Noreen Byrne: Championing people and sustainability
Who would expect a qualified geologist to thrive as a leader in people and culture at an interdisciplinary design practice? For Principal Noreen Byrne, it’s a natural evolution.
Wellbeing
The physical, social, psychological and ecological impacts of architectural, urban and interior design combine to enable communities to flourish. We understand the economic growth of both our company and our clients is linked to the social and economic wellbeing of our employees and the wider community.
Sensory-based design for our ageing population
We all deserve to age in comfort, and to feel supported within an inclusive environment. But the built environment can be challenging to navigate for those who are sensitive to environmental stimuli, such as those living with neurogenerative diseases – though it needn’t be. In research led by Talia Uylaki, we explored how sensory-based design can lead to better outcomes for people living with dementia.
Public realm: A matter of inclusion
Helping people navigate and understand how a place works involves careful consideration and planning to improve accessibility, orientation and connectivity, along with those intangible moments of magic that lift a space to cultural icon status visited the world over.
The shape of water
How regenerative design can save our public pools and improve water safety
Australia is an urban coastal nation – we love the water and our well-known fascination with the beach and water is part of our cultural DNA. But despite the strong culture around water, recent figures reveal that drowning deaths are increasing. The infrastructure of public swimming pools is also fast approaching its use-by-date, meaning we’re falling short in meeting the contemporary and anticipated future needs of our communities. However, we believe design can help.
There’s no place like home: Sarah’s journey and finding a home in architecture
As a young child, Sarah experienced housing insecurity first-hand. She moved constantly with her loving family from a baby to young adulthood, moving into 15 different homes growing up in Adelaide. Every time she moved, Sarah would sit and draw the floorplan of her new home so she knew where to go and could start to feel at ease in her new surrounds. This started her path towards architecture, having experienced the criticality of a secure home, our sense of ‘place’ and the importance of our mental health as part of our life experiences.
Reducing aggression in emergency department waiting rooms
We know that spaces can empower or disempower people. The tipping point is often how that space is designed.
Hames Sharley’s Research team recently discovered a potential link between aggressive behaviour in Emergency Departments and spatial design, paving the way for a re-think of how these spaces are designed for clinicians, patients, visitors and the broader community.
A novel vertical approach to land use zoning, reserves, and infrastructure
As the population of Perth CBD grows, and more needs are expected to be accommodated, the city is pressured to densify, embrace mixed-use, and consider alternative means by which to plan and design for CBD land use and infrastructure zoning.
When mental health issues sneak up on you
Sometimes you don’t realise you’re not ok until someone asks
Mental health issues can hit you out of nowhere. It could be an ordinary day, doing something you’ve done a million times before and then… WHAM. Out of nowhere, a panic attack comes and knocks the wind right out of you. Rendering you unable to move. Unable to breathe. And you have no idea what’s happening, let alone why.
Could an office move boost employee health and wellbeing?
The surprising benefits of relocation.
In an effort to better understand commuter behaviour, Hames Sharley recently assessed its own employees’ commuter behaviours in response to the relocation of its new Perth studio. The research, conducted by Hames Sharley’s Emil E Jonescu, Stephen Moorcroft and Dean Symington, made a surprising conclusion – that a simple office relocation and change in mode of working has the potential to increase employee activity levels, ultimately improving health and wellbeing in the workplace.
Emerging from a crisis
Sometimes our worst experiences can be our best opportunity for growth. For Principal of People & Culture, Michael Wright, that was the case.
Michael shares his mental health journey in the hopes of encouraging ongoing conversations about everyday human struggles and how these experiences help us better understand our communities and each other.
The importance of self-care and social connection: Lessons from living alone in lockdown
Like many Australians, living through extended lockdowns has taken a toll on Fiona’s mental health.
Located in Victoria and currently going through lockdown number six, Fiona talks about why it’s so much harder to stay positive this time, and the lessons she’s learnt about the importance of self-care and social connections.
A series of fortunate events: How COVID-19 possibly saved my life
Thanks to a global health crisis, Director and National Portfolio Leader for Education, Science & Research, James Edwards, was forced to stay in Western Australia and catch up on some rather overdue medical tests. Despite having no symptoms, In April 2020, James was diagnosed with high-grade prostate cancer.
Don’t worry about asking if you’re ok – just start a conversation
Having lost a close friend to suicide, Alex Quin has experienced first-hand the devastating impact mental illness can have on a community. In a bid to honour his friend, Phil, Alex writes about the need to de-stigmatise mental illness, and how the simple art of conversation can help those suffering feel less isolated.
Ritual in apartment design – the interstice
The way people interact with a building and move within its spaces, finding shelter and comfort, is essential to architecture’s concerns. The considered accommodation of our day-to-day rituals within residential settings – arriving home, the reception of guests, the family meal, conversations around the coffee table, bathing, going to bed, waking up – is what humanises a space, makes a home and shapes our identity.
Enhancing health and wellbeing through urban design
Human behaviour is intrinsically influenced by our surroundings, and as a nation predominantly made up of city-dwellers, our urban environment contributes a major part to making us who we are. Here Chris Maher, David McCarroll and Jason Preston uncover some of the tools used by designers of the built environment to enhance health and wellbeing.
Mitigating the potential threats of Artificial Intelligence on our cities
It’s predicted that robots and Artificial Intelligence will play a large part in our lives by 2025, but as anyone who’s seen a Terminator movie knows, these are exactly the kinds of technology prone to misuse or mishap. Here we investigate a report highlighting the potential use of Artificial Intelligence for malicious means.
The architects of remembrance
War memorials are an essential part of the Australian landscape – their beauty, symbolism and the quality of materials and craftsmanship illustrates the respect that communities have towards those who have paid the ultimate price.
To mark the ANZAC day commemorations this month, we look at the story behind three examples from around the country.
Building cultural diversity through the language we speak
It is proven that cultural diversity adds to the bottom line. The benefits of cultural diversity are many: improved decision-making, increased collaboration, better problem-solving, enhanced well-being and knowledge sharing, to name a few. But what does it look like in a real workplace?
Feel good shopping: How retail architecture and interior design can improve wellness
When was the last time you went to a beautifully designed building and felt drawn to your surroundings in a way that made you feel better? Because the space spoke to you, ushered in relief, engaged your senses, enhanced within you a sense of… wellness? We investigate ‘The Architecture of Happiness’...
