Hassell Talks

Retrofitting and repurposing existing structures can achieve decarbonisation goals, enhance occupancy, attract investment, and rejuvenate cities – all while reducing environmental impact. No wonder our industry can't stop talking about it.  It no longer makes sense to demolish unoccupied buildings, as it's neither cost-effective nor aligned with our circular economy aspirations. In September 2023, Hassell sponsored the inaugural Retrofit & Repurpose Summit on Gadigal Country, Sydney, bringing together sustainability leaders, asset owners, investors, and sustainable building specialists come together to explore the opportunities and positive impacts of retrofit and repurpose strategies. A recorded panel discussion 'Change Levers: Finding New Value in Net Zero Retrofit and Reuse Market', allows us to bring some of the summit's insights to the Hassell Talks audience. Featuring Principal Jeff Morgan; Green Building Council of Australia's Elham Monavari, Solar Victoria's Paul Corkill; Built's Jono Cottee, and hosted by Alison Scotland, Executive Director Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council. We're pleased to be able to bring you this recording, and these insights.  Our thanks to the Retrofit Summit for generously capturing and sharing this audio. For more great insights from the summit, check out https://retrofitsummit.com.au/post-event-session-recordings/

Parkville, Melbourne — home to one of the world's leading biomedical innovation communities.  Arden — the next stage of the expanding Parkville innovation ecosystem. These precincts serve as catalysts where ideas, industries, and investors converge — shaping the places that unite us. In this episode we explore the threads that hold these precincts together in the context of future developments of major institutions spanning health, education, transport and research. Melbourne's Lord Mayor Sally Capp was joined by Hassell Principal Alix Smith, Associate Adam Gardner as well as Helen Day, Principal Adviser, Strategic Masterplans Unit, Health Infrastructure Branch in the Department of Health in Victoria; Dr. Amy Hahs, Senior Lecturer in Urban Horticulture, University of Melbourne; Professor Dan Hill, Director, Melbourne School of Design and Mena Kubba, Director, Kubba.

Companies that have changed their offices and ways of working since the pandemic have a 17% higher satisfaction score among employees than those that haven't. That's a big number - just one of many fascinating data points out of our 2023 Workplace Futures Survey.  We're calling this one Great Adaptations. Our annual survey casts a light on the link between office transformation and employee satisfaction - and we're sharing some of the big take-outs with you on Hassell Talks. Join the report's author, Senior Researcher Dr Daniel Davis together with Principal Ingrid Bakker, as they reveal valuable insights into the current state of the workplace and what it takes to create the ideal hybrid office.  

On this episode of Hassell Talks, architect and urbanist Caroline Stalker joined retired Partner of Buro Happald Andrew Comer and architect, urbanist and Head of Design Ashley Munday to explore the potential mechanisms for creating a successful Olympic and Paralympic Games legacy for Brisbane and SEQ. London's approach was to look beyond 2012 - to 2057, with the hard decisions made at the very beginning resulting in transcendent change across the city. Is Brisbane brave enough to do the same?   Recorded on Jagerra and Turbal Country, Meanjin, Brisbane.  

Architect Julian Gitsham sat down with Professors Tim O'Brien and Teresa Anderson to record this conversation about designing the best campus environments for transformational learning. And who better to quiz than the minds behind the bluedot festival? Located at the UNESCO listed Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, home to the Lovell Telescope, and the award-winning Hassell designed First Light Pavilion Visitors Centre, bluedot is a festival that defies categorisation, and if you're heading along in 2023, make sure you check out Hassell's Xavier de Kestelier's talk on interplanetary habitats and 3D printing in space. This episode sees was originally recorded in 2022.

You asked, Kat answered! Get ready for our 'Epic Yarn' - Part 2.  Part 1 saw Landscape Architect Hannah Galloway explore the topic of ​‘Listening' with First Nations Consultant, Cultural Advisor and Storyteller Kat Rodwell. For the second half of this Epic Yarn, we asked listeners to send in questions to ask Kat - and boy, did you deliver. No question was off-limits, and the prompt of 'get comfortable with being uncomfortable' saw questions about the dangers of 'fetishisation', about agriculture and contemporising culture, and the danger of Traditional Owners (TO's) and First Nations consultant groups becoming overwhelmed and burnt-out.  You also asked questions about the design industry, on reconciling project timelines, and the ways we can regenerate Country.  Part 1 explored the ​‘eggshells' of engagement — the role of understanding that each project, situation and engagement is a unique opportunity to understand the land from the beginning. Exploring the nuances of cultural protocol and etiquette, Kat and Hannah also talked about the systems of Country that still speak loudly — even in crowded city centres — if we stop to listen. These two episodes serve as a reminder and resource for designers, organisations, and individuals that we can listen and learn much – from Country – and each other. Recorded on Lands of the Noongar Whadjuk people and the Wadawurrung people. Produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri people. We pay our respects to the original custodians of the lands where we practice, and acknowledge their unique ability to care for country and their deep spiritual connection to it.

