Tone Wheeler, founder of environa studio in Sydney, kicks off the discussion by leading us through the historical waves of Australia’s journey toward sustainability. The first wave, he says, focused on moral encouragement and awareness. It failed to make a lasting impact due to economic pressures and cheap energy from coal and gas.
The second wave saw tighter government regulation, but also fell short as Australians resisted rules that impinged on their lifestyle. Tone highlights the shift towards wellness in the third wave, where the focus moves from energy efficiency to enhancing comfort and health in living spaces.
The Bourke + Phillip apartment building in Sydney exemplifies Tone’s approach of unobtrusive design that prioritises performance and human experience.
© environa studio
Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, co-founder of Snøhetta, shares how his team healed Times Square (New York, United States) by removing cars. This created a safer, more enjoyable urban environment. “Cars have a footprint that ruins everything that is dealing with true city life,” says Kjetil.
Snøhetta’s reinvention of Times Square led to significant reductions in pedestrian injuries, accidents, and even crime rates.
© Michael Grimm
Sandra Barclay and Jean Pierre Crousse, from the Peruvian firm Barclay & Crousse, talk through their project Place of Remembrance (Lima, Peru). This memorial for the country’s turbulent political history uses architecture as a vessel for healing not only the environment, but also the surrounding community.
Barclay & Crousse’s Place of Remembrance integrates architecture with landscape, using local building techniques and materials to support social healing.
© Cristóbal Palma
The concept of adaptive reuse typically applies to the repurposing of existing buildings. Stuart Smith, an engineer with Arup, extends this idea to materials.
Circularity, which he defines as maintaining materials at their highest value for as long as possible, emphasises the need for design that allows for disassembly and reuse.
Stuart and the Arup team created The Circular Building for London Design Festival (United Kingdom) in 2016 as a prototype to illustrate circularity principles.
© Daniel Imade
As season 4 concludes with this bonus episode, it becomes clear that striking a delicate balance between innovation and healing is essential to achieving the shared goal of planetary wellness.
The importance of regeneration in architecture cannot be overstated. It’s about more than just reducing harm; it’s about actively doing good — revitalising spaces, restoring ecosystems, and fostering community well-being.