Culture

In an effort to better understand commuter behaviour, Hames Sharley recently assessed its own employees’ commuter behaviours in response to the relocation of its new Perth studio. The research, conducted by Hames Sharley’s Emil E Jonescu, Stephen Moorcroft and Dean Symington, made a surprising conclusion – that a simple office relocation and change in mode of working has the potential to increase employee activity levels, ultimately improving health and wellbeing in the workplace.

• Design
• Culture
• Workplace
• Wellbeing

How designing for more than just work invigorates people and cities

Through the execution of our new Perth studio, Hames Sharley is leading the way in showcasing how offices can attract staff back into the workplace, and in turn benefit the city, our people and project outcomes.

• Retail
• Workplace
• Architecture
• Design
• Culture

Bringing home into the workplace - why offices are embracing domestic design

Why are offices embracing domestic design? Louisa Glennon and Stephen Moorcroft answer the question for Facility Perspectives in their latest article: Bringing home into the workplace.

• Architecture
• Design
• Culture
• Interior Design
• Workplace

Emerging from a crisis

Sometimes our worst experiences can be our best opportunity for growth. For Principal of People & Culture, Michael Wright, that was the case.⁠

Michael shares his mental health journey in the hopes of encouraging ongoing conversations about everyday human struggles and how these experiences help us better understand our communities and each other.⁠

• Culture
• Wellbeing
• Health

The importance of self-care and social connection – lessons from living alone in lockdown

Like many Australians, living through extended lockdowns has taken a toll on Fiona’s mental health. ⁠

Located in Victoria and currently going through lockdown number six, Fiona talks about why it’s so much harder to stay positive this time, and the lessons she’s learnt about the importance of self-care and social connections.⁠

• Culture
• Wellbeing
• Health

A series of fortunate events – how COVID-19 possibly saved my life

Thanks to a global health crisis, Director and National Portfolio Leader for Education, Science & Research, James Edwards, was forced to stay in Western Australia and catch up on some rather overdue medical tests.⁠ Despite having no symptoms, In April 2020, James was diagnosed with high-grade prostate cancer.⁠

• Culture
• Health
• Wellbeing

Don’t worry about asking if you’re ok – just start a conversation

Having lost a close friend to suicide, Alex Quin has experienced first-hand the devastating impact mental illness can have on a community. In a bid to honour his friend, Phil, Alex writes about the need to de-stigmatise mental illness, and how the simple art of conversation can help those suffering feel less isolated.

• Culture
• Health
• Wellbeing

Inclusivity in the design and planning of change facilities

Discussions around gender inequality are commonplace. From closing the gender pay gap and promoting more women into senior management positions, to supporting female athletes, historical gender imbalances are being rectified by addressing largely unconscious bias.

• Design
• Culture
• Diversity

A changeroom of their own: the importance of designing for women in sport

Hames Sharley, like the AFL is taking steps in the right direction to make significant improvements in this area and become more gender-inclusive; not just adding female teams, but by creating spaces which accommodate for women too.

• Architecture
• Culture
• Design
• Diversity
• International Women’s Day
• Workplace

Inclusivity in design: re-imagining Hames Sharley’s Perth studios

In her book, Invisible Women, Caroline Criado Perez cites numerous examples of how women have been forgotten in a world designed by men, for men. From speech recognition software not trained to detect female voices to office air-con which is generally around five degrees too cold for women because it’s designed for male bodies; there are countless examples which demonstrate the ways in which women have been simply forgotten when it comes to designing the world they also live in.

• Architecture
• Culture
• Design
• Diversity
• International Women’s Day

Designing for all genders: How Casuarina Shopping Centre is leading the way

For parents, getting out and about with little kids can be a challenging experience. From feeding ever-hungry newborns to dealing with toddler meltdowns and the sudden need for nappy changes - or head-to-toe outfit changes! - the parents’ room is a welcome respite for any parent in need of a break.

• Architecture
• Culture
• Design
• Diversity
• International Women’s Day

A turning point for High Street?

The struggle is not yet over but the shifting consumer preference to shop local and support small business is a promising sign for many and certainly warrants a discussion on where our street shopping experience is going.

• Architecture
• Design
• Culture
• Retail

The rise and rise of mixed-use developments in the post-COVID economy

The lines between work and play are blurred as newer developments boast a diverse mix of residential, retail, commercial and entertainment spaces all in the one area. This new style of mixed-use design is increasingly being embraced for new developments across Australia, in the city centres and suburbs alike.

