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20/06/2026

If you despair a little at the rise of the right, the relentless infiltration of tech by tech bros into everyday life and the general coarsening of public discourse and life post covid, make yourself feel better by supporting - a place that walks the talk of First Nations leadership, community engaged practice and general all-round wrestling in the mud of how to be human in this time.

I’m a passionate volunteer board member (6 years now I think) and long time audience member because FCA, her artists, producers and team consistently (across gigs, comedy, circus, plays, concerts, festivals) offer an encounter with something greater than our atomised existence - wonder, collective reverie, laughter, absurdity, anger…

Fiercely independent always, FCA has been fundamental to the cultural life of the west for the last 50 years and may just been needed more dearly in the next 50.

Please give what you can this EOFY - donations over $1,000 will be matched by Creative Victoria. If you can’t give - pls show your support by sharing….

☝🏻the dynamic Na Djinang, who I first encountered at FCA and link to give in bio xx

18/11/2025

Ever wished you could have lunch and a yarn about h**p, natural building materials and all things sustainability with friendly, mad-keen folk?

Today’s your day!

I’m joining host (and ridiculously knowledgeable designer) Kirstie Wulf to chat about our shared passions, frustrations and hopes for the future.

Live on zoom - link in bio.
See ya there!

18/08/2025

I got a bit feverish in 2019 about how inherently extractive, destructive and damaging it is to make architecture.

When my kids crashed, I’d spend hours online reading, researching, running down rabbit holes trying to find a construction method and material that was not just less bad, but almost good.

That fever finally led me to h**p and - if you’ve ever asked me a question about h**p construction - you’ll know that fever hasn’t really faded 😭.

Judging by the number of calls I’m fielding from great Architects across the country, that fever is spreading and I’m here for it because:

1. once you understand h**p, you can’t fathom why it isn’t used FOR EVERYTHING
2. but once you understand the complexity of mainstreaming a new / ancient material, that is plant based (i.e. we tether our material availability to remarkable farmers, who themselves are tethered to climate, rainfall, soil etc etc) you realise that this is gonna take ALL OF US.

✅ A gang of us have prepared draft Australian Standards
✅ A ripper woman is running a women’s only processing plant + needs investors
✅ Small companies are trying to raise the funds to test and certify their products
✅ Submissions are open for the Senate Inquiry into Industrial H**p

I could go on and on (no really!)

And Architects are at the start of that food chain. We can drive the demand for locally-grown, carbon-sequestering, plant-based buildings.

I run a 5 person practice that is (pro-rata if you take out making babies), 7 years old.

If WE can design and deliver the first 4 public h**p buildings in Australia, doing R+D whilst my little ones slept, convincing local Councils to pioneer plant-based buildings, prototyping with builders who had never heard of the stuff….pretty much every Architect in Australia could.

Continued in comments

12/08/2025

Our studio in the city, our home in the mist...

For years we've worked with communities across regional Vic to activate, transition and celebrate distinct places, people, histories and possibilities. Our work in the city is similar, but perhaps because of scale and social mobility - our work in the regions often feels intensely grounded, locally owned and with far greater obligations to past and future.

After years of dabbling, we recently made the move full time to a place of mist, wombats and the kind of community we have learnt a bit about...(neighbours rock up with chainsaws and home made bread)

Our work and studio in Footscray rocks on as usual (we love v-line) but we're now an hour closer to our sites and clients in central / western Vic. Best of all, we're immersed in this incredible place and able to live closer to the 'eyes to acres' ratio that Wendell Berry (Sir Wendell in our household) insists we must return to.^

If you know great people in the Kyneton / Woodend region pls introduce us!

^Wendell Berry is a writer, farmer and agrarian that writes (exquisitely) about attention to place, economy, community and nature. He is fascinated by the essential ratio of eyes to acres - the maximum land we can truly know and be custodians of and a critic of industrial agriculture. DM me if you want reading suggestions!

26/06/2025

Locally grown, plant-based buildings 🌱

I’ll be nerding out tomorrow at the Australian H**p Council forum, presenting on 5 years of research, design and delivering h**p buildings…

We need eye-watering reductions in emissions from the buildings we create. That’s not going to happen by messing around the edges or substituting less-bad products.

