76 Small Rooms

Welcome to Episode 61! Still buzzing from our special anniversary episode, the whole team gathered to discuss the question of why colour disappeared from contemporary architecture, and is it undergoing a resurgent return? Our discussion covered how architects are trained, what influences the use and selection of colour in design, and some of our favourite uses of colour in architecture. Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels Cover photo taken by Arch - the artist David Rickard's feet at Paimio Sanatorium, Helsinki

Welcome to Episode 60! In this very special recording we celebrate ten years of 76 Small Rooms, in a live audience recording at Objectspace Gallery in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Deftly compered by Jeremy, the team were joined by a brilliant panel made up of Objectspace director Kim Paton; Matakohe Architecture + Urbanism's Jade Kake; and our very first guest back in 2015 - architect and founder of RTA Studio Rich Naish. We discussed two questions: how has design in Aotearoa New Zealand changed in the last decade? And what changes can we hope for in the decade ahead? Huge thanks and aroha to Objectspace for hosting this kōrero, and their ongoing support of design and creativity in Aotearoa. Special thanks to those who attended this celebration, and our gratitude to Te Aihe Butler, who recorded and mixed this live episode. Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels Cover photo: Cameron Law

Welcome to Episode 59! The whole team gathered for our first fully online interview with 2024 Te Kāhui Whaihanga NZIA Gold Medal winners Hugh Tennent and Ewan Brown. Their award citation describes them as having "travelled commonly avoided pathways" in their work, and our discussion delves deeper into their meeting, the strong commitment to listening and learning, and the complementary nature of their partnership. Their inventive incorporation of Te Ao Māori into architectural responses overlaps with the most pressing needs of the profession to mitigate its effect on the environment, and is captured neatly when they say, "All of the Living Building Challenge projects are kaupapa Māori projects" The discussion is better than the audio quality on this chat, for which we beg your indulgence as we test our ability to interview remote guests. Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels Cover photo: Catherine Cattanach https://www.catherinecattanach.com/

Welcome to Episode 58! We took a quick breath before submerging for Christmas to get together and look back on the end of the First Quarter 21st Century results. It's been a great year, and we discuss the architects who've inspired us or caught our attention. Our huge thanks to Barry Tobin, who dropped in to photograph this session xxx Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels Cover photo: Barry Tobin https://www.barrytobin.co.nz/

Welcome to Episode 57! Today's episode features a special international visitor, Roan Ching-Yueh - an architect, curator, critic and writer based in Taipei. He received his MA from the University of Pennsylvania and is a licensed architect in both the United States and Taiwan. Roan was in Aotearoa to present a series of talks and workshops, and we sat down for an hour of exciting intellectual calisthenics, discussing the illegal architecture of Taipei, the failed promise of Modernism, and the inspiration for his writing. A huge thank you to Rosabel Tan at Satellites.co.nz for arranging this interview. Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels Cover image: Terry Lin

Welcome to Episode 56! We have a fantastic group of guests for this episode. The whole team sit down at the home of Lance and Nicola Herbst to chat with them and author John Walsh about their retrospective book 'Herbst: Architecture in Context'. It's a long and detailed discussion, covering the Herbst's journey to, and attachment with Aotearoa; their design philosophy and methods; and what's next in the sketchbook for their practice. We loved the kōrero and thank our guests for their time and hospitality. Apologies for the sound quality in this episode. We've got some new gear we're still dialing in, and some Pallasmaa-approved rain drumming on the roof. We'll improve next episode ;) Herbst - Architecture in Context, available here: https://www.masseypress.ac.nz/books/herbst Design by Alan Deere of Area Design Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels Cover image: courtesy of Massey University Press

Kia ora tātou e hoa mā, nau mai ki te Episode 55! Today the full team set themselves to do Jeremy's homework and discuss our favourite cities. We understood the assignment. American Modern, by Matt Shaw & Iwan Baan: https://www.unitybooks.co.nz/products/american-modern-architecture-community-columbus-indiana Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels Cover: AI image by Microsoft CoPilot

