Technology and Innovation

To those outside of the industry, the idea of taking a virtual tour of a new building before it’s even been constructed, every detail brought to life by wearing VR goggles, might sound like science fiction. But for designers, these futuristic technologies are becoming par for the course, rapidly transforming architecture as we know it.

• Architecture
• Design
• Technology and Innovation

The road ahead for driverless cars

For years, we’ve been told to expect a transport revolution: get ready for the driverless car! And yes, there are little signs of it happening – from universities using automated vehicles to ferry guests around on open days to the deployment of driverless transport as a way of circumventing coronavirus restrictions. But aside from feeling twinges of jealousy when watching self-controlled limos speeding characters around on shows like Westworld, we’ve more or less let the whole idea slip from our consciousness.

• Technology and Innovation
• Transport
• Urban Design

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

If we can trace the idea of a shopping centre as far back as the Roman Empire then it’s safe to imagine shopping centres will continue to exist in 2100. But what they might look like, that’s another question entirely.

• Technology and Innovation
• Retail
• Design
• Architecture

Architects and engineers, R U OK?

Architects and engineers rate worryingly high for risk of suicide. As part of RU OK Day on 12 September, we look at the factors behind this trend and what can be done to mitigate them.

• Architecture
• Technology and Innovation
• Wellbeing

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

Sufficient unto the data

A recent report from the BBC suggests that if at any point in the last week you’ve struggled to find a digital file on your phone or computer, you may well be guilty of digital hoarding…

• Workplace
• Technology and Innovation
• Wellbeing

De-stress flair

Ten easy ways to lighten your mental load and push through the new year slump.

• Technology and Innovation
• Workplace
• Wellbeing

Dear Santa…

​Our annual guide for last minute gift ideas with an design and architectural angle…

• Technology and Innovation
• Architecture

Why architecture hasn’t changed in more than 2,000 years…

Hames Sharley’s National Design Forum Leader, Derek Hays, considers why the three fundamentals of architecture have remained unchanged for 2,000 years.

• Architecture
• Design
• Technology and Innovation

Harnessing VR to attract retail tenants in a first for South Australia

Attracting retail tenants with virtual reality tours in South Australia.

• Architecture
• Technology and Innovation
• Retail

Stable designs

Not only can design help settle your mind through creative pursuits, it can also result in products that enhance mental health in other ways. Here are five ideas that employ good design to improve mental wellbeing – from the very simple to the more complex and innovative.

• Wellbeing
• Technology and Innovation

Scraping the sky

September 3rd marks World Skyscraper Day, a day to recognise the architectural and engineering feat that encompass some of the worlds tallest and most magnificent buildings.

• Architecture
• Technology and Innovation

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

Architecture; art vs science

In August each year, the nation celebrates Science Week. It’s a government initiative to fuel society’s interest and understanding of importance in the subject.

• Architecture
• Design
• Technology and Innovation

Holo… is it you we’re looking for?

Will touchable holograms signal the next evolution in retail? Virtual reality and augmented reality have limitless applications. They are common knowledge these days and commonly used. But what if you could showcase your product in a manner different from both of these methods – one that has not been seen before?

• Architecture
• Retail
• Technology and Innovation

Urban innovations for closing the fiscal gap

Director of Hames Sharley, Darren Bilsborough explores biophilic urbanism as a way of increasing quality of life without increasing tax.

• Workplace
• Urban Design
• Technology and Innovation

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.

• Master Planning
• Urban Design
• Technology and Innovation
• Transport

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

What is Constructuring?

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

• Architecture
• BIM
• Technology and Innovation

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.

• Architecture
• Health
• Technology and Innovation

The Amazon Tax

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

• Retail
• Technology and Innovation

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

Uber and above

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

• Transport
• Technology and Innovation

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?

• Technology and Innovation
• Design
• Urban Design
• Master Planning

Pup-ular Architecture

It’s Chinese New Year, and 2018 is the year of the dog. To recognise the focus on man’s best friend, we’ve delved into the weird wide web to bring you designs from leading architects, made especially for dogs.

• Technology and Innovation
• Architecture
• Design

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

Byron’s new railway a shining example

The town of Byron Bay has launched Australia’s first entirely solar-powered train, turning a heritage engine that has sat idle for the past 25 years into an important transport solution for the area.

• Technology and Innovation
• Design
• Master Planning

Powering along the road

A new solar highway in China will allow electric cars to recharge while on the move.

• Technology and Innovation
• Sustainability
• Design
• Master Planning

Drones to take on choppers?

