Talking Architecture & Design

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.

Proper weatherproofing is essential for buildings in Australia due to the country's climate, which includes intense sun, heavy rainfall, and varying temperatures. Effective weatherproofing protects the building from water damage, structural issues, and the growth of mould and mildew, while also ensuring a comfortable and healthy living environment. 

Jon Conway – National Technical & Product Development Manager for Innova at Etex Australia and Craig Blinco – Sales and Marketing Director, Sales & Marketing Director - Etex ANZ, explain the fundamentals of why getting your weatherproofing right is at the core of getting durable, code-compliant buildings.

This episode was sponsored by Innova by Etex.

Graphisoft is a European multinational corporation that designs 3D design software made by architects for architects.

Based in Bavaria Germany, Graphisoft CEO Daniel Csillag is a former general manager of Bluebeam and CEO of Nevaris, who in Feb 2024 became CEO of Graphisoft with a focus on strategy, sales & products/services. 

Marton Kiss is Graphisoft’s Chief Product Officer and Senior Product Manager. Beginning his career as a technical support engineer, Márton’s narrative is a testament to growth, curiosity, and the power of advocating for user-centric products.  

In this recent interview, Daniel & Marton describe the evolution of their 3D software has gone through and what this will mean for Australian architects and designers.

Designed by Woods Bagot, Perth’s METRONET Morley-Ellenbrook Line creates 21km of new railway track, connecting the north-eastern suburbs and Perth CBD. Five new integrated station precincts link various places of character and landscape along the unique Perth Swan Coastal Plain.

 The Morley-Ellenbrook Line represents the most significant expansion of the rail network since the Mandurah Line was built in 2007.

 To explain this huge project, we have with us Kukame McPierzie, Principal at Woods Bagot and National Vice-President of the Association of Consulting Architects, and the design lead on this project.

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

In this episode of Talking Architecture & Design, host Clémence Carayol is joined by Ben Morgan and Nic Granleese, Co-Founders of Bowerbird, a platform that’s reshaping how architectural projects are shared with the media.

With backgrounds in publishing and architecture, Morgan and Granleese created Bowerbird to make architectural storytelling more accessible. Their goal: to simplify the way architects pitch their work and connect directly with journalists.

The conversation explores how the relationship between architecture and media is shifting, particularly with the rise of AI. From writing tools to image generation, technology is changing how architects document, visualise and share their work.

They also look at the role of editorial quality in an algorithm-driven world, and how architects can adapt by embracing storytelling as part of their practice.

Finally, Morgan and Granleese share how Bowerbird is evolving to support the architectural community in a fast-changing media landscape.

by Clémence Carayol

Listen now on all major podcast platforms.

In this episode, we are going to delve into the world of Data-Driven Design or D3 as it's known.

And to help us traverse this brave new world of design, we’re talking with, Jeremy Graham from HDR. 

With over a decade of experience, HDR's Computational Design Director, Jeremy Graham is recognised for his expertise in computational design and software development, significantly impacting the built environment through innovative solutions for integrating data and information into the design process.

Based in Melbourne, Australia, Jeremy Graham leads the development of advanced technologies that harness artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance the architectural design process.

His design career spans multiple sectors, including sports, education, and health, where he has implemented bespoke generative solutions for data-driven design.

Notable projects in his portfolio include Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Optus Stadium, Marvel Stadium, and Al Janoub Stadium.

Jefa Greenaway is the director of Greenaway Architects and an honorary fellow of Design at Deakin University and Adjunct Industry Fellow at Swinbourne university.  

He is also a co-founder of several organizations set up to support Indigenous peoples pursuing a career in design.

Greenaway was born on the Dharawal Country in Sydney. His father Bert Groves, was an Indigenous civil rights activist, and his mother was of German ancestry.

He received his bachelor's degree in planning and design at the Melbourne University, where he was the only Indigenous person in his class at that time.

In this exclusive interview, he talks to TAD about the true meaning and value of Designing for Country.

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

The Government’s promise to build 250,000 completed homes a year for the next four years, coupled with a renewed focus on defence expenditure, and significant infrastructure projects like the Brisbane 2032 Olympics, are all putting increased pressure on the construction industry.    

But experts say, Australia does not have enough construction workers to meet Labor’s election promise to boost housing supply. The need for strategic workforce development and a focus on project management practices is now more urgent than ever to ensure efficient resource allocation, mitigate risks, and guarantee timely project delivery across all sectors. 

Project Management Institute (PMI), Global director construction and Vice President APAC, Ben Breen joins us on TAD to help us discuss skills shortages and how they can be overcome in the built environment.

This podcast is brought to you in association with Moddex, proud sponsors of our 2024 Sustainability series of podcasts.