PODCAST CORNER

Talking Architecture & Design

Education: The Education series of podcasts deals with design issues and the latest ideas from across the world of education building and design. Hear from a range of architects, designers and also academics about their design of schools, universities and beyond.

EPISODE 113: AM-BOSS OWNER ROBYN RUTLEY EXPLAINS WHY HER LADDERS ARE NOT ONLY SAFER BUT ARE ALSO BETTER FOR OUR ECONOMY EPISODE 112: MICHELE ADAIR EXPLAINS WHY WE NEED MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING LIKE WOLLONGONG’S NORTHSEA DEVELOPMENT

Robyn Rutley is the owner and CEO of AMBOSS Access Ladders, a family run company that was started by her father in 1979. She joined him in 2004 and her husband Graeme joined her in 2007. In 1979 AM-BOSS first designed and manufactured prototypes of pulldown access ladders.

Robyn describes how this Australian-made product has no equal when it comes to safety and certification, and on top of that, is a product that has become respected globally for its workmanship and reliability. The Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) NSW CEO Michele Adair talks about the challenges facing older Australians, people living with chronic illness and those experiencing financial hardship.

As the CEO of the Housing Trust since 2017, which now manages 1,100 affordable rental properties for 2,100 families, in this exclusive interview she explains why Governments need to look at mixed tenure developments like Wollongong’s Northsea development in order to deliver the right mix of social and affordable housing. EPISODE 111: RUTH MCKENZIE TALKS ABOUT THE MODERN SPACE & THE PATH TOWARDS NET ZERO

Ruth McKenzie established North by North Interior Architecture in early 2020, specializing in sustainable commercial fitouts and small scale residential.

She is a registered architect in NSW and Ireland and holds Masters in Sustainability from the University of Sydney and particular interest in the adaptation of existing buildings.

In this episode, Ruth talks about Sustainability and the Modern Commercial Space: The Path Towards Zero Net Emissions.

bit.ly/TADPodcast_113 bit.ly/TADPodcast_112 bit.ly/TADPodcast_111

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EPISODE 110: OLIVER HEATH EXPLAINS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN HUMAN-CENTRIC AND BIOPHILIC DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Oliver Heath is the founder of Oliver Heath Design, and has been a television presenter on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and National Geographic Channel for over 20 years. Author of 4 books on sustainability and interior design, most recently: Design a Healthy Home

As the Biophilic Design Ambassador for Interface, he is also the author of the Positive Spaces guides. In this recently recorded interview, he explains the connection between human-centric and biophilic design principles. EPISODE 108: BUILDER, DESIGNER AND SUSTAINABILITY ADVOCATE DAVID COATES GIVES THE HARD TRUTH ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY

Winner of the Emerging Architect/Designer category at the 2021 Sustainability Awards David Coates lives and breathes sustainability and has been delivering beautiful buildings that perform to an exemplar level in both sustainability and practicality.

In this broad-ranging and frank interview, he talks about where we are with building sustainability and how we as a country need to ramp things up if we want a better world for our children.

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EPISODE 52: Koichi Takada talks about sustainable design and how COVID-19 has forever changed how we work, live and design our buildings - 2,499

EPISODE 97: My sustainability journey by 2021 Sustainability Awards Lifetime Achievement winner, Tone Wheeler - 2,236

EPISODE 2: Talking with Helen Lochhead, president-elect of the Australian Institute of Architects - 2,186

EPISODE 91: Stephen Choi talks about biophilic design and the opportunities it brings to architects - 2,178

For more information on our podcasts, go to: podcast.architectureanddesign.com.au

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AM-BOSS ladders: Safe, Australian-made – and good for the local economy

Started from a garage in 1979, Australia’s iconic pull-down ladder brand, AM-BOSS, has played an important role in revolutionising the capability of the ladder industry by introducing innovative features like fixing clips, and utilising only the highest quality, local materials in their manufacturing process. Today, the brand continues to be an undeniable industry leader in this space so we sat down with Robyn Rutley, AM-BOSS’ owner and CEO, to talk about safety, the company’s many industry-defining firsts – and the sense of pride underpinning AMBOSS’ enduring success. With some of the milestones defining AM-BOSS 43 years in market including industry’s first and only 20-year warranty on the brand’s domestic series ladders and the launch of the muchcoveted heavy duty commercial series with a load rating of 400 kg, AM-BOSS has certainly created an innovative and highly competitive offering. And the brand’s strong focus on safety and compliance further highlights the industrydefining character of their products. “There is no Australian standard for pull-down attic ladders, so in 2003 we became the first company to ever comply with the Building Code by going through one of their appraisal schemes generated by the CSIRO,” explains Robyn. “A decade later, with the introduction of the National Construction Code, we became the first company to have an attic-style product that was CodeMark certified. In essence, we’ve been compliant with the Building Code for almost 20 years now.” This commitment to compliance is also reflected in the fact that AM-BOSS’ products are never cut to make them suit the application. In fact, they are made from scratch, specifically to fit in with individual requirements of a project. “In the absence of a standard for attic ladders, we try to adhere as much as possible to the Australian standard for fixed and portable ladders,” Robyn says. “Ensuring that our rung or tread spacings are regular and compliant is an important part of that. If you cut your ladder system, that may lead to a safety hazard. The beauty of our system is that we manufacture it to suit each individual environment, and I don’t believe our competitors offer the same thing.” AM-BOSS’ dedication to keeping things compliant and individually manufactured with high-quality materials translates into an incredibly advanced safety profile which is of particular importance when working with heights. But there is another passion that underpins AM-BOSS’ business ethos. Robyn explains that the ability to manufacture the products locally, with as many Australian materials as possible – like Australian aluminium – is a great source of personal and professional satisfaction. “I’m proud of our product, and I’m proud of the team that makes it. And I know that our employees share the same sense of pride, too,” Robyn enthuses. “It’s a fantastic feeling to employ Australian people for an Australian product, made by an Australian, family-owned business.” Head over to the Architecture & Design website to listen to the whole episode.

LEFT Robyn Rutley from AM-BOSS.

LISTEN TO PODCAST EPISODE 113 bit.ly/TADPodcast_E113

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