Talking Architecture & Design

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.