Are you ready for an 'Epic Yarn'? Listening lies at the heart of so much of what designers do, but listening to what Country and Culture is telling us means connecting deeply and meaningfully with the land and its people. How well are designers — and organisations, individuals and communities — listening to these voices? Together with Landscape Architect Hannah Galloway, we wanted to explore the topic of ​‘Listening' with First Nations Consultant, Cultural Advisor and Storyteller Kat Rodwell. In Part 1 of this 'Epic Yarn', Kat and Hannah discuss the​‘eggshells' of engagement — the role of understanding that each project, situation and engagement is a unique opportunity to understand the land from the beginning. They explore the nuances of cultural protocol and etiquette, and the systems of Country that still speak loudly — even in crowded city centres — if we stop to listen. This episode is a must-listen for anyone wanting to deepen their understanding and to recalibrate how they listen to the voices of Country and Culture. In it, you'll hear the practical ways that individuals and organisations can better connect, support, and learn.    Recorded on Lands of the Noongar Whadjuk people and the Wadawurrung people. Produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri people. We pay our respects to the original custodians of the lands where we practice, and acknowledge their unique ability to care for country and their deep spiritual connection to it.

Perth in Western Australia has joined thousands of other cities around the world aiming for Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050. How will this unique city, facing unique climate challenges, meet the target? And how will designers help the city go beyond the standards to beat the clock and make a thriving, regenerative hub? Hassell's Sustainable Design Leader Karla Fox-Reynolds joined self-confessed 'sustainability nerd' the Hon. Dr. Brad Pettitt MLC and environmental scientist Prof. Josh Byrne for a conversation in our Perth studio on Whadjuk Country alongside peers from the design industry, and private and public organisations. The conversation spanned commercial and residential, urban and public spaces and the potential for adaptive reuse in the transition to net zero.

With a housing crisis affecting cities and people, we're taking a look at the close ties between design and innovation in the residential sector. How are emerging housing models responding to community needs? What role is design playing in ensuring projects can still succeed despite cost, supply and climate challenges? And what makes larger scale residential alternatives appealing to investors seeking a long-term revenue line? In this episode you'll hear from one such investor in residential innovation. With projects in the UK, the US - and Australia - AustralianSuper is also an enthusiastic partner of pioneering build-to-rent-to-own housing developer, Assemble Communities, and quarter owner of the Assemble Futures. Fiona Dunster, Senior Investment Director within the property team at AustralianSuper joined Residential sector co-lead Jeremy Schluter to explore why investing in quality, sustainable housing for people just makes good financial sense, and why elements like tool libraries, communal laundries, kitchen facilities, spaces for yoga, dog walking and book clubs are designed in from the start, to bring people together and encourage connection.  

It is time to move on from the pursuit of iconic architecture. The issues keeping our clients and collaborators up at night are the same things pushing our cities closer to the cusp of wholesale change. Things like the competition around attracting and keeping great tenants, providing magnetic experiences and destination workplaces in uncertain times, dealing with 'great bones' in a building and delivering sustainable spaces are all complex, and often perplexing, challenges. Challenging the building industry to create the momentum our cities will need for people and nature to thrive together, Senior Associate Razvan I. Ghilic-Micu spoke to a cross-industry audience of property owners, managers, developers and creators at TRANSFORM, the Green Building Council of Australia's event for sustainable built environments. With insights from 'From Ordinary to Extraordinary: A New Iconicity', Razvan was joined by Samantha Peart to talk about the key ingredients needed for this evolution to take place.  

The 15 Minute City has become a hot topic - gaining traction in corners of the internet not typically involved in the dialogue around city planning and urban living. With forward-thinking conversations threatened to be overtaken by conspiracy theories, we wanted to share an episode we recorded with London-based research lead Camilla Siggaard Andersen in 2022 on the topic of 15 Minute Cities. Specifically looking at the research she conducted, and the challenges she discovered are facing cities in Ireland and elsewhere as they grapple with climate change, urban sprawl and wellbeing. In this episode you'll hear from: Pat Farrell, CEO, Irish Institutional Property Brian Moran, Senior Managing Director, Hines Niamh Moore Cherry, Associate Professor, School of Geography, University College Dublin; and Ali Grehan, former City of Dublin Architect As Hassell's ​“Close to Home” report shows, 15-minute cities provide opportunities for more convenient living, more equitable communities and more sustainable development. What's not to like?

They say there's no place like home. In Europe, Australia, the US and Asia - there's not enough quality housing stock to go around, and limited affordable choice in the types of homes available. The current generation of renters and buyers are connected, design-savvy and socially aware. They are driving the demand for homes that challenge traditional models of living. They've also lived through the pandemic, so they need to be able to work comfortably from home with a supportive community around them. They desire access to green space, and amenities and convenience. They want quality homes suited to a changing climate. The market's crying out for change. They also say that necessity is the mother of invention. So – could we be on the cusp of a whole new range of housing alternatives? It's looking like we could be. There are quality alternatives and ideas that turn traditional ideas of housing on its head and the industry and market are mature enough to support those trying to make a difference. To explore this we invited Michael McCormack co-founder behind small but mighty development firm Milieu to join co-lead of the residential sector, Jeremy Schluter. Michael is a passionate advocate for improved urban design and is also Deputy Chair and a member of the Board at the Centre for Contemporary Photography. Milieu are a certified B Corp™, a global community of for-profit leaders who pledge to use business as a force for good. Milieu's reputation for crafting beautifully conceived apartments driven by progressive urban design and exemplary architecture, such as Otter Place has resulted in a following in Melbourne and Sydney, with Milieu's buildings gaining fans, awards and accolades. Just don't call them a 'luxury developer'! The episode was recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung people. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, acknowledge the custodianship of its people and the privilege and responsibility to Connect with Country.

