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Big Design Adventure

@big_design_adventure

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A new podcast from @kevin.mccloud1 and @modernister Listen now
Tim Ross | Kevin McCloud | listen to all three seasons now.

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A very special thank you to Tim Ross for helping us celebrate the launch of Open House Hobart 2026!

We’re incredibly excited to have Tim supporting Open House Hobart again this year. His passion for architecture, design and the stories behind the places we live feels right at home with what Open House is all about — encouraging people to look a little closer, get curious and discover the buildings and spaces that shape our cities.

Having Tim lend his voice and support to the program means a great deal to us, and we’re so grateful to have him championing Open House Hobart and the incredible architecture we have here in Tasmania.

And there’s even more to look forward to this year. We’re especially excited to welcome Tim back to Hobart alongside Kevin McCloud for Tim & Kev’s Big Design Adventure, bringing together two much-loved voices in architecture and design for a very special event right here in Hobart.

Thank you, Tim, for helping us kick off another year of opening doors, sharing stories and celebrating great design. We’re so thrilled to have you along for the adventure again.

We can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on.

Open House Hobart 2026 — here we go!

Open House Hobart 2026
Saturday 7 + Sunday 8 November

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What did the future look like in 1971?

Well, Thunderbirds had premiered just six years earlier in 1965 — and this house was already looking in the same direction.

Built in 1971, it was strikingly modern for its time: low slung, bold horizontal lines, extensive glazing and timber cladding, with a design that felt completely removed from the #suburbia houses around it.

It wasn’t trying to look like a spaceship. It was simply ahead of its time.

And 55 years later, that original vision is still surprisingly intact.

There’s just one problem. The #future hasn’t been kind to it.

#InternationalRescue has arrived. Not to restore it like a museum, but to sympathetically love it again.

Once we change things we can't get them back, so we have been thinking hard and taking our time, living with it to make certain we choose right.

We haven't jumped in and gutted the place! It doesn't need that. But we do need to be able to live with three kids (five and under), through the winter and in years to come, in an ever more expensive and tough climate.

With a nod to its #midcentury roots - but with an eye on future proofing.

3… 2… 1… #Thunderbirds are go. 🚀

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We’ve spent months trying to find a floor that could live up to this one.

The original 1971 mosaics are incredible — just 2mm thick, paper-backed and laid directly onto the slab. But after 56 years, tiles are missing, the slab has cracked and the original electric underfloor heating is no longer a viable long-term solution.

With the new air source heat pump, we’re replacing it with wet underfloor heating from @wunda_group installed by H&G Plumbing & Heating.

We’ll be laying the new floor ourselves, so choosing something that felt right for the house has been a long process. Nothing quite compared to the mosaics.

But this isn’t a museum. The house needs to work, and it needs work to survive. We want to change it without losing what makes it special.

And finally… we’ve decided.

It’s already here, in crates on the drive from @natural.stone.and.timber.ltd

More on that in the next post.

Meanwhile, the new floor level meant the front door needed adapting too. @castaway_carpentryuk lifted, undercut and refitted the original pivot door and ironmongery — a seriously tricky puzzle, but brilliantly done. They worked hard on the puzzle with great sympathy and success to help ensure we didn't lose the bones of the iconic design decisions of the 70s.

Another milestone ticked off.

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Heartbreaking images. The 1960s Halifax Swimming Pool in Yorkshire is currently being demolished by the council. Designed by F. H. Hoyles with ceramic murals by Kenneth Barden, this building was deemed too difficult to restore.

Images via @c20society who have valiantly fought to save the building.

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@granddesigns_uk presenter @kevin.mccloud1 and Australian comedian and self-proclaimed design nerd @modernister have developed an audience of like-minded, design-obsessed listeners over three seasons of their hit podcast @big_design_adventure.

They're now bringing their trademark wit and charismatic storytelling to the stage for a one-off show at @oh_hobart.

Read more and access tickets via the link in bio.

📸 supplied.

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Tim and Kev's Big Design Adventure is proudly presented by the Australian Institute of Architects. The voice for Australia’s built environment and the designers who shape it. (architecture.com.au)

Open House Hobart 2026
Saturday 7 + Sunday 8 November

Architect: Designful Studio
Image: Natasha Mulhall

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SOLD OUT - Thanks Hobart.

Big news!

We are doing a one off show in Hobart with our friends at @oh_hobart

Friday November 6.

Limited tickets. Book now to avoid missing out.

@big_design_adventure

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Front garden plans, rain, chips… and suddenly we’re ripping up carpet.

Today started with tackling the front garden and getting it ready for two new trees — our plan to soften the rather exposed gable end of the neighbours’ house after losing the yews.

Then the heavens opened. Obviously.

So we abandoned the garden, went for chips, got the kids to bed… and decided that was the perfect time to start lifting the old carpet in the main living areas.

