Is the competition system failing architects? | Camilla Block
Camilla Block is director of architectural studio Durbach Block Jaggers. In this episode of Design Speaks Weekly, she tackles the state of architecture competitions in Australia, and asks: are they still working as intended? Reflecting on their history, their evolution and their impact on the profession, Camilla considers what an ideal future for the architectural competition system might entail.
Camilla will be addressing the issue at ArchitectureAu Asks in Canberra on Friday 7 November 2025, where she’ll ask a group of industry leaders to respond to the provocation: “The competition system is under scrutiny – how could it be better?”
Further reading:
ArchitectureAu Asks | Design Speaks
https://designspeaks.com.au/events/2025/11/07/architectureau-asks
Design competitions: Starting from Country
https://architectureau.com/articles/design-competitions-starting-from-country/
A Year in Competition
https://architectureau.com/articles/a-year-in-competition/
Expressions of interest
https://architectureau.com/articles/expressions-of-interest/
Regaining a competitive edge
https://architectureau.com/articles/regaining-a-competitive-edge/
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Are you paid fairly? | Justine Clark
August 19 is the national Equal Pay Day for 2025. The date marks the 50 additional days from the end of the financial year that women in Australia need to work, on average, to earn the same annual wage as men.
Leading the fight for gender equity in architecture is Parlour, a research-based advocacy group whose work outlines what built-environment professions can – and should – do to help eradicate gender pay gaps.
In today’s episode, Parlour co-founder and director Justine Clark shares Parlour’s findings from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency’s 2025 pay gap data, and how this information can help architects identify pay inequity in their workplace – and what steps they can take to address it.
Further reading
Pay equity & pay gaps
https://parlour.org.au/guides-toolkits/01-pay-equity-pay-gaps/
Second round of architecture firms’ gender pay gap data released
https://architectureau.com/articles/second-round-of-architecture-firms-gender-pay-gap-data-released/
WGEA Data Explorer
https://www.wgea.gov.au/Data-Explorer
Pay gaps & equal remuneration – 2025 WGEA data
https://parlour.org.au/research/statistics/pay-gaps-and-equal-remuneration-2025-wgea-data/
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My greatest lessons | Glenn Murcutt
With a career that spans almost 60 years, Glenn Murcutt AO is no stranger to the changing world of architectural practice. His work, which is ongoing, has won numerous prestigious awards, notably the Australian Institute of Architects’ 1992 Gold Medal, and the 2002 Pritzker Prize.
In this episode of Design Speaks Weekly, Glenn joins Architecture Media editorial director Katelin Bulter to discuss poetics and pragmatism in architecture, reflecting on how the creative spirit of architecture survives in an evolving industry, and offering insights from his earliest and most recent projects – including the two most significant design lessons learned over a long and storied career.
Further reading:
Revisited: Marie Short House (1974) by Glenn Murcutt
https://architectureau.com/articles/revisited-marie-short-house/
Revisited: Simpson-Lee House
https://architectureau.com/articles/simpson-lee-house/
Revisited: Done House by Glenn Murcutt
https://architectureau.com/articles/Done-House-by-Glenn-Murcutt/
Glenn Murcutt, the ‘pavilion architect,’ on his MPavilion
https://architectureau.com/articles/glenn-murcutt-mpavilion/
Music, desert and sky: Cobar Sound Chapel
https://architectureau.com/articles/cobar-sound-chapel/
2024 Eat Drink Design Awards: Hall of Fame
https://architectureau.com/articles/2024-eat-drink-design-awards-hall-of-fame/
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Why prefab? | Stuart Vokes and Dan Burnett
In the first episode of the Design Speaks Weekly podcast, architects Stuart Vokes of Vokes and Peters and Dan Burnett of Blok Modular discuss their collaborative journey in modular design and prefabrication.
This construction method has myriad advantages, including material and cost control, reduced construction time and high adaptability. It also has the potential to create solutions for two of the greatest contemporary challenges: the housing crisis and the climate crisis.
Stuart and Dan unpack these opportunities and reflect on the lessons learned from their collaborative modular design projects, such as Blok Three Sisters, which was named Australian House of the Year at the 2025 Houses Awards.
Further reading:
Project review: Blok Three Sisters by Blok Modular with Vokes and Peters
https://architectureau.com/articles/blok-three-sisters-by-blok-modular-with-vokes-and-peters/
2025 Houses Awards: Australian House of the Year
https://architectureau.com/articles/2025-Houses-Awards-Australian-House-of-the-Year/
Project review: Blok Belongil by Blok Modular with Vokes and Peters
https://architectureau.com/articles/blok-belongil-by-blok-modular-with-vokes-and-peters/
Project review: Blok Stafford Heights by Blok Modular and Vokes and Peters
https://architectureau.com/articles/blok-stafford-heights-by-blok-modular-and-vokes-and-peters/
Design Speaks Weekly brings you the biggest stories in Australian architecture and design. Produced by Architecture Media, each episode explores a key theme shaping the built environment, paired with the latest industry news and analysis. As an extension of the Design Speaks event series, this podcast opens up vital conversations to a wider audience, wherever you are.
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