How did Sydney, London, and Barcelona pull off Olympic-sized events that delivered enduring, generational change? In 2032, southeast Queensland - a region with the city of Brisbane at its heart - will host the summer Olympics and Paralympics. The Games create extraordinary opportunities for communities, economies, and cultures to design legacies for future generations. The most important discussions in the city and the region around design are only just beginning - and this episode is one of them. Urbanist, city-shaper, and Hassell Principal Caroline Stalker explores the opportunities for Brisbane and Southeast Queensland - beyond 2032 - with Hassell Fellow Ken Maher AO and Emeritus Professor of Architecture and Urbanism, Helen Lochhead in this first episode in the fifth season of Hassell Talks.    

Feeling overwhelmed in the face of climate and sustainability challenges? Have we got the episode for you. With the built environment contributing to around 40% of global emissions, our industry has a critical – and pivotal - role to play to limit the projected impacts of climate change to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century. So we held an event to hear from the people making the changes in our industry that we all want to see more of, in the world. The event, in November 2022, was run by a passionate group of female designers, championing equity and change in our industry. They invited leaders in sustainability, waste, Passivhaus and community to come together in a Yarning circle, where designers and guests were able hear the motivations, failures, successes, and ideas for inspiring everyday action in environmental and social sustainability. Great ideas deserve to be shared, and we recorded the event so you, too, can feel the optimism and motivation to keep going on a path toward Regeneration. Hosted by Senior Architect Mia Willemsen, in this episode you'll hear from: Kat Rodwell, Aboriginal Engagement Consultant, Balert Mura Consulting Maree Marshall, Director, Waste Management & Circular Economy, WSP;  Clare Parry, Sustainability Manager, Development Victoria;  Sam Peart, Head of Sustainability, Hassell Daniel Tatton, Senior Project Officer, Creative Victoria Thanks to our WomenIN event organisers Sarah Mair, Maddie Gundry, Hannah Green, Chloe Gleeson, Mia Willemsen, Megan Boyle, Emily Shaw, Lauren Geschke, Ingrid Bakker, and Sam Peart. This episode was recorded on Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung Country in Naarm (Melbourne).

*ENCORE EPISODE* Nature in our cities.  If you're paying attention you'll notice the effect it's having on you. The slowed heart rate, a stolen moment to notice flickering leaves, buzzing insects, birds landing. Those designed-for, natural moments in our cities aren't in stasis - they're constantly changing and also spontaneous, influencing how we move through our cities, how we use them - and how they give back to us. In this season of Hassell Talks we've heard how spontaneous experiences are often behind the connections that bring people together; how designing in response to the perceptions of safety in rail precincts can help to encourage greater use by women, girls and the gender diverse; what workplaces need to do to become more 'magnetic'; and how listening, reflecting and learning from First Nations partners creates more inclusive experiences and connections. In this encore episode we revisit one of our most loved conversations from earlier in our catalogue, exploring a topic that's just as relevant as ever: the significance of our emotional connections to nature in cities - and the power it has to bring people together. Episode host, the Landscape designer, writer and gardener Jon Hazelwood is joined by writer, garden designer and TV presenter Michael McCoy as well as Professor Nigel Dunnett, responsible for some of the UK's most spectacular planted environments like the Barbican, Buckingham Palace's Diamond Garden and the planting designs for the London Olympic park (with his colleague James Hitchmough). We know you'll enjoy hearing how the creation of magical experiences in our cities has the power to profoundly move, connect and bring people together. Parts of this episode were recorded on the lands of the Gadigal people, and produced on Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung land, in Naarm.

"What you create as an organisation has to be something that pushes the boundaries everywhere," said Co-Director of Danjoo Koorliny, Carol Innes AM to a gathering of designers, government representatives clients and First Nations collaborators. This gathering, as part of Hassell's Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) journey aimed to listen and learn from First Nations partners better ways to engage on projects. The resulting conversation was rich, provocative and full of lessons, and in this episode of Hassell Talks we are sharing an edited recording of that conversation, because the insights shared by Dr Richard Walley OAM, Karen Jacobs and Carol Innes AM, will resonate beyond our practice.   This episode was recorded on Whadjuk Country with additional production on Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung land. Recording by Periscope Pictures.

