Anthony Burke's By Design

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 f

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 coul

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

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 w

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

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 w

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, gla

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

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 faili

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 need

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 f

Should native animals have property rights too?

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 f

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 pe

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 th

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 every

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 cat

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

Meet your new interior designer: the algorithm

Are algorithms controlling your interior purchases and also driving your home renno? We know that influencers and content creators have their own “brand”, but they’re als

The invisible infrastructure that keeps us alive

It’s a vital resource that keeps us alive, but how often have you thought about how we manage to have water readily available to us? From the first wooden pipes laid by e

What if data centres weren't so ugly?

They're big, ugly and noisy, and no one wants to live near them. But what if we've got the design of data centres all wrong? What if we started from the premise that data