76 Small Rooms

Welcome to Episode 67! Today's episode is a fireside chat with the team around the recent book 'Messy Cities - Why We Can't Plan Everything', edited by Dylan Reid, Zahra Ebrahim, Leslie Woo, and John Lorinc. We discuss the key questions the book poses, “Have our rules and regulations squeezed too much of the life out of our cities? But also how do you plan and design a city that is safe and functional while also leaving room for spontaneity and serendipity?” with local and international examples. Bloomberg interview with authors of 'Messy Cities' - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-02-03/in-messy-cities-a-call-for-some-healthy-urban-disorder Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 66! To close out our year, we huddle with just the core team and forty smooth minutes of reflecting on our collective highs and lows for 2026. We wish all our listeners and supporters a very happy Christmas and summer break, and thank you for your support of this little pod. We've got exciting things planned for next year and are looking forward to what it gives us to talk about. Photo: Barry Tobin Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 65! Today we talk with a true icon of Aotearoa's built and natural environment - Rachel de Lambert. Urban designer and landscape architect, consulting partner at Boffa Miskell, and Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects, Rachel has been involved in some of our most significant and transformational placemaking outcomes over a career spanning over 40 years. The whole team chatted with Rachel about her career highlights and reflections, how travel inspires and centres her, and the collaborative relationship between architects and landscape designers. Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 64! It's a very special guest this episode, with the team joined by UK architect, author, and television presenter George Clarke. This episode was recorded back in February when George was filming in Aotearoa for his new series - George Clarke's Homes in the Wild - and the show features Arch's very own build on Rākino Island. We dove deep with George, covering everything from his early work as a designer with Sir Terry Farrell, how his television career began, what makes a home, and of course his new show. It's a full hour of engaging kōrero and we're delighted he took the time out of his busy schedule to talk with us. George Clarke's Homes in the Wild is screening now on Sky Go and Neon. Arch’s Rakino Cabin - www.rakinocabin.nz Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 63! Architect, educator, illustrator, and now published author - Craig Moller joins Mat, Tash and Arch for an in-depth chat starting with the release of his newly-published book of lockdown-era drawings Building People. Craig's intense intellectual and creative curiosity drives his career and interests, and we loved talking about his creative process, his exploration of different creative media, what makes great cities, the influence of AI on architectural education, and of course the stories behind his new book. Building People from Six Point Press - https://sixpointpress.com/product/building-people/ Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 62! It's a guest episode this time, with the full team talking with an impressive creator, problem solver, and starchitect-wrangler. We're joined this episode by Hamish Nevile, Director of Design at Holmes Group - a structural, fire, and infrastructure consultancy with offices in New Zealand, Australia, the Netherlands, and the USA. Starting as a structural engineer, Hamish has had a fascinating career and has been involved in not only some of Aotearoa's most significant projects, but some of the world's most recognisable and complex buildings, including OMA’s CCTV building, and two Serpentine Pavilions. We loved talking about the design process, working with renown architects, and what the future holds. Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 61! Still buzzing from our special anniversary episode, the whole team gathered to discuss the question of why colour disappeared from contemporary architecture, and is it undergoing a resurgent return? Our discussion covered how architects are trained, what influences the use and selection of colour in design, and some of our favourite uses of colour in architecture. Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels Cover photo taken by Arch - the artist David Rickard's feet at Paimio Sanatorium, Helsinki

Welcome to Episode 60! In this very special recording we celebrate ten years of 76 Small Rooms, in a live audience recording at Objectspace Gallery in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Deftly compered by Jeremy, the team were joined by a brilliant panel made up of Objectspace director Kim Paton; Matakohe Architecture + Urbanism's Jade Kake; and our very first guest back in 2015 - architect and founder of RTA Studio Rich Naish. We discussed two questions: how has design in Aotearoa New Zealand changed in the last decade? And what changes can we hope for in the decade ahead? Huge thanks and aroha to Objectspace for hosting this kōrero, and their ongoing support of design and creativity in Aotearoa. Special thanks to those who attended this celebration, and our gratitude to Te Aihe Butler, who recorded and mixed this live episode. Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels Cover photo: Cameron Law

Welcome to Episode 59! The whole team gathered for our first fully online interview with 2024 Te Kāhui Whaihanga NZIA Gold Medal winners Hugh Tennent and Ewan Brown. Their award citation describes them as having "travelled commonly avoided pathways" in their work, and our discussion delves deeper into their meeting, the strong commitment to listening and learning, and the complementary nature of their partnership. Their inventive incorporation of Te Ao Māori into architectural responses overlaps with the most pressing needs of the profession to mitigate its effect on the environment, and is captured neatly when they say, "All of the Living Building Challenge projects are kaupapa Māori projects" The discussion is better than the audio quality on this chat, for which we beg your indulgence as we test our ability to interview remote guests. Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels Cover photo: Catherine Cattanach https://www.catherinecattanach.com/

Welcome to Episode 58! We took a quick breath before submerging for Christmas to get together and look back on the end of the First Quarter 21st Century results. It's been a great year, and we discuss the architects who've inspired us or caught our attention. Our huge thanks to Barry Tobin, who dropped in to photograph this session xxx Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels Cover photo: Barry Tobin https://www.barrytobin.co.nz/

