Design Speaks Weekly

Alice Springs–based architect Susan Dugdale was recently announced as the recipient of the Australian Institute of Architects’ 2027 Gold Medal – Australia’s highest architectural honour. Her projects, located in towns, remote desert plains, and tropical wetlands, demonstrate the possibilities of architectural rigour when budgets are modest and resources are few and far between. In this episode, Susan shares how limitations can produce better buildings and why, in the end, it all comes down to relationships.   Further reading 2027 Gold Medal https://architectureau.com/articles/2027-gold-medal/ ‘Accomplished’ NT architect wins 2027 Gold Medal https://architectureau.com/articles/accomplished-nt-architect-wins-2027-gold-medal/ Australian projects honoured at global inclusive design awards https://architectureau.com/articles/Australian-projects-honoured-at-global-inclusive-design-awards/ Alice Springs: On edge in the centre https://architectureau.com/articles/alice-springs-on-edge-in-the-centre/ AA 120: Sue Dugdale on Peter Skinner’s ‘Jungle Rhythms’ https://architectureau.com/articles/aa-120-sue-dugdale-on-peter-skinners-jungle-rhythms/  

Yitpi Yartapuultiku (The Soul of Port Adelaide) is a living cultural centre located on Kaurna Country. It was designed by Ashley Halliday Architects together with the Yitpi Yartapuultiku Aboriginal Working Group and Wax Design and is an exemplar of what a project can achieve when led by First Nations people. Yitpi Yartapuultiku has been recognised with several major design awards since completion, including the Sir Zeman Cowen Award for Public Architecture at the 2026 Australian Institute of Architects National Awards. This is the country's highest accolade for public architecture. In celebration of this, our guests for this episode are two people central to the design. Aunty Susan Dixon, Kaurna representative and leading community member, and Ashley Halliday, director of Ashley Halliday Architects. The conversation shares candid stories of the design process and reflects on the beauty of complexity.    Further reading Yitpi Yartapuultiku Aboriginal Cultural Centre by Ashley Halliday Architects and Wax Design https://architectureau.com/articles/yitpi-yartapuultiku-aboriginal-cultural-centre-by-ashley-halliday-architects-and-wax-design/ 2026 Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture https://architectureau.com/articles/2026-sir-zelman-cowen-award-for-public-architecture/ 2026 David Oppenheim Award for Sustainable Architecture https://architectureau.com/articles/2026-david-oppenheim-award-for-sustainable-architecture/ 2026 Colorbond Award for Steel Architecture https://architectureau.com/articles/2026-colorbond-award-for-steel-architecture/

What does it mean to be truly innovative in design today? Alison Brooks is the founder and creative director of London-based practice Alison Brooks Architects, a studio known for delivering innovation in design. Since establishing her studio in 1996, she has become the only architect to have won the United Kingdom’s three most prestigious architecture awards: the Royal Institute of British Architects’ Stirling Prize, the Manser Medal and the Stephen Lawrence Prize. In the lead-up to her lecture at the Australian Institute of Architects 2026 National Conference in October, we ask Alison to share her perspective on the word “innovation” and whether ingenuity can be meaningful in design today.   Further reading Alison Brooks talks architecture’s ‘role in making people feel valued’ https://architectureau.com/articles/alison-brooks-talks-career-beginnings-award-winning-works-and-design-ideals/

