Episode 263: Phillip Rossington and Richard Francis-Jones on the the design philosophy, challenges, and vision that shaped Sydney House
This is the story of Sydney House, a transformative mixed-use development that redefines luxury living while honouring over 130 years of built legacy. Rising above the historic facades of the former City Tattersalls Club, this elegant composition is more than just a building—it’s a conversation between past and present. From the scalloped rhythms of the tower to the carefully restored Victorian and Art Deco details, Sydney House embodies sensitive addition and contemporary expression. In this podcast, Phillip Rossington, Principal of BVN and Richard Francis-Jones, Design Director of FJC Studio, share some of the key creative forces behind the project and unpack the design philosophy, challenges, and vision that shaped one of Sydney’s most refined architectural ensembles.
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Episode 262: Designing for Hope with Design Psychologist Kylie Sandland
In this episode of Talking Architecture & Design, we speak with Kylie Sandland, Design Psychologist and Co-Founder of Design for Hope, a social enterprise creating trauma-informed spaces for recovery and well-being. With three decades of experience in psychology and organisational consulting, Sandland brings a unique, evidence-based approach to the way environments affect our mental health. From domestic violence shelters to rehabilitation centres, her work focuses on designing spaces that foster safety, dignity, and emotional healing. Sandland shares the personal story that inspired her career shift into design and introduces her Hope Hierarchy, a framework that translates psychological needs into practical design strategies. She explains how elements like lighting, layout, and colour can support trauma recovery, and why staff well-being must also be a design priority. Projects like Erin’s Place and Jarrah House illustrate how thoughtful design choices can change lives, not through luxury, but through care and intention. As Sandland says, “spaces can either trigger trauma or help people heal.” Listen to learn how trauma-informed design is reshaping not only crisis care environments but also workplaces, schools, and community spaces.
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Episode 261: New designs, cladding & facade trends and the value of Stratco's local manufacturing base with Eric Lien and Andrew Steele
In this episode, we’re taking a deep dive into Stratco, an Australian company with over 75 years of experience providing building solutions for both professionals and homeowners. Stratco offers a wide range of products, including patios, carports, verandahs, garages, sheds, and outdoor living products such as NINELINE, SUPERDEK & PRODEK.Critically for Australian architects and builders, Stratco has manufacturing facilities in all mainland states of Australia and also in New Zealand.To explain all about Stratco’s full range of capabilities, we talk with Eric Lien, National Architectural and Specifications Manager, and Andrew Steele, architect and managing director of South Australian design firm Studio Nine Architects.This episode was sponsored by Stratco.
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Episode 260: Ray White’s Chief Economist and one of Australia’s leading property experts, Nerida Conisbee on fixing Australia's housing crisis
Nerida Conisbee is Ray White’s Chief Economist and one of Australia’s leading property experts. Nerida works closely with industry partners to provide strategic vision and policy recommendations for the future of property in Australia.She represents Ray White to inform and influence key stakeholder groups across the residential and commercial sectors, in addition to advising major Australian government bodies.In this exclusive interview, Nerida unravels the main issues behind our housing affordability crisis and some things we can do to alleviate the problem.This podcast is brought to you in association with AWS, proud sponsors of our 2025 Residential series of podcasts.
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Episode 259: Autex's Jono Mountford on circularity, regenerative design and why Closing the Loop is now more important than ever
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.
Now celebrating its 8th year (Season 9), Talking Architecture & Design is Australia’s first B2B architecture podcast that regularly talks about a range of issues that affect Australia’s architects, building designers and built environment professionals. Run by Australia’s most popular architecture magazine, Architecture & Design, the Talking Architecture & Design podcast gives a regular bite-sized dose of what is important and sometimes what is just plain old interesting to anyone and everyone in the business of building design.
Australia