Thinking.

Our social, political, and economic consciousness is shifting as a nation. As we begin to understand and embrace what being Maori can say about Aotearoa, our conversation as designers turns to the land and to the built environment. Damian Powley thinks these deep narratives have as much to say about what once was, as they do about our collective identity. Here he re-imagines a historic portage connection, in a modern city.

Design thinker Nick Kapica talks about how the current Covid crisis creates an opportunity to quickly adapt our urban public spaces to support physical distancing, and suggests that we also try something much bigger.

After a decade in Auckland Tim Watts, Principal Urban Designer at Isthmus, now lives in the UK. As well as continuing to work for Isthmus, Tim also maintains a role with Homes England’s Large Site team. Here he talks about the parallel worlds of housing need in NZ and the UK and reflects on what lessons there may be for New Zealand.

Isthmus CEO Ralph Johns suggests that complex design issues are best tackled by casting aside traditional disciplinary models. He talks about how Isthmus has structured the studio around the idea of ambiguity. (This story originally appeared in Idealog).

Isthmus creative director David Irwin outlines how using a human-centric approach in urban design can support the needs of a modern world. (Originally published in Idealog #70 Wellness Month).

Andre de Graaf on how small homes can help solve housing affordability (Originally published as part of Idealog’s ‘Can we Fix It? Poverty Week’).

Damian Powley explains why architects need to harness the creative energy of our tamariki (Originally published in Idealog #68).

Ralph Johns talks with Landscape Architecture Aotearoa about blurring the boundaries between disciplines.

Ralph Johns recently went on a 140km tiki tour of Auckland city via its cycleways and discovered that it is the best way to enjoy a city.

Helen Kerr is leading the Awataha Greenway project for HLC and Panuku Development in Northcote. This is a transcript of her presentation on the project at the 2018 Urbanism New Zealand Conference.

Images from a moving window
with David Irwin.

The benefits of a compact approach,
Helen Kerr talks with Construction News (March 2015).

Reflecting on Hobsonville Land Company’s
10th Birthday with Haylea Muir.

Assessing the New Zealand
landscape with Gavin Lister.

David Irwin explores ideas of
repetition with artist John Reynolds.

David Irwin talks Auckland’s future
with the NZ Herald (December 2015).