Design Speaks Weekly

Alice Springs–based architect Susan Dugdale was recently announced as the recipient of the Australian Institute of Architects’ 2027 Gold Medal – Australia’s highest architectural honour. Her projects, located in towns, remote desert plains, and tropical wetlands, demonstrate the possibilities of architectural rigour when budgets are modest and resources are few and far between. In this episode, Susan shares how limitations can produce better buildings and why, in the end, it all comes down to relationships.   Further reading 2027 Gold Medal https://architectureau.com/articles/2027-gold-medal/ ‘Accomplished’ NT architect wins 2027 Gold Medal https://architectureau.com/articles/accomplished-nt-architect-wins-2027-gold-medal/ Australian projects honoured at global inclusive design awards https://architectureau.com/articles/Australian-projects-honoured-at-global-inclusive-design-awards/ Alice Springs: On edge in the centre https://architectureau.com/articles/alice-springs-on-edge-in-the-centre/ AA 120: Sue Dugdale on Peter Skinner’s ‘Jungle Rhythms’ https://architectureau.com/articles/aa-120-sue-dugdale-on-peter-skinners-jungle-rhythms/  

Yitpi Yartapuultiku (The Soul of Port Adelaide) is a living cultural centre located on Kaurna Country. It was designed by Ashley Halliday Architects together with the Yitpi Yartapuultiku Aboriginal Working Group and Wax Design and is an exemplar of what a project can achieve when led by First Nations people. Yitpi Yartapuultiku has been recognised with several major design awards since completion, including the Sir Zeman Cowen Award for Public Architecture at the 2026 Australian Institute of Architects National Awards. This is the country's highest accolade for public architecture. In celebration of this, our guests for this episode are two people central to the design. Aunty Susan Dixon, Kaurna representative and leading community member, and Ashley Halliday, director of Ashley Halliday Architects. The conversation shares candid stories of the design process and reflects on the beauty of complexity.    Further reading Yitpi Yartapuultiku Aboriginal Cultural Centre by Ashley Halliday Architects and Wax Design https://architectureau.com/articles/yitpi-yartapuultiku-aboriginal-cultural-centre-by-ashley-halliday-architects-and-wax-design/ 2026 Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture https://architectureau.com/articles/2026-sir-zelman-cowen-award-for-public-architecture/ 2026 David Oppenheim Award for Sustainable Architecture https://architectureau.com/articles/2026-david-oppenheim-award-for-sustainable-architecture/ 2026 Colorbond Award for Steel Architecture https://architectureau.com/articles/2026-colorbond-award-for-steel-architecture/

What does it mean to be truly innovative in design today? Alison Brooks is the founder and creative director of London-based practice Alison Brooks Architects, a studio known for delivering innovation in design. Since establishing her studio in 1996, she has become the only architect to have won the United Kingdom’s three most prestigious architecture awards: the Royal Institute of British Architects’ Stirling Prize, the Manser Medal and the Stephen Lawrence Prize. In the lead-up to her lecture at the Australian Institute of Architects 2026 National Conference in October, we ask Alison to share her perspective on the word “innovation” and whether ingenuity can be meaningful in design today.   Further reading Alison Brooks talks architecture’s ‘role in making people feel valued’ https://architectureau.com/articles/alison-brooks-talks-career-beginnings-award-winning-works-and-design-ideals/

Marina Tabassum is a world-renowned Bangladesh architect and educator. Her architecture studio, Marina Tabassum Architects (MTA), was established in 2005 and has received numerous accolades, including two Aga Khan Awards for Architecture, the first for the Bait Ur Rouf Mosque and the second for a housing solution called Khudi Bari. Marina and her studio also designed the 2025 Serpentine Pavilion. Her projects have significant social impact and are well known for the use of local natural materials and craftsmanship, which creates architecture that is both poetic and purposeful. We sat down with Marina during her recent visit to Australia for Melbourne School of Design's 2026 Dean’s Lecture Series, to speak about the changing perception of what makes something architecture.   Further reading Marina Tabassum’s kinetic 2025 Serpentine Pavilion opens https://architectureau.com/articles/Marina-Tabassums-kinetic-2025-Serpentine-Pavilion-opens/ Architect of 2025 Serpentine Pavilion revealed https://architectureau.com/articles/architect-of-2025-Serpentine-pavilion-revealed/ Architecture for Empowerment https://architectureau.com/calendar/exhibitions/architecture-for-empowerment/

Recently, the exhibition Lived In was announced as Australia’s contribution to the 2027 Venice Architecture Biennale. Building on the Housing Atlas for Australia research project, the exhibition is a collaboration between creative directors Kerstin Thompson of Kerstin Thompson Architects, and Maryam Gusheh, Lee-Anne Khor and Louise Wright of Monash Urban Lab. Lived In will draw on more than a century of Australian multi-residential housing to tell a national story of how we live, through drawings, data, photography, film and residents’ own experiences. In this episode, ArchitectureAu editor Lucia Amies speaks with two of the creative directors Kerstin Thompson and Lee-Anne Khor to learn about the vision behind Lived In and find out what visitors can expect to see in Venice next year.   Further reading Creative directors for Australia’s 2027 Venice Biennale exhibition announced https://architectureau.com/articles/Creative-directors-for-Australias-2027-Venice-Biennale-exhibition-announced/