Talking Architecture & Design

This episode tackles one of construction’s biggest questions: If the built environment needs to rapidly cut embodied carbon, what materials and manufacturing systems can realistically scale.

The construction sector sits at the centre of the climate challenge. Cement and concrete underpin modern infrastructure but remain among the world’s most carbon-intensive materials. At the same time, a new generation of circular manufacturers is turning waste streams into building products designed to replace traditional materials altogether. 

So which path leads to meaningful change? Is the future about decarbonising established industries—or replacing linear systems with circular alternatives? 

In this episode are Zoe Schmidt Technical Marketing Lead from Adbri, one of Australia’s major cement and construction materials companies working to reduce emissions in hard-to-abate sectors, and Paul Charteris CEO, saveBOARD, a company transforming difficult-to-recycle packaging waste into engineered building materials.

Image: Paul Charteris (left) and Zoe Schmidt (right) / Supplied.

If you want to see the work of Adbri and saveBoard, they'll be at FutureBuild, ICC Sydney, 11-13 June.

Adbri: Stand #212

saveBoard: Stand #301

The Residences at Wahroonga Estate, designed by GroupGSA, is a project that’s generating a lot of discussion up on Sydney’s Upper North Shore. 

Capital Corporation has officially broken ground on The Residences at Wahroonga Estate — a landmark luxury development delivered in partnership with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, award-winning builder DASCO, with architecture by GroupGSA and interiors by Coco Republic.

More than just a residential project, this development sits at the intersection of design excellence, community impact, and wellbeing — right next door to Sydney Adventist Hospital. With strong early sales and growing demand driven by health-focused living, it’s being hailed as a catalyst for the region’s residential renaissance.

We talk with Jim Hunter, Managing Director of Capital Corporation  to unpack the vision, the partnerships, and what makes this project resonate so strongly with Sydney's seemingly unstoppable residential housing sector.

Cindy Lee from Stratco Architectural  talks about the strategies needed to bridge the gap between design and delivery in her role at Stratco. 

In this recent interview, Cindy Lee shares insights on the company’s evolution, the shifting challenges of practice, and how early collaboration with suppliers can help architects realise their vision.

In this episode of Talking Architecture & Design, Clémence Carayol sits down with Interior Designer Léo Terrando to explore how hospitality thinking is reshaping the way we design and live. 

With over two decades of experience across hotels and high-end homes, Terrando brings a perspective grounded in how spaces are actually used, how people move through them, and how they feel along the way. 

He explains that hospitality design has taught him to think beyond aesthetics. In that world, every detail contributes to an experience, from the first impression on arrival to the transitions between rooms. 

That same mindset now informs his residential work, where flow, comfort and atmosphere are just as important as how a space looks. 

The conversation also touches on the idea of timelessness. Rather than following fast-moving trends, Terrando focuses on creating interiors that feel relevant for years to come. 

For him, it’s about balance, combining contemporary elements with materials and layouts that can age gracefully. Simplicity, quality and a clear sense of purpose tend to outlast anything overly decorative. 

As the lines between hospitality and residential design continue to blur, clients are increasingly looking for homes that offer more than just a place to live. There’s a growing appetite for spaces that feel considered and experience-driven, with touches that echo the comfort and ease of a well-designed hotel. 

Looking ahead, Terrando sees this overlap only deepening, especially as developments bring together private living with shared amenities. 

For designers, that means thinking carefully about how different spaces connect and support modern lifestyles. 

As he suggests, good design today isn’t just about creating beautiful interiors—it’s about shaping the way people live in them. 

As demand for healthcare services rises and workforce shortages intensify, universities and health institutions are under growing pressure to educate more students, more effectively, and in environments that reflect the rapidly changing nature of healthcare itself.

A recent research whitepaper, Anatomy of Change: Rethinking Healthcare Learning Environments, explores how architecture, planning and design can help respond to these challenges — from co-locating education with hospitals and research facilities, to creating simulation-rich learning environments, and designing spaces that support collaboration, adaptability, and new models of care.

In this episode, we unpack what the future of healthcare education might look like — and what architects, universities and health providers need to start doing now.

To help with our unpacking we have with us, Leanne Guy Principal & Global Health Sector Leader of Hassell.

As Hassell’s Health Sector Lead, Leanne Guy brings strategic leadership and insight through a background in nursing and design with over 25 years of experience with public and private healthcare clients in Australia and the United Kingdom.

She’s worked on many complex developments, including the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne and recently the New Mount Barker Hospital in South Australia. 

Her extensive portfolio and experience as a health care professional have deepened her understanding of the clinical and operational needs of complex health facilities – and that insight translates into innovative and highly efficient design solutions.

Breakout Creek / Purruna Pari Stage 3 recently took out both the Landscape & Urban category and Best of the Best at the 2025 Sustainability Awards. 

Delivered by TCL in collaboration with Green Adelaide, the City of Charles Sturt and the City of West Torrens, the project reimagines a once-degraded drainage channel as a thriving blue–green landscape.

Featuring over six kilometres of new walking trails, wetlands that improve water quality and habitat, and deep collaboration with the Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation, the project shows how climate-positive infrastructure can be embedded into the fabric of a city.

We unpack the thinking behind the design, the engineering and ecological challenges involved, and what this project might mean for the future of urban waterways in Australia.

Senior Landscape Architect and Associate at Taylor Cullity Lethlean (TCL), Kar Gan, who specializes in landscape architecture and urban design describes the process and ideas behind this award-winning design.

In this episode, we’re joined by award-winning architect Sarah Lebner, Director of Cooee Architecture. 

Sarah recently took out the Hospitality & Tourism Award at the 2025 Sustainability Awards for her remarkable transformation of an old grain silo into The Silos Accommodation — a sustainable, off-grid farm stay that celebrates adaptive reuse, environmental performance, and regional experience.

In this interview, we talk about the challenges and opportunities behind that project, hear about her broader vision for sustainable design in Australia, and unpack what’s next for environmentally meaningful architecture. 

Gabriel Solorzano Torres is the Executive Director of Commercial, Sustainability and Infrastructure at Melbourne Polytechnic. 

He brings deep strategic and operational experience in infrastructure and industry development — and is at the forefront of the new Future of Housing Construction Centre of Excellence, a national initiative aimed at scaling Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) skills and innovation across the sector.

In this episode, we unpack what MMC really means for architects and designers, how education and training need to evolve, and the role design thinking has in creating the homes Australia needs now.

Ingrid Bakker is a Principal architect, a board director for Hassell and a Life Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects.

Craig Guthrie is a specialist in Landscape Architecture and Urban Design with over 25 years of experience

As Hassell Studio Principals Ingrid Bakker and Craig Guthrie talk about the legacy for Melbourne and how the newly-built Metro Tunnel uses design to increase the city’s liveability.

Daniel Jarosch, Chief Executive Officer of Sydney Fish Market has lead the organisation through a once-in-a-generation relocation and reopening that has attracted millions of visitors and redefined this iconic waterfront for the future.

He explains how the new Sydney Fish Market is a game changer in terms of designing for place and the future of retail and hospitality design in busy and growing cities like Sydney.