Welcome to Episode 054! Today the full team gather to kōrero on what's filled our WhatsApp over the last month. We ponder the arguments in a great NYT article about the risks and rewards of hosting an Olympics, and the shortlists of the UK and Aotearoa's own top respective architecture gongs. New York Times article, Hosting the Olympics Costs Billions. What Does a City Get Back?: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/22/magazine/olympics-city-redevelopment-paris.html RIBA Stirling Prize Shortlist 2024: https://www.architecture.com/awards-and-competitions-landing-page/awards/riba-stirling-prize Commentary on the shortlist: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/article/2024/jul/31/stirling-prize-2024-nominees and https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/article/2024/jun/02/stirling-prize-2024-a-two-horse-race 2024 New Zealand Architecture Awards shortlist: https://nzia.co.nz/explore/news/2024/2024-new-zealand-architecture-awards-shortlist/ Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 053! Today Arch, Tash, and Jeremy talk with Bill McKay, senior lecturer in the School of Architecture at University of Auckland. We discussed the new book Urban Aotearoa: The Future for Our Cities, a new release from Bridget Williams Books, which Bill co-edited with David Batchelor. We asked Bill his views on the issues facing our cities, the current Government positions on the topic, and what answers he sees to address the needs of a growing Aotearoa. Urban Aotearoa is out now, and available from BWB at the link below. Urban Aotearoa: https://www.bwb.co.nz/books/urban-aotearoa/ Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 052! The team range across several topics today, starting with the recent NZIA awards round and Tash's experience as a judge, and whether Aotearoa's architects are good presenters. We also review the recent success of the film 'Maurice and I', talk about adaptive reuse as a tool for central city revitalisation, and what books we're reading. Maurice and I website and trailer: https://mauriceandi.com/ Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Our third and final interview from Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects In:Situ 2024 conference is with Jeanne Gang, founder of Studio Gang. Studio Gang's work is extremely wide-ranging, and defies categorisation. We talked with Jeanne about some of her most meaningful projects, the new ways in which architects shape cities, technology and making, and the patient art of long projects. We thank the NZIA for their support in organising these interviews. Studio Gang: https://studiogang.com/ NZIA's Q&A with Jeanne Gang: https://www.nzia.co.nz/in-situ/q-a-jeanne-gang/ Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

In our second interview from Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects In:Situ 2024 conference, we talk with Sandra Barclay and JeanPierre Crousse about their talk, how they collaborate as 'double partners' in life and work, and their love of creative constraints. They established Barclay & Crousse Architecture in Paris in 1994 and Lima, Peru, in 2006. We are grateful to the NZIA for their support in organising these interviews. Barclay & Crousse: https://www.barclaycrousse.com/ NZIA's Q&A with Sandra Barclay: https://www.nzia.co.nz/in-situ/q-a-barclay-crousse/ Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

