Talking Architecture & Design

Australia has committed to building 1.2 million new homes over five years, but there's one enormous obstacle standing in the way: people. 
According to BuildSkills Australia, the nation needs around 90,000 additional construction workers if we're to have any realistic chance of meeting that target. At the same time, automation, robotics, AI, and advanced manufacturing are beginning to transform how buildings are designed and constructed. 
So, can technology solve our workforce crisis? Or do we simply need to rethink how we attract, train, and retain the next generation of tradespeople? 
In this episode, Robert Sobyra, Executive Director of Research and Planning at BuildSkills Australia, whose research has become central to Australia's conversation about construction skills, housing delivery, and the future workforce, offers a range of solutions to our building industry skills shortage woes.

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.

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.