10 Dec 2018
Dear Santa…
Our annual guide for last minute gift ideas with an design and architectural angle…
Technology and Innovation
Technology has created the most significant changes in human behaviour since the industrial revolution. As the places we create respond to human behaviour the value of established design methodologies has never been more valuable.
Our challenge is to match the evolving needs of society with the fast paced evolution that is occurring in technology.
12 Nov 2018
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.
15 Sep 2018
Harnessing VR to attract retail tenants in a first for South Australia
Attracting retail tenants with virtual reality tours in South Australia.
12 Sep 2018
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.
12 Sep 2018
Architects and engineers, R U OK?
Architects and engineers rate worryingly high for risk of suicide. As part of RU OK Day on 13 September, we look at the factors behind this trend and what can be done to mitigate them.
02 Sep 2018
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.
10 Aug 2018
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…
26 Jul 2018
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
20 Jul 2018
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?
17 Jul 2018
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.
19 Jun 2018
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.
19 Jun 2018
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.
19 Jun 2018
What is Constructuring?
Fusing the worlds of construction and manufacturing is a process known as
19 Jun 2018
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.
01 Jun 2018
The Amazon Tax
News has broken that Amazon will no longer allow Australian shoppers access to its US website.
21 May 2018
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.
21 May 2018
Uber and above
Ride-sharing service Uber could soon disrupt the transport sector again with a new project, Uber Elevate.
19 Feb 2018
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?
16 Feb 2018
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.
12 Feb 2018
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…
15 Jan 2018
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.
15 Jan 2018
Powering along the road
A new solar highway in China will allow electric cars to recharge while on the move.
10 Dec 2017
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…
08 Dec 2017
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…
07 Dec 2017
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.
14 Nov 2017
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…
14 Nov 2017
Artificial constructs
In the 21st 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.
25 Oct 2017
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…
24 Oct 2017
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.
14 Oct 2017
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…
26 Sep 2017
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.
26 Sep 2017
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.
12 Sep 2017
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.
12 Sep 2017
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.
08 Sep 2017
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.
26 Jun 2017
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.
23 Jun 2017
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?
24 May 2017
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 21st century’s biggest corporate conundrums, with alarming statistics showing far more than 80 percent of staff lack workplace engagement.
23 May 2017
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.
20 May 2017
Those who don’t learn from history…
Following a year of Hames Sharley’s 40th-anniversary celebrations, we investigate a handful of methods on how best to use the lessons of the past to influence future projects…
20 May 2017
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.
19 May 2017
The roadmap to power – solar panels and battery storage to lead the way
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.
16 Mar 2017
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…
16 Mar 2017
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…
16 Mar 2017
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…
14 Feb 2017
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…
14 Feb 2017
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?
14 Feb 2017
New designs for aged care
Architects and aged care providers are taking inspiration from villages, farm and hotels for aged care facilities.
12 Feb 2017
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.
13 Jan 2017
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.