• Architecture
• Culture
• Design
• Retail
• COVID-19

As part of the NEXUS // 1.5 venture offered by Curtin’s School of Design and the Built Environment (DBE), students were asked to undertake the design research through a project-based study of Wadjemup (Rottnest Island) between March – June of this year.

• Architecture
• Culture
• Design

How urban design can help reduce homelessness

With homelessness affecting hundreds of thousands of Australians, this is no longer a situation we can ignore. It is time for Australia to follow the footsteps of countries such as France, Finland and Greece, to determine how we can implement urban planning tools to help alleviate homelessness.

• Urban Design
• Design
• Culture
• Diversity

Why post-COVID school design must still centre around proximal play

As architects, we’re constantly asked about how we will adapt. New technologies, new ways of thinking, new societal expectations – they all affect how we design. Architecture is dynamic in its nature, constantly adapting and changing with society.

• Culture
• Design
• Education
• COVID-19

Taking cars out of the urban planning equation

If cars are so detrimental to the health and wellbeing of our cities and their inhabitants, why haven’t we phased them out? We look at some of the issues involved, and how urban designers and architects can respond to the problem.

• Culture
• Sustainability
• Transport
• Urban Design

Doing your homework on working remote

For organisations new to or unfamiliar with running their businesses off-site, this can pose a challenge and leave many feeling unsettled. Here are some simple ways to ensure your chances of a successful transition are less…remote.

• Architecture
• Culture
• Diversity
• Workplace
• Wellbeing
• COVID-19

How Mentoring is Helping Gender Equality

When it comes to gender equity in the workplace, considerable effort has been made by employers in the last decade to level the playing field. Even so, research shows women are still disproportionately underrepresented in upper management – without discriminatory intent, a very subtle ‘second generation’ form of gender bias still exists that can block women’s bids for more elevated positions.

• Diversity
• International Women’s Day
• Culture

Empowerment Through Education and a Love of Knowledge

Ann-Maree discusses the power of education and a love of learning as a foundation to success, regardless of gender, where a positive mindset is key. “It could be argued that, in focusing on difficulties related to gender equity, mindsets detrimental to success are deployed. Regardless of gender and one’s experienced difficulties at the time, thinking patterns of blame, self-doubt, envy and comparison are distractions to success.”

• Diversity
• Culture
• International Women’s Day

Embracing Age Diversity in the Workplace

Almost a third of Australians perceived some form of age-related discrimination while employed or looking for work.⁠ ⁠ Urban Designer, Master Planner and Graduate Landscape Architect, Hayley Edwards is raising awareness on age discrimination in the workplace.⁠ ⁠Check out Hayley’s article: Embracing Age Diversity in the Workplace and see how supporting policies will assist to create an equal and enabled world. ⁠

• Diversity
• Culture
• International Women’s Day

Advancing Equality Though Economic Empowerment

“Economic empowerment, in my opinion, is important to diversity because it enables the ability to act on a person’s authority, making financial decisions based on individual preferences.” ⁠Today we talk economic empowerment with Elise Miles Simonovski, a Principal at our Melbourne office. ⁠Elise believes women stand to benefit more from economic empowerment because they remain disproportionately restricted by discrimination and exploitation.⁠

• Culture
• Diversity
• International Women’s Day

Sport for All

Today we talk sport with Madeleine Steele from our Adelaide office. Madeleine believes that sport has been an invaluable part of her progression as a young professional and would love to see women given more opportunities to flourish in both fields.⁠ Read her story today and help forge a gender-equal world. Read her story today and help form a gender-equal society.

• Culture
• Diversity
• International Women’s Day

Building a Gender Equal World

In the lead up to International Women’s Day on Sunday the 8th of March, we spoke with Liesel Perks from our Melbourne studio on forging a gender-equal world.

See how Liesel is challenging stereotypes, broadening perceptions and celebrating women’s achievements through her article.

• Architecture
• Culture
• International Women’s Day

The Future of My Career and Growing a Family

International Women’s Day is an opportunistic time for Grace to reflect on how growing a family and her career ambitions can coexist. But it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the expectant mother to be. Read how Grace is raising awareness, providing forward-thinking ideas and calling out the prejudice for women of childbearing ages in the workplace.

