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Anthony Burke's By Design

Anthony Burke's By Design

ABC Australia Design 77 episodes USA 2026-10-06 4 extractions
Hosted by Anthony Burke, Professor of Architecture at UTS and one of Australia's leading voices on how we might build better futures, Anthony Burke's By Design podcast explores the clever ideas and human stories behind the spaces, systems, and objects shaping our everyday lives.

Anthony is well-known as the host of Grand Designs Australia, Grand Transformations, Restoration Australia, and Culture by Design (streaming on ABC iview). His expertise and passion for design make this podcast an essential listen for anyone curious about how design impacts the way we live.

From prefab housing and smart homes to designing cruise ships or animal habitats and the future of the open-plan home, each episode dives deep into a theme through engaging interviews and real-life case studies from across Australia.

Every show ends with The Extraordinary Everyday, a short segment uncovering the cultural and social history of familiar objects: think plunge pools, corduroy, and even the humble welcome mat. With an informal, accessible tone, By Design makes design visible, relatable, and relevant for everyone.

Whether you're curious about architecture, interior design, urban design, product design, furniture or fashion design, sustainability, or the hidden stories behind everyday objects, this podcast reveals why design matters, especially in a rapidly changing world.
Genre: Design Podcasts Arts

Episodes (78 episodes)

How sunscreen went from niche remedy to public health essential
Protecting our skin from the sun is a design challenge that spans centuries. From glacier cream to Slip! Slop! Slap!, how has sunscreen evolved to meet changing lifestyles, technologies and health con...
2026-10-07
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Designing recovery: What comes next for Nepal?
The decisions made after a disaster can shape a community for generations. A month after devastating floods tore through Nepal, more than 5,000 people are still missing. As Nepal moves from emergency ...
2026-10-06
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What did babies wear before nappies?
Cradles with holes in them, moss and safety pins: all of these items played a part in keeping babies dry and clean across different cultures and centuries. Modern nappies rely on sophisticated absorbe...
2026-09-30
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How your home is silently affecting your health
Is the air you breathe at home safe? Mould, ventilation and temperature all have a significant impact on our health, and our homes control the quality of the air we breathe. So how can design make our...
2026-09-29
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Inside our love affair with photo booths
It’s a human-sized booth that creates long-lasting memories. The photo booth was first invented in the late 1800s, but it’s gone on to record thousands of moments: from friendships to lovers and even ...
2026-09-23
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Not just for presidents: bunkers designed for entire populations
Bunkers aren't just for leaders. Long before the White House expansion, some nations were building underground shelters for civilians. How do they function, how long could people survive in them, and ...
2026-09-22
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Before fridges: How hessian sacks kept food cool
Before electric refrigeration, how did we keep our food from spoiling? Most Australians didn’t have access to a fridge until the 1950s, so how did people battle the heat and insects before then? From ...
2026-09-16
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What wealthy nations can learn from doing more with less
Necessity drives innovation. As conflict and climate pressures displace millions creating safe, dignified places to live has become an urgent global challenge. What can wealthy nations learn from arch...
2026-09-15
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Why books are humanity’s most enduring technology
Despite the invention of many new technologies, the book still thrives. From ancient codecs to today’s lightweight paperbacks the written word has found its way into many hands, thanks to the evolutio...
2026-09-09
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How the digital revolution has reimagined libraries
With information at our fingertips today, why do we still have libraries? While the internet and personal computers mean we can access pretty much what we want, when we want it – technology can’t give...
2026-09-08
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Lipstick – A double agent for beauty and power
It's small enough to fit in a pocket, but lipstick has left an outsized mark on history. Far from being a simple beauty product, it has symbolised privilege, protest, glamour and independence across c...
2026-09-02
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How Scandinavians build differently and why it works
In Scandinavia, nature is the ultimate design guide. Clean lines, light-filled spaces and a seamless connection to the outdoors are hallmarks of the region's architecture. Award-winning Norwegian arch...
2026-09-01
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Aging in place — how smart design keeps you home longer
Where would you prefer to age: in an institution or your own home? The recent Four Corners episode The Waiting Game investigated how the current aged care system is failing thousands of Australians wh...
2026-08-27
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The hypodermic needle: A prick of genius
Hypodermic needles. They may provoke anxiety, but behind their infamous sting lies a remarkable design story. Born from centuries of experimentation, the hypodermic needle transformed medicine by del...
2026-08-26
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Habitat loss is driving wildlife inside our homes
Urban growth is threatening endangered species that live around cities at the same time that many of them are finding sanctuary in the rooves of our houses or under our floorboards. So is it time for ...
2026-08-25
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Sheet happens: The design evolution of toilet paper
It’s hard to imagine modern life without it, but toilet paper as we know it has only been around in the West since the mid-19th century. While paper was being used for personal hygiene in China centur...
2026-08-19
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The bee's knees: rethinking how we design our gardens
Bees are in trouble, but the fix isn't the one most of us reach for. Most of Australia's 1,700-odd native bee species are solitary, and many nest in bare ground rather than a colony. So what does help...
2026-08-18
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Concrete: The world's most useful ugly material
Few materials are as loathed, or as unavoidable. Concrete built the Pantheon and the Opera House, then spent the back half of the twentieth century being blamed for everything ugly in the city — a rep...
2026-08-12
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You’ve got to be kitten me: The rise of the Catio
For many Australians, pets aren't just animals, they're family. And increasingly, our homes are being designed with them in mind. From luxury dog lounges to elaborate catios, we explore how pet-friend...
2026-08-11
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How high vis became biz as usual
It’s hard to imagine a worksite without them, but high viz vests are a relatively modern invention. From its earliest incarnation on the railways of Glasgow to the early 2000s when every politician ap...
2026-08-05
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