IN FRAME

Episode 2 of Stories We Build features a compelling conversation with Nqobile Lombo—an architect, lecturer, and director of Umhlaba—whose work navigates the intersections of practice, pedagogy, and place. In this episode, she reflects on the responsibilities of shaping spaces within complexsocial and cultural landscapes, offering insight into how architecture can be both grounded and transformative. Her perspective brings a quiet intensity to the series, reminding us that the stories we build are deeply tied to identity,land, and the futures we choose to imagine.

The Stories We Build is a new series within our In Frame segment, opening up conversations around the narratives that shape architecture beyond the built form.We begin with Daniel Dzansi, architect, artist and thinker navigating the space between disciplines. Together, we explore how stories move through architecture, how art reshapes the way we see space and why the most compelling ideas often emerge from outside the field.This is not just about buildings. It’s about the stories that make them possible.

From late nights in the studio to early mornings on site - the transition is never as smooth as we imagine. From Crits to Clients is a conversation with a recent graduate navigating the in-between space where ideas meet reality, confidence meets uncertainty, and learning doesn’t stop - it shifts. This episode reflects on what school gives you, what it doesn’t, and how you begin to find your voice beyond the crit room.This is not just about architecture - it’s about becoming.

Before the first line is drawn, architecture has already begun.In Episode 2 of In Frame, The Invisible Brief, we explore the forces that shape architecture long before design starts. Budgets, regulations, culture, climate, material availability, and social expectations quietly frame what becomes possible. These conditions rarely appear on drawings, yet they influence every space we create.This episode reflects on the hidden systems that guide architectural decisions — revealing that what we design is often already shaped by context, circumstance, and the realities surrounding the project.

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in design processes, the question of authorship in architecture is being reshaped.In this episode, we explore what it means to create in an age where ideas can be generated, iterated, and visualised by machines. Is authorship still tied to the individual, or is it becoming distributed across tools, systems, and collaborators?This conversation reflects on creativity, control, and the evolving role of the architect in a technologically mediated design landscape.