Talking Spaces by FX Magazine

FX Magazine is interested in exploring the design of all the spaces in which we spend our lives, whether that be schools, offices, hotels, bars or hospitals – and this podcast is no exception. Our second episode is titled ‘Close to Home’, inspired by the instruction to stay home and avoid travel due to COVID-19. This sudden increased reliance on local areas means many of us will be better acquainted with what exactly can be found nearby – the public amenities, green spaces, shops, hospitality venues within walking distance. To think about how to design for local living and working, we have some industry guests whose experience and current projects are relevant to the topic. The first is Maria Cheung, a director and head of interior design at Squire & Partners talking about the idea of a hyperlocal workspace – an area the practice is venturing into with its new project, The Department Store Studios. Then switching to consider the local in a rural setting, FX speaks with architects Petra Marko and Sarah Featherstone, two members of collaborative group VeloCity. They discuss how not enough architectural attention is focused on the countryside, and talk through some of the critical issues that the VeloCity plan hopes to tackle. Music, editing and production from Lee Endres.

The first episode in this new podcast series from FX Magazine is titled 'A Space to Talk' and features two guests: Laura Lee, CEO of the charity Maggie's,which provides cancer care centres adjacent to hospitals, and the poet and spoken word artist LionHeart, who has been working closely with a number of major architecture practices in recent years. With Laura we talk about how Maggie’s has been transforming the way we design for healthcare since its first centre opened in 1996, while with Lionheart we discuss how he works with architects using poetry to explore how environment can promote mental wellbeing. This episode was recorded during the Covid-19 pandemic, when we find ourselves displaced from many of the places in which we spend our lives. This might prompt us to take a closer look at those spaces, whether they be offices, homes, hospitality, retail or healthcare spaces. These conversations with Laura Lee and Lionheart provide some food for thought on how we can change the spaces we design for the better. Music, editing and production from Lee Endres.