Talking Architecture & Design

In this episode of Talking Architecture & Design, we’re joined by Katrina Sedgwick, the inaugural Director and CEO of the Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation (MAP Co), who is leading one of Australia’s most ambitious cultural transformations – a $1.7 billion revitalisation connecting Federation Square through to Southbank.
Sedgwick shares what it’s like to build a new organisation while simultaneously delivering a project of national significance. Establishing MAP Co’s culture, partnerships, and long-term vision has gone hand in hand with reshaping one of Melbourne’s most important civic and artistic precincts.
The redevelopment is deeply informed by the precinct’s rich history and layered cultural identity. Rather than starting from scratch, the transformation celebrates heritage, architecture, and Melbourne’s long-standing creative community, ensuring the precinct remains both respectful of its past and responsive to the future.
At the heart of the project is Laak Boorndap, a new public garden designed as a place for gathering, reflection, and cultural expression. More than just a green space, it brings together nature, performance, and Indigenous storytelling to create a welcoming and meaningful environment for the city.
Climate resilience is also central to the design, with landscaping, shade, and water-sensitive strategies helping prepare the precinct for Melbourne’s changing conditions. First Peoples principles guide planting, artistic collaborations, and the ongoing care for Country, ensuring Indigenous knowledge and culture are embedded throughout the space.
Drawing on her leadership experience at major cultural institutions such as ACMI and the Adelaide Film Festival, Sedgwick brings a collaborative and community-focused approach to this complex project. Balancing the needs of artists, organisations, visitors, and the wider public is key to creating a precinct that truly belongs to everyone.
With Federation Square now under MAP Co’s stewardship, the vision is for a connected cultural corridor where art, public life, and civic space come together. From major events to everyday moments of connection, the precinct is being shaped to inspire creativity and community for generations to come.

Suzanne Toumbourou, CEO of the Australian Council of Recycling, shares her insights and helps us understand on the challenges the enormous opportunities that recycling and circular thinking present for Australia’s built environment. 
She also explains how architects, designers, builders and policymakers all have a critical role to play in shaping a more sustainable, resource-smart future.

Michael Rayner is a Life Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects, co-founder of Blight Rayner Architecture and the 2025 recipient of the Brisbane Lord Mayor’s Business Awards Lifetime Achievement Award.

This prestigious honour — presented only six times in the Awards’ two-decade history — recognises Michael’s remarkable four decades of design leadership, a career that has shaped Brisbane’s skyline, enriched Australia’s civic identity, and taken Australian design to international audiences.

From the  Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney Exhibition Centre, Sydney Football Stadium, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, QPAC’s new Glasshouse Theatre to Sydney’s Barker College and a veritable smorgasbord of global high profile projects such as the National Maritime Museum of China, — Michael’s work has continually asked the same question: “What else?”
In this episode, we’ll explore his philosophy, the evolution of Brisbane’s architectural identity, and what true city-shaping leadership looks like in an era of rapid growth and change.

An experienced architect and leader within COX’s sustainability team in Melbourne,  David Henderson is one of the creators of Product Aware, and in this final episode for 2025, David takes us on a deep dive into the sustainable materials maze and how architects can make smarter, lower-carbon decisions without needing to compromise on design embeds as well as explaining how regenerative design can be designed into all phases of projects from inception to delivery.
This podcast is brought to you in association with Autex Acoustics, proud sponsors of our 2025 Sustainability series of podcasts.

Over a career spanning more than 28 years, Hames Sharley's Nic Hughan has gained extensive local and international experience in the planning, design, documentation, and delivery of large and complex projects, with a focus on hospitals, education, and community buildings.
Having assumed the leadership role for several high-profile hospital and social infrastructure projects, as well as owning and running his own practice for 10 years, Hughan developed a strong focus toward project delivery and team management, as well as broader strategic and business development areas.
In this episode, Hughan shares his thoughts, ideas, skills and experience he learned during his career that spanned not just Australia, but a number of countries around the world.
This podcast is brought to you in association with Moddex, proud sponsors of our 2025 Commercial series of podcasts.