• International Women’s Day
• Culture
• Diversity

The Progression of Equality in the Workplace

How are you going to celebrate International Women’s Day on Sunday March 8th? We spoke with Rebecca Spencer from the Perth studio on achieving #EachforEqual in the workplace. Hear her story, her thoughts and the actions she is taking to promote equality in the workplace.

• International Women’s Day
• Culture
• Workplace

Next Generation of Innovators

Dubai Design Week 2019, the Global Grad Show brought together the world’s top Graduates to showcase a diverse range of innovative design projects between 12-16th November. Hames Sharley’s WA Studio Project Assistant Georgina Spooner attended the event and presented her Honours thesis project in the ‘Planet’ category of the exhibition.

• Culture
• Design
• Diversity
• Technology and Innovation

Building for the Biennale

With the Fremantle Biennale closed for another two years, we look back on Hames Sharley’s contribution to the specially created artworks.

• Design
• Culture

Gender neutrality becoming bog standard

Gender neutrality is becoming a topic that is garnering a great deal of attention lately. And with inclusivity an important consideration in all modes of design, it’s worth celebrating the milestones when we reach them.

• Culture
• Design
• Retail

Open House opens doors to architectural icons in Perth

Members of the public will have the opportunity to tour a number of Hames Sharley-designed buildings this month as Open House returns to Perth for a weekend of architectural tours, talks and events.

• Culture
• Design
• Architecture
• Heritage
• Interior Design
• Urban Design

Two good to miss

This year marks the second Fremantle Biennale, but while this local festival is comparatively new, the idea of hosting an art festival every two years dates back more than a century.

• Design
• Culture

Surf Life Saving Clubs – the true spirit of Australia

We investigate why Surf Life Saving Clubs are surely among the greatest architectural symbols of Australian society.

• Sport
• Culture
• Design

It’s World Architecture Day (or is it?)

World Architecture Day is a celebration of both great architecture and the people who produce it. The brainchild of the Union International des Architects (UIA), its aim is to bring together architects, designers, planners and more to share their experiences and viewpoints.

• Architecture
• Culture
• Design

A Designed Directorship

After two decades with Hames Sharley, Derek Hays has amassed an extensive resume of projects but it has been his establishment and leadership of the National Design Forum that has predominantly led to his recent elevation to the role of Director.

• Design
• Culture
• Architecture

The voice of experience

Hames Sharley was well represented at this year’s Good Design Week Symposium – we talk to Derek Hays and Brook McGowan about their roles as keynote speakers, and how participation in similar events can influence the next generation of architects.

• Workplace
• Education
• Design
• Architecture
• Culture

Sustainability: why there’s more to it than you might think

It’s no big secret that one of the greatest problems facing the world in the 21st century is stemming the decline in the environment. Everyone can – and indeed should – do their part to ensure that future generations need not contend with climate change and a collapsing ecosystem.

• Sustainability
• Design
• Culture

Home sweet home

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who believe chocolate is the best thing ever, and those who are wrong. But it’s safe to say that there won’t be too many who will be upset to learn that July 7 is World Chocolate Day.

• Culture
• Technology and Innovation
• Design

Designing for Humanity

While conditions in refugee camps are often insufferable, is it time to start thinking outside these boxes? Hames Sharley Project Assistant and Member of the National Sustainability Forum (NSF) Georgina Spooner looks at how architects and designers can help the displaced to feel like they belong in our communities.

• Diversity
• Culture
• Design
• Architecture
• Sustainability

How Generation Alpha will shape the shopping centre of the future

Those in the industry have heard the same ‘hottest retail trends’ for a few years now; it’s all about experiences, niche offerings, personalisation, omni-channel, social media integration and the introduction of new technologies like virtual and augmented reality. But the truth is, these supposedly hot trends are dangerously close to becoming outdated.

• Retail
• Design
• Culture

The other sides of architecture

For the latest in our series on HS People we sat down with Sydney’s new studio leader, Dustin Brade.

• Architecture
• Culture
• Design

United into the future

Cultural inclusivity is vital if the world is going to move towards a sustainable, cooperative future. In recognition of this, the United Nations has its own holiday: World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.

• Diversity
• Culture

Universal truths

With May 21 marking the UN’s World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, we look at the ways in which good design can be inclusive for everyone, regardless of their background and ability.

