Talking Architecture & Design

In this episode of Talking Architecture & Design, host Clémence Carayol heads to Melbourne’s west to unpack one of Australia’s most ambitious health projects: the new Footscray Hospital. 
More than a deep dive into a major piece of infrastructure, the conversation explores how architecture can reshape the experience of healthcare itself.
The $1.5 billion hospital, designed by COX Architecture in collaboration with Billard Leece Partnership, is delivered by the Plenary Health consortium with Multiplex as builder, alongside the Victorian Government and Western Health. 
Joining the podcast are COX Executive Chair Patrick Ness and BLP Principal Mark Mitchell, who reflect on the ideas behind what has become affectionately known as “the People’s Hospital”.
Central to the discussion is the decision to conceive the hospital as a campus rather than a monolithic building. Five interconnected structures are organised around a village green, forming a civic heart that prioritises clarity, orientation and connection. 
This landscape-led approach reframes the hospital as a place people might visit for a coffee or a walk, not only in moments of illness, reinforcing its role as social and civic infrastructure.
Ness and Mitchell also discuss how human-centred design principles shaped everything from intuitive wayfinding and daylight-filled interiors to the careful management of scale in such a vast facility. 
Access to nature, cultural inclusion informed by collaboration with First Nations Elders, and a strong emphasis on staff wellbeing emerge as critical drivers of the design.
The episode also tackles future-facing challenges. Sustainability targets, including Green Star and WELL aspirations, influenced material choices and building performance, while lessons from COVID-19 informed flexibility and pandemic preparedness.
As the Footscray Hospital opens, this episode positions it as a powerful benchmark for healthcare architecture: a place where clinical excellence, community identity and long-term resilience are designed to coexist.

To help us unpack what it really means to build not just for a few weeks of sport, but for decades of community benefit, reuse, and resilience we spoke to two experts from design firm Populous: Dr. Kavita Gonsalves, Associate Principal - Sustainability Design Lead ‑ APAC, and Brayden Goodwin, Principal, Architect — Brisbane, on how circular design and sustainability are transforming sports infrastructure in Australia.

Catherine Skinner, Principal, BVN, Audun Opdal, Senior Partner, 3XN, Louise Pearson, Studio Director, ASPECT Studios, and Miguel Serrao, Associate, ASPECT Studios, sat down with Talking Architecture and Design at the recent opening of the stunning Sydney Fish Markets, to talk about the highlights, surprises and challenges of working on such a large, iconic and complex public infrastructure project.

In this episode of Talking Architecture & Design, we’re joined by Katrina Sedgwick, the inaugural Director and CEO of the Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation (MAP Co), who is leading one of Australia’s most ambitious cultural transformations – a $1.7 billion revitalisation connecting Federation Square through to Southbank.
Sedgwick shares what it’s like to build a new organisation while simultaneously delivering a project of national significance. Establishing MAP Co’s culture, partnerships, and long-term vision has gone hand in hand with reshaping one of Melbourne’s most important civic and artistic precincts.
The redevelopment is deeply informed by the precinct’s rich history and layered cultural identity. Rather than starting from scratch, the transformation celebrates heritage, architecture, and Melbourne’s long-standing creative community, ensuring the precinct remains both respectful of its past and responsive to the future.
At the heart of the project is Laak Boorndap, a new public garden designed as a place for gathering, reflection, and cultural expression. More than just a green space, it brings together nature, performance, and Indigenous storytelling to create a welcoming and meaningful environment for the city.
Climate resilience is also central to the design, with landscaping, shade, and water-sensitive strategies helping prepare the precinct for Melbourne’s changing conditions. First Peoples principles guide planting, artistic collaborations, and the ongoing care for Country, ensuring Indigenous knowledge and culture are embedded throughout the space.
Drawing on her leadership experience at major cultural institutions such as ACMI and the Adelaide Film Festival, Sedgwick brings a collaborative and community-focused approach to this complex project. Balancing the needs of artists, organisations, visitors, and the wider public is key to creating a precinct that truly belongs to everyone.
With Federation Square now under MAP Co’s stewardship, the vision is for a connected cultural corridor where art, public life, and civic space come together. From major events to everyday moments of connection, the precinct is being shaped to inspire creativity and community for generations to come.

Suzanne Toumbourou, CEO of the Australian Council of Recycling, shares her insights and helps us understand on the challenges the enormous opportunities that recycling and circular thinking present for Australia’s built environment. 
She also explains how architects, designers, builders and policymakers all have a critical role to play in shaping a more sustainable, resource-smart future.