In the first of three interviews from Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects In:Situ 2024 conference, we join Kai-Uwe Bergmann to talk about his work, projects, and BIG's emphasis on refining design communication. Kai-Uwe is a partner at BIG Architects and oversees their urban and landscape projects globally. We are grateful to the NZIA for their support in organising these interviews. BIG Architects: https://big.dk/ NZIA's Q&A with Kai-Uwe: https://www.nzia.co.nz/in-situ/q-a-kai-uwe-bergmann/ Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 048! Today Arch, Tash and Jeremy huddled in St Matthew's in the City to talk with Kevin O'Brien, a Principal at BVN Architects in Australia, leading their Designing with Country strategy. Kevin was in Aotearoa to judge the Te Kāhui Whaihanga Resene Student Design Awards. We spoke with Kevin about what it means to Design with Country, the Student Design Awards work, and his recent projects. Kevin O'Brien - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_O%27Brien_(architect) https://www.bvn.com.au/person/kevin-o-brien Designing with Country - https://www.indesignlive.com/people/kevin-obrien-designing-for-country/amp and https://www.bvn.com.au/tenet/designing-with-country Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 047! Today Arch, Tash and Jeremy interview Canadian architect Tye Farrow, who visited Aotearoa in October to promote his upcoming book Constructing Health. Tye is a captivating speaker, and works 'at the intersection of architecture and neuroscience', uniquely qualified in holding a Master of Neuroscience Applied to Architecture (University of Venice IUAV), a Master of Architecture in Urban Design (Harvard University), and a Bachelor of Architecture degree (University of Toronto). We hope you enjoying hearing from Tye as much as we did talking with him, and we thank Woodworks for bringing Tye to New Zealand for his lecture series. Pre-order Tye Farrow's book 'Constructing Health' here https://utorontopress.com/9781487557225/constructing-health/ Farrow Partners - https://farrowpartners.ca/ Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 046! It's the full team this episode as we discuss the upcoming NZIA National Awards, David Adjaye, Jeremy's new book on matua Rewi Thompson with Jade Kake, and how this is all to do with Oceangate. NZIA 2023 New Zealand Architecture Awards Shortlist https://nzia.co.nz/explore/news/2023/2023-new-zealand-architecture-awards-shortlist Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 045! We get out and about and visit CoHaus in Grey Lynn, Auckland, New Zealand, and talk to its architects - Thom Gill and Helle Westergaard of Studio Nord. Thom and Helle kindly welcomed us into their home for our chat, and explained the design and development process of CoHaus, as well as their background, what they've learned as designers, and paint a picture of a less common response to meeting our housing and social needs. It's a brilliant and generous interview, and we thank them both for allowing us to visit. There's lots you can read about CoHaus, including: * Cohaus website http://cohaus.nz/ * Christopher Kelly's Architecture NZ review of CoHaus 12 Jan 2022 https://architecturenow.co.nz/articles/watching-the-collectives/ * Thom and Helle's response to the above https://architecturenow.co.nz/articles/letter-to-the-editor/ *Stuff article on the project and talking to residents https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/retirement/128510805/what-its-like-to-retire-to-a-cohousing-development-with-neighbours-from-1-to-80 Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to 2023! After our now-traditional summer hiatus we are back. Arch, Tash and Jeremy discuss this year's NZIA Gold Medal award winners Stevens Lawson, the work of David Chipperfield, and an article we loved by Kate Wagner before capping off our chat with the highlights of our summers. We're glad to be back into our year of exciting conversations! Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

To cap off 2022 we decided to get together with a few pals and discuss our year - our favourite buildings, our burning issues, and some reflections on the year that was. Thank you to all our listeners and supporters for listening this year, and we wish you a Meri Kihirimete and happy holidays - see you in '23 Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

We love a new book, and in this episode we talk to Elizabeth Cox, architectural historian and editor of Making Space: A History of New Zealand Women in Architecture. Elizabeth shared many of the stories Making Space tells, and a few more, in a generous chat with us last week. Beautifully designed, it tells over one hundred years of stories, illuminating many not previously in the historical record. Making Space is out now, and we hope you enjoy this episode's kōrero with Elizabeth. More info on Making Space: https://www.masseypress.ac.nz/books/making-space/ Theme music: The Cosmic Wheels