• Diversity
• Culture
• Design
• Architecture

The oral history of remote Australia

For more than 20 years, Professor Marc Tennant has worked to improve the plight of Indigenous and rural Australians suffering from poor oral health. We talk to him about the early days and how sometimes the best ideas are the obvious ones…

• Health
• Design
• Culture
• Wellbeing

Places of Pride

Australia has a vast number of war memorials – something in the order of 6000 across the country – displaying a phenomenal breadth of design and variation. While you may be familiar with the war memorials in your own community, however, experiencing the full range of commemorative sites would be a massive undertaking.

• Culture
• Design
• Architecture

A means to remember

This ANZAC Day, tens of thousands of Australians will come together to visit a local war memorial. Be they simple plaques or thoughtfully designed architectural structures, these sites serve as focal points for the community in a way few other structures can hope to.

• Culture
• Heritage
• Design
• Architecture

A design for inclusion

With this week marking the twentieth anniversary of Harmony Day in Australia, we turned our thoughts towards the part cultural diversity plays in the design industry: why inclusivity is not just desirable in the workplace but essential, bringing a whole host of advantages that are lost in a less multicultural environment.

• Diversity
• Workplace
• Culture

All together now

Harmony Day is a celebration of cultural diversity, which sits at the heart of Australia’s national identity.

• Diversity
• Culture

From the pioneers to the modern-day – some of architecture’s greatest females

A look back through the ages and find some of architecture’s most prominent females who helped pave the way for the women of today.

• Culture
• Diversity

Many know Marion Mahony Griffin in relation to her work undertaken for Frank Lloyd Wright, and with her husband and business partner Walter Burley Griffin, but she was an incredible architect in her own right.

• Diversity
• Design
• Culture
• Architecture

International Women’s Day

This week we celebrate International Women’s Day and it’s an opportunity for us all to reflect on our past and futures.

• Diversity
• Culture

A sit down with Adelaide’s new Studio Leader, Leon Gouws

• Culture
• Design
• Architecture
• Workplace

Cause an effect

We all know architecture and design means more than coming up with mould-breaking office spaces and eye-catching structures. But have you thought about how the skill set required for those occupations can have farther-reaching effects on the community, both local and global?

• Architecture
• Culture
• Design
• Diversity
• Urban Design

Why being a member of an industry body can help communities flourish

Industry bodies play a bigger part in our every day lives than many people realise. As well as unifying and supporting their members, industry bodies work hard to champion the rights of those not only within the industry, but also strive to make positive changes which benefit the wider community.

• Design
• Workplace
• Culture

The adjudicator rater

What qualities do you need to become a respected judge of design awards? An eye for aesthetics is only the start…

• Architecture
• Culture
• Interior Design

Hubs of activity, fonts of knowledge

Brisbane Open House includes talks and seminars on all manner of architecture and design topics. As part of this year’s event Hames Sharley’s Queensland studio opened its doors to the public and hosted a panel event that covered the subject of urban hubs. We asked one of our recent Architectural Graduates to report on the proceedings, while broadening her own knowledge.

• Architecture
• Culture

Experiences vs ‘Stuff’

Fear of missing out (FOMO) is the new keeping up with the Joneses. Here, some of Hames Sharley’s thought leaders discuss whether minimalism is making us richer, and the impact this is having on the built environment.

• Design
• Culture
• Urban Design

Fancy an adventure exploring your city? Open House is an event in which buildings across a city throw open their doors to the public for one weekend each year, to enjoy the best architecture on offer.

• Architecture
• Culture
• Heritage

Here we grow

Earlier this month, the population of Australia hit the 25 million mark, with the number of migrants outpacing the number of births at a rate of almost two to one - a figure reminiscent of gold-rush days…

• Culture
• Wellbeing
• Technology and Innovation

The notion of nodes

What is a city node? What are its benefits? And what is its place in the Australian urban environment?

• Urban Design
• Transport
• Master Planning
• Culture

From little things, great things grow: Shaping the future of Adelaide

Adelaide has great bones. Its founding fathers planned a city which not only looks beautiful, but is highly functional and extremely liveable, but we need to be bold and seize the opportunity to create an even more vibrant and innovative place to live that is proudly local and yet globally connected…

• Culture
• Master Planning
• Urban Design

Measuring the value of biophilia

An increasing importance of investing in people has resulted in a reawakening of the philosophy of biophilia and the importance of biophilic design.

• Culture
• Sustainability

6 ways biophilia can improve economic prosperity

Based on his paper titled The Biophilic City: Can it Improve Economic Prosperity, here, Darren Bilsborough summarises his paper into six key areas: biodiversity, climate change, urban farming, cooler cities, bio-sequestration and health and productivity.

