Design Speaks Weekly
Design Speaks Weekly
Podcast Description
Design Speaks Weekly brings you the biggest stories in Australian architecture and design. Produced by Architecture Media, each episode explores a key theme shaping the built environment, paired with the latest industry news and analysis. As an extension of the Design Speaks event series, this podcast opens up vital conversations to a wider audience, wherever you are.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast explores topics such as gender equity in architecture, lessons from renowned architects, and advancements in modular design. Specific episodes include discussions on pay equity with Justine Clark, reflections on architectural practice by Glenn Murcutt, and the benefits of prefab construction led by Stuart Vokes and Dan Burnett.
Design Speaks Weekly brings you the biggest stories in Australian architecture and design. Produced by Architecture Media, each episode explores a key theme shaping the built environment, paired with the latest industry news and analysis. As an extension of the Design Speaks event series, this podcast opens up vital conversations to a wider audience, wherever you are.
Mike Hewson is originally from Aotearoa New Zealand and has been based in Sydney for the past decade. He has a background in structural engineering and heavy-civil construction, and he holds a Master of Fine Arts in visual arts from Columbia University.
Mike is perhaps best known for his inventive hybrid playground projects, which he describes as part art and part infrastructure. In 2025, Mike opened his first solo presentation, The Key’s Under the Mat, at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. The exhibition invites visitors to rethink what a playground and public space can be – a recurring agenda throughout Mike’s work.
In today’s episode, Emily Wong, editor of Landscape Australia, sits down with Mike to discuss how avoiding overdesigning (or overprescribing) public space can foster moments of unexpected delight, playful risk and multi-generational inclusivity.
Further Reading
Playful chaos: the art of risky playgrounds
https://architectureau.com/articles/playful-chaos-the-art-of-risky-playgrounds/
Discovery and daring: Rocks on Wheels
https://landscapeaustralia.com/articles/rocks-on-wheels/
Mike Hewson: The Key’s Under the Mat
https://architectureau.com/calendar/exhibitions/mike-hewson-the-keys-under-the-mat/
Disclaimer
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