When it comes to how workers feel about their workplace, it's hard to mount an argument against three years' worth of data and insights into possibly the most disruptive period for workers in memory. Senior Researcher Daniel Davis has been studying the effects and challenges facing workplaces in our Annual Workplace Futures Survey since 2020, and this year the survey grew to include 2,500 office workers across Australia, China, Singapore, the United States and the United Kingdom. And while foot traffic is returning to central business districts on the weekends — weekday activity remains far below pre-pandemic levels. People are returning to the city but not to work. So how do we attract people back to the workplace and — after over two years of remote and hybrid working — is there reason enough for them to even be there? In this episode of Hassell Talks, join Daniel and Principal Domino Risch as they share some behind the scenes insights and explore the top three takeouts from our latest annual workplace survey. To find out more, and download your own copy of the report, visit The Magnetic Workplace: 2022 Workplace Futures Survey

Rail precincts don't always feel like the safest places to be for women, girls and the gender diverse, particularly after dark. Alert and constantly on guard, it's a relentless navigation of sightlines, lighting, exposure, surveillance and positioning for safety. As designers, we believe we can do more than simply meet the governing standards and technical requirements demanded of rail stations - we can change the way people feel while using them, creating a more equitable and prosperous society. Hassell partnered with the team at Monash University's XYX Lab to gather data and a better understanding of the design elements that shape women's perceptions of safety. What we discovered was that through materiality, better lighting design, wayfinding, sightlines and even access to toilets - we can make a big difference into how safe many parts of our population feel. To explore the findings and see how Hassell is embedding them into our design process on our projects, we brought Principles Alix Smith and Chris Lamborn together with Associate Professor Nicole Kalms for an episode of Hassell Talks. This episode was recorded in Naarm, on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung people of the Kulin nation. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land we live and work on. This episode was produced by Prue Vincent, Julia Mahony and Annie Scapetis.

We believe good things - great things - can happen when people come together through seemingly spontaneous experiences. The emotional response we get when we're surprised or delighted is hugely powerful. It can help us feel more connected to others, and our cities. It can inspire and move us toward great change - and great change is something our cities, communities and planet urgently needs. But how do we design for spontaneity? Is this not inherently contradictory? We asked Principal and previous Hassell Talks host Jon Hazelwood to return to the microphone for a conversation with FreeState's Su Lim around the role of spontaneity in our cities and how we can curate spaces for the unplanned. Su and Jon discuss how to design for experiences that we don't always know we need but that can connect and reconnect us in novel and essential ways that will create memories and reset cities. We discuss the role of landscape and nature in creating surprise and delight in cities and, with Hassell Principal Chong Wang, explore how one of the world's great cities, Shanghai, has woven spontaneity into its DNA. We also hear from Hannah Fox, the creator of Melbourne's renowned Rising Festival, about how spontaneous interactions feed creativity. References: Journalist, author, theorist, and activist Jane Jacobs Psychologist James Gibson   Parts of this episode were recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung people of the Kulin nation. We pay our respects to elders past and present. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land where we live, work, and learn.

While technology rapidly advances — people, by contrast, remain constant. Creatures of habit, we need others to survive. We are the sum of our skin, our organs and body parts. Our minds distinguish us, and our intelligence is key to survival but it's our ability to work together that tells the true story of our potential. The team behind the Herston Biofabrication Institute in Brisbane, Australia knew this, and deliberately removed the physical and mental limits in their way. Given the right space, resources and design they've seen a patient able to talk for the first time in 30 years; a specialist design-print-test-iterate a medical solution in days rather than months — and problems solved “beautifully [and] organically” in minutes. In this episode of Hassell Talks, Mathilde Desselle General Manager of the Herston Biofabrication Institute, tells Carolyn Solley of how the transparency and malleability of the building's interior design has smoothed interactions and increased healing and recovery enabling both patients and the Institute's multi-disciplinary workforce to thrive. Hassell acknowledges the Jagera and Turrbal people as the original custodians, designers, and placemakers of the land we recorded this episode on. We pay our respect to the traditional owners, their elders and knowledge holders past, present, and emerging. Their knowledge has and will ensure the continuation of cultures and traditional practises. This episode was produced by Prue Vincent and Michelle Bailey

What does bouncing Kraftwerk's music off the surface of the moon have to do with the future of the university campus? Universities are paying close attention to the way interstellar music-science-arts-technology-culture experience makers bluedotfestival engage audiences in cross-disciplinary learning. But how far do they need to go on campus?  Turns out - they need to create a 'wow' factor deeply rooted in curiosity and learning.  Who better to debate the future of the university campus than Hassell's co-lead of Education and Science, Julian Gitsham, together with the creators of bluedot, Professor Teresa Anderson and Professor Tim O'Brien of the University of Manchester's Jodrell Bank. In this episode we hear how to look at the benefits of designing environments around problem solving – rather than disciplines – and how good design can create and facilitate inclusive, innovative, and problem solving campuses. Links Cultural chemistry on campus web page bluedot festival First Light Pavilion Jodrell Bank Observatory  

To celebrate the start of Melbourne Design Week, we're excited to share a podcast from Australia's leading architecture commission MPavilion. The MPavilion MTalks series brings some of Melbourne's brightest and most creative minds together on the lands of the Eastern Kulin Nation, to debate, share ideas and be inspired. The episode you're about to hear was part of an 'Illuminating' event exploring the role of data, knowledge and design in amplifying access to the ideas moving around the city.  Hear from the event creators, architects, artists, lighting and interaction designers exploring the role of design in illuminating and engaging people in public institutions. With thanks to MPavilion for sharing this episode with us, as well as Bonnie Shaw at Place Intelligence for leading the event. Thanks also to FreeState's Su Lim, Hannah Fox at Rising, Tim Hunt at Arup, and Finding Infinity's, Ross Harding for taking part - and Steve Coster for hosting.  

