Talk Architecture

Send us Fan MailIn this reflective “filler” episode of Talk Architecture, host Naziaty opens up about a personal contradiction: as a teenager scared of maths, yet fell in love with architecture — the technical details, the design work, the very things built on mathematics. Also the fascination with Christopher Alexander's concepts and theory. That tension becomes the starting point for a warm meditation on why maths and architecture are inseparable. Mathematics is the foundation and the language of architecture; without it, buildings as we know them cannot exist.From there, Naziaty discussed the core mathematical tools that shape the built world: geometry and the domes, arches, grids and tessellations it makes possible; proportion and ratio, including the golden mean that gave us the Parthenon and the Renaissance; measurement and scaling behind every plan, section and elevation; trigonometry for roof slopes and structural forces; and calculus and coordinate systems that power modern engineering and today’s parametric design. Maths gives architecture precision and possibility, while architecture gives maths a visible, human, emotional expression. A marriage made in heaven.© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Support the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailHost Naziaty, a disability activist from 1998 to 2024, opens this first episode by tracing the deep, two-way relationship between disability and architecture in the Malaysian context — a story that likely mirrors struggles in your own country. From streets unusable by wheelchair users to bus stop ramps that dangerously spill into traffic, shows how access is too often treated as an afterthought rather than designed in from the start. The result, Naziaty argues, is “a decade of nothingness” — collective stagnation while politicians repeatedly promise, but fail, to reform the toothless Persons with Disabilities Act 2008.At the heart of the episode is a clear-eyed comparison between Malaysia’s domestic law and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), drawing on the work published at OKUrightsmatter.com. Nazaty unpacks the critical gaps — no penalties or legal remedies, no definition of discrimination, state immunity from lawsuits, and the absence of an independent oversight body — and explains why harmonizing local legislation with the CRPD matters for everyone: the elderly, parents with young children, and expectant mothers alike. It’s an essential primer for architects, planners, and anyone shaping the built environment to understand why accessibility and universal design must be law, not charity. We start from this understanding.Copyright 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd YaacobSupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailIn Part 3 and final episode of the Stop Spoon-Feeding Architecture Students series on the Talk Architecture Podcast, host Naziaty explores why many students and graduates remain trapped in their self-imposed comfort zones. Drawing from insights on unprocessed emotions and fear of failure or judgment, this episode examines how reluctance to make decisions leads tutors to default to spoon-feeding. Instead of solving problems for students, educators must patiently guide them to break mental barriers, embrace mistakes as learning opportunities, and develop genuine confidence through independent decision-making in design studios.The discussion highlights the critical teacher-student relationship, the value of interdisciplinary exposure (including business, liberal arts, and workshops), and reflections on effective mentoring from figures like Kevin Mark Low. It also critiques modern university systems — particularly low teaching KPIs — that undermine the time needed for meaningful one-on-one guidance. A must-listen for both architecture students seeking to build resilience and educators committed to producing confident, decisive professionals ready for real-world practice.Copyright 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd YaacobLeadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailAre we creating architecture graduates who can’t think for themselves? In this episode of Talk Architecture, host Naziaty explores the dangers of spoon-feeding in design studios — from ready-made notes and tutor suggestions to declining curiosity and weakened problem-solving skills. Drawing from Dr. Abijit Shatterji’s insights, we examine how convenience is quietly undermining the very foundation of architectural education. We then suggests that the problem lies in that process of making a decision.From master-apprentice traditions to today’s digital ease and instant PDFs, discover why students often become exam-ready but not career-ready. Learn practical shifts toward inquiry-based learning, self-made sketches, and genuine exploration that build independent thinkers and confident future architects. The comfort that costs real learning must end.Copyright 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd YaacobLeadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of the Talk Architecture Podcast, we dive deep into a heartfelt reply to a 2nd-year architecture student asking what needs to change in architecture education. The core issue? Too many graduates lack confidence when entering the profession — a direct result of being spoon-fed throughout their studies. Instead of nurturing independent decision-making through studio critiques, presentations, and personal design journeys, current teaching approaches often leave students reliant on tutors, eroding their ability to trust their own vision and creative instincts.From emotional vs. logical design approaches to the real-world demands of client interactions, business acumen, and the versatility of an architectural mindset, this conversation challenges both students and educators. Persistent curiosity, owning your mistakes, and building genuine confidence are essential. Academics, take note: stop spoon-feeding — empower the next generation to become decisive, resilient architects ready for practice.Copyright 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd YaacobLeadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailHost Naziaty Mohd Yaacob explores