The Standard Way of Building is Leading Us To a Disaster | Architect Robert Bourke

What if the way we build our homes and cities is part of the problem — and the solution is already around us? Architect Robert Bourke joins me to explore how we can rethink the way we build, from the materials we use to the relationship between buildings, nature and the communities around them. With construction contributing significantly to global carbon emissions, Robert questions why concrete, steel and glass have become the default and why we should look at existing buildings before building new ones. But sustainable architecture isn't just about materials. It's about seeing buildings as part of a much bigger system: how water moves through our cities, how our streets affect rivers, and how we can design places that work with nature rather than against it. From a tiny three-square-metre extension that won two national awards to a community rain garden designed to help absorb rainfall and reduce flooding, Robert shows how small, thoughtful interventions can make a difference. What would our towns and cities look like if we stopped treating buildings as isolated objects and started designing for the systems we all depend on? 00:00 — Teaser 00:00:55 — Intro 00:02:41 — Why We Need to Rethink How We Build 00:11:27 — What Traditional Buildings Can Teach Us 00:17:50 — Building with Light, Space and Nature 00:25:55 — The Three-Square-Metre Extension That Won Two Awards 00:31:05 — The Value of Working with an Architect 00:39:05 — Building for Permanence and Longevity 00:46:10 — From Architecture to Landscape Systems 00:50:15 — Learning to Think in Systems 00:55:39 — Restoring Rivers and Working with Water 00:57:00 — The Knocklyon Sponge Scape and Rain Garden 01:03:00 — Moving from Protecting Nature to Restoring It 01:08:05 — Learning from Communities and Farmers 01:12:13 — Advice for Young Architects 01:20:30 — How Small Changes Add Up 01:22:10 — Final Thoughts and Where to Find Robert Support the podcast on Patreon:   / harrisongardner   CONNECT WITH ME Instagram:   / _harrisongardner   Website: https://www.harrisongardner.net/ Bookstore: https://www.harrisongardner.net/books... Pre-order my new book HEAT-SHELTER-WATER-FOOD https://www.harrisongardner.net/heat-... Robert Burke Architects: https://www.rba.ie/ Act Now Collective: https://actnowcollective.org/ If you enjoyed this conversation, consider subscribing for more conversations with people who stopped waiting and started building—using what they had to create what they needed.