• Culture
• Sustainability

The population debate is one of equal opportunity. While some Australian states and cities boom and expand rapidly, others progress at a slower rate or even decline. So, do our policymakers and society as a whole need to look carefully at putting measures in place to evenly distribute the population across the country?

• Culture
• Master Planning
• Urban Design

Alarmingly, by 2022, Australians who have reached retirement age are predicted to outnumber children. There is also a current population shift of people from all around Australia moving to Melbourne and Sydney, leaving other cities to dwindle. What do these trends mean for our future?

• Urban Design
• Master Planning
• Culture

Information and data relating to population growth do exist, but perhaps it is not as widely distributed or as fully understood as it could be. Here we discuss how increased transparency could make a difference.

• Master Planning
• Culture
• Urban Design

Inspiring research and philanthropy through art at the Perkins

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

• Architecture
• Culture
• Design
• Technology and Innovation

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).

• Culture

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…

• Architecture
• Culture
• Sport

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.

• Sustainability
• Culture

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.

• Diversity
• Culture
• Wellbeing
• Design

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.

• Technology and Innovation
• Culture
• Urban Design
• Wellbeing

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…

• Retail
• Culture
• Architecture

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?

• Sport
• Sustainability
• Architecture
• Culture

The Café Phalanstère

An essay about creativity, architecture, cultural innovation and coffee.

• Culture
• Heritage
• Architecture

Fad or future? The worth of Amazon Go

In light of the interest around America’s new Amazon Go store since its opening late last year, we consider what this could mean for the future of the retail experience…

• Retail
• Culture

The world’s best-planned cities

With a recent article naming five cities that rank among the best-designed in the world, we look at what links these destinations, and what lessons others can learn from them.

• Culture
• Architecture
• Urban Design

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.

• Diversity
• Culture
• Architecture

12 Australian women in architecture you should know about

They’ve been influential in the history of Australian architecture but chances are you don’t know their names. We look at twelve women whose work has made a difference to the way our country was built.

• Diversity
• Culture
• Architecture

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…

• Technology and Innovation
• Culture
• Design
• Architecture

World Cancer Day

Whether collectively or individually – everyone can do their part to reduce the global burden of cancer.

• Culture

Hames Sharley has been a proud contributor to Deloitte’s recent ‘Make it a plan Adelaide’ report released late last year. In part 1 of a continuing series, we follow Dotty and Mike’s story.

• Urban Design
• Master Planning
• Sustainability
• Culture

Hames Sharley has been a proud contributor to Deloitte’s recent ‘Make it a plan Adelaide’ report released late last year. In part 2 of a continuing series, we follow Pierre, Simone and Evette’s Story.

• Master Planning
• Urban Design
• Sustainability
• Culture

Hames Sharley has been a proud contributor to Deloitte’s recent ‘Make it a plan Adelaide’ report released late last year. In part 3 of a continuing series, we follow Peter and Bob’s Story.

• Master Planning
• Sustainability
• Urban Design
• Culture

Hames Sharley has been a proud contributor to Deloitte’s recent ‘Make it a plan Adelaide’ report released late last year. In part 4 of a continuing series, we follow David and Lucy’s Story.

• Sustainability
• Culture
• Master Planning
• Urban Design

Hames Sharley has been a proud contributor to Deloitte’s recent ‘Make it a plan Adelaide’ report released late last year. In part 5 of a continuing series, we follow Mai and Cheng’s Story.

• Sustainability
• Culture
• Master Planning
• Urban Design

Bigger Adelaide, Better Lifestyles

Hames Sharley has been a proud contributor to Deloitte’s recent ‘Make it a plan Adelaide’ report. We share their view that a key strategy in transforming and growing South Australia’s economy is to grow its population.

• Master Planning
• Urban Design
• Culture
• Sustainability

Christmas is just around the corner and we are all left scratching our heads wondering what presents to buy. Here’s a guide to a handful of options for the creatives in your life…

• Technology and Innovation
• Design
• Culture

Arty Facts

No matter the size of the project, over the past twelve months we have applied the same set of guidelines in our approach to designing buildings and spaces in the public & culture sector. Here we present our 12 key considerations when designing for museums and galleries.

• Culture
• Architecture
• Design
• Education

A future family day at their local shopping destination

At Hames Sharley, we like to invest in the latest technology, which allows us to provide a better service for our clients and partners. 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 shopping centre…

• Technology and Innovation
• Culture
• Design
• Architecture

Do you accept cheques, mate?