the growing overlap between traditional architectural practice and entrepreneurship in the current digital era. Solo practitioners now commonly deliver both typical architectural services and signature products—custom-built spaces with a distinct personal style. Stressing the value of deliberate constraints (financial, technical, and temporal) to turn ideas into action instead of remaining stuck in perpetual ideation.Using Naziaty’s post-retirement case study, there are three main activities shaped by constraints: the consistently produced monthly podcast (running since April 2020 within an $18 monthly subscription and limited recording hours), the accessibility and universal design consultancy (repurposing 28 years of teaching, activism, and research into online courses and services for companies with inclusivity KPIs), and an upcoming book/guideline (leveraging existing materials for rapid publication). This is how repurposing past work in a lean, one-person operation, driven by activism, enables sustainable progress. The discussion encourages younger architects and unlicensed professionals to treat constraints as allies and repurpose school projects and experiences to launch entrepreneurial ventures rather than being paralyzed by unlimited possibilities or unable to get Part 3 professional license.Copyright 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd YaacobLeadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailContinuing the exploration of Vitruvius's Venustas, Firmitas, Utilitas, host Naziaty turns to Utilitas — usually translated as function or commodity — and asks what it really means in the 21st century. Drawing on a RIBA article, Accessible Architecture: How Today's Inclusive Spaces Can Help Solve 200 Years of Accessible Design Challenges, we trace the long, uneven history of disability in the built environment, from Victorian asylums and Gordon Cullen's 1931 awareness work, to Evans and Shalev's 1973 home for the physically disabled at 48 Boundary Road, to the pioneering Grove Road housing scheme by Wyvern Design Group, where disabled and non-disabled residents lived in fully integrated flats.We then pull the conversation into the present. The social model of disability has shifted the question from "what's wrong with the person" to "what's wrong with the environment," and the mantra nothing about us without us has reshaped how progressive architects work — bringing disabled users into the design process from day one. The Manchester's Hotel Brooklyn (Stevenson Studio with Squid and Motion Spot) is an example of how accessibility can be elegant rather than clinical, and looking back at an audit of an office building where the simplest oversight — access card readers mounted too high — was quietly disabling staff every day.The episode closes with an economic lens borrowed from Amartya Sen's capability approach: the gap between commodity(the thing you own) and functionality (what it actually lets you do). A standard bicycle, a standard doorway, a standard office card reader — none of these convert into equal functionality for everyone, and disabled people pay a steep "tax" of modifications, specialised tech, and extra effort just to reach the baseline others take for granted. Functionality, cannot be separated from comfort and dignity. To honour Utilitas in this century is to design for equity, not just access — and which is a conversation worth a deeper episode of its own.© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image: Vitruvius Man taken from internet.Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailIn this follow-up to the introduction on How Architecture Students Study Business in School, host Naziaty digs into the three skills the original Threads question raised: running a firm, pricing a project, and negotiating a contract, where each one can be quietly built into the five years of architecture school — leadership and team dynamics through first-year group furniture builds and peer reviews, costing through site visits, bills of quantities, and a thesis cost-benefit exercise with an economics lecturer, and contract negotiation through role-play workshops that fold in sales, marketing, and the psychology of convincing a client.From there we argue that architecture practice and entrepreneurship are far more alike than the profession likes to admit. Both turn abstract ideas into tangible reality, both demand vision balanced with risk and resource management, and both rely on iterative problem-solving. Architects already do business development, interdisciplinary leadership, and team management — which makes the case for treating the architect as an entrepreneur even more urgent in the age of AI. The closing point: architecture education shouldn't choose between the traditional architect and the architectural entrepreneur. It should prepare students to be both. (A follow-up on the "design problem" itself is coming in the next episode to explain more.)© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Support the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Talk Architecture, host Naziaty tackles a question that's been making the rounds on Threads: should architecture schools teach business and financial literacy? After six years of study, many graduates step out into practice with no real sense of how to run a firm, price a project, or negotiate a contract — and the conversation online has struck a nerve. Naziaty pushes back on the idea that business education is only about money, arguing that it sits much closer to design than most people realise.Drawing on her experience as a former lecturer and a design thesis student at North London Poly in the early 1990s, she walks through how marketing, sales, project management, and cost-benefit analysis can be woven into studio projects rather than bolted on as separate electives. From first-year product design briefs to high-rise pitches, from the Bauhaus tradition of the architect-craftsman to today's graduates working as filmmakers, product designers, and developers, this episode reframes business literacy as a natural extension of the architectural mindset — and an overdue conversation for the curriculum.Blog read© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Support