Marina Tabassum is a world-renowned Bangladesh architect and educator. Her architecture studio, Marina Tabassum Architects (MTA), was established in 2005 and has received numerous accolades, including two Aga Khan Awards for Architecture, the first for the Bait Ur Rouf Mosque and the second for a housing solution called Khudi Bari. Marina and her studio also designed the 2025 Serpentine Pavilion. Her projects have significant social impact and are well known for the use of local natural materials and craftsmanship, which creates architecture that is both poetic and purposeful. We sat down with Marina during her recent visit to Australia for Melbourne School of Design's 2026 Dean’s Lecture Series, to speak about the changing perception of what makes something architecture.   Further reading Marina Tabassum’s kinetic 2025 Serpentine Pavilion opens https://architectureau.com/articles/Marina-Tabassums-kinetic-2025-Serpentine-Pavilion-opens/ Architect of 2025 Serpentine Pavilion revealed https://architectureau.com/articles/architect-of-2025-Serpentine-pavilion-revealed/ Architecture for Empowerment https://architectureau.com/calendar/exhibitions/architecture-for-empowerment/

Recently, the exhibition Lived In was announced as Australia’s contribution to the 2027 Venice Architecture Biennale. Building on the Housing Atlas for Australia research project, the exhibition is a collaboration between creative directors Kerstin Thompson of Kerstin Thompson Architects, and Maryam Gusheh, Lee-Anne Khor and Louise Wright of Monash Urban Lab. Lived In will draw on more than a century of Australian multi-residential housing to tell a national story of how we live, through drawings, data, photography, film and residents’ own experiences. In this episode, ArchitectureAu editor Lucia Amies speaks with two of the creative directors Kerstin Thompson and Lee-Anne Khor to learn about the vision behind Lived In and find out what visitors can expect to see in Venice next year.   Further reading Creative directors for Australia’s 2027 Venice Biennale exhibition announced https://architectureau.com/articles/Creative-directors-for-Australias-2027-Venice-Biennale-exhibition-announced/

Rob Champion is the founder of TARN, a landscape practice that focuses on experimental projects. Alongside his residential work, Rob is currently co-leading the design of the National Sculpture Garden at the National Gallery in Canberra, an ambitious project that is revitalising and expanding an important landscape. In this episode, Emily Wong, editor of Landscape Australia, speaks with Rob about the opportunities of experimentation and imperfection, and how doing less can be more impactful in small-scale landscape design.   Further reading Local hero: Robert Champion https://landscapeaustralia.com/articles/local-hero-robert-champion/ Meet the jury for the Landscape Australia Awards https://landscapeaustralia.com/articles/meet-the-jury-2026-landscape-australia-awards/ Testing grounds: Gardens as laboratories https://landscapeaustralia.com/articles/testing-grounds-gardens-as-laboratories/  

David Welsh and Chris Major founded their practice, Welsh and Major, more than twenty years ago. Since then, they have refined and embraced an adaptive reuse design method, delivering thoughtful and enduring architecture across a diverse range of project types. In this episode, they reflect on the evolution of adaptive reuse in Australia and the value of designing with the unexpected.   Further reading Pyrmont Community Centre by Welsh and Major https://architectureau.com/articles/pyrmont-community-centre-by-welsh-and-major/ Greybox by Welsh and Major https://architectureau.com/articles/Greybox-by-Welsh-and-Major/ Comedor by Welsh and Major https://architectureau.com/articles/comedor-by-welsh-and-major/ The Imperial by Welsh and Major https://architectureau.com/articles/imperial-welsh-and-major/ Gathering character: Seagrass House https://architectureau.com/articles/seagrass-house/ Bohemian legacy: The Hat Factory https://architectureau.com/articles/the-hat-factory/ Breathing room: Darling Lane https://architectureau.com/articles/darling-lane/ First House: Hordern Street https://architectureau.com/articles/hordern-first-house-welshandmajor/ Telescopic vision: Annandale House https://architectureau.com/articles/annandale-house-1/ A house with tiles on it https://architectureau.com/articles/a-house-with-tiles-on-it/ Fitzroy Terrace https://architectureau.com/articles/fitzroy-terrace/

