Original Thinkers Podcast

The Makers: Dylan Graham is the Project Manager for Construction in Tasmania's North-West for Fairbrother. Fairbrother is a nationally award-winning company specialising in commercial and industrial construction whose expertise spans a wide array of projects, from large-scale infrastructure developments to bespoke commercial buildings. They are known for their commitment to quality, innovation, and sustainability. With a strong focus on client satisfaction, Fairbrother consistently delivers projects that meet rigorous standards and contribute significantly to the built environment.

"Mass timber – it's an exciting space, it has a long way to run. There's huge potential, and I think a few of the preconceived ideas of the past in terms of costs or time or limitations around fire, we should continue to challenge these. They're not insurmountable. What you might've been told is impossible two years ago, could well be possible now, or it may be possible by the time your project kicks off, and I think more than ever that is true."

originalthinkers.com.au/dylan-graham


Links & Show Notes:

• Fairbrother
• University of Tasmania’s Northern Transformation Project
• Article: River's Edge
• Project: River's Edge
• Article: Embodied Carbon & Mass Timber
• Podcast: David Rowlinson
• Cusp CLT
• Article: Eucalyptus nitens research
• Cusp Fire Tests
• Wardle Studio
• Centre for Sustainable Architecture With Wood (CSAW)
• Article: Greg Nolan
• Article: St Lukes Launceston
• Supplier: Neville Smith Forest Products (NSFP)
• Supplier: Britton Timbers

Episode Sponsor:

• Tasmanian Timber

The Makers: Murray Griffiths is a Director of My Build Collective. My Build Collective is a team of passionate designers and builders based in Launceston, specialising in creating unique custom homes. They offer a complete design and build experience, guiding clients from initial consultation through to the final handover. With a strong emphasis on collaboration and transparency, My Build Collective ensures clients are involved and informed throughout the process.

"I've used a lot of imported timbers that are softwoods that come out from all over the world, and they don't stand up. They shrink, they buckle, they swell. Whereas with Tassie hardwood, you know it's gonna shrink, but you know that. But it's gonna silver off and harden beautifully. They say if you eat from your area, it's a lot healthier for you, and I think your building, if you're using materials from around the area, isn't that making a healthier building?"

originalthinkers.com.au/murray-griffiths


Links & Show Notes:

• My Build Collective
• Article: The Boat House
• Article: Black Hearted Sassafras
• Article: Westella Vineyard
• Project: The Fishing Lodge
• Species: Tasmanian Oak
• McKay Timber
• NCC – National Construction Code
• Article: St Lukes
• Article: Cusp Building Solutions (CLT & GLT)
• Podcast: Ona Flindell (Oslotre)
• Oslotre (Oslo, Norway)
• Project: Lachlan Parade (offcuts of Blackwood logs in a door)
• Webinar: Tasmanian Oak - Classic & Prime Grades

Episode Sponsor:

• Tasmanian Timber

• Merritt Joinery
• Species: Tasmanian Oak
• Article: Kananamaluka House
• Article: University of Tasmania Library at Inveresk
• Australian Trades Small Business Champion Award
• Beacon Foundation

• Tasmanian Timber

The Makers: Al & Imo Roberts are the creative force behind their eponymous studio, Al & Imo. Based in Freshwater Creek, Victoria, they craft bespoke, handcrafted furniture and objects. Drawing inspiration from their natural surroundings, their pieces showcase a deep respect for materiality, with an emphasis on ethically and sustainably sourced timber. Al & Imo’s work transcends functionality, each creation imbued with artistry and designed to enrich the spaces they inhabit.

"I've got goosebumps thinking about us making the rocking chair and the cot when I was pregnant. My memories are all based around us building things for ourselves. We constantly just make things that we need for ourselves, and then we're starting to offer more of those products to our customers as well. Good design attracts good people. Good people attracts good design. And then you just end up surrounded by lovely things and lovely people."

originalthinkers.com.au/al-and-imo


Links & Show Notes:

• Al & Imo
• The Good Day House
• Video: The Good Day House Build
• Al & Imo’s Furniture Range
• Britton Timbers
• Touchwood Wall Lining
• Al & Imo: Installing Touchwood
• Species: Tasmanian Oak
• Species: Tasmanian Blackwood
• Al & Imo on Instagram

Episode Sponsor:

• Tasmanian Timber

The Problem Solvers: Greg Nolan is a Professor at the University of Tasmania’s School of Architecture and Design and the Director of the University’s Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood (CSAW). As an advocate for innovative timber applications, Greg leads CSAW in its mission to be a global leader in sustainable architectural design and building with wood. His work centres on developing practical, environmentally responsible solutions that highlight the potential of wood to reduce the construction industry’s carbon footprint.