the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailThe Timeless Principles of "Venustas, Firmitas, and Utilitas" (Vitruvius, 1st century BC) is one way to analyse any product, may it be craft or architecture, in terms of the quality and how good that design is.In the history of architectural theory, few ideas have proven as enduring as the Roman principles articulated by Vitruvius: Venustas (beauty or delight), Firmitas (firmness or structural strength), and Utilitas (utility or function, sometimes called commodity). These concepts, rooted in antiquity, continue to shape Western architecture and civilization. Far from being confined to grand buildings, they serve as universal standards for evaluating any human-made object or system in our modern world. These principles reveal themselves in the most ordinary settings. For all products and crafts and architecture.An introduction episode starts the ball rolling for a series on this topic.© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image: Vitruvius Man taken from internet.Support the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailWelcome back to the Talk Architecture Podcast. I’m your host, Naziaty. After a difficult hiatus since our last episode on March 28—marked by a bout of illness and the heartbreaking loss of my mother last month—I’m slowly returning to the mic with renewed purpose. Though my voice may sound a little rough today, I’m excited to share that the show is very much alive and moving forward with fresh interviews featuring international voices, including a longtime collaborator from India, a disabled architect from India, a guest from Canada, and the return of our favorite guest, Kevin Mark Low. We’ll continue exploring architecture and disability, architecture education, the balance education model, design practice, Christopher Alexander’s theories, and critical conversations on the state of the profession—both in Malaysia and globally. Thank you for staying with me through this interlude. The dialogue continues, and I deeply appreciate your support as we push for better architecture, better education, and meaningful introspection. Stay tuned.© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Support the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailNaziaty will discuss on the need to address the intersecting sections of the sets of "architecture practice", "architecture education" and "disability". This is an introduction to the gaps that needs to be addressed. © 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Support the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailA Commentary on the March 2025 episodes on the Balanced Education Model, an interview with Kevin Mark Low, with an eye towards writing thoughts on this to be published.Important core quotes and key statements from Kevin Mark Low:1. On the obsession with formalism and branding2. On the power of relationships3. On guidance and mentorship4. Broader critique of current systems5. On diversified education and first-principlesThese statements and quotes would form the basis of the writings and drafts to be made.© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailKevin Mark Low and Naziaty Mohd Yaacob both sees Malaysian architecture education as deeply flawed, producing graduates who are technically competent but philosophically and ethically underprepared. Discussion on these sub-topics / key points are found in this episode:1. Systemic failures and "dumbing down"2. Critique on formalism and form-first approaches3. Need for critical inquiry and balanced models4. Relevance to Malaysian / Tropical context 5. Shift towards practice and real-world gaps© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Support the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailThis is an addendum to the second episode on how architects Kevin Mark Low design from first principles, discussing the Safari Roof House (2002-2005).How designing the Safari Roof House embodies First-Principles thinkingKevin didn’t start with “let’s make a modern tropical house” or copy regional precedents. He decomposed to basics:•  Human thermal comfort in 30–35°C heat + 80–90% humidity requires constant air movement and shade.•  Monsoon rain is inevitable — design to channel it, not resist it perfectly.•  Local materials and skills favor brick, concrete, and simple steel.•  The building should enhance its context (suburban greenery, family life) rather than stand as an object.This discussion serves to explain further the employment of principles of physics and biology to provide the content for architecture, hence the importance of a diversified-type of education like liberal arts. This notion will be further elaborated in the book Naziaty is writing.© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Support the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailSecond episode of a two-part series we dive deep into how architects such as Kevin Mark Low design from first principles.Analysis from literature search shows that Kevin Mark Low has 5 main core elements to his first principles-inspired design process:1. Primacy of Context Specificities2. Radical or Critically questioning and identifying problems3. Details as the Resolver of Relationsips4. Embracing Imperfection, Time, Ageing and Decay5. Focus on Small Scale and TectonicsThe discussion provides an overview based on the interviews on the internet and YouTube on his talk, his writings and my interviews with him in Talk Architecture on how his approach influences the way he teaches architecture.© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailThe first episode in a two-part series on designing from first principles (as suggested by Kevin Mark Low). The concept of “first principles” in architecture can be understood in two main ways:1.  The most fundamental, timeless truths about what makes good architecture (the Vitruvian foundation that has survived 2000+ years)2.  First-principles thinking as a problem-solving method (breaking architecture down to basic physical/human truths and reasoning up from there, without leaning on tradition or analogy)We shall introduce from research how Kevin Mark Low designed from first principles in Part 2 of this series.© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Support the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailDesigning for every citizen: Engineering inclusive urban landscapes(street environments and public transportation) for the Institute of Engineers Malaysia - Webinar Talk on March 10 2026 by Naziaty Mohd Yaacob, Director, Xiron Engineering Services Sdn Bhd. Talk includes problems of existing inaccessible street environment, development of Version 1 and Version 2 Universal Design Bus Stops, facts about the Malaysian standards, complicatedness of the jurisdiction of the city streets and how we can learn from Singapore.Links to videos recommended to watch:In Malay language: UD Bus Stop Version 2 at Jalan Maarof, Bangsar In English language: Universal Design Talk© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image by Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailThe first episode of a two part mini series on - Formalism and Non-formalistic Approaches in Architecture - where the teaching of architecture and guidance inform how we approach architecture practice, where it needs to be more critical rather than mere form-making generated and embellished from schematics and passed as aesthetics."Architecture is often approached in a formalistic manner, with heavy emphasis on form, geometry, composition, and aesthetics. This focus serves as a foundational method for teaching design, establishing architectural autonomy, and managing the complexity of creative projects. However, it reveals little about the deeper reasons behind this predominance. The formalistic approach has long been criticized for neglecting functionality and context. Yet it remains deeply rooted in the history of art theory, providing students with a precise language to understand, analyze, and create built forms. We question whether this approach is relevant now then ever, or alternative approaches from Phenomenology and Dutch Structuralism would be better to create a more functional and inclusive design" (Naziaty Mohd Yaacob's Essay on Formalism and Alternative Approaches to Architecture, 2026)© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailFour weeks ago I commented on the idea of collaboration, as if the ability to collaborate is necessary in order to have leadership skills. What are the essential qualities and why is it important that an architect have leadership skills? There are a lot of other skills associated with that - adaptability, understanding context and the fit, steering based on processes which are relevant to the task at hand … A lecturer has to know how to guide, that’s the very least of the skill they need to have in a collaboration with a student but how does the student learn how to lead and be the driver of his or her project? Then only he/she know how to collaborate with other people ie consultants. My podcast today answers this question based on conversations we had with Kevin Mark Low before. And subsequent conversations with Azari & Seshan Design, as well.© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Support the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailIn the first episode of the series on design approach and methods, we discuss the Preface of Christopher Alexander’s 1964 seminal work, Notes on the Synthesis of Form, the 1971 paperback. The discussion highlights Alexander’s pivot from a rigid "design method" toward the profound simplicity of the diagram—later known as a pattern. This approach moves beyond the academic "cult of method" and returns the focus to the practical, intuitive act of shaping forms that respond to real-world requirements.Drawing parallels to modern architectural practice, we relate Alexander’s theories to the layering of functional systems, such as accessibility, safety, and structural integrity. Using the example of a library design, the podcast illustrates how various "sub-problems"—from circulation patterns to shelving—are resolved through specific diagrams and then fused into a final project. The episode emphasizes a logic-based approach to design over purely emotional or "signature" aesthetics, arguing that an architect’s primary duty is to serve diverse public needs. By investigating the "goodness of fit" between a form and its context, designers can create inclusive spaces that are thoroughly researched rather than superficially styled.© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Support the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailA scenario of the architectural design studio project for a community that would have made a better impact in terms learning for the students, when site-context specific rather than a project that objectifies for 'citation', ' data' and 'research agenda'.How this sort of project would "fail in the rankings" and not encouraged in schools of architecture. A closing manifesto is concluded at the end of episode.© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Support the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailLast 29 December 2025, the Vice Chancellor of Universiti Malaya in an article says “Let me be clear: rankings are not the goal; they are a means. The goal is, and has always been, to create knowledge and graduates that make the world a better place. If climbing the rankings comes as a result of doing that goal well, then we should welcome it.We must remember that our true rank is measured by the positive difference we make for humanity and the world, and as a compass of good, and that alone, remains the most noble of all.”Today's  podcast episode is to address the VC's quote from the architecture education perspective. © 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailThe conclusive episode (Part 3) to underline the bigger picture of problems in architecture education where we need to deal with the following:1. Architecture design studio curriculum needs to be clear on the "design problem" identification and solving them as complexities in the final year project (Part 1) and design thesis (Part 2).2. The role of the architect as collaborators and teaching in the school architecture how to collaborate and not just merely follow instructions from the part time critics and tutors as it is not really the 'master-apprentice' approach which is not feasible in this day and age any way.3. The misplaced fascination on university rankings and placing importance on research and publication (70%), leaving academics to focus on teaching at a miserable 30%, thus lessening the quality of studio teaching, hence shifting the responsibility to practice instead when it comes to what we discussed in Part 1 & 2 episodes.4. A call for the institutions of architecture and the fraternity to 'fight back' on the architecture education aspects and not let Ministry of Higher Education dictate on what architecture education need to be as per points number 1, 2 & 3 above. This is regarding the poor training of students of architecture due to the fascination with university rankings linked to key performance indicators of academics (KPIs).© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Support the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailPart 2 continues the discussion on the systemic problems where "the burden of education has quietly shifted from academia to practice", by referring to Seshan Design SB Handbook and points discussed in Part 1 of the same topic.Naziaty started by what went wrong in architecture education and how and why we lost our direction. It will span from when I  started architecture in 1980 until now. 46 years of reflection plus the on-going discussion on social media especially Facebook. © 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailA frank discussion on a commentary based on Seshan Design's post in a Facebook Group. They highlighted on systemic problems where "the burden of education has quietly shifted from academia to practice", and later gave comments on the problems specifically: the lack of fundamental skills on:1. Drawing clearly2. Understanding how buildings put together3. Accuracy4. Coordination5. AccountabilityI discussed what happens (happened) and why it is a systemic problem in schools of architecture in Malaysia.© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailWe explain further in depth on the dialogic studio critique methods to explain how we can transform architecture education. In Part 2B, we delve into:Common Dialogic Critique MethodsRound-Table or Harkness MethodPeer Crits (Structured Peer Feedback)Group Crits or Panel Discussions with Student InvolvementFormative Desk Crits as True DialogueNarrative-Based Dialogic Design (NDD)Hybrid or Alternative FormatsPlus the benefits and implementation tips.© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailDialogic studio critique methods shift traditional architecture design studios from 'hierarchical, tutor-dominated feedback' (often called "desk crits" or juries) to collaborative, multi-voiced conversations. These approaches, inspired by Donald Schön's "reflection-in-action," Mikhail Bakhtin's polyphony, and Vygotsky's socio-constructivist pedagogy, emphasize mutual dialogue where students actively participate, question, and co-construct knowledge. This fosters deeper comprehension, reduces power imbalances, encourages inquiry, and aligns with ideals of human flourishing and exemplary character (junzi). Traditional critiques can feel adversarial, ambiguous, or judgmental, stifling creativity and student voice. Dialogic methods address this by prioritizing process-oriented, iterative feedback over summative assessment.Continuing the discussion on the purpose of architecture education, we introduce the 'key principles in dialogue critiques' first in this episode (Part 2A) to explain how we can transform architecture education. © 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Support the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailWe frequently speak of students as "products" or "graduates"—metrics to be optimized for Lembaga Arkitek Malaysia (LAM) Part I and II exemptions, high QS subject rankings, graduate employability rates, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). But where is the student's voice? Do aspiring architects truly seek personal and societal transformation through design, or have they, too, been captured by the logic of credentials—chasing accreditation compliance, technical proficiency, and industry-ready skills over creative risk-taking and ethical reflection?I referred to an Opinion piece by Dr Syed Alwee Alsagoff's in Star Newspaper dated 28 December 2025 entitled "The Year We Forgot to Ask". I expanded to discuss as an introduction to conversation that we need to discuss on the purpose of architecture education, inspired from this article, in this podcast episode.© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Support the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailWe dive into the conversation on "reforms in architecture education" to understand further how education affects the profession in a profound way. The principles from Mark Alan Hewitt's 2020 reforms explained in arch daily —emphasizing embodied cognition through hand drawing, physical model-making, haptic engagement, and sensory-rich practices—can absolutely be integrated into both the ARB Competency Outcomes Framework and the RIBA Themes and Values framework. Both are deliberately outcomes-based and flexible, allowing schools to innovate in how they deliver competencies without prescribing specific methods. This openness creates space for embodied approaches as effective pedagogical tools to meet required outcomes. Link here: https://www.archdaily.com/941809/12-ways-to-reform-architectural-education© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailAnother “unfiltered” critic argues that architecture education is the root cause of the profession being undervalued and widely misunderstood. The defense of the profession, we contend, must begin in academia, where the core problem lies in situating architecture schools to comply with—and be dictated by—non-architects who neither understand nor uphold the profession’s essential competencies. This external oversight has diluted the foundational truths of architecture, eroding its rigor and distinct identity over time.By allowing administrators, accrediting bodies, and university structures dominated by non-practitioners to shape curricula and priorities, schools inadvertently prioritize bureaucratic compliance, interdisciplinary trends, and measurable outcomes over the deep, tacit knowledge and creative judgment that define architectural expertise. This shift not only weakens the training of future architects but also sends a broader signal to society that architecture is a generic design discipline rather than a profound synthesis of art, science, ethics, and cultural responsibility—further contributing to its undervaluation in the public and professional spheres.Part 2 will be about the "reforms in architecture education".© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailThis podcast episode is a one-off reaction piece to the discussion on "What makes a good studio master?" It refers to the Malaysian Architecture Education context and the premise from the problem of bureaucracy. The assertion here argues that formal qualifications (PhD, Part 3 registration, 5+ years industry/teaching experience) proposed by the Malaysian Board of Architects (LAM - Malay Acronym) are irrelevant for design studio masters, who need to have both talents in teaching, as well as being a good designer.True effectiveness lies in three key roles—coach (tracking progress), consultant (critical feedback), and expert (specialized input)—which can be filled by one person or a team. Everyone guiding students should be considered a “master” in the traditional sense. Core duties include structuring the semester program, facilitating crits, moderating discussions, synthesizing feedback, and ensuring fair assessment while encouraging students to own their ideas—never imposing solutions via tutor sketches. Some experienced critics would draw out for the students, which means they don't know how to teach.The rigid credential requirements are bureaucratic shortcuts that exclude talented teachers and practitioners, stifle innovation, and regress architectural education. Prioritizing actual teaching ability, collaboration, and facilitation over box-ticking is essential.© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailArchitecture education and the problems of competent graduates have been discussed elsewhere in Talk Architecture podcast, but this topic shows how much things have changed in architecture education and how it affected the curriculum.So, this morning I asked Grok: Do you think that more and more architecture education and the ranking system serves the developer’s agenda than society’s needs?Grok says: Yes, absolutely — and the trend has been accelerating dramatically over the past 15–20 years. Architecture education and especially the global ranking systems now function more as a pipeline for producing compliant, brand-friendly designers who serve the real-estate/finance/development industry than as institutions serving society’s actual spatial, social, ecological, or cultural needs.The main points are:Ranking systems are explicitly designed around “employer reputation” and “academic reputation” — and the employers who matter are the big corporate firmsThe curriculum has been financialisedDebt + prestige hierarchy forces graduates into the developer machine“Sustainability” has been fully co-opted into developer marketingThe proof is in the built environmentThe thought occurred to do this episode when I read another piece in LinkedIn on a global survey that reveals the future of architectural education. It suggests the way architects need to be, quote "a civic leader, cultural mediator, facilitator, and interdisciplinary collaborator", thus making me concerned for the profession. Yes, you can be all that but not on the expense of fully equipping architecture graduates to be confident of working in the industry, hence what need to happen in the design thesis curriculum and learning experience, as I have discussed in earlier episodes.© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Support the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailThe “research-framework” approach to design theses is a myth and must end.Best industry preparation: give the entire studio one real, complex, shared urban site and force students to solve 10–15 genuine, layered design problems from day one. This final episode of a 3-part series explains how using two cases almost a decade apart.2008–09 (wrong way): 24 students → 24 different (often easy/speculative) sites → pretty drawings, 2–3 shallow problems, bored students, weak graduates.2019–20 (right way): one tough shared site (e.g., PJ Old Town market + urban farm) → rich context, 10–12 real problems, deep skills, confident graduates ready for practice on day one. Blog post on a context specific design thesis: https://designthesis.wordpress.com/2020/08/05/raymond-bus-the-market-hub-at-jalan-othman-petaling-jaya/Takeaway:Speculative/prototype theses fail students.Context-specificity is not radical — it’s basic professional training. Every architecture school needs at least one unit doing it.© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailIn the second part of this three-part series on the “context specificity” approach, we explain a design thesis studio philosophy that insists on “real site + real community issues only,” with the focus placed on identifying and solving authentic design problems.The studio runs for a full academic year, structured as:  7 weeks of Special Semester (Brief proposal on site analysis and research) 14 weeks of Design Development  14 weeks of Detailed Design + Special StudiesResearch is integrated into the architectural design process rather than treated separately: it occurs primarily through initial site analysis, topic and building-type research, observation, user interviews, and case studies at the start, and is deepened through additional Special Studies later in the year.© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailFor a design thesis, context specificity approach is the answer, the only way to get students of architecture to be ready, equipped, going into the architecture industry because that's the way the industry works. There is no place for speculative design, prototypes or fantasy design, as you will not be able to overcome the challenges of the industry.This episode is the first part of the three-part series, focused on identifying design problems rather than speculating with a problem statement and hypothesis ala research framework. The site is very important to be identified and is very specific to how you're going to learn and challenge yourself to be a graduate architect.© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Support the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailFor Architecture Academics, a special podcast on: Why Research Framework cannot be used in Architectural Design, specifically in the Architecture Studio Design Thesis Curriculum.An introduction to a topic addressing what is currently wrong with the way we teach architecture in universities where research and publication becomes increasingly important and how we have lost our way in producing credible architecture graduates. Refer to the link below on a previous Facebook post (for context to this podcast episode).https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19ziXahE2D/© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailThe seven principles of sensory-driven architecture, which focus on engaging human senses to create meaningful and immersive built environments, are often derived from the broader concepts of sensory design. 1. Sight (Visual Engagement)2. Sound (Acoustic Harmony) 3. Touch (Tactile Experience)4. Smell (Olfactory Design)5. Temperature (Thermal Comfort)6. Movement (Kinesthetic Awareness)7. Emotional Resonance (Human-Centered Experience)This episode, Naziaty Mohd Yaacob, discussed the above principles with disabled persons needs in mind.© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image by Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Support the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailThe concluding part (Part 2) of this proposition of using sensory-driven architecture principles to achieve inclusive and therapeutic spaces as explained by Naziaty Mohd Yaacob, is based on a research to combine architecture, disability and phenomenology. Based on an internet literature search, the 7 principles of Sensory-driven Architecture Principles are: Sight (Visual Engagement)Sound (Acoustic Harmony)Touch (Tactile Experience)Smell (Olfactory Design) Temperature (Thermal Comfort)Movement (Kinesthetic Awareness)Emotional Resonance (Human-Centered Experience)To achieve inclusive and therapeutic spaces that possesses the following:TrustSecureSafetyUsabilityAccessibilityReferences to Juhani Pallassmaa's The Eyes of the Skin and Kevin Mark Low's Small Projects and Universal Design principles.Copyright 2025; Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image from Kevin Mark Low's Small Projects, 2010.Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailA new season on Sensory-driven Architecture principles and ideas.The first part of this proposition of using sensory-driven architecture principles to achieve inclusive and therapeutic spaces as explained by Naziaty Mohd Yaacob, started on a research to combine 'architecture', 'disability' and 'phenomenology'. Definitions and approach to how we could go about as architects go above and beyond accessibility and universal design is articulated in Part 1.Reference to Juhani Pallasmaa's The Eyes of the Skin and Kevin Mark Low's small projects plus ideas on Universal Design principles.© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image by Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailThe Concluding Part [Part 2] of the series on Women Architects in Leadership Roles, Ar. Lillian Tay discusses a variety of issues from gender roles in taking care of children and the challenges to women architects who decided to start a family, how the local government can provide for nurseries in office areas and whether there is the glass ceiling for women architects.Bio: Ar. Lillian Tay is the Vice President of Veritas Design Group, est. 1987. She was trained at Princeton University and worked at Kohn Pederson Fox in New York. Lillian returned to Kuala Lumpur in 1991. At Veritas Design Group, she provides the design direction  and was leading numerous award-winning projects. Lillian contributes to society as the Malaysian Architecture Institute (PAM) President from 2019-2020 and sits on the Board of Architects, Malaysia (LAM). Recently, she won the PAM Gold Medal for Design Excellence.© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image from https://theveritasdesigngroup.com/Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailIn Part 1 of the series on Women Architects in Leadership Roles, Ar. Lillian Tay discusses on a wide range of issues regarding women architects, starting out in the beginning, the role of women in general, whether there is discrimination in architecture and architectural practice in reality.Bio: Ar. Lillian Tay is the Vice President of Veritas Design Group, est. 1987. She was trained at Princeton University and worked at Kohn Pederson Fox in New York. Lillian returned to Kuala Lumpur in 1991. At Veritas Design Group, she provides the design direction  and was leading numerous award-winning projects. Lillian contributes to society as the Malaysian Architecture Institute (PAM) President from 2019-2020 and sits on the Board of Architects, Malaysia (LAM). Recently, she won the PAM Gold Medal for Design Excellence.© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image from https://theveritasdesigngroup.com/Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailA Teaser introduction on a conversation with Ar. Lillian Tay in the series on Women Architects in Leadership Roles. (Part 1 & 2 - coming soon.)Bio: Ar. Lillian Tay is the Vice President of Veritas Design Group, est. 1987. She was trained at Princeton University and worked at Kohn Pederson Fox in New York. Lillian returned to Kuala Lumpur in 1991. At Veritas Design Group, she provides the design direction  and was leading numerous award-winning projects. Lillian contributes to society as the Malaysian Architecture Institute (PAM) President from 2019-2020 and sits on the Board of Architects, Malaysia (LAM). Recently, she won the PAM Gold Medal for Design Excellence.© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image from https://theveritasdesigngroup.com/Support the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailThe Concluding Part [Part 2] of the series on Women Architects in Leadership Roles, Ar. Almaz Salma Abdul Rahim discusses on how younger women architects need to find that balance in their profession, flexibility arrangements with your boss, having empathy with your staff, the importance of "me time" and resetting your mind over the weekend, the importance of learning from one another in an office and the construction industry and learning how to market oneself with your various skills.Bio: Ar. Almaz Salma Abdul Rahim, Managing Director of Almaz Architect Sdn Bhd.  Throughout her 41 years of experience in the industry, she has been involved in over 250 design works in Malaysia winning awards. She was the convenor of Singgah KL, a Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia (PAM) event in 2025 promoting the architecture profession. More details at the website: https://www.almazarchitect.com/© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image contributed by Ar.  Almaz SalmaLeadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailCommentary on the article entitled "Being an architect isn't worth it" says commenter published on 15 August 2025.Naziaty Mohd Yaacob argued that the connection to bridging the gap between architecture education and practice is to breakdown what exactly is the learning to acquire skills and knowledge to be an architect when it comes to 'design' as the student needs to get this part right, which is identifying and solving the 'design problem'.Link to the Dezeen.com article© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Support the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailIn Part 1 of the series on Women Architects in Leadership Roles, Ar. Almaz Salma Abdul Rahim discusses on networking at top management level, advice when fresh graduates started out in employment, stepping out of the comfort zone and keep on challenging oneself and even marketing for oneself, the importance of the right mentor, and how acquiring knowledge and keep on doing so helps you to gain confidence, amongst other issues of managing an office.Bio: Ar. Almaz Salma Abdul Rahim, Managing Director of Almaz Architect Sdn Bhd.  Throughout her 41 years of experience in the industry, she has been involved in over 250 design works in Malaysia winning awards. She was the convenor of Singgah KL, a Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia (PAM) event in 2025 promoting the architecture profession. More details at the website: https://www.almazarchitect.com/© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image contributed by Ar.  Almaz SalmaSupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailA Teaser introduction on a conversation with Ar. Almaz Salma Abdul Rahim in the series on Women Architects in Leadership Roles. (Part 1 & 2 - coming soon.)Bio: Ar. Almaz Salma Abdul Rahim, Managing Director of Almaz Architect Sdn Bhd.  Throughout her 41 years of experience in the industry, she has been involved in over 250 design works in Malaysia winning awards. She was the convenor of Singgah KL, a Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia (PAM) event in 2025 promoting the architecture profession.© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image contributed by Ar.  Almaz SalmaSupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailThe Concluding Part [Part 2] of the series on Women Architects in Leadership Roles, Ar. Cheryl Quan discusses about the issues women architects face when "maternity leave" happens amongst other issues, the role of the institutions such as PAM, and more detailed deliberations on the Malaysian Architecture Week (MAW) and the awareness needed to get the public to know about the architect's role and function in society.Bio: Ar. Cheryl Quan is the principal of Cheryl Quan Architect and partner in OTCQ architects, a practice focused on responsive, community-driven, and environmentally conscious design. She was named one of the 40 Under 40 Emerging Architects in 2023. Known for her material sensitivity and a willingness to embrace experimental approaches, Cheryl explores how innovative use of materials can shape tactile, immersive spatial experiences.© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image contributed by Ar. Cheryl QuanLeadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailIn Part 1 of the series on Women Architects in Leadership Roles, Ar. Cheryl Quan discusses about her experiences and challenges in her practice and recounted how she struggled in the beginning when there were clear gender-based biases she was up against. As one of the main curator of the recent exhibition and talks in conjunction with the Malaysian Architecture Week (MAW), after a seven year sabbatical, she found confidence again to be part of the architecture fraternity and contribute to the development with her contemporaries, moving forward.Tune in to find out more and do give your opinion / feedback on what you think on this matter.Bio: Ar. Cheryl Quan is the principal of Cheryl Quan Architect and partner in OTCQ architects, a practice focused on responsive, community-driven, and environmentally conscious design. She was named one of the 40 Under 40 Emerging Architects in 2023. Known for her material sensitivity and a willingness to embrace experimental approaches, Cheryl explores how innovative use of materials can shape tactile, immersive spatial experiences.© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image contributed by Ar. Cheryl QuanSupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere! 

Send us Fan MailA Teaser introduction on a conversation with Ar Cheryl Quan in the series on Women Architects in Leadership Roles. (Part 1 & 2 - coming soon.)Bio: Ar. Cheryl Quan is the principal of Cheryl Quan Architect and partner in OTCQ architects, a practice focused on responsive, community-driven, and environmentally conscious design. She was named one of the 40 Under 40 Emerging Architects in 2023. Known for her material sensitivity and a willingness to embrace experimental approaches, Cheryl explores how innovative use of materials can shape tactile, immersive spatial experiences.© 2025 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob. Image contributed by Ar. Cheryl QuanSupport the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere!