How well are we working?

Sahibajot Kaur chats with Justine Clark, researcher, writer, co-founder and director of Parlour, to discuss the impacts of the pandemic on the way we are working.

At home with your home

Our concept of living has dramatically shifted in the last six months. With the need to stay put, the pandemic has forced everyone to consider how and where they live.

Unbuilt and speculative architecture

Architectural practice, for better or worse, is at the mercy of the ebbs and flows of larger societal forces, whether that be the political, economic, or, as we find ourselves in now, a global health crisis.

Sustainability and heritage

The pandemic, recent bushfires, drought and flooding which caused massive destruction of human and natural habitat make us dramatically aware that our lives and wellbeing are not separate from the environment we live in. Hippocrates warned us 2000 years ago that we cannot ignore nature, dominate it or control it. He told us to listen to changing patterns in nature, respect them and work with them.

The role of architects

When considering what are we doing in the architectural and built environment space to address our post-pandemic and climate-impacted world, I reflected on my architectural education and recalled the work of Christopher Alexander.

Alternative housing typologies

Alongside private market-rate housing and government affordable housing, there is a space for housing that is lower cost and is both community and sustainably orientated.

Icons or otherwise

Once upon a time, the Oxford English Dictionary defined an icon as ‘Image, statue, painting, mosaic etc of a sacred personage’. In respected contemporary literature today, although this definition is often expanded, the quintessential meaning remains unchanged.

Innovation by design

Technological challenges and opportunities behind the design of the Parramatta Powerhouse and the Sydney Modern Project