In our second interview from this year's New Zealand Institute of Architects Mini In:Situ Conference, we chat with Los Angeles based architect Michael Maltzan about housing as infrastructure and why he believes that the practice of architecture can provide solutions to complex environmental and social problems. Cover Photo via Columbia GSAPP (https://www.flickr.com/photos/gsapponline/18323955376) Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Our first interview from this year's New Zealand Institute of Architects Mini In:Situ Conference, is a fantastic talk with Italian architect and academic Mario Cucinella - founder and creative Director of Mario Cucinella Architects, based in Bologna and Milan. Mario's work is remarkable, varied, and highly experimental, and we were very lucky to speak with him. Our thanks to the NZIA for arranging this year's interviews. Bio: https://www.insitu.nzia.co.nz/speakers/mario-cucinella/ Theme music: The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 39! Today we talk with Nick Stevens and Gary Lawson about a very special project - the recently completed Auckland City Mission Homeground. We hope you enjoy the full story on the project's genesis, the innovation and many parties that helped bring it to fruition, and the rewards of patience, belief and persistence. More on the project here from architects Stevens Lawson https://www.stevenslawson.co.nz/projects/homeground/ Cover photo by Mark Smith Photography http://www.marksmith.co.nz/ Theme music by The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 38! Today we talk about the much debated Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Bill, and its potential and impact on housing design, density, and placemaking. Tash is our resident expert in this field, so she's our guest on today's episode. You can read the government's release on what they believe the changes to the RMA will achieve: https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/bill-boost-housing-supply-passes This is Greater Auckland's summary of the outcome: https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2021/12/15/bring-on-the-density/ And lastly here's the NZIA's submission on the bill: https://www.nzia.co.nz/media/5566704/2021_16-november_institute-of-architects_submission_final.pdf Cover photo via https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/01/02/youre-a-toronto-nimby-now-what.html Theme music by The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 37! After a long break we're back, and in this episode the whole crew of Tash, Arch, Jeremy and Mat talk with renown architect, urbanist, activist, and 2021 NZIA Gold Medal Winner Julie Stout. We loved our chat with Julie, covering sailing, drawing, her design process, and career highlights. It's good to be back and thanks for your patience! You can read Julie's Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects citation here https://www.nzia.co.nz/awards/gold-medal/2021-gold-medal-julie-stout and this excellent interview with our very own Jeremy here https://www.nzia.co.nz/explore/interviews/julie-stout-in-conversation We apologise for the sound quality on this episode. A hot day in Tāmaki Makaurau with our studio doors open meant a bit of background noise. Cover photo by Rebekah Robinson - Private correspondence, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=115127591 Theme music by The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 36! In this episode Tash, Jeremy and Arch are joined by Dr Anthony Hoete (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Ranana) in a rollicking chat about his incredibly varied career so far. Taking in everything from his original education at University of Auckland, his innovation with co-design and placemaking, and a brief stint running hot-tub rave parties, this was a hugely enjoyable kōrero. Episode cover photograph courtesy of ArchitectureNow Theme music by The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 35! In this discussion Mat, Tash, and Arch talk with Michael Milojevic, Professional Teaching Fellow at the University of Auckland's School of Architecture and Planning. Michael discusses his early interest in archeology and entry into architecture, his teaching journey and experiences, and what he's seen change over his time teaching. Episode cover photograph by Michael Milojevic Theme music by The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 34! In this discussion Jeremy, Tash and Arch talk with architect, educator, co-founder of Architecture+Women NZ and all-round Aotearoa legend Lynda Simmons. We hear from Lynda about her love of drawing, its use as an architectural teaching method, and fail to convince her to start a TikTok channel You can read Lynda's opinion pieces for Architecture NZ magazine here: https://www.lyndasimmonsarchitect.com/research-1 Episode cover image by Lynda Simmons. Theme music by The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 33, our first of 2021. Tash, Jeremy and Mat discuss what they're looking forward to this year, a return to some favourite hot topics we'd love to see movement on, and Mat muses on what the New Zealand camping holiday tells us how we might shape our spaces without architects. Theme music by The Cosmic Wheels, pic by Arch (Nelson Dec 2020)

Welcome to Episode 32! We're back to the full complement of the team for this episode, talking about the delicious new book from Matt Arnold and Mary Gaudin, I Never Met A Straight Line I Didn't Like. We wandered into influential childhood experiences of architecture, and the relative merits of minimalism.

