What role does purified recycled water (PRW) play in addressing water security? Andrew Salveson from Carollo Engineers speaks with Aurecon’s Ryan Signor in this episode of Engineering Reimagined. They discuss the challenges faced in establishing PRW schemes, how machine learning can play a part in PRW and why communities should act now to stay ahead of a potential water crisis.

Managing heat is becoming a major climate challenge across the globe. The relatively new role of Chief Heat Officer has therefore never been more important and is gaining traction in many cities. In this episode of Engineering Reimagined, City of Melbourne Chief Heat officers Krista Milne and Tiffany Crawford talk with Aurecon’s Michael Nolan about how they’re working towards keeping the city cool and protecting people, places and the planet. 

Transport infrastructure can empower communities economically, environmentally and socially, by creating opportunity, equity and access to employment, housing, services and connections. In this episode of Engineering Reimagined, Aurecon’s Allison Heller speaks with two chief transport planners – Simon Hunter from Transport for NSW and Paul Glucina from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency. They discuss the importance of aligning central government, local government, and the private sector to maximise investment and achieve better outcomes from major transport infrastructure.

Passivhaus is a voluntary standard for design and construction that provides a template for ultra–low energy buildings that support high levels of occupant comfort, energy efficiency and resilience to future climate changes. In this episode of Engineering Reimagined, Aurecon’s Pablo Sepulveda speaks with Architect and founder of the Passive House Network, Bronwyn Barry, about how and why she is a champion of Passivhaus, the impact it’s having on global design and the challenges it faces in becoming an industry standard around the world.

What happens when you need to start thinking like an infrastructure company rather than a telecommunications service provider? Aurecon's Simon McFadden, speaks to Amplitel CEO Jon Lipton about creating a national specialist tower company following the partial sale of Telstra’s tower business. Find out how Amplitel is developing a digital twin network across its 8,000 tower sites and investing in new tower technology, particularly with the emerging rollout of 6G.

Listen to some of our favourite moments from season 4 of Engineering Reimagined. We’ll explain antifragility and how a simple tool can reduce anxiety and release your potential, we’ll examine how some organisations are seeking to go beyond ‘net zero carbon’ to become ‘nature positive’ and we’ll look at the future of airports and how they can provide a cleaner, greener, and seamless passenger experience.

We will all experience accessibility issues at some point in our lives. Two Paralympians who share a passion for universal design – Nick Morris and James Millar – discuss how we can design for better accessibility and inclusion. 

Explore the future of travel and how airports are being reimagined to help us to fly seamlessly and sustainably into the future with Brisbane Airport’s Ryan Both and Aurecon’s Erik Kriel. 

Aurecon’s Chief Experience Officer Maureen Thurston and Jeanne Liedtka, an author and professor of design thinking at the University of Virginia’s Dearden School of Business, discuss design thinking as a social technology, why creativity isn’t just for artists and how to democratise the process of innovation.  Find us online at aurecongroup.com/podcast or email us at engineeringreimagined@aurecongroup.com.

After the year that was 2020, it can be argued that innovation and creativity are needed more than ever to help solve the increasingly wicked problems our world faces. For the first episode of Engineering Reimagined’s third season, we feature Aurecon’s Chief Digital Officer Andrew Maher and Silicon Valley-based consultant, Ian Wright. From growing up fascinated with vehicles on a rural sheep farm in New Zealand, to helping found companies – including Tesla, the world’s biggest name in electric vehicles, and Wrightspeed, a company specialising in efficient range-extended electric vehicle powertrains – and filing multiple patents, Ian’s whole career has been focused around innovation across network computing and electric vehicle technology. Join Andrew and Ian as they unpack the ingredients of innovation success and discuss why venture capital funding models are broken, how to come up with new ideas, and whether Silicon Valley will remain the hotspot for innovation. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed how science, technology, engineering, research and industry have come together to innovate in ways we could never have imagined. The CSIRO – Australia’s national science research agency – is a leading example of how, when great minds, diverse skills and real-life challenges merge, innovative solutions can result. The organisation is currently working with government, universities, industry and the community on a program to bolster Australia’s COVID-19 recovery and build long term resilience. This is just part of the CSIRO’s purpose to solve the greatest challenges using innovative science and technology – collaborating on a missions programme across six major focus areas: Food security and quality; health and wellbeing; resilient and valuable environments; sustainable energy and resources; future industries and a secure Australia and region. In this episode, Aurecon’s Chief Executive Officer William Cox and CSIRO’s Chief Executive Dr Larry Marshall discuss the importance of multi-sector collaboration and diversity to foster innovation and create real change in our society, or putting it another way, ‘making science real’.