It’s going to happen by overhauling how much and how we build.

We reckon h**p has to be part of that story. After 5 years research, 4 buildings complete (and a few more on the drawing board) we have learnt A LOT about h**p procurement, detailing, approvals and sustainability certification.

Will be great fun to share those learnings with new and old mates and catch up on industry research into new materials. Say hi if you’re coming along! 👋🏻

☝🏻Our Meeniyan community hub, where h**p meets hot orange 🧡🧡🧡

Let me know if you’re interested in the recording link when it’s live.

23/05/2025

Urbanistas - could you have MORE fun this Saturday than hanging out with , , Samantha Smith from Development Victoria and PRL’s own Anna - unpacking Sunbury’s town centre WITH key Council staff and Councillors…

Walking, talking, snacking, drawing and learning together about this unique place facing rapid development.

Tix at link in bio - see you there!

20/05/2025

If, like us, you believe that responding to this climate crisis is a chance to fundamentally sense check how we live and work, who gets ahead and why, and why we bother at all with cities, you need to be part of A New Normal tomorrow!

Tix at link in bio

17/04/2025

What would it take to turn Melbourne from a consumer to a producer by 2030? What might that mean for our lives: how we live, work, learn, connect?

We’ve been asking these questions with a gang of great minds and we want to hear your contribution to the conversation this Melbourne Design Week.

A New Normal returns for Melbourne Design Week with an epic five days of festivities at the Boyd Baker House, Long Forest. This unique experience will bring together some of the greatest minds in Australia to showcase a range of projects in motion to help transform our cities. On exhibition; the next round of 12 projects, with each architect selecting a room across the Robin Boyd / Roy Grounds compound with the goal of realising them. We will take the opportunity to lay down the required policy to transform the city into self-sufficiency by 2030. Expect guided tours, fresh talks, long lush lunches by the legends at with , all combined as an experiential exhibition to feel the future. Limited to only 50 tickets available each day, get in while you still can. We are all very excited about this unique partnership with .boyd.foundation with and many more.

Don’t miss out - get your tickets here: https://events.humanitix.com/a-new-normal-returns

Expect regular updates leading up to design week at

In collaboration with

Stay tuned for more information about the launch event at Melbourne Design Week 2025.

26/03/2025

I love cities as only a country kid can.

At some point my imagination wandered from the Caboolture river; her platypus, water dragons and infinite fluidity and became fixated on cities, the urban. The ONLY place where ANYTHING happened 😳

Brisbane was interesting but all timber and tin. I went wandering in Asia, settling in Guangzhou - a REAL city at 14M people and a throbbing, entirely alternate vision of public life.

The brilliant brain of Kim Dovey - the first Australian I found talking about power, privilege and privatisation of public space brought me to Melbourne and this year, that kid from Caboolture is chairing the Institute of Architects Victorian Chapter Urban Design category in the annual awards program.

As a jury we’ll be considering the merits of projects across all sizes and scales that make our shared lives possible, in both capital and regional cities.

My love of cities is more nuanced now. I know that platypus and public life don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Looking forward to the road trips, discussion and debate with fellow jurors.

What else needn't be mutually exclusive with public life?

05/02/2025

They said: Infrastructure renewal, public toilets + meeting room

We saw: a precinct to be stitched together - kinder, town hall + main street

We heard: locals need outdoor space to gather, exhibition space to share memories

So we:
> slung a little building around a courtyard
> shaped a low sheltering roof that sits comfortably in the street
> activated edges to all streets/lanes
> made low walls for sitting, columns and steps for climbing (and biking!)

It’s made with: on site renewables, carbon sequestering h**p masonry, new endemic garden (with some roses in memory of those planted here long ago 🌹 )

We delivered 💪🏻

Every piece of ‘infrastructure’ is an opportunity to strengthen community, activate our streets and adapt to a changing climate.

Because place is never neutral and who doesn’t love a low wall?!?

Address

Meeniyan, VIC

Website

http://www.publicrealmlab.com/

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