The heating installation is getting closer, and we’re going right back to the slab in the living room. In the dining room and kitchen, the original mosaics are staying exactly where they are. We’ll oversail them with the new heating boards and floor finish rather than risk disturbing them.

One minute you’re gardening. The next you’re on your knees pulling up carpet.

Just another evening at the Single Storey House.
Shout out to Dolly keeping us working and also to @elle_limebear who's delivered some Joy during the dusty days. You might spot her single on the side in these videos.

#architecting #parenting #gardening #raining #renoing

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Neil Clerehan's Fenner House is a masterclass in light and space and you can visit. For free!

It really should be a house museum, like the @robin.boyd.foundation around the corner. I have a fantasy of a precinct of such places. How good would that be?

While exploring, I met Esther, Neil's daughter, who hadn't stepped foot inside for 60 years. It was quite moving to share Esther's visceral reaction to this extraordinary house.

@big_design_adventure have made an episode on Neil Clerehan in a wonderfully deep session with Esther.

Esther also runs @clerehania for the true believers.

If you're still reading this, you're a Clerehaniac like me, so go and explore at an open for inspection before someone's charging you $100 to go in.

If you are lucky enough to explore, please share your reactions here. I really want to know how Fenner House makes you feel.

Superb portrait of Clerehan by Paul Jeffers and used with his kind permission.

#NeilClerehan #MelbourneArchitecture #MidCenturyModern #walkingtoursmelbourne

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Want to meet the co-hosts of Tim & Kev’s Big Design Adventure podcast? Buy a full pass to the 2026 in:situ Conference and be in to win! 🎤⁠
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We’re delighted to announce an incredible opportunity to meet the co-hosts of acclaimed podcast @big_design_adventure - champions for great architecture and design Kevin McCloud @kevin.mccloud1 and Tim Ross @modernister. ⁠
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One lucky in:situ attendee will get the chance to meet Kevin and Tim for a casual get-together to be organised with their team for their first tour of New Zealand.⁠
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If you purchase a full conference pass (early bird or standard), you’ll automatically be in the draw.⁠
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The winner will be announced at the 2026 in:situ Conference. Book your ticket now at our link in bio or www.insitu-caa2026.com. ⁠
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🎤 What: in:situ 2026 + CAA General Assembly ⁠
📅 When: 8-10 September, 2026 ⁠
📍 Where: Aotea Centre, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland⁠
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Terms and conditions apply. Winner will be drawn at in:situ 2026 Conference. Must be over 18 years old and live in New Zealand to be eligible. Meet and greet to take place at a date and location to be determined. Once nominated, date and location are final and cannot be changed. Travel to nominated location to be arranged between winner and Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA). If winner cannot attend nominated date and location, an alternative winner may be drawn by the NZIA. Prize is not redeemable for cash.⁠
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#nzia #nzarchitecture #insitu26⁠

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Great architecture starts with great conversations — and we’re excited to be joining this one 🎤
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@nziarchitects and @big_design_adventure podcast are delighted to announce a new collaboration that celebrates the people, places and ideas shaping great architecture and design.⁠
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Hosted by Australian broadcaster and comedian Tim Ross @modernister and Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud @kevin.mccloud1, Tim & Kev’s Big Design Adventure podcast takes listeners inside remarkable buildings, meeting the people who create them, and exploring why good design matters. ⁠
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“We’re thrilled to be partnering with the New Zealand Institute of Architects,” said Tim Ross. “We’ve always believed that good design deserves a bigger audience, and we’re excited to continue sharing stories that celebrate the buildings, people and ideas that shape our lives.”⁠
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With over 30 episodes, tune into hear inspiring and thoughtful conversations, including an episode about John Scott’s Martin House in Hawke’s Bay (Series 1, Episode 9) and a chat with the late Sam Neill, revealing a lifelong passion for architecture that shaped his view of the world (Series 3, Episode 5). ⁠
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🔗 Listen now at our link in bio. ⁠
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#nzia #nzarchitecture #newzealandarchitecture #regionalarchitectureawards2026 ⁠

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Series 3 of Tim and Kev’s @big_design_adventure is here 🎙️ We’re thrilled to be partnering with @modernister and @kevin.mccloud1 to bring the podcast to listeners across the UK and Europe.

In Episode 2, Tim and Kevin head to London to meet one of Britain’s most admired architects, @peterbarber12, whose award-winning work is redefining what social and affordable housing can be.

Peter shares his thoughts on tackling one of society’s biggest challenges, discussing what traditional housing typologies still have to teach us, what we’ve lost in the pursuit of home ownership, and why he believes the solutions to the housing crisis already exist – they simply require the political will to be delivered.

To celebrate the episode and today’s announcement of this year’s Neave Brown Award for Housing shortlist, we’re looking back at McGrath Road by Peter Barber Architects, winner of our 2021 Neave Brown Award for Housing. This imaginative social housing development puts community at its heart and demonstrates the transformative impact of thoughtful, people-centred design.

🎧 Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts.

📷 @morleyvonarchitecture

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