This month we discovered the ultimate gift for architecture and chess aficionados - who may also want to invest in what looks like becoming a best selling board game.

• Design
• Technology and Innovation
• Architecture
• Culture

Babina’s architectural animals

To mark this month’s World Animal Day, we point you in the direction of some of Federico Babina’s digital artistry that reimagines animals as icons of architecture.

• Design
• Culture
• Architecture

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.

• Urban Design
• Design
• Culture
• Master Planning

The legacy of World Expos: what’s left after the fair?

Hosting a major world event is in many ways seen as a coming of age for host countries. Seen as a way of putting a city on the map, World Expo organisers attempt to showcase their city to the world in an extravaganza of cutting edge technology, sustainability, design and architecture. But what happens when the fair leaves town?

• Culture
• Sustainability
• Architecture

The future is (virtually) here

Over the years futurists have predicted many innovations that have failed to come to fruition, from flying cars to hoverboards, but when you consider the cost implications and logistics of these inventions, it’s understandable that technology might fail to keep pace with our aspirations for the world of tomorrow. That said, one exciting and long-anticipated innovation is so close you can… well, you can almost touch it.

• Technology and Innovation
• BIM
• Design
• Culture

Postal survey

Andrew Choate’s Instagram page is a celebration of bollards that features dozens of examples from the very basic to the impossibly ornate. Check them out – the account already has 49,000 followers.

• Design
• Urban Design
• Culture

Countering the counter-measures

When unsightly concrete blocks were placed on the streets of Melbourne and Sydney, intended to provide security against terror attacks, the public outcry was vociferous and immediate. But never mind the bollards, because safety measures shouldn’t have to spoil the streetscape…

• Culture
• Design
• Urban Design

Save my soul: refurbishing a heritage listed building

Architectural character is created by the aesthetic components of the building, such as unity, composition, contract and scale. But what gives it soul? And how do buildings retain their soul throughout decades of use and multiple refurbishments?

• Heritage
• Architecture
• Culture
• Diversity

​In the concluding part of his essay, David McCarroll looks at some of the reasons that consumers make their choices and why this will always keep the retail centre relevant.

• Retail
• Architecture
• Design
• Culture

Retrofitting, refurbishing and repositioning: how older buildings can become relevant again

All buildings age and what was once an A grade building is eventually downgraded until its inevitable slide into obsolescence. That is unless it is retrofitted, refurbished and repositioned back to its former glory - and that’s where Building Upgrade Finance comes in…

• Heritage
• Design
• Architecture
• Culture

The seven deadly sins of stakeholder engagement

Our checklist of seven deadly sins that should be avoided in the consultation process…

• Culture
• Diversity
• Master Planning
• Urban Design
• Sustainability

The changing landscape of stakeholder engagement

While community consultation has long been part of many regulatory frameworks, the way it is conducted often leaves a lot to be desired…

• Culture
• Diversity
• Master Planning
• Sustainability
• Urban Design

Catalogues didn’t kill the shopping centre. The rise of online retail hasn’t seen the end of bricks and mortar. In a two-part observational piece, David McCarroll looks at the real problems facing retailers… complacency, and the struggle to remain relevant.

• Retail
• Architecture
• Design
• Culture

Fancy an adventure exploring your city? Open House is an event in which buildings across a city throw open their doors to the public for one weekend each year, to enjoy the best architecture on offer.

• Culture
• Architecture

Encyclopedia of man-made plants and animals released

From tuskless elephants and hornless rhinos to glow in the dark fish and square apples, the modification of flora and fauna has been going on for eons, both by design and accident.

• Design
• Sustainability
• Technology and Innovation
• Culture

More than just vegeburgers…

While some parts of the scientific community are looking at using cultured meat to solve a potential world food crisis, others have decided that the way to ensure the world has all the protein it needs is by cutting out the middle… er, animal.

• Sustainability
• Culture
• Design

Wholly cow!?!

Its composition is the same as the stuff you’d carve off cattle, but is the world ready to eat meat created entirely in a laboratory? And if we could all be persuaded to chow down on faux-flesh, what would the effect be on the environment, both natural and built?

• Sustainability
• Technology and Innovation
• Design
• Culture

Is architecture falling behind sustainability aspirations?