Even before Covid-19, many working in the health system would claim that Emergency Departments weren't in the best of health. The narrative in the media, and from clinicians themselves, paints a picture of overcrowded spaces, overwhelmed and unsafe for patients and staff, bottlenecked and stretched beyond capacity yet growing bigger – and bigger - but not necessarily smarter.  Creating healthcare systems that meet the very best expectations and conditions for staff and patients should be a focus for communities and operators, and this involves examining the models of health, safety, privacy, the popularity of telehealth and the role of emerging technologies. As part of a WomenIn_ panel event hosted by our Melbourne studio, we invited Mya Cubitt, Emergency Physician at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Stefano Scalzo, from the Victorian Health Building Authority, as well as Health, Infrastructure and Planning Consultant Brian Stevenson, to join Hassell's Health sector leader Leanne Guy and Managing Director Steve Coster to discuss the ever changing needs of Emergency Departments. This episode was produced by Prue Vincent and Annie Scapetis.

Cities around the world are committing themselves to creating compact, amenity-rich neighbourhoods as they tackle the challenges of climate change, urban sprawl and wellbeing. Ireland's cities, with their history, natural amenities and passionate residents seem more ready-made than most to embrace an agenda of compact growth. But despite national planning frameworks in place, local governments, private developers and stakeholders are encountering ongoing challenges of their own in bringing ​“15-minute cities” to fruition. “If we're going to get people to accept the idea that it's good to live in a smaller home in the city centre, we have to make sure that the experience outside the front door of their smaller home is really wonderful,” explains City of Dublin Architect, Ali Grehan. In this episode of Hassell Talks, Senior Researcher Camilla Siggaard Andersen speaks to the people behind the push for compact, urban growth in Ireland: the property developers, city architects, academics and researchers, who want to move beyond a common assumption that compact growth can only come from sacrifice.  As Hassell's ​“Close to Home” report shows, 15-minute cities provide opportunities for more convenient living, more equitable communities and more sustainable development, saving resources and reducing emissions because of higher density.  Could this be a new era of urbanism, for Ireland? Our thanks to Brian Moran, Ali Grehan, Pat Farrell and Niamh Moore Cherry for sharing their insights with us. This episode was produced by Camilla Siggaard Andersen and Prue Vincent with support from One Fine Play.

There's no simple answer to the workplace-during-a-pandemic conundrum, but there are many ways that organisations can fine-tune their workplaces to appeal to the inevitably changed habits and expectations of their people while meeting their own objectives. From following the data and ensuring your business goals are rock-solid to ongoing testing and refining while nailing the office basics, our 2021 Workplace Futures Survey of 2300 office workers unearthed some important insights for the evolution of the workplace. In this episode of Hassell Talks, Principal Catherine van der Heide and Senior Researcher Daniel Davis explore the survey findings and what they mean. They also speak with people in the business of creating workplaces for the future, Letitia Hope from ISPT and ARUP's Cameron McIntosh.

Mental health is making headlines - including in the architecture and design industry as the cumulative effects of living and working through a second year of the global Covid-19 pandemic start to become known. So how can organisations, the industry, and individuals, take advantage of this moment to establish change and in doing so, protect the longevity and diversity of the design industry into the future? In this special episode of Hassell Talks to recognise RUOK Day and World Mental Health Day we invited Parlour co-founder, Researcher and Professor of Architecture at Monash University Naomi Stead to share some of the early observations coming out of a survey of 2300 industry professionals into wellbeing in architecture. Joining Naomi is landscape architect, Place Intelligence co-founder and Human Potential Coach Bonnie Shaw, who explains how her own extreme experience with stress and pursuit of mental wellbeing marries data, endocrinology, neuroscience and behavioural psychology to support change, and community resilience. Together with Managing Director Steve Coster they explore opportunities to promote an open help-seeking culture, foster wellbeing and create real, positive change around mental health for the benefit of individuals, organisations, clients – and ultimately the communities and end users of design. "Designers are motivated by a desire to make the world a better place, and so they keep designing until they get to the best possible outcome beyond the point where they're really pushing their own personal well-being." - Naomi Stead "When you're working in really big, challenging adaptive problems, it puts so much pressure on people. And being able to do that work in a context where it's okay to talk about how you might be struggling or when you might be having problems, I think, is the only way we get through it."  - Bonnie Shaw Hassell is a proud partner of mental health advocacy organisation, PukaUp. Find out more about the work PukaUp is doing to eliminate suicide. References and further resources The British Architects Mental Wellbeing Forum Toolkit The Australian Architects Mental Wellbeing Forum Toolkit Literature review on Architects and Mental Health commissioned by the NSWARB Monash University's Wellbeing in Architecture survey Bonnie Shaw: 'Making good decisions' - Dumbo Feather Founder of Stress Theory, Hans Selye

Finding it both necessary and convenient, patients and clinicians across Australia embraced the change brought about by COVID-19 and took to telehealth in huge numbers – jumping from one million service events in March 2020 to six million a month later in April. Healthcare is traditionally an area that can be slow to change, so this leap in uptake was a novel event in itself. Under pandemic restrictions, clinicians didn't have much of a choice. But the switch to telehealth wasn't as simple as just turning on a computer or making a call, particularly in hospital settings where space and infrastructure are hard to come by. We wanted to find out what the telehealth experiences of healthcare workers in Australian hospitals was like during 2020, and the implications for the spaces we design. In collaboration with The University of Queensland's Centre for Online Health, we discovered that hospital infrastructure in Australia is ill-equipped to accommodate the spaces needed for successful delivery of telehealth services during a pandemic. And with telehealth here to stay, that means these spaces are also left wanting in a future that is almost certain to include a greater mix of both in-person and telehealth consultations. For episode 3 in season 2 of Hassell Talks, Senior Researcher Michaela Sheahan looks at what this means for the way new hospitals are designed or existing hospitals are reconfigured – and the almost once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rethink the way healthcare is offered. She's joined by Hassell Principal Leanne Guy as well as Karen Lucas, Senior Telehealth Coordinator for Metro South Hospital and Health Service and Dr Emma Thomas, Research Fellow at the Centre for Health Services Research, The University of Queensland.

At the heart of any co-working environment is the idea that it can do much more than provide a hotspot and a hot coffee. The best ones ask: Can we build a great like-minded community? In the COVID-19 context, the best co-working spaces then ask whether they can solve some of the challenges thrown up by the pandemic to design for safety and trust in a physical environment. And right now? They're asking how the design of their spaces helps people to connect – and reconnect. To go a step further and make these connections high value, while supporting wellness and resilience. “You need a place where you can say 'Oh my gosh! That's so good!' You need that energy.” Industry trailblazer, CEO and Founder of The Great Room Jaelle Ang, calls it the quest for a ‘modern agora'. “If we need to move at a fast pace, we need to be in a learning environment,” she observes. “And the office needs to allow you to do that.” Host and Senior Design Strategist Pamela Jouwena joined Jaelle Ang at the Great Room, Raffles for a conversation exploring the evolution of coworking to meaningfully connect the virtual and physical experiences – and how it's gone beyond simply providing flexibility to being places of resilience that people can trust, where they can create community and focus on holistic wellness. At a time when it's needed most. This episode of HassellTalks was produced by Prue Vincent and Slavica Habjanovic.

We're back for Season Two of Hassell Talks - thanks for joining us! Once practically unthinkable, silent city centres were a feature of 2020. And to attract people back as the COVID-19 recovery picks up pace across the globe, the challenge lies in truly understanding how and why spaces work. The solution might be staring us – city shapers and designers – in the face. Big Data. What exactly can big data reveal to city shapers and designers that they previously never had access to? What does it tell us about human behaviour in urban places and the opportunities to create better outcomes for stakeholders? And how does it help designers prove their effectiveness of their designs? With Big Data as a basis, designers and clients can have more informed and meaningful conversations to help generate socially, culturally and economically valuable outcomes. Hassell's Gerard Corcoran teams up with Norion Ubechel from Place Intelligence to dig into the role of Big Data and how it can challenge and validate the design process. This episode of Hassell Talks was produced by Prue Vincent and Jessica van Hecke

Whether you’re a CEO, a property manager or a workplace designer, the office has been the headline conversation of 2020. How many will go back? What will it look like? How will workplace culture change? It’s a topic we’ve been examining closely, in everything from our Workplace Beyond 2020 survey to one of our latest podcasts – a ‘Creative Conversation’ on the future of corporate campuses. Whatever line of inquiry we’re following, we know a mix of qualitative and quantitative insights give us the greatest handle on what’s happening in a workplace. Data really does make the difference to our design process. For this episode of Hassell Talks, our design strategy lead and Principal Evodia Alaterou is joined by Alex Birch, co-founder and CEO of tech start-up XY Sense. Using sensors positioned within a workplace, their company gets real-time information on how employees move throughout their space and use their work settings – not to mention a better understanding of what makes a safe working environment post-COVID. Evodia and Alex share what they’ve learned gathering data from four workplace and employee experience leaders in Australia. And we get to hear directly from people inside those businesses too. Cameron McIntosh from Arup, Madeline Mios from Culture Amp, Mark Comer from Cbus and Adam Fitzhenry from Sunsuper talk about the challenges their organisations faced – and how those made them re-think the tools they use to understand and measure their workplace performance and their culture.

