In this episode Andrew interviews Andreas and Samuel from Stockholm based Hermansson Hiller Lundberg Architects. Their practice is concerned with the capacity for contemporary construction for expression - and they explore structure and a close reading of context to make characterful and beautifully considered work at a wide variety of scales. The work speaks eloquently of our time, and draws on deep traditions in architecture - seeking expressive qualities in contemporary construction techniques. Here they speak about how they balance this careful ‘present tense’ aspect of their work, against ..read more

In this episode Simon Henley interviews Milinda Pathiraja. Milinda's is a director and co-founder of Robust Architecture Workshop, a practice based in Sri Lanka, and concerned with developing new means for architecture to operate there. The term 'Robust' is key, its meaning to Milinda representing architectures ability to develop a resilience by a clear sighted engagement with the world - eschewing the brittleness that comes from autonomous conversations, and making its languages from a bottom up approach, one with tolerance at its heart. Here tolerance is a calling to an architecture which is ..read more

In this episode Nana Biamah Ofosu and Andrew Clancy interview Shelley McNamara and Yvonne Farrell of Grafton Architects. Nana is a tutor in the Kingston School of Art, leading studies into precedent and the lessons found in territorial Ghanaian architecture as part of her Second Year Studio. Grafton Architects are the current Pritzker Laureates, an accolade that arrives as they appear to be gathering pace with a remarkable series of university buildings completed in the last few years, and more on the way. At the heart of Graftons practice is a concern for the human aspects of architecture - h ..read more

In this episode Andrew Clancy speaks with Simon Henley of Henley Halebrown Architects. Simon is an educator and a practitioner, and has written several books about architecture, most recently ‘Redefining Brutalism’ - which seeks to redefine the subject beyond style, and to capture its sensibility as a living language of architecture -0 encompassing robustness at its core. Today their explorations into the language of architecture are being teased out via a series of remarkable housing projects, one of which (Chadwick Hall) was shortlisted for the Stirling Prize (the UKs highest award for archi ..read more

In this episode Andrew Clancy chats with the architect and educator Cathy Hawley. Cathy Haley started her professional career with the art and architecture collaborative muf, moved on to doing remarkable housing projects as a founding partner of Riches Hawley Mikhail, and now works with Public Practice to embed critical thinking about context and character into the development plans of a series of towns. Wherever she has worked she has brought a clarity of insight, valuing the unseen and the overlooked along with more obvious aspects, to make a singular contribution in each place. This is true ..read more

In this episode Laura Evans and Matt Wells talk with the Historian and curator Nicholas Olsberg. Nicholas is a former director of the Canadian Centre of Architecture, and is a prolific writer. He has curated many exhibitions about architects and architecture and in this conversation shares his views about the role of the curator in this context. In particular he speaks about the need to make exhibitions which present those visiting with vivid moments of engagement with the subject - a particular challenge in architecture when by necessity only an alibi for the subject the visitor will be engag ..read more

In this episode Mary Vaughan Johnson and Federica Goffi Interview Alba di Lieto and William Whitaker Mary is the head of our Department of Architecture and Landcape here in Kingston, while Federica is Associate Professor and Co-Chair of the PhD and MAS Program at Carleton University. Last Summer Mary and Federica hosted the Frascari Symposium at Kingston, and it was at this event this podcast was recorded. In it Mary and Federica interview Alba diLieto and William Whitaker. Alba is curator of the archive Carlo Scarpa at the Directorate Civic Art Museums and Monuments of Verona. William Whitake ..read more

In this podcast Laura Evans and Matt Wells interview William Burgess and Stephen Davies of 31/44 In the intro I mention our new books project. If you want to support us by pre-ordering copies of our first books please visit the crowdfunding site here https://kubacker.hubbub.net/p/REGISTER-Conversations/ Will is well known to us in Kingston as a studio tutor in third year, where he runs a unit with Kate Micklin also of 31/44. The work of the unit is a good way to understand some of the interests of 31/44 as a practice. There is a careful approach to understanding and researching context, and us ..read more

In this episode Andrew Clancy interviews Shiela O'Donnell and John Tuomey of O'Donnell and Tuomey. John and Shiela are as much educators as architects, and this conversation roves freely between conversations about schools, and their own work in practice. It is clear that these two worlds are interconnected and interreliant in a profound way in their lives. The work in both places has overlaps - not least a concern with close reading of site and context, and an investment in drawing out what the ‘utter’ aspect of a project might be through conversation and drawing. We talk through their recent ..read more

In this episode Bruno Silvestre interviews his compatriot Alvaro Siza. First off an apology - the sound is not as we would like it. Circumstances dictated that the interview had to be recorded in a hotel lobby, and the backgrounders noise is quite distracting - but we felt it was useful to put out anyway. Bruno is working with Siza on a project here in the UK, and grabbed this time during Sizas most recent visit. In this conversation they talk about practice, Sizes early frustrations with small projects, how current jobs interrelate in the office, and the value of Kenneth Frampton in highlight ..read more