It would appear that sustainability in architecture and great design are still largely mutually exclusive, according to a recent stoush between the American Institute of Architects and Aaron Bestky…

• Sustainability
• Architecture
• Design
• Culture

Maximising workforce engagement: the corporate conundrum

Countless surveys indicate that an engaged workforce is more productive and profitable. Yet maximising employee engagement has become one of the 21^st century’s biggest corporate conundrums, with alarming statistics showing far more than 80 percent of staff lack workplace engagement.

• Workplace
• Technology and Innovation
• Sustainability
• Culture

Face values

You can’t ever underestimate the value of face-to-face interaction. The benefits are many: you can bounce ideas off others, unlocking creativity that might not otherwise be accessed via email or text; you can gain more information when negotiating a deal, or you can simply gauge whether someone really likes that idea you floated.

• Culture
• Design
• Architecture

The price ain’t right

Affordable housing has become a major issue in recent years. Last week’s budget did little to alleviate the problem for first-home buyers, amounting to not much more than tinkering to provide the illusion of change…

• Residential
• Culture
• Design

The language of architecture

Writing about language is not for the faint of heart. However, I will attempt to articulate how the language of architecture is ‘designed’...

• Culture
• Architecture
• Design

Yeah, nah – Aussie Slang at work

Australians are known all over the world for being straight shooters. Ask an Aussie their opinion and you normally get a straight answer, right? Not anymore.

• Workplace
• Culture
• Diversity

Mental illnesses described through architecture

Mental disorders are something that will affect most of us at some point in our lives and Spanish-based, digital artist Federico Babina has created a new project which attempts to illustrate a number of conditions through architecture.

• Diversity
• Wellbeing
• Culture
• Architecture
• Design
• Health

Building cultural diversity through the language we speak

It is proven that cultural diversity adds to the bottom line. The benefits of cultural diversity are many: improved decision-making, increased collaboration, better problem-solving, enhanced well-being and knowledge sharing, to name a few. But what does it look like in a real workplace?

• Diversity
• Wellbeing
• Culture
• Architecture

You’ve got to laugh, right?

While there’s no denying that having a conversation with someone who spouts jargon at you can be irritating and frustrating, you can still make the best of it if you don’t take it seriously…

• Culture
• Diversity

The perils of periphrastic pontification

Why do people resort to jargon as a means to look knowledgeable and authoritative when a simple answer would have done the job. These days, few people are fooled by five-dollar words when ten-cent ones will do, and jargon is all about big spending for slight return.

• Culture
• Diversity
• Workplace

Driving sales

Imagine this: you walk into your local retail centre, aiming to pick-out an evening gown and shoes, grab a quick chef-prepared meal for lunch, and organise your grocery drop-off to your house. Then, out of the corner of your eye, you spot the plush lounge of a major auto brand…

• Transport
• Technology and Innovation
• Retail
• Culture

Moral machines

New technology raises a myriad of questions about how the design of our cities will change to accommodate them. But what is of increasing interest is how machines will be programmed to make difficult, even moral, decisions…

• Technology and Innovation
• Transport
• Culture
• Design

Driverless cities – preparing for a transport revolution

With driverless cars already taking to the roads in Pittsburg, San Francisco and even on trial in Adelaide, the autonomous vehicle revolution is upon us – whether we like it or not.

• Transport
• Technology and Innovation
• Urban Design
• Design
• Culture

That’s no moon – that’s a failed design approval!

Next week sees all eyes on the great and the good of Hollywood as Tinsel Town brings us the 89^th Academy Awards. But as this multi-billion dollar industry gets together to pat itself on the back I have a bone to pick.

• Culture
• Architecture
• Design

Divisive architecture is nothing new

The Trump wall triggered intense debate during the US presidential election race late last year, and while divisive architecture is nothing new, civil societies need spaces which allow people to come together rather than walls keeping them apart.

• Diversity
• Culture
• Architecture

Inside Donald Trump’s Tower

Donald Trump moves into the White House on Friday, January 20, leaving behind his $100 million penthouse condo in Trump Tower. Monocle’s New York bureau chief Ed Stocker shares his opinion on the NYC skyscraper.

• Culture
• Architecture
• Design

Science and technology advances for a new world

Seven top futurists have shared their predictions on what the next decade will bring in science and technology.

• Design
• Technology and Innovation
• Health
• Culture

Begging for a better solution

The increase in homelessness has led to a rise in begging leaving cities asking the question, what is the best solution to street begging?

• Diversity
• Culture
• Wellbeing
• Urban Design