Original Thinkers Podcast

Tasmanian Timber
  • 5.0 (2)
  • BUSINESS

Great interviews with creative minds from the worlds of architecture, design, the environment, culture and business.

  1. FEB 24

    Alastair Flynn

    Designing The Forest, the University of Tasmania’s flagship Hobart campus. This stunning project in the centre of Hobart's CBD, includes a glass forest dome, with over 3,500 plants including mature trees and a disappearing tarn.   Through the reuse of original materials and the use of low-carbon construction methods, including timber and carbon-negative Hempcrete, the Forest is Australia’s first carbon-neutral university campus. "The university targeted a minimum carbon reduction of 30%, measured against a typical 'business as usual' benchmark building. For this project, The Forest, they achieved a bit more than 40%, and that was a driving factor behind almost all of the key decisions we made when designing."

    46 min
  2. Daniel Hodge

    FEB 17

    Daniel Hodge

    When Daniel Hodge measures a tree, he’s not just collecting data; he’s part of a decades-long commitment to protecting some of the largest living organisms on the planet. As Senior Stewardship Advisor at Sustainable Timber Tasmania (STT) and manager of Tasmania’s Giant Tree Program, Daniel oversees the identification and protection of giant trees within the state’s production forests. "People love big trees, and in Tasmania, we are very special in that we’ve got some of the largest trees in the world. So STT recognised that and has had a policy in place to protect these trees and make sure they stay within the Tasmanian forest. And we’ve had that policy for over 20 years now." originalthinkers.com.au/daniel-hodge Links & Show Notes: Sustainable Timber Tasmania (STT)Forest ManagementSTT’s Giant Tree PolicyPTPZ – Permanent Timber Production ZoneRegeneration BurnsIPCC – The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate ChangeForest Practices SystemEPA - Environmental Protection Agency Episode Sponsor: Tasmanian Timber

    30 min
  3. Dr Marie Yee

    FEB 10

    Dr Marie Yee

    When Dr Marie Yee arrived in Tasmania over two decades ago, she came with an ambition to contribute to biodiversity conservation through applied science, to make a positive impact from within the industry instead of hurling stones from the outside.  “I realised they were very progressive, the people who put those practices in place were scientists who worked within the industry, within the regulator, like the Forest Practices Board and Authority at the time. And I thought, this is a really progressive place to work, and that's why I sought to get a job with Forestry Tasmania [now STT], after I finished my PhD.” Today, as Senior Conservation Planner for Sustainable Timber Tasmania (STT) and ecologist, Marie's story offers a compelling scientific perspective on one of Tasmania's most debated industries, one that architects and timber specifiers need to understand when making material choices. "In our forest, we do have a lot of threatened species in our managed landscape, and that's because biodiversity has come back into those areas." originalthinkers.com.au/marie-yee Links & Show Notes: STT – Sustainable Timber TasmaniaSustainable Forest ManagementForest SuccessionForest Practices SystemFPA – Forest Practices AuthorityIPCC – The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate ChangeEPA - Environmental Protection AgencyAcoustic Monitoring ProjectTasmanian Threatened Species List Episode Sponsor: Tasmanian Timber

    35 min
  4. Dean Sheehan

    FEB 4

    Dean Sheehan

    Dean Sheen is the Fire Manager for Sustainable Timber Tasmania, one of Tasmania's three firefighting agencies responsible for fuel reduction burning, and regeneration burns within Tasmania's forests. "We are mimicking nature. Eucalypt forests rely on fire to regenerate. If you see an area that's been burnt by wildfire, you'll see afterwards that the forest comes back. It regenerates. We know the land, we know our bush, we know how it works. We know fire. Managing these forests sustainably like we do, we return them to what they can be; a young, fresh, vibrant forest that has the best start in life." originalthinkers.com.au/dean-sheehan Links & Show Notes: STT – Sustainable Timber TasmaniaSustainable Forest Management, explainedPTPZ – Permanent Timber Production ZoneRegeneration BurnsTasmania's Forest Practices SystemTasmania's Managed ForestsCoordinated Smoke Management SystemEPA - Environmental Protection Agency Episode Sponsor: Tasmanian Timber

    36 min
  5. Michael Lee

    04/28/2025

    Michael Lee

    Michael Lee is a technical expert in Tasmanian Timber. Mick, as he's known within the sector, has over 30 years experience in research, timber production, and systems. He works with builders, designers, and architects to create solutions that benefit the environment, the economy, and the community. "The stadium build for instance, in Hobart, called for 40-metre roof beams. No one in Australia could make a 40-metre roof beam. Could we make two twenties? Of course. So it's just changing the ethos and getting the right engineering involved to change the design parameters to suit our products. There's nothing that can be done anywhere else in the world that we can't do here. We have the capability of producing it on island – so it's buy local, local supply. We have the product. There's nothing stopping us. There really isn't." originalthinkers.com.au/michael-lee Links & Show Notes: Tasmanian Timber Technical HelplineFraser & Partners’ C6 – World’s Tallest Hybrid Timber Residential Tower (Dezeen)Cusp Building SolutionsTerroir’s St Luke’s Timber Tower ProjectTimberlink AustraliaUTAS Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood (CSAW)TouchWoodArticle: WoodsmithWoodsmith Engineered Flooring Episode Sponsor: Tasmanian Timber

