Opacity is HDR’s annual global design review, bringing together diverse voices from across the design community to critically examine our best built and unbuilt work. It provides a platform for rigorous dialogue, sharpening our design conscience and pushing creative boundaries. 

In this episode, HDR's Melbourne Design Principal Alison Potter as well as Simon Fleet, who is HDR's Sydney Design Principal talk about Opacity, regenerative design framework, advanced data-driven capabilities, and a collaborative, cross-disciplinary approach and much, much more.

Samantha Peart has worked across 20 different countries, involving sustainability strategies and multidisciplinary project delivery for commercial and residential buildings, healthcare facilities, retail developments, university campuses, large-scale infrastructure projects and organisations. 

In her role as Hassell’s Global Head of Sustainability, Peart is leading the drive for innovation in sustainable design, helping to steer Hassell’s mission to become a more sustainable and forward-thinking practice. 

Prue Pascoe, Associate Interior Designer at Hassell has played a key role in the design of the Design Wall 2023. The Design Wall is part of the Melbourne Now exhibition and showcases innovative product design from Melbourne at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV).

In this interveiw Samanatha and Prue discuss teh drive towards Closing the Loop and in what ways are smart technologies (IoT, AI, data analytics) driving sustainability in building operations and infrastructure management.

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

Adrian Popple has over 35 years’ experience in residential design and under his guidance seen Metricon countless times recognised and awarded by Australia's peak building bodies for its innovative and industry leading designs.

Joining Metricon in 1987, Adrian Popple swiftly ascended the ranks navigating diverse roles-from drafting cadet to design and display management, and a stint in business development, culminating in his now 15-year tenure as National Design Director.

Over three decades, Adrian has meticulously crafted Metricon's design DNA, establishing an envious industry presence.

He joins us to try and answer the burning question of this week: “If Your House Were a Car, It Would Be a 1990 Sedan. How can we Fix That?".

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

This is the story of Sydney House, a transformative mixed-use development that redefines luxury living while honouring over 130 years of built legacy. 

Rising above the historic facades of the former City Tattersalls Club, this elegant composition is more than just a building—it’s a conversation between past and present. 

From the scalloped rhythms of the tower to the carefully restored Victorian and Art Deco details, Sydney House embodies sensitive addition and contemporary expression. 

In this podcast, Phillip Rossington, Principal of BVN and Richard Francis-Jones, Design Director of FJC Studio, share some of the key creative forces behind the project and unpack the design philosophy, challenges, and vision that shaped one of Sydney’s most refined architectural ensembles.

In this episode of Talking Architecture & Design, we speak with Kylie Sandland, Design Psychologist and Co-Founder of Design for Hope, a social enterprise creating trauma-informed spaces for recovery and well-being. 

With three decades of experience in psychology and organisational consulting, Sandland brings a unique, evidence-based approach to the way environments affect our mental health. 

From domestic violence shelters to rehabilitation centres, her work focuses on designing spaces that foster safety, dignity, and emotional healing. 

Sandland shares the personal story that inspired her career shift into design and introduces her Hope Hierarchy, a framework that translates psychological needs into practical design strategies. 

She explains how elements like lighting, layout, and colour can support trauma recovery, and why staff well-being must also be a design priority. 

Projects like Erin’s Place and Jarrah House illustrate how thoughtful design choices can change lives, not through luxury, but through care and intention. As Sandland says, “spaces can either trigger trauma or help people heal.” 

Listen to learn how trauma-informed design is reshaping not only crisis care environments but also workplaces, schools, and community spaces. 

In this episode, we’re taking a deep dive into Stratco, an Australian company with over 75 years of experience providing building solutions for both professionals and homeowners. 

Stratco offers a wide range of products, including patios, carports, verandahs, garages, sheds, and outdoor living products such as NINELINE, SUPERDEK & PRODEK.

Critically for Australian architects and builders, Stratco has manufacturing facilities in all mainland states of Australia and also in New Zealand.

To explain all about Stratco’s full range of capabilities, we talk with Eric Lien, National Architectural and Specifications Manager, and Andrew Steele, architect and managing director of South Australian design firm Studio Nine Architects.

This episode was sponsored by Stratco.

Nerida Conisbee is Ray White’s Chief Economist and one of Australia’s leading property experts. 

Nerida works closely with industry partners to provide strategic vision and policy recommendations for the future of property in Australia.

She represents Ray White to inform and influence key stakeholder groups across the residential and commercial sectors, in addition to advising major Australian government bodies.

In this exclusive interview, Nerida unravels the main issues behind our housing affordability crisis and some things we can do to alleviate the problem.

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

Jonathan 'Jono' Mountfort is the Creative Director at Autex Acoustics and a design expert specialising in sustainable acoustic solutions. 

 With over 20 years of experience in design and manufacturing, Jonathan oversees product design, compliance, and sustainability. His journey into design began with a background in mechanical engineering, which sparked his passion for tinkering. 

After a brief stint as a vegan chef on the set of ‘Lord of the Rings,’ he pursued a degree in product design, where he explored innovative concepts such as biomimicry and cradle-to-cradle design. 

These days, his expertise blends industrial design, engineering, and acoustics, giving him a distinctive approach to creating circular products. 

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

The Australian Parliament passed the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Reconsiderations) Bill 2025, restricting the Minister for the Environment’s power to reconsider certain past decisions under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). 

This change has significant implications for environmental oversight, particularly in cases where new information emerges about the impact of ongoing land use activities, such as the concerns raised over salmon farming in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour and its potential effect on the endangered Maugean skate. 

Holding Redlich Special Counsel Katharine Huxley is an environment and planning lawyer with experience in development, compliance, local government, and administrative law, who can discuss the implications of this significant new amendment. 

In this interview, Huxley explains what this will mean for future land use and environmental management in general.

With housing affordability at crisis levels and younger generations leaving Sydney in record numbers, the Minns Labor Government has announced a bold plan to make it faster, easier, and more affordable to build a new home. 

At the center of this plan is the launch of the NSW Housing Pattern Book—a collection of architect-designed terraces, townhouses, and manor houses—combined with a world-first Complying Development pathway that promises to cut approval times down to just ten days. 

The NSW government has been at the forefront of this major reform, which aims not only to increase housing supply but also to create vibrant, sustainable communities that reflect the diversity of the people who call NSW home. 

 Paul Scully, New South Wales Minister for Planning and Public Spaces joins us to unpack what this all means for families, first-home buyers, downsizers, and builders across the state.

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