Since establishing his practice in 2007, Anthony Gill has crafted residential projects that challenge assumptions about contemporary housing. His work often focuses on refining spatial arrangements, resulting in homes that feel generous and functional without relying on excess. In this episode, Alexa Kempton, editor of Houses magazine, speaks with Anthony about how residential architecture that resists resale-driven logic can lead to unconventional, understated, and delightful ways of living.   Further reading Four houses of Anthony Gill Architects https://architectureau.com/articles/houses-of-anthony-gill-architects/ Randwick House by Anthony Gill Architects https://architectureau.com/articles/Randwick-House-by-Anthony-Gill-Architects/ Blue Mountains House by Anthony Gill Architects https://architectureau.com/articles/blue-mountains-house/ An outdoor challenge: Waterloo House https://architectureau.com/articles/waterloo-house/ Paddington House https://architectureau.com/articles/paddington-house/ Surry Hills House https://architectureau.com/articles/surry-hills-house-by-anthony-gill-architects/ Potts Point Apartment https://architectureau.com/articles/potts-point-apartment/  

Lee Hillam is a seasoned design critic. Her experience as a principal of Dunn Hillam, as a reviewer for national publications such as Architecture Australia, and as chair of the State Design Review Panel for the Government Architect NSW has sharpened her eye for what makes a successful architectural outcome. In this episode, Lee unpacks how we justify a project's merit and explores the tension between subjective and objective evaluation in design.   Further reading Lee Hillam on how to improve the competition system https://architectureau.com/articles/lee-hillam-on-how-to-improve-the-competition-system/ Green Square Public School and Community Spaces by BVN https://architectureau.com/articles/green-square-public-school-and-community-spaces-by-bvn/ Murrin Bridge Preschool Community Hub by CD Studio, Supercontext, GFA2, Fake Industries and University of Technology Sydney https://architectureau.com/articles/murrin-bridge-preschool-community-hub/ The Pavilion Performing Arts Centre Sutherland https://architectureau.com/articles/the-pavilion-performing-arts-centre-sutherland/ Music, desert and sky: Cobar Sound Chapel https://architectureau.com/articles/cobar-sound-chapel/ Architecture as storytelling: Quay Quarter Lanes https://architectureau.com/articles/quay-quarter-lanes/ An act of civic pride: Gunyama Park Aquatic and Recreation Centre https://architectureau.com/articles/gunyama-park-aquatic-and-recreation-centre/ Third-gen city-making: 44A Foveaux Street https://architectureau.com/articles/44a-foveaux-street/ The architecture of interdependence: Escarpment House https://architectureau.com/articles/escarpment-house/ Making a community: Arkadia https://architectureau.com/articles/arkadia/ Tall ambitions: Short Lane https://architectureau.com/articles/short-lane/ Cowper Street Housing https://architectureau.com/articles/cowper-street-housing/ Long hours: Go hard or go home! https://architectureau.com/articles/long-hours-go-hard-or-go-home/  

Anthony Clarke is an architect, scholar, writer, and founder of BLOXAS – a practice that focuses on the relationship between architecture and care. In this episode, Lucia Amies, editor of ArchitectureAU, speaks with Anthony about the challenges and opportunities of regulation when it comes to designing inclusive spaces that support users' complex needs.   Further Reading Residential design through a lens of care https://architectureau.com/articles/residential-design-through-the-lens-of-care/ Justine Clark on whether inclusive design should move from aspiration to obligation https://architectureau.com/articles/justine-clark-on-whether-inclusive-design-should-move-from-aspiration-to-obligation/ Allen Kong on whether inclusive design should move from aspiration to obligation https://architectureau.com/articles/allen-kong-on-whether-inclusive-design-should-move-from-aspiration-to-obligation/ Pragya Gupta on whether inclusive design should move from aspiration to obligation https://architectureau.com/articles/pragya-gupta-on-whether-inclusive-design-should-move-from-aspiration-to-obligation/ Angelo Candalepas on whether inclusive design should move from aspiration to obligation https://architectureau.com/articles/angelo-candalepas-on-whether-inclusive-design-should-move-from-aspiration-to-obligation/