Welcome to Episode 31! The tighter team of Tash, Jeremy and Mat take on the traditional grumpy-neighbour-inducing topic of an updated Spatial Plan. This is the guiding planning document that sets out how Wellington will accommodate growth over the next couple of decades. The team discuss how the pros and cons of densification, the NIMBY angle on heritage preservation, and Tash’s future run for Minister of Housing. Theme Music - The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 30! Into the strange new post-lockdown Aotearoa mediascape comes a new magazine. "Fiercely local" and dedicated to New Zealand residential architecture, 'Here' launches on June 22. In this episode we talk to Here's editor Simon Farrell-Green about the current situation for print media, stories he hopes to tell, and what it takes to create, fund, and launch a design magazine. Theme Music - The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 029! It's been a while since our last episode, and we're delighted to be back. This week we discuss the recent proposed executive order titled "Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again", drawing on Kate Wagner's excellent article in The New Republic - https://newrepublic.com/article/156509/donald-trump-war-on-architecture. What are the implications of a style edict, and why the particular style of Classicism? We discuss our collective unease at the announcement, and ask whether we'd be happier if it was a 'style' we personally preferred. It's a deep dive into the topic with our hosts. We've also updated our theme music, with a brand new track by The Cosmic Wheels! https://open.spotify.com/artist/35K4pkBpn9f2qWu2awA2M6

Welcome to Episode 28! In this episode we talk with the prolific and talented Matt Liggins. Matt works as an architect, artist, and teacher, and we discuss how these three practices relate to and support one another. Find out what inspires him, how an idea takes flight, and whether he'll change his name to Malcolm. Matt Liggins - http://www.mattliggins.com/

Welcome to Episode 27! We talk with NZ photographer David Straight about his recent book John Scott Works. It was a great discussion about David's introduction to his work through the contemptible demolition of the Aniwaniwa Visitor's Centre in 2016, and his reverence for the works he saw and included in his book. David Straight - https://davidstraight.net/ John Scott Works - https://www.masseypress.ac.nz/books/john-scott-works/

Our sixth and final interview from this year's New Zealand Institute of Architects In:Situ Conference features our chat with Wolfram Putz, founding partner and CEO of Graft - an omnivorous studio taking on a fascinating range of work. We had lots to discuss with Wolfram, starting our chat on the common ground of sailing! Bio: https://www.insitu.nzia.co.nz/speakers/wolfram-putz Wofram's In:Situ talk can be viewed here https://vimeo.com/321629690

In the fifth of our six interviews from this year's New Zealand Institute of Architects In:Situ Conference, we talk with Tina Gregorič & Aljoša Dekleva of Ljubljana, Slovenia. This enigmatic pair boast a wide range of architectural interests and outputs, and spoke compellingly about the value of research in their practise. We discussed their ideas around 'monomateriality', the architecture of living in (outer) space, and how they'd like to arrive in NZ next time by boat. Bio: https://www.insitu.nzia.co.nz/speakers/tina-gregori%C4%8D-aljo%C5%A1a-dekleva Their In:Situ talk can be viewed here https://vimeo.com/321615122

In the fourth of our six interviews from this year's New Zealand Institute of Architects In:Situ Conference, we talk with Amin Taha of Groupwork Architects. After a wide range of experience at different practices Amin started his own architectural studio, later incorporating it as Groupwork. With his 15 Clerkenwell Close project well known for the demolition order now placed on it, Amin's talk on Style and the way he practices and makes architecture was unique. We chatted with him about everything from Clerkenwell to Brexit. Bio: https://www.insitu.nzia.co.nz/speakers/amin-taha Amin's In:Situ talk can be viewed here https://vimeo.com/321611749