Welcome to Episode 57! Today's episode features a special international visitor, Roan Ching-Yueh - an architect, curator, critic and writer based in Taipei. He received his MA from the University of Pennsylvania and is a licensed architect in both the United States and Taiwan. Roan was in Aotearoa to present a series of talks and workshops, and we sat down for an hour of exciting intellectual calisthenics, discussing the illegal architecture of Taipei, the failed promise of Modernism, and the inspiration for his writing. A huge thank you to Rosabel Tan at Satellites.co.nz for arranging this interview. Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels Cover image: Terry Lin

Welcome to Episode 56! We have a fantastic group of guests for this episode. The whole team sit down at the home of Lance and Nicola Herbst to chat with them and author John Walsh about their retrospective book 'Herbst: Architecture in Context'. It's a long and detailed discussion, covering the Herbst's journey to, and attachment with Aotearoa; their design philosophy and methods; and what's next in the sketchbook for their practice. We loved the kōrero and thank our guests for their time and hospitality. Apologies for the sound quality in this episode. We've got some new gear we're still dialing in, and some Pallasmaa-approved rain drumming on the roof. We'll improve next episode ;) Herbst - Architecture in Context, available here: https://www.masseypress.ac.nz/books/herbst Design by Alan Deere of Area Design Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels Cover image: courtesy of Massey University Press

Kia ora tātou e hoa mā, nau mai ki te Episode 55! Today the full team set themselves to do Jeremy's homework and discuss our favourite cities. We understood the assignment. American Modern, by Matt Shaw & Iwan Baan: https://www.unitybooks.co.nz/products/american-modern-architecture-community-columbus-indiana Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels Cover: AI image by Microsoft CoPilot

Welcome to Episode 054! Today the full team gather to kōrero on what's filled our WhatsApp over the last month. We ponder the arguments in a great NYT article about the risks and rewards of hosting an Olympics, and the shortlists of the UK and Aotearoa's own top respective architecture gongs. New York Times article, Hosting the Olympics Costs Billions. What Does a City Get Back?: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/22/magazine/olympics-city-redevelopment-paris.html RIBA Stirling Prize Shortlist 2024: https://www.architecture.com/awards-and-competitions-landing-page/awards/riba-stirling-prize Commentary on the shortlist: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/article/2024/jul/31/stirling-prize-2024-nominees and https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/article/2024/jun/02/stirling-prize-2024-a-two-horse-race 2024 New Zealand Architecture Awards shortlist: https://nzia.co.nz/explore/news/2024/2024-new-zealand-architecture-awards-shortlist/ Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 053! Today Arch, Tash, and Jeremy talk with Bill McKay, senior lecturer in the School of Architecture at University of Auckland. We discussed the new book Urban Aotearoa: The Future for Our Cities, a new release from Bridget Williams Books, which Bill co-edited with David Batchelor. We asked Bill his views on the issues facing our cities, the current Government positions on the topic, and what answers he sees to address the needs of a growing Aotearoa. Urban Aotearoa is out now, and available from BWB at the link below. Urban Aotearoa: https://www.bwb.co.nz/books/urban-aotearoa/ Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 052! The team range across several topics today, starting with the recent NZIA awards round and Tash's experience as a judge, and whether Aotearoa's architects are good presenters. We also review the recent success of the film 'Maurice and I', talk about adaptive reuse as a tool for central city revitalisation, and what books we're reading. Maurice and I website and trailer: https://mauriceandi.com/ Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Our third and final interview from Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects In:Situ 2024 conference is with Jeanne Gang, founder of Studio Gang. Studio Gang's work is extremely wide-ranging, and defies categorisation. We talked with Jeanne about some of her most meaningful projects, the new ways in which architects shape cities, technology and making, and the patient art of long projects. We thank the NZIA for their support in organising these interviews. Studio Gang: https://studiogang.com/ NZIA's Q&A with Jeanne Gang: https://www.nzia.co.nz/in-situ/q-a-jeanne-gang/ Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

In our second interview from Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects In:Situ 2024 conference, we talk with Sandra Barclay and JeanPierre Crousse about their talk, how they collaborate as 'double partners' in life and work, and their love of creative constraints. They established Barclay & Crousse Architecture in Paris in 1994 and Lima, Peru, in 2006. We are grateful to the NZIA for their support in organising these interviews. Barclay & Crousse: https://www.barclaycrousse.com/ NZIA's Q&A with Sandra Barclay: https://www.nzia.co.nz/in-situ/q-a-barclay-crousse/ Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

In the first of three interviews from Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects In:Situ 2024 conference, we join Kai-Uwe Bergmann to talk about his work, projects, and BIG's emphasis on refining design communication. Kai-Uwe is a partner at BIG Architects and oversees their urban and landscape projects globally. We are grateful to the NZIA for their support in organising these interviews. BIG Architects: https://big.dk/ NZIA's Q&A with Kai-Uwe: https://www.nzia.co.nz/in-situ/q-a-kai-uwe-bergmann/ Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels

Welcome to Episode 048! Today Arch, Tash and Jeremy huddled in St Matthew's in the City to talk with Kevin O'Brien, a Principal at BVN Architects in Australia, leading their Designing with Country strategy. Kevin was in Aotearoa to judge the Te Kāhui Whaihanga Resene Student Design Awards. We spoke with Kevin about what it means to Design with Country, the Student Design Awards work, and his recent projects. Kevin O'Brien - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_O%27Brien_(architect) https://www.bvn.com.au/person/kevin-o-brien Designing with Country - https://www.indesignlive.com/people/kevin-obrien-designing-for-country/amp and https://www.bvn.com.au/tenet/designing-with-country Theme Music: The Cosmic Wheels