Send us a text

The conversation with Raimana Jones from Atelier Jones Design delves deep into the heart of what makes good design truly exceptional—craftsmanship. Drawing inspiration from architectural legends like Alvar Aalto and Walter Gropius, we explore how the most revered designers extended their vision beyond buildings to encompass furniture, lighting, and complete environments.

Raimana shares his journey through fabrication and making, revealing the powerful feedback loop between crafting with your hands and designing with your mind. We unpack how this tactile understanding shapes thoughtful design decisions that simply can't emerge from digital processes alone. The discussion turns to a concerning trend—the gradual disappearance of workshop culture from design education, as hands-on making gives way to digital tools and 3D printing.

What truly elevates this conversation is our exploration of material understanding as the essence of craftsmanship. Just as Tadao Ando mastered concrete through deep connection with the material, Romana's elegant steel kitchens showcase how intimate knowledge transforms ordinary materials into extraordinary designs. While budget realities often dictate the level of craft possible in projects, we discover inventive approaches to maintaining craftsmanship even with constraints.

Whether you're a practicing designer, architecture enthusiast, or someone who appreciates the beauty of well-crafted spaces, this episode offers a compelling reminder of why material engagement matters. As James Dyson wisely noted, "The visceral experience of making things by hand is a wise teacher." Join us for an inspiring discussion about rediscovering play, embracing failure, and cultivating a deeper connection with the materials that shape our world.

Key Episode Links:

- https://www.atelierjonesdesign.co.nz/pages/about-us

Chapters:

0:00 - Introduction to Craft in Design

5:00 - Exploring Cross-Media Design Processes

11:15 - Workshop Culture and Material Play

20:25 - The Design Process: Sketching to Making

27:00 - Understanding Materials Deeply

33:48 - Budget Constraints and Craft Quality

41:47 - Craftsmanship in Architecture

48:30

Please Like and Subscribe it really helps :)

Follow us on @designpriciplespod on Instagram and if you wish to contact us hit our DMs or our personal pages. We love to hear from you it really encourages us to keep going and the ideas and feedback we get from the listeners is awesome!

Send us a text

What happened to the architectural manifesto? This fascinating question from a listener propels us into an exploration of how architects have historically proclaimed their design philosophies—and why such bold declarations seem increasingly rare in contemporary practice.

The architectural landscape was once dramatically shaped by manifestos: Le Corbusier's "Towards New Architecture," Adolf Loos's "Ornament and Crime," and the revolutionary Bauhaus movement all articulated clear visions that transformed how we think about building. But today, as we scroll through endless Instagram feeds of similar-looking projects, has something fundamental been lost? Have we surrendered the courage to stake out distinctive architectural territory?

We examine whether BIG's "Yes Is More" represents perhaps the last true modern architectural manifesto, and whether practice websites and mission statements have become watered-down replacements for the revolutionary spirit that once drove architectural movements. The conversation takes surprising turns toward craft, material engagement, and how the "tall poppy syndrome" might be preventing architects from boldly declaring their principles.

Most importantly, we consider whether writing your own manifesto—even if just for personal clarification—could help combat the global homogenisation of architectural styles. By articulating what you believe about design, perhaps you can recentre your practice and contribute something meaningful to architectural discourse. As we navigate a world increasingly dominated by AI-generated forms and committee-driven decisions, maybe the time is right for a return to architectural conviction.

Key Sources:

• https://www.archdaily.com/921760/how-to-write-an-architectural-manifesto
• https://designformindfulness.blog/significant-manifesto-examples/
• https://www.architectural-review.com/awards/world-architecture-festival/a-manifesto-for-the-next-10-years
• https://www.thoughtco.com/architecture-timeline-historic-periods-styles-175996
• https://archeyes.com/architecture-chronology-timeline-important-architecture-projects/

Chapters:

0:29 - Episode Introduction

2:03 - Defining Architectural Manifestos

6:44 - Famous Historical Manifestos

13:19 - Modern Manifestos - Do They Exist?

17:56 - Global Homogenisation of Architecture

27:43 - Manifesto vs Craftsmanship

36:56 - The Future of Architecture

47:14 - Love It or Hate It Wrap-up

Follow us on @designpriciplespod on Instagram.
If you wish to contact us hit our DMs or email us on info@designprinciplespod.com

Send us a text

What happens when the people who shape our cities, schools, and homes are missing from the public conversation about our built environment? Award-winning architect Lisa Webb joins us to unpack architecture's growing crisis of relevance in New Zealand.

Following her thought-provoking piece in the NZIA Bulletin, Lisa shares her concerns about architects becoming increasingly sidelined in discussions about housing, climate resilience, and community building. "We have a lack of voice, a lack of mandate, and a lack of mana," she observes, pointing to recent political attacks on the profession that went largely unchallenged.

We explore the disconnect between how architects communicate their value (often through beautiful images) versus what clients and communities truly value about architectural services. As one colleague noted, "Pretty pictures are scrollable but have no real sense of the agency the architect brought to bear." This insight leads us to discuss meaningful alternatives – sharing client testimonials, documenting transformed lives, and telling the stories behind successful projects.

The conversation reveals a profession at a crossroads: highly trained professionals with unique holistic oversight capabilities who nonetheless struggle to assert their relevance. We discuss how smaller practices in particular face challenges being heard, while questioning whether the profession's traditional reluctance toward marketing has become self-defeating in today's media landscape.

Lisa challenges listeners to move beyond waiting for someone else to advocate for architecture. Whether through greater engagement with the NZIA, strategic marketing, or simply telling better stories about what architects actually do, the path forward requires collective action from a profession that designs not just buildings, but lives.

Key Links:

- https://www.studiolwa.co.nz/

- https://www.nzia.co.nz/member-area/resources/news/2025/architecture-in-crisis-why-our-relevance-is-fading/

- https://www.nzia.co.nz/member-area/resources/news/2025/a-response-to-architecture-in-crisis/

Chapters:

0:00 - Introduction to Lisa Webb

6:00 - The Problem with Architectural Advocacy

16:40 - Lost Voices in the Housing Crisis

26:30 - Architecture as Service vs. Product

35:25 - Marketing Architecture: Breaking Taboos

43:45 - Finding Power in the Profession

54:30 - Collective Action and Moving Forward

Follow us on @designpriciplespod on Instagram.
If you wish to contact us hit our DMs or email us on info@designprinciplespod.com