"Architects are by definition, multi-variable problem solvers. Clients come to us with issues, with desires, and the architect has to accommodate those, or adjust within a whole regulatory framework, so there's many, many, many different variables that they've got to consider and coming up with a solution. And then they've got to do it in three dimensions. While we work in research, the research is also then multi-variable problem solving."

originalthinkers.com.au/greg-nolan


Links & Show Notes:

• UTAS Bio: Greg Nolan
• School of Architecture and Design at the University of Tasmania
• Centre for the Sustainable Architecture with Wood (CSAW)
• Article: Timber Certification Explained
• Podcast: Michael Berger (PEFC)
• PEFC
• FSC
• Responsible Wood
• Species: Radiata Pine
• Tasmanian Oak Moisture Meter Card
• Blackwood Moisture Meter Card
• Fire Testing Certificates
• Wood Solutions: Fire Design
• Wood Solutions: Fire Design Timber Structure Compliance
• Wood Solutions: Technical Guides
• Wood Solutions: Moisture Management in Timber Frame Construction
• Tasmanian Timber Expert Helpline (1300 041 766)
• Tasmanian Timber Quality Assurance Program
• Article: Tasmanian Timber's Sustainability Journey
• 1967 Tasmanian Bushfires (Black Tuesday)

Episode Sponsor:

• Tasmanian Timber

The Problem Solvers: Dr. Louise Wallis is a passionate advocate for sustainable construction and the innovative use of wood in architecture. As Deputy Director of the Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood (CSAW) at the University of Tasmania, she leads research and development initiatives exploring the vast potential of timber in creating environmentally responsible and structurally sound buildings. Her work at CSAW, a leading research center dedicated to advancing the use of wood in the built environment, focuses on promoting sustainable forestry practices and developing innovative timber-based building solutions for a lower-carbon future.

"I've always been very interested in materials and how we use them, and then thinking about, as an architect, it's a bit like a fashion designer – we have material, or fabric, and we are trying to sculpt it and make it in ways that it will be expressive, and it'll also form its function. The same's true with architecture."

originalthinkers.com.au/lousie-wallis


Links & Show Notes:

• Centre for the Sustainable Architecture with Wood (CSAW)
• College of Science and Engineering at the University of Tasmania
• School of Architecture and Design at the University of Tasmania
• Webinar: Tasmanian Oak - Classic & Prime Grades
• Circular Economy
• Timber Charring
• Article: UTAS Inveresk Library
• Article: UTAS Cradle Coast Campus
• Article: UTAS Rivers Edge
• Podcast: Ona Flindell (Oslotre)
• Oslotre
• Cusp CLT & GLT
• Sustainable Timber Tasmania (STT)
• State of the Forest Report 2023
• Podcast: Michael Berger (PEFC)
• Article: Timber Certification Explained
• PEFC
• FSC

Episode Sponsor:

• Tasmanian Timber

The Architects: Scott Flett is the Director of Flett Architecture, an award-winning studio based in Sydney. Driven by a deep appreciation for context, materiality, and the human experience, Flett creates refined, enduring architectural solutions that seamlessly blend functionality and aesthetics. Scott's work is characterised by a thoughtful approach to design, emphasising natural light, honest materials, and a strong connection to the surrounding landscape.

"The reason why we had so much confidence is that when you build a boat out of timber, you know what timber is capable of - capable of so much more than just cladding, and Tasmania has that sort of institutional knowledge of making things with timber, curving with timber, and part of that's just like, when you're familiar with how they used to make boats out of timber just float, all of a sudden, just a cladding board, doesn't seem to feel as scary."

originalthinkers.com.au/scott-flett

Links & Show Notes:

• Flett Architecture
• Article: Wattlebird House (Tasmanian Timber)
• Project: Wattlebird House (Flett)
• Australian Institute of Architects Emerging Architect Prize
• Flett Flashing (Award)
• Flett Flashing (YouTube)
• Flett Flashing (Better Future Award)
• Clinker Dinghy
• Species: Huon Pine
• Species: Tasmanian Oak
• Species: Celery-Top Pine
• Cutek Coatings
• Stanley Hand Plane
• Analiese Gregory

Episode Sponsor:

• Tasmanian Timber

The Architects: Fiona Dunin is the Director of FMD Architects, a renowned Melbourne-based architecture firm known for its innovative and sustainable designs. Merging her interior design and architecture expertise, Fiona brings a holistic approach to her projects, ensuring a seamless and harmonious integration of spaces from the inside out. FMD Architects specialises in crafting residential, commercial, and public spaces that are functional, aesthetically pleasing, and environmentally responsible. Their collaborative approach and dedication to design excellence have earned them a reputation as one of Australia’s leading architectural practices.

