone Bliss
08 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Design Speaks Weekly, Emily Wong, editor of Landscape Architecture Australia, is joined by landscape architect and creative directo...
What is an architect, really? | Timothy Hill
01 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Timothy Hill is the director of architecture studio Partners Hill. In 2025, he was awarded the Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal in recogn...
Is the competition system failing architects? | Camilla Block
25 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Camilla Block is director of architectural studio Durbach Block Jaggers. In this episode of Design Speaks Weekly, she tackles the state of architectur...
Are you paid fairly? | Justine Clark
18 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
August 19 is the national Equal Pay Day for 2025. The date marks the 50 additional days from the end of the financial year that women in Australia ne...
My greatest lessons | Glenn Murcutt
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
With a career that spans almost 60 years, Glenn Murcutt AO is no stranger to the changing world of architectural practice. His work, which is ongoing,...
Why prefab? | Stuart Vokes and Dan Burnett
04 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the first episode of the Design Speaks Weekly podcast, architects Stuart Vokes of Vokes and Peters and Dan Burnett of Blok Modular discuss their co...