    19 min
  6. Gerard Reinmuth & Philip Oldfield

    04/21/2025

    Gerard Reinmuth & Philip Oldfield

    Gerard Reinmuth is a Director at Terroir Architects and the inaugural Professor of Practice in the School of Architecture at the University of Technology Sydney, and Philip Oldfield is Head of the Built Environment School in the Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture at the University of New South Wales. They are both co-authors on a paper recently published in Sustainable Cities and Society, titled 'Towards net-zero embodied carbon: Investigating the potential for ambitious embodied carbon reductions in Australian office buildings'. "From my perspective - I'm an educator and a researcher - the thing that keeps me awake at night, the research question I'm interested in, is how can we create buildings that are necessary for society? We know 3 billion people globally don't have access to adequate housing. United Nations say we need to build 96,000 new homes a day. How can we achieve that within planetary limits? How can we  achieve that without screwing the environment? And it's a paradox. How can we effectively double building stock while getting down to net-zero?" originalthinkers.com.au/gerard-reinmuth-philip-oldfield Links & Show Notes: Towards net-zero embodied carbon: Investigating the potential for ambitious embodied carbon reductions in Australian office buildingsPhilip Oldfield (UNSW)Philip Oldfield (IG)Gerard Reinmuth (UTS)Gerard Reinmuth (IG)TerroirArticle: Launceston's mass timber building a glimpse into the built environment future[Related] Original Thinkers: Scott Balmforth (Terroir)[Related] Potsdam Institute: Buildings can become a global CO2 sink if made out of wood instead of cement and steel[Related] Original Thinkers: David Rowlinson (Planet Ark) Episode Sponsor: Tasmanian Timber

    44 min
  7. Paolo Aschieri

    04/14/2025

    Paolo Aschieri

    Paolo Aschieri is director at Theca Timber – a firm that is committed to transforming the way we build, by leveraging timber's natural strength and durability to build a low carbon sustainable future. "Every single state, every single nation has a different appetite for timber. If you travel to the Scandinavian countries, their appetite for timber is just outstanding. It blows my mind when I go there, and I like it, I really like it. It's going beyond the technical capacities, or beyond the technical efficiency of timber versus steel. But if you've got the right reasons, why not? If it's worth it for sustainability, why not do it?" originalthinkers.com.au/paolo-aschieri Links & Show Notes: Theca TimberRubner GroupSydney Fish Market by 3XNNuoto Venezia | Piscine e Palestre del Centro a MestreUpper House by ARIAWesthills StadiumPlanet Ark - Wood: Nature Inspired DesignThe Eric Tweedale StadiumIPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) Working Group III, Chapter 9: Forestry Episode Sponsor: Tasmanian Timber

    44 min
  8. Stephen Geason

    04/07/2025

    Stephen Geason

    Stephen Geason is Director at Cykel Architecture. Stephen has an expertise in designing for people living with dementia. He's a registered architect in Australia and a Churchill fellow, and was heavily involved with presentations for the Built Environment for the Understanding Dementia MOOC at the Wicking Dementia Center at the University of Tasmania. Stephen was the fireside architect for Korongee Dementia Village, a project that he managed from inception to completion. "A colleague and a friend of mine came to us as a client, had a PhD in dementia care, was very well respected in it. And he would say to me, 'you architects Stephen, you tell a good story, but you don't deliver'. But his point was, as an architect, you've got the confidence you're designing, you're going to sell the idea. He was saying there was no substance behind what people were telling him were good for people with dementia. I kind of took the challenge on, you know, cups of coffee on the deck of the house that we designed and worked with him over many years was a part of this ongoing conversation around architecture, built environment, design for dementia care models; I took him to task and got him to assist me and we started to get really deeply involved in how it unfolded, and he was my referee for my Churchill Fellowship. So I got an interview; one of my interview panel says to me, 'Stephen, so how do you feel that one of your referees said that there is no architectural expertise in the design of dementia in Australia?' and I said, 'it looks like I'm sitting in the right seat, doesn't it?' " originalthinkers.com.au/stephen-geason Links & Show Notes: Cykel ArchitectureWicking Dementia Research and Education Centre - University of TasmaniaKorongee Dementia VillageUTAS Article: Korongee Dementia VillageHydrowoodChurchill FellowshipChristopher Alexander - UC Berkeley College of Environmental DesignPlanet Ark - Wood: Nature Inspired DesignRobert Morris-NunnCorumbene Care by Cykel ArchitectureNational Aged Care Design Principles and GuidelinesThe Dignity Environmental Assessment Tool (Dignity-EAT) Episode Sponsor: Tasmanian Timber

    30 min
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5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Great interviews with creative minds from the worlds of architecture, design, the environment, culture and business.

Information

  • Creator
    Tasmanian Timber
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    43
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Original Thinkers Podcast
  • Show Website
    Original Thinkers Podcast

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