Design has a powerful impact on our lives, from the smartphone we use to stay connected with friends and family to the bicycles that enables us to get from A to B. The COVID-19 pandemic, while being extraordinarily challenging, has inspired many designers to innovate and repurpose their production processes to meet demand for hand sanitisers, PPE and ventilators. What lessons can we learn from this creativity to reimagine the manufacturing sector and drive economic growth? There is mounting evidence that organisations that excel at design significantly outperform their industry peers financially. So should organisations embed design as a strategic tool within their business to improve performance or has the term design thinking done more harm than good? In this episode, Aurecon’s Chief Design Officer John McGuire catches up with Dr Brandon Gien, CEO of Good Design Australia, to discuss the remarkable world of design as we celebrate Good Design Week.

So many sectors around the world, including aviation, tourism, hospitality and retail have been hit extremely hard by COVID-19, leaving millions of people jobless. Fortunately, many engineers have quickly adapted to digital ways of working despite delayed or cancelled projects. Given their skills in finding solutions to complex problems, will engineers be the new rock stars of our post pandemic world? Aurecon’s Chief Executive for Australia and New Zealand, Louise Adams, speaks with Trish White, Board Director of Engineers Australia, about the role they will play in global economic recovery and how they can pivot to different industries where their skills are required right now.  Find us online at aurecongroup.com/podcast or email us at engineeringreimagined@aurecongroup.com.

In this Engineering Reimagined episode, Aurecon’s John Hilton talks to Office of Projects Victoria’s Tim Mumford about the role of digital engineering and Building Information Modelling on the development of complex, smart, and efficient infrastructure.   Find us online at aurecongroup.com/podcast or email us at engineeringreimagined@aurecongroup.com.

Engineering is often seen as synonym for disruption. Numerous disruptive forces in the global economy right now owe their existence to engineering. From AI and robotics, to micro medical procedures and quantum computing, engineers are enabling key disruptors that are changing the way we live, work and play, particularly in these times of climate change and natural disasters. Nowhere is this change and innovation more stark than in the energy sector, where the rules of generation, distribution, transmission and consumption are being over-turned by new waves of engineers who are unbound by the past. With this newfound status of digital disruptors, engineers are seeking to make an impact, not just in their fields of practice, but more broadly across business and society. Join Paul Gleeson from Aurecon and Leeanne Bond, owner of Breakthrough Energy and a professional non-executive director, as they discuss the future of energy and how engineers are not only contributing to the technological advances of the 21st century, but are transitioning from executive engineering careers to sitting on some of the most powerful boards in the country, helping to shape and create decisions in an entirely different way. Find us online at aurecongroup.com/podcast or email us at engineeringreimagined@aurecongroup.com.

Last month more than 3000 engineers from around the world descended on Melbourne for the World Engineers Convention. Engineering Reimagined established a recording studio in the exhibition hall of the event and we captured some fascinating conversations, highlights of which are featured in this special bonus episode. Our roster of Aurecon podcast hosts were fortunate enough to speak to a handful of speakers about everything from flying cars, what makes a good engineer, the impact of renewable energy projects on bushfires, and much, much more. Find us online at aurecongroup.com/podcast or email us at engineeringreimagined@aurecongroup.com.

Engineers create a positive legacy for humanity. The work they do makes a difference in the lives of current and future generations. What does it take to solve the world’s complex challenges? When we asked our guests about how they’re helping to reimagine the future, three key themes emerged – passion, collaboration and innovation. In this episode of Engineering Reimagined, listen to highlights from season one. Find us online at aurecongroup.com/podcast or email us at engineeringreimagined@aurecongroup.com.

Throughout history, public art has played a vital role in communicating our culture and heritage. It creates a conversation and adds a deeper meaning to our lives. So, why does public art often take a back seat in modern design, and does it have a more significant role to play? In this episode of Engineering Reimagined, Aurecon’s Design to Innovate Partner Veronica Nolan and Urban Art Projects’ Managing Director Matt Tobin explore the value of public art in our lives and what role engineers can play in helping it to become a reality. Find us online at aurecongroup.com/podcast or email us at engineeringreimagined@aurecongroup.com.

The expansion of our society beyond this planet is within reach according to NASA, which plans to send humans to Mars by the 2030s. Dr Adriana Marais, one of Africa’s foremost physicists, chats with Aurecon’s Dr Gabi Wojtowitz about why she wants to move to Mars and how engineers can contribute to the pursuit of space discovery. Find us online at aurecongroup.com/podcast or email us at engineeringreimagined@aurecongroup.com.

How are lawyers and engineers joining forces to innovate and disrupt at the same time? The answer is in visual contracts. Aurecon’s Managing Director for Built Environment John McGuire and Professor Camilla Andersen discuss the complexities of innovation versus risk and the vital role visual contracts can play in engaging people. Find us online at aurecongroup.com/podcast or email us at engineeringreimagined@aurecongroup.com.

How can we repurpose waste into valuable assets? Aurecon’s Kourosh Kayvani chats with materials engineer and inventor Veena Sahajwalla about new ways industries can repurpose waste as a sustainable, low-cost alternative to raw materials and fossil fuels. Find us online at aurecongroup.com/podcast or email us at engineeringreimagined@aurecongroup.com.