Welcome to our third of six interviews from this year's New Zealand Institute of Architects In:Situ Conference. In this episode we talk to Beijing-born architect Ma Yansong, founder of MAD Architects. Bio: https://www.insitu.nzia.co.nz/speakers/ma-yansong Ma's In:Situ talk can be viewed here https://vimeo.com/321606286

In our second of six interviews from this year's New Zealand Institute of Architects In:Situ Conference, we talk with Betsy Williamson of Williamson Williamson. Betsy's conference talk took us through a number of jewel-like creations that brought several generations of families together, but her skills extend to the city-wide scale as well. Bio: https://www.insitu.nzia.co.nz/speakers/betsy-williamson Betsy's In:Situ talk can be viewed here https://vimeo.com/321616827

He's back! In our first of six interviews from this year's New Zealand Institute of Architects In:Situ Conference, we talk with Christopher Hawthorne. Now the Chief Design Office for Los Angeles, we catch up again on his goals for the city and some of the themes in his conference-opening address. Bio: https://www.insitu.nzia.co.nz/speakers/christopher-hawthorne Christopher's In:Situ talk can be viewed here https://vimeo.com/321606697 You can listen to our first chat with Christopher in Ep012 here https://soundcloud.com/76smallrooms/20170331-ep012-insitu2017-christopher-hawthorne

Ever heard the comment "Architects don't know how to build"? In our 20th episode we talk to two architects qualified to talk to this criticism. Dave Strachan and Mike O'Sullivan both wield a toolbelt as ably as a pencil. We discuss how being able to build influences their work as architect. SGA - https://www.sgaltd.co.nz/ BOS - http://www.bosarchitecture.co.nz/

In this episode we talk to the formidable Jake Kake about her wide-ranging podcast Indigenous Urbanism (listen here http://indigenousurbanism.net/) and her journey through practice to date.

In this episode we feature interviews with two incredible practitioners; Elisapeta Heta and Rau Hoskins. We talk with them about Te Kawenata - the covenant signed at last year's NZIA Conference, their experiences and views of practice, and indigenous architecture here and around the world.

In this episode, we talk to the irrepressible artist John Reynolds (http://www.starkwhite.co.nz/john-reynolds-bio/) about his work with Isthmus on the redevelopment of Freyberg Place in Auckland CBD. We interviewed John in the square, so there's a bit of background noise that we think illustrates just how successful a space it's proven to be! You can read more about the project here http://isthmus.co.nz/project/freyberg-place/ or better still wander down and experience it for yourself! There is a naughty word in this episode, so use your discretion Pic credit - Ludo Campbell-Reid

In our final episode of 2017, we join the team from Auckland practice Architectus as they guide us on the CTBUH Global Walking Tour event around Auckland http://www.ctbuh.org/Events/Calendar/2017EventArchive/1706_GlobalWalkingTour4/tabid/7508/language/en-US/Default.aspx

Our fourth and final episode from the NZIA's Insitu 2017 Conference is a doozy - we speak in depth with UK architect and Stirling Prize winner Alison Brooks. It's a great chat, featuring her case for beauty in architecture "The role of architects & architecture is to allow people to live beautiful lives in beautiful places" http://www.alisonbrooksarchitects.com//

This is our third episode from the NZIA's Insitu2017 Conference. We talk with the enigmatic Chilean pair Mauricio Pezo and Sofia von Ellrichshausen after their fantastic talk at this year's conference. http://pezo.cl/

This is our second episode from the NZIA's InSitu 2017 Conference. We talk with LA Architect Barbara Bestor on how she came to the profession, the 'graphic content' of her work, and the idea of 'strange beauty' http://bestorarchitecture.com/

In this episode, the first of four from the NZIA's inSitu conference, we talk to Christopher Hawthorne about Los Angeles and the challenges the city faces in reversing sprawl.

In this episode, our last for 2016, we talk with Patrick Reynolds and John Walsh about their new book, City House Country House. Find out what they've learned by completing their third in a series of books, and why a building isn't truly finished until it's photographed.