How can corporate campuses lure us out of our homes (and pyjamas) and back to the office in a COVID-wary world? And how will they keep us coming back, with remote working more compelling or essential than ever?  Some designers say the ​‘hardware' of a campus is what makes it magnetic. For them, it's about the architecture, spaces and settings that give form to a company's aspirations and reflect the best of its people and location. Others would argue the secret's in the ​‘software' - the less visible elements like programming and technology that make a campus dynamic, inspiring and often surprising. But the magic could come down to the mix. An irresistible environment with unmissable experiences. These are the questions that fire up two of our design minds and frequent campus collaborators - Rob Backhouse, Head of Design here at Hassell, and Adam Scott, Executive Creative Director of experience master planners FreeState, part of our design family. In this podcast - a rollicking ​‘Creative Conversation' like the ones we have around the table (and sometimes late into the night) - Rob and Adam share their insights on what's next for large-scale workplaces. In the process, they also tell us what ​‘Field of Dreams', theatre productions and a shaman in a cave might teach us about a campus people can't resist - post-COVID and beyond.

Plants in our cities are important for many reasons, like flooding and urban cooling and biodiversity and human wellbeing and health. But they also have economic impacts that make green cities as attractive to developers and investors as those who just want to stop and smell the roses. Episodes 12 and 13 of Hassell Talks looked at why we value wild, natural planting in our cities as well as the importance of scale, ecology and sustainability when creating landscapes that appear natural and organic. For Episode 14, Principal Jon Hazelwood explores the significance of our emotional connections to nature in cities. He is joined by writer, garden designer and TV presenter Michael McCoy as well as Professor Nigel Dunnett, who is responsible for some of the UK’s most spectacular planted environments like the Barbican, Buckingham Palace's Diamond Garden and the planting designs for the London Olympic park (with his colleague James Hitchmough).

The impact of nature on our immediate wellbeing has never been more apparent in our cities than during the lockdowns around the world in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. So does it matter if the nature is native or introduced? This debate around native or exotic urban planting can sometimes be a thorny one, culturally, environmentally and emotionally and over the longer term, climate change brings the role of planting and landscape into sharp focus as we consider the future health of our cities. On the other hand, wholly exotic landscapes bring with them issues of culture, context and invasive issues. Perhaps the answer is somewhere in the middle. Carefully controlled “wild” environments like small pocket parks or larger spaces like New York's famous High Line in are vastly different, but non-native plants play a crucial role alongside native species. In this way designers are ensuring biodiversity, eco-systems and cultural aspects are all catered and cared for. Following on from Episode 12 of Hassell Talks, 'Making cities wild again', in this episode host Jon Hazelwood brings together Professor James Hitchmough and internationally acclaimed garden designer Piet Oudolf to propose a different, less binary way of thinking about natives and non-natives. Together they look at why carefully considered planting needs to be seen at scale, and for people, ecology and wildlife.

It might be hard to measure, but we know interacting with nature has an impact on our emotions – and that’s never been more apparent in cities during lockdown. But does the kind of planting we encounter in urban environments matter? Are planned and cultivated spaces what we need, or could we be craving ‘wilder’, less predictable landscapes that fully immerse us in nature? When it was published in 2015, the book Planting in a Post-Wild World challenged conventional ideas about designing green spaces that would flourish in our cities and suburbs – and capture people’s hearts and minds. It made a groundbreaking argument for a hybrid approach of both the wild and the cultivated that continues to gather momentum today. Case in point: The High Line in New York – the poster child for naturalistic planting in a city. No other public space project has had such a powerful influence on design thinking in recent times. In this episode of Hassell Talks, landscape architect Jon Hazelwood talks to Claudia West – director of Phyto studio and co-author of Planting in a Post-Wild World – and Robert Hammond, co-founder and CEO of The High Line, about planting the seeds for a deeper, more fulfilling relationship with nature, whatever the space, scale or budget

Beyond the impeccable dress sense, designers working in fashion and city-making have a lot in common - both sectors can have indisputable impacts on the world - on a very large scale. Right now they also have an opportunity to think more deeply about the impact of their work on people, places and our collective future. While fashion is often fast and seasonal and architectural design is often a longer process, both are responsible for dictating trends and aspirations – and both can generate significant amounts of waste. Our Head of Design Technology and Innovation, Xavier de Kestelier, got together with Christopher Raeburn, Creative Director at Timberland and sustainable fashion brand RÆBURN, to talk about whether technology and similarities in the supply chain can lead to more collaboration between the industries and greater sustainability overall. “There are some cross industry initiatives that we can work towards, along with things like carbon neutrality and travel that now need to be just standard,” says Christopher. “But what can we do over and above that? We should, in the right way, challenge each other."

We don’t know exactly what our lives, work and communities will look like post COVID-19. But one thing we’re sure of is that some trends we saw developing over the past few years have only accelerated since the global pandemic took hold. They’re trends that are changing how we reimagine or repurpose spaces, think about mobility, and connect with each other and our communities – not to mention increase the appeal of a slowed-down culture. These shifts all have implications for the way people are interacting with places – and as designers this is a time to listen and partner with clients and communities to help us all re-emerge resilient. For this episode of our podcast, we’re joined by our good friend and collaborator David Grant of Brickfields Consulting. As consumer research experts, David and his team have been delving deeper into these trends, giving our clients and designers extra insights into the people who will use the places we create. David joins Hassell Principals Angus Bruce, Liz Westgarth, Chong Wang and Richard Mullane to discuss the impact and opportunities for cities from San Francisco to Sydney and Shanghai to London.

