Design Principles Pod
Architecture. A hot topic, a buzz word, a realm for the rich and famous, or the thing that your step uncle does? We will be unpacking the good, the bad and the downright reality of the architectural and construction industry. With insights from industry professionals and personal anecdotes from our three hosts Ben, Gerard and Sam, you will be given a look behind the closed pages of those fancy looking moleskins. Tune in and redline out.
Episodes
Year-end is when the honest stuff bubbles up: what we built, what broke, and what we’ll try differently next time. We raise a glass to the community that’s carried this show and jump straight into the craft and chaos of design life—part celebration, part hard-won field notes.
We start with the real costs and protections behind small studios: trusts, liability, and why construction firms fold faster than archi...
Start with a flooded hotel room, end with a four‑metre cantilever, and in between unpack the messy, creative space where structure meets form. We sit down with structural engineer Joel Marsh of Pocket to map out how architects and engineers can move beyond transactional deliverables and into a truly design‑led process that saves money, reduces RFIs, and produces cleaner, more elegant buildings.
Joel opens the...
What if a building could be more than an object on a pedestal and instead feel like a living character on screen? We sit down with two architectural filmmakers, Nikolas Struger from ravens At Odds and Veeral Patel who show how to move beyond glossy hero shots and capture the heartbeat of design: process, people, and emotion. From software and cycling photography to architecture practice and brand strategy, their varie...
A city can make you breathe easier—or grind your teeth—before you’ve even named why. We follow that feeling from a flimsy townhouse hinge to the rhythm of a street that forces a ute to crawl, exploring how materials, widths, and mixed uses quietly choreograph daily life. In this episode we pull apart modernism’s big promises, tip our hats to classical street smarts, and ask what a genuinely New Zealand urban vernacula...
When we consume architecture, which speaks louder - the frozen moment or the flowing narrative? This question sits at the heart of our fascinating conversation with Clare Chapman, editor of Home Magazine, and Simon Devitt, renowned architectural photographer.
Despite both guests being masters of still imagery, our discussion reveals how moving image is transforming architectural storytelling in ways that comp...
The path to finding your architectural voice isn't a straight line—it's a series of experiments, failures, resets, and breakthroughs. Sam Brown, founding director of Arête Architects, takes us on a candid journey through his evolution as a designer and the growth of his practice.
Starting with foundational experiences at Victoria University, Mason Wales, and Foster Melville Architects, Sam reveals h...
Step into the revolutionary world of mass timber construction with our enlightening conversation featuring Jordan Robinson, Head of Business Development at X-Lam. What begins as a reunion of old architecture school friends quickly transforms into a masterclass on how engineered timber is reshaping our built environment.
Remember when timber was just for stick framing houses? Those days are rapidly disappearin...
The seemingly effortless elegance of minimalist architecture masks the extraordinary attention to detail required to achieve it. Tom Seear-Budd and James Ross, founders of Wellington-based Seear-Budd Ross Architects, pull back the curtain on this process, revealing the meticulous thought behind their refined residential designs.
Having established their practice nearly six years ago after departing larger com...
What happens when steel becomes soft? When industrial materials take on organic forms? In Gerard Dombrowski's debut solo exhibition "Inflation" at Season Aotearoa Gallery, steel transforms into something unexpectedly fluid and inviting.
We turn the microphone on our own Gerard Dombrowski as he shares the journey behind creating "Inflation"—a collection of hydroformed steel objects tha...
Ever wondered what architects mean when they talk about "programme"? In our latest deep dive, we crack open this fundamental concept that shapes everything from the tiniest apartments to sprawling civic buildings.
This episode begins with a seemingly simple question: what exactly is program in architecture? We explore how program operates simultaneously at multiple scales—a house within a street, a ...
What happens when award-winning architects and builders challenge the notion that sustainable, high-performance buildings must sacrifice aesthetics? This thought-provoking conversation brings together Passive House experts who are transforming New Zealand's built environment through buildings that are both beautiful and functional.
Architect Rafe Maclean shares how client feedback about a poorly-performi...
What happens when architecture becomes more accessible through images than through physical experience? This question forms the backbone of our conversation with Nina Boyd, a New Zealand architect currently working in Paris.
The traditional architectural pilgrimage—traveling to see important buildings firsthand—has fundamentally changed. Where Alvar Aalto's visit to Italy completely transformed his desig...
The conversation with Raimana Jones from Atelier Jones Design delves deep into the heart of what makes good design truly exceptional—craftsmanship. Drawing inspiration from architectural legends like Alvar Aalto and Walter Gropius, we explore how the most revered designers extended their vision beyond buildings to encompass furniture, lighting, and complete environments.
Raimana shares his journey through fab...
What happened to the architectural manifesto? This fascinating question from a listener propels us into an exploration of how architects have historically proclaimed their design philosophies—and why such bold declarations seem increasingly rare in contemporary practice.
The architectural landscape was once dramatically shaped by manifestos: Le Corbusier's "Towards New Architecture," Adolf Loos...
What happens when the people who shape our cities, schools, and homes are missing from the public conversation about our built environment? Award-winning architect Lisa Webb joins us to unpack architecture's growing crisis of relevance in New Zealand.
Following her thought-provoking piece in the NZIA Bulletin, Lisa shares her concerns about architects becoming increasingly sidelined in discussions about ...
A revolution is brewing in the housing industry, and it's coming from an unexpected source – Zuru, the New Zealand toy company that's now setting its sights on disrupting how we build homes. Their ambitious AI platform called "Dreamcatcher" promises to deliver fully customizable houses for as little as $500 per square meter, a fraction of current construction costs.
What makes this potenti...
Step into the new year with us as we reopen the doors to our podcast, diving deep into the vibrant world of architecture and design. We'll share our personal highlights from the recent Dezeen Awards, a celebration of exceptional creativity, and inspire listeners with the remarkable projects that put New Zealand on the global design map. Throughout the episode, we unpack the differences between local awards and th...
What happens when you build an entire house from just one material? We explore the revolutionary "everything house" concept, inspired by architectural visionaries like Robert Bruno, Tadao Ando, and Tom Kundig. This episode takes you on an imaginative journey through the possibilities and challenges of constructing homes from singular materials like wood and concrete. We question the marriage of aesthetics an...
Pamela Bell, a trailblazer in New Zealand's architecture and construction scene, shares her inspiring journey from studying architecture to embracing prefabrication and entrepreneurial ventures. Pamela's story is not just about personal triumphs but also about innovating at the crossroads of design and business. Her narrative is a testament to the transformative power of networking and building meaningful co...
Ever wondered how architecture can be more than just buildings? Join us as we chat with Kevin Hui of Archimarathon, an architecture tour curator, educator, YouTuber and social media savant. Kevin shares his inspiring journey from creating architecture running tours to collaborating with Andrew Maynard on a YouTube channel, especially during the pandemic. Get ready to explore the critical issue of Melbourne's decl...
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