Anna Maskiell - Strategic adaptability and advocacy

In this episode, hosts Nicole Eadie and Daniel Moore speak with award-winning architect Anna Maskiell, co-founder of Public Realm Lab, a Melbourne-based practice dedicated to creating places that foster culture, community, and connection. Anna’s career has taken her from Brisbane to China and now Melbourne, where her fascination with human behaviour and patterns of occupation has shaped a practice that translates strategy and culture into built form.

Anna reflects on the experiences that led her to establish Public Realm Lab, including her time in large practices, her years in China’s dense urban environments, and the impact of prestigious grants such as the Dulux Study Tour and the Marten Bequest Scholarship. She shares how these opportunities sharpened her focus on strategic planning and the social role of architecture, culminating in a practice that balances rigorous research with human-centred design.

The conversation explores the studio’s landmark project Powerhouse Place in Mildura, the most-awarded project at the 2024 Victorian Architecture Awards, and how strategic thinking, grant funding, and deep community engagement helped transform a modestly funded tender into a celebrated civic space. Anna also unpacks how Public Realm Lab’s unique approach to strategic planning extends architecture beyond traditional project phases, offering lessons in adaptability and advocacy for anyone seeking to design places that genuinely value the people who use them.

Our sponsor Brickworks also produces architecture podcasts hosted by Tim Ross. You can find ‘The Art of Living’, ‘Architects Abroad, and ‘The Power of Two’, at brickworks.com.au or your favourite podcast platform.

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This is a production by the Australian Institute of Architects Emerging Architects and Graduates Network, in collaboration with Open Creative Studio. The Institute production team was Katie Katos, Claudia McCarthy, and Mark Broadhead, and the EmAGN production team was Nicole Eadie and Daniel Moore.

This content is brought to you by the Australian Institute of Architects Emerging Architects and Graduates Network, in collaboration with Open Creative Studio. This content does not take into account specific circumstances and should not be relied on in that way. This content does not constitute legal, financial, insurance, or other types of advice. You should seek independent verification or advice before relying on this content in circumstances where loss or damage may result. The Institute endeavours to publish content that is accurate at the time it is published, but does not accept responsibility for content that may or will become inaccurate over time.

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