Welcome to Episode 67! Today's episode is a fireside chat with the team around the recent book 'Messy Cities - Why We Can't Plan Everything', edited by Dylan Reid, Zahra Ebrahim, Leslie Woo, and John Lorinc.

We discuss the key questions the book poses, “Have our rules and regulations squeezed too much of the life out of our cities? But also how do you plan and design a city that is safe and functional while also leaving room for spontaneity and serendipity?” with local and international examples.

Bloomberg interview with authors of 'Messy Cities' - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-02-03/in-messy-cities-a-call-for-some-healthy-urban-disorder

Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 66! To close out our year, we huddle with just the core team and forty smooth minutes of reflecting on our collective highs and lows for 2026.

We wish all our listeners and supporters a very happy Christmas and summer break, and thank you for your support of this little pod. We've got exciting things planned for next year and are looking forward to what it gives us to talk about.

Photo: Barry Tobin

Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 65! Today we talk with a true icon of Aotearoa's built and natural environment - Rachel de Lambert. Urban designer and landscape architect, consulting partner at Boffa Miskell, and Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects, Rachel has been involved in some of our most significant and transformational placemaking outcomes over a career spanning over 40 years.

The whole team chatted with Rachel about her career highlights and reflections, how travel inspires and centres her, and the collaborative relationship between architects and landscape designers.

Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 64! It's a very special guest this episode, with the team joined by UK architect, author, and television presenter George Clarke. This episode was recorded back in February when George was filming in Aotearoa for his new series - George Clarke's Homes in the Wild - and the show features Arch's very own build on Rākino Island.

We dove deep with George, covering everything from his early work as a designer with Sir Terry Farrell, how his television career began, what makes a home, and of course his new show. It's a full hour of engaging kōrero and we're delighted he took the time out of his busy schedule to talk with us.

George Clarke's Homes in the Wild is screening now on Sky Go and Neon.

Arch’s Rakino Cabin - www.rakinocabin.nz

Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 63! Architect, educator, illustrator, and now published author - Craig Moller joins Mat, Tash and Arch for an in-depth chat starting with the release of his newly-published book of lockdown-era drawings Building People.

Craig's intense intellectual and creative curiosity drives his career and interests, and we loved talking about his creative process, his exploration of different creative media, what makes great cities, the influence of AI on architectural education, and of course the stories behind his new book.

Building People from Six Point Press - https://sixpointpress.com/product/building-people/

Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 62! It's a guest episode this time, with the full team talking with an impressive creator, problem solver, and starchitect-wrangler. We're joined this episode by Hamish Nevile, Director of Design at Holmes Group - a structural, fire, and infrastructure consultancy with offices in New Zealand, Australia, the Netherlands, and the USA.

Starting as a structural engineer, Hamish has had a fascinating career and has been involved in not only some of Aotearoa's most significant projects, but some of the world's most recognisable and complex buildings, including OMA’s CCTV building, and two Serpentine Pavilions. We loved talking about the design process, working with renown architects, and what the future holds.

Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 61! Still buzzing from our special anniversary episode, the whole team gathered to discuss the question of why colour disappeared from contemporary architecture, and is it undergoing a resurgent return?

Our discussion covered how architects are trained, what influences the use and selection of colour in design, and some of our favourite uses of colour in architecture.

Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Cover photo taken by Arch - the artist David Rickard's feet at Paimio Sanatorium, Helsinki

Welcome to Episode 60! In this very special recording we celebrate ten years of 76 Small Rooms, in a live audience recording at Objectspace Gallery in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Deftly compered by Jeremy, the team were joined by a brilliant panel made up of Objectspace director Kim Paton; Matakohe Architecture + Urbanism's Jade Kake; and our very first guest back in 2015 - architect and founder of RTA Studio Rich Naish.

We discussed two questions: how has design in Aotearoa New Zealand changed in the last decade? And what changes can we hope for in the decade ahead?

Huge thanks and aroha to Objectspace for hosting this kōrero, and their ongoing support of design and creativity in Aotearoa. Special thanks to those who attended this celebration, and our gratitude to Te Aihe Butler, who recorded and mixed this live episode.

Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Cover photo: Cameron Law

Welcome to Episode 59! The whole team gathered for our first fully online interview with 2024 Te Kāhui Whaihanga NZIA Gold Medal winners Hugh Tennent and Ewan Brown.

Their award citation describes them as having "travelled commonly avoided pathways" in their work, and our discussion delves deeper into their meeting, the strong commitment to listening and learning, and the complementary nature of their partnership. Their inventive incorporation of Te Ao Māori into architectural responses overlaps with the most pressing needs of the profession to mitigate its effect on the environment, and is captured neatly when they say, "All of the Living Building Challenge projects are kaupapa Māori projects"

The discussion is better than the audio quality on this chat, for which we beg your indulgence as we test our ability to interview remote guests.

Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Cover photo: Catherine Cattanach https://www.catherinecattanach.com/

Welcome to Episode 58! We took a quick breath before submerging for Christmas to get together and look back on the end of the First Quarter 21st Century results. It's been a great year, and we discuss the architects who've inspired us or caught our attention. Our huge thanks to Barry Tobin, who dropped in to photograph this session xxx

Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Cover photo: Barry Tobin https://www.barrytobin.co.nz/