Talking Architecture & Design

In this episode, we’re taking a deep dive into Stratco, an Australian company with over 75 years of experience providing building solutions for both professionals and homeowners.  Stratco offers a wide range of products, including patios, carports, verandahs, garages, sheds, and outdoor living products such as NINELINE, SUPERDEK & PRODEK. Critically for Australian architects and builders, Stratco has manufacturing facilities in all mainland states of Australia and also in New Zealand. To explain all about Stratco’s full range of capabilities, we talk with Eric Lien, National Architectural and Specifications Manager, and Andrew Steele, architect and managing director of South Australian design firm Studio Nine Architects. This episode was sponsored by Stratco [https://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/supplier/Stratco-Australia].

Nerida Conisbee is Ray White’s Chief Economist and one of Australia’s leading property experts.  Nerida works closely with industry partners to provide strategic vision and policy recommendations for the future of property in Australia. She represents Ray White to inform and influence key stakeholder groups across the residential and commercial sectors, in addition to advising major Australian government bodies. In this exclusive interview, Nerida unravels the main issues behind our housing affordability crisis and some things we can do to alleviate the problem. This podcast is brought to you in association with AWS [https://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/suppliers/architectural-window-systems], proud sponsors of our 2025 Residential series of podcasts.

Jonathan 'Jono' Mountfort is the Creative Director at Autex Acoustics and a design expert specialising in sustainable acoustic solutions.   With over 20 years of experience in design and manufacturing, Jonathan oversees product design, compliance, and sustainability. His journey into design began with a background in mechanical engineering, which sparked his passion for tinkering.  After a brief stint as a vegan chef on the set of ‘Lord of the Rings,’ he pursued a degree in product design, where he explored innovative concepts such as biomimicry and cradle-to-cradle design.  These days, his expertise blends industrial design, engineering, and acoustics, giving him a distinctive approach to creating circular products.  This podcast is brought to you in association with Autex Acoustics [https://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/supplier/autex-acoustics], proud sponsors of our 2025 Sustainability series of podcasts.

The Australian Parliament passed the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Reconsiderations) Bill 2025, restricting the Minister for the Environment’s power to reconsider certain past decisions under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).  This change has significant implications for environmental oversight, particularly in cases where new information emerges about the impact of ongoing land use activities, such as the concerns raised over salmon farming in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour and its potential effect on the endangered Maugean skate.  Holding Redlich Special Counsel Katharine Huxley is an environment and planning lawyer with experience in development, compliance, local government, and administrative law, who can discuss the implications of this significant new amendment.  In this interview, Huxley explains what this will mean for future land use and environmental management in general.

With housing affordability at crisis levels and younger generations leaving Sydney in record numbers, the Minns Labor Government has announced a bold plan to make it faster, easier, and more affordable to build a new home.  At the center of this plan is the launch of the NSW Housing Pattern Book—a collection of architect-designed terraces, townhouses, and manor houses—combined with a world-first Complying Development pathway that promises to cut approval times down to just ten days.  The NSW government has been at the forefront of this major reform, which aims not only to increase housing supply but also to create vibrant, sustainable communities that reflect the diversity of the people who call NSW home.   Paul Scully, New South Wales Minister for Planning and Public Spaces joins us to unpack what this all means for families, first-home buyers, downsizers, and builders across the state. This podcast is brought to you in association with AWS [https://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/suppliers/architectural-window-systems], proud sponsors of our 2025 Residential series of podcasts.