"I think we have a huge role to play. I mean, the amount of energy that our buildings take to build, but also to run and to live in, is enormous. So we have a huge role to play to make these buildings, one, minimise the carbon footprint of the actual construction of the buildings, maximise the lifespan of the buildings and the interiors, and think about that sort of ongoing lifespan of the building."

originalthinkers.com.au/fiona-dunin


Links & Show Notes:

• FMD Architects
• Daryl Jackson
• Daryl Jackson (University of Melbourne)
• John Wardle Architects
• John Wardle Architects (Wikipedia)
• Tasmanian Oak
• Article: Tiara House
• Tiara House (FMD)
• Fitzroy Gardens Rotunda
• Bustle House (FMD)
• Species: Black Heart Sassafras
• Article: Different features in timber (veneer)
• Article: QC Chambers
• Benefits of timber in workspaces
• Biophilic Design
• Hydrowood
• Centre for Sustainable Architecture With Wood (CSAW)

Episode Sponsor:

• Tasmanian Timber

The Timber Processors: Josh Turnbull is the Green Mill Manager at Neville Smith Forest Products. Neville Smith Forest Products is a leading Australian hardwood sawmilling company and a key supplier of high-quality timber products. Operating multiple sawmills nationwide, they specialise in processing a diverse range of hardwood species, catering to various market segments, including structural and engineered wood products, flooring and decking. Neville Smith Forest Products plays a significant role in the Australian timber industry with a commitment to sustainable forestry practices and efficient production processes.

"We've definitely seen a bit of ambiguity around supply, or continuity of supply, with the exit of the Victorian forests in the native space, and I can assure you that the continuity of supply in Tassie is great, now and into the future. And obviously we've got the estates of the plantation yields coming online in the very near future. So I would say it's readily available and it is very, very sustainably harvested."

originalthinkers.com.au/josh-turnbull


Links & Show Notes:

• Neville Smith Forest Products
• Species: Tasmanian Oak
• Article: Neville Smith Southwood Mill
• Drymill
• Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood (CSAW)
• NSFP – Installation Guidelines
• Book: Timber by the Truckload
• Abelwood Lining
• Woodsmith Engineered Flooring
• Fitzpatrick and Partners Offices in Sydney
• Sustainable Timber Tasmanian (STT)
• PEFC Certification
• Forest Practices Plans
• Article: UTAS Inveresk Library by Wardle
• Article: UTAS River's Edge by Wardle
• Janka Rating

Episode Sponsor:

• Tasmanian Timber

The Timber Processors: Andrew Morgan is Co-Founder of Hydrowood. Hydrowood is a company driven by innovation and sustainability within the timber industry. As a specialist in timber drying and processing, Hydrowood utilises cutting-edge technology to responsibly source and process submerged and salvaged timber, transforming it into premium quality wood products for various applications. Their commitment to environmental responsibility is evident in their practices, ensuring the preservation of valuable timber resources while minimising waste.

" So, it is treasure hunting; whenever we take people to the lake and it's the first time they're there, it is captivating. People will watch it, because there's that mystique, that reveal. So, as that tree comes up, it might be a beautiful blood-red Myrtle, or it might be Huon Pine, or it might be a Celery Top Pine – we extract a number of different species. And so there's always that mystique of what's it going to be next? And it really captures people. And you can sit there for an hour, or two hours, and people are just quite happy watching trees being harvested. It's quite an amazing experience."

originalthinkers.com.au/andrew-morgan


Links & Show Notes:

• Hydrowood
• Hydrowood – story and videos of the process
• Article: Hydrowood - a vast resource reclaimed
• CSAW – The Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood
• Species – Tasmanian Oak
• Species – Myrtle
• Species – Celery Top Pine
• Species – Huon Pine
• Species – Blackwood
• Green Star Ratings
• Article: Limestone House
• Hydrowood | Project – Limestone House
• Article: Parliament House
• Hydrowood | Project – Parliament House
• Article: Innovation House

Episode Sponsor:

• Tasmanian Timber