What will attract future generations of the best designers, and how do firms give designers the right platforms to make a positive difference once they’ve joined? It’s a topic we're obsessed with, so in this episode of Hassell Talks we dive right in with Jan Owen AM, and Managing Director Steve Coster to uncover what makes tomorrow’s design leaders tick, what they’re looking for – and how to unleash their world-changing potential.

Stepping carefully up to the crater’s edge, white boots kicking up swirls of red dust, the figure lowers themselves carefully down to sit on an ancient boulder - and pulls out an A3 sketchpad. The stranger surveys the Martian landscape, interrogates the form and flowing expanse in front of them and starts to piece together a narrative created over millions of years. They fill their empty page with sketches telling the story of the planet and its potential for life. They are….what, exactly? A scientist? An artist? Or both? In this episode of Hassell Talks, we examine the necessity of blurred boundaries between science and architecture, if humans are to successfully live on the Red Planet.

Events like COVID-19, wildfires and hurricanes teach us valuable lessons about the way people – and the public places built for them – respond and recover post disaster. If they’re not confined to their homes, communities are separated – scattering to places for medical attention, shelter or to the comfort of community. They could find themselves anywhere from a sports stadium to a community hall - to a beach. Greg Kochanowski, Studio Director at Rios Clementi Hale, and climate & science reporter Molly Peterson join Hassell Principal Richard Mullane in this podcast to discuss how resilience – the ability for an environment to recover – isn’t developed in the aftermath of a disaster. The foundations are built way before, so that when emergencies do come, people are strong enough to get through them. It’s less about what’s built and more about what’s designed for – a different kind of design thinking that should be part of the ‘new normal’.

Universities want to show their students and academics a really good time. The better the experience, the more appealing it is to stay a while for study, work and play. The multi-million dollar marketing campaigns may draw in the curious crowds, but what makes them stick around? Senior Researcher Michaela Sheahan hosted a panel conversation in our Brisbane studio with collaborators and clients to hear what clients and Universities see happening, and what they believe is necessary in the experience of students on campus.

From a powerful example of design’s crucial role of healing in post-genocide Rawanda to a city’s solution to homelessness, this episode of HassellTalks examines how deploying, measuring and demonstrating the value of design is critically important to addressing the most pressing humanitarian challenges of our time. Designers have “freaking superhero” skills, says architect Bryan Bell of the Public Interest Design Movement, and South Carolina’s Design Corps. They rapidly visualise multiple solutions and design assets, creating countless – limitless – ideas in a single day. But they’re not so great at measuring and articulating that value - meaning they sometimes get sidelined. With our world facing the complex challenges of climate, inequality, food, water and political insecurity: a superhero is what the world needs right now.

People are willing - happy even - to pay more for their scrambled eggs if they're eating them in a 'cool' cafe. The value of 'cool' to business is undisputed. But if we take it a step further, can large organisations really embody 'cool' - and attract talent - when it comes to designing their workplaces? Here's where the advertising industry really excels. They've had the jump on designers and developers when it comes to understanding people and grabbing their attention. They know how to make audiences feel, think and behave - all invaluable to creating exceptional places to work. Our designer Andy Low speaks to brand strategist Adam Ferrier, who's been behind some of Australia's best known advertising campaigns. Tune in for a lively conversation on the power of brand thinking and the value of 'cool' in design.

Sydney today faces the same pressures as all modern cities – growth, resources, infrastructure and resilience. The interpersonal fabric of modern-day Sydney contrasts to its healthy past – the challenges of isolation and a vast mental health crisis in our communities, pervasive social media, our collective response to climate change and biodiversity emergencies, and the pressures on housing and equity in a rapidly growing metropolis. Do the answers to these current challenges lie more with the community itself than governments? Have we forgotten how to design for love and belonging? Principal Ross de la Motte invited Ralph Ashton, founder of the Australian Futures Project to talk about short-termism in city shaping, how Australians really feel about what’s going on in their cities, and how everyone – from the top down – has a role to play in imagining a better future for ourselves.

It’s a brave dean that tests out a new way of working on academics and research staff. And yet that’s exactly what the School of Engineering at the University of Melbourne did. The future workspace at the Melbourne School of Engineering (MSE) will need to accommodate over 1800 users across three locations by 2025. To provide for its people and its industry collaborators – its workplace would need to become quite different. Anticipating the challenge that comes with a new way of working, the school commissioned a pilot workplace study called 'Space Lab' – a reference to a living lab, where ‘researcher’ becomes the ‘researched’.

A glance at any Australian town or city shows one of the world’s oldest continuous cultures is largely absent. A side note, rarely the headline. And is it any wonder, with only around 20 Indigenous Australian architects practicing in 2019? It’s not just an Australian story. There’s a lot to be learned from other experiences too. In the first episode of our Hassell Talks podcast, we hear from Elisapeta Heta, Māori Design Leader from New Zealand’s Jasmax. She tells us about her journey in embedding a Māori perspective into New Zealand’s design industry – and the long game of helping designers and communities create the kind of cultural safety that supports indigenous engagement.