Not just child’s play - designing childcare centres

The Australian child-care industry is thriving, creating opportunities for centres to invest in designs that enrich the childcare experience and contribute to a better built environment.

6 ways reverse innovation could improve our hospitals

Reverse innovation in Australian healthcare can bring valuable lessons into hospital design and patient care from developing countries.

Naming rights (and wrongs)…

The Walt Disney Company made Australian headlines this month when it picked up the naming rights for The Etihad Stadium. But such naming rights are by no means a new thing; similar deals have been taking place for more than a century…

Inspiring research through art at Harry Perkins

Five Western Australian artists express their support for medical research by decorating lab coats for the Harry Perkins Institute.

What is Constructuring?

Fusing the worlds of construction and manufacturing is a process known as constructuring.

Google to run the waterfront of Toronto

Sidewalk Labs will help transform Toronto into a smart city, using sensors to monitor a variety of interactions in order to collect data that will create efficiencies for the city.

Universal Basic Income

Replacing traditional welfare programs, a Universal Basic Income (UBI) would provide all citizens with a set amount of earnings, irrespective of work undertaken (if any).

World Environment Day

Humans are both the users and creators of their environment. Therefore, the need for environmental protection and improvement is of vital importance, and to highlight this, the United Nations have established a World Environment Day.

The Amazon Tax

News has broken that Amazon will no longer allow Australian shoppers access to its US website.

What Australia can learn from Asian retail, and vice versa

There is obviously a considerable difference in how Asian and Australian retail developments are shaped by the culture within which they sit, along with, at times, some surprising similarities. David McCarroll investigates…

Why cultural diversity is vital in design

Cultural diversity is a critical consideration in the design sector. As our industry looks inward in an attempt to close the diversity gap, we recognise a number of advantages that a more multicultural workforce provides in enabling communities to flourish.

Digital era calls for new style of placemaking

Today, people are increasingly communicating online rather than face-to-face, replacing social spaces with social networks. So, what does this mean for physical communities? Are they diminishing in value?

Uber and above

Ride-sharing service Uber could soon disrupt the transport sector again with a new project, Uber Elevate.

Laying the tracks for great Transit Oriented Developments

For today’s developers, urban planners and governments, development around transit areas requires extremely careful planning. Here we explore the key principles that will allow projects to truly serve and support their surrounding communities.

A view from inside Adelaide’s Rundle Mall Plaza

Managing Director, Caillin Howard met with BrandSA this month to discuss the latest developments on one of Hames Sharley’s most exciting current projects; Adelaide’s Rundle Mall Plaza.

How to sustain Australia’s rural-urban communities; a case study part 1

Serpentine Jarrahdale have a predicted population growth of 1.5 million people in 20 years. Hames Sharley has assisted in creating a strategy and vision together with the Shire and the community.

International Cultural Diversity Day

Held annually on the 21^st of May, the first International Cultural Diversity Day took place in 2003 as a result of the United Nations adopting the Universal Declaration for Cultural Diversity.

Mitigating the potential threats of Artificial Intelligence on our cities

It’s predicted that robots and Artificial Intelligence will play a large part in our lives by 2025, but as anyone who’s seen a Terminator movie knows, these are exactly the kinds of technology prone to misuse or mishap. Here we investigate a report highlighting the potential use of Artificial Intelligence for malicious means.

Staging a comeback

Building infrastructure for global events can make or break a city – so what’s the best strategy for using these structures once the show’s over?

When design comes naturally

Architects and designers can learn a lot from Mother Nature – Peter Schwerzel looks at biomimetics and how taking cues from the world around us can produce outstanding results.

Un-forgetting female architects

In the last decade, roughly 40 percent of all architecture graduates have been women – but when it comes to representation in the industry, there’s still a gender bias towards men.

A future family day at their local library

In recent years we’ve found great benefits in using 3D printers and virtual reality hardware, but it’s our investment in a time machine that’s really allowed us to experience what life is like for communities in the future.

Here we follow the Mancio family as they set out for a day at their local library…

It’s a shore thing

Approximately 85% of our population live within 50km of the ocean and our climate has facilitated a deeply embedded culture of life at the water’s edge. Therefore it is natural that our nation has become leaders in the field of waterfront urban design. But what are the factors that make a truly great waterfront? We present ten key considerations when for planning the perfect place at the water’s edge.