Each year, 15 billion trees are chopped down. The rate at which they are felled currently makes it difficult to keep up with replenishing them. Fortunately, drones are now available to help…

• Technology and Innovation
• Sustainability

Dear Santa…

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

The shape of Things to come

By connecting devices to the internet – and to each other – The Internet of Things has the potential to revolutionise the way we live and do business. And the architecture industry is no exception.

• Technology and Innovation
• Urban Design
• Architecture

Trade Runner

For some people, it’s a dream, for others a nightmare – the vision of a future in which you won’t have to work because a robot will exist that can do the job for you…

• Technology and Innovation
• Architecture
• BIM

Artificial constructs

In the 21^st century, automation is a fact of life, with robots having a metallic hand in the production of everything from cars to toys, but when it comes to the construction industry, the automated workforce is conspicuous by its absence. In a recent address to Consult Australia, Valentina Sansbury asked why construction has been so slow to build on automated assistance, and offered a vision of how robotics can be an asset to increase productivity within the industry.

• Residential
• Design
• Architecture
• Heritage
• Technology and Innovation

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

What’s new in home automation

Home automation is getting a whole lot closer to the average family. Currently the domain of top-end residential builds and the tech-savvy, the Internet of Things (IoT) is coming soon to a neighbourhood near you…

• Residential
• Technology and Innovation
• Sustainability

Six advantages of VR

Hames Sharley has known for some time that VR technology would become a real game-changer within our sector, but since we initially invested in the hardware we’ve been surprised by some of the advantages that augmented reality can offer our designers and clients.

• Technology and Innovation
• BIM
• Design
• 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

Function and form in protecting buildings from earthquakes

As Mexico recovers from the devastating effects of its recent earthquake, The Malay Mail has reported on a Japanese innovation that looks to add protective functionality to buildings while introducing an aesthetically pleasing, sleek design motif.

• Technology and Innovation
• Sustainability
• Design
• Architecture
• BIM

Urban growth creates a perfect storm for flooding

Extreme weather conditions have made news headlines in the past month, with major hurricanes making landfall in large parts of America. As floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey receded, The New York Times reported that much of the damage to infrastructure could have been avoided.

• Master Planning
• Technology and Innovation
• Urban Design
• Design

Who gives a crap? A lot of us, apparently

There is a motza to be made in the sustainability industry, according to the successes of some of Australia’s leading sustainability entrepreneurs. Dana McCauley reports that two such winners are KeepCup and Who Gives a Crap.

• Sustainability
• Design
• Technology and Innovation

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

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

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

Office buildings and the work spaces within…

People have been talking about the demise of the office for years now. Since telecommuting became an everyday phenomenon, opinion-makers have been queuing up to tell us how the traditional workplace is on the verge of extinction.

• Workplace
• Architecture
• Design
• Urban Design
• Technology and Innovation
• Sustainability

Mercedes-Benz continues its assault on Tesla’s energy storage solutions

Luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz has made its promised entry into the home energy storage market in the UK, taking on Tesla and its Powerwall, according to a recent article in Road Show.

• Technology and Innovation
• Sustainability
• Design

The CSIRO and Energy Networks Australia have just released a new plan to secure Australia’s energy supply, reduce our bills and reduce our emissions to zero by the middle of the century. Their roadmap relies upon a coordinated approach by the states in order to potentially save Australians AUD$1 billion by 2050 and cut residential power bills by an average of $414 annually.

• Sustainability
• Technology and Innovation
• Design

The impact of a driverless society on retail

It’s coming at us faster than a speeding Bugatti Veyron – the era of the autonomous car - and when this technology finally arrives the impact to retail will be immense…

• Transport
• Retail
• Technology and Innovation
• Sustainability
• Design

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

Attack of the $350 Billion Retailer…

It’s coming… a giant of the retail industry, dwarfing its competitors as it strides into view, trampling traditional Australian shopping culture into the dust, and smashing any who stand in its way. But how on earth can you compete with a well-drilled organisation that has indomitable global brand recognition, a reliable reputation and, let’s face it, better prices? By changing the rules…

• Retail
• Technology and Innovation

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

From off grid homes to high-rises

Move over driverless cars, Tesla is ready to make an even bigger impact on our lives, our cities and our homes, with their recently announced off-grid solar technology offer. But how will this accessible new solar technology impact our lives, economy, environment and our architecture?

• Residential
• Sustainability
• Technology and Innovation

New designs for aged care

Architects and aged care providers are taking inspiration from villages, farm and hotels for aged care facilities.

• Residential
• Architecture
• Design
• Technology and Innovation

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

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