The author of five books and creator of the award-winning series ‘Streets of Your Town’ and ‘Designing a Legacy’ for ABC Australia (available here on Sky), Ross is an honorary fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects and the recipient of their President’s Prize. Acclaimed for his accessible way of talking about architecture, his latest performance, ‘Architecture is Ace’, is part slideshow, part stand-up comedy and part architecture talk. We caught up with him to chat about his upcoming visit.

Do you have any favourite New Zealand buildings?
I have a huge soft spot for New Zealand modernism, particularly in Christchurch, which I think is such a good story — to have a significant regional style come out of a relatively small place is extraordinary.

The Martin House by John Scott in Hastings is probably one of my favourite houses in the world. I visited it earlier this year and was struck by its inventiveness, perfect scale and simple materiality, which is all elevated by it being the home and studio of an incredibly creative couple (potters Bruce and Estelle Martin). I think they had to ask me to leave, I was there so long! I did a talk at Futuna Chapel a few years ago and I’m delighted to be returning for another talk. Ten years ago, I did a show at the Donnor House in Auckland, which is a great house and that was a hoot.

One of the reasons I’m looking forward to coming over is to see more architecture. I’d really love to see the Brake House by Ron Sang, and the Athfield House and Office in Wellington is at the top of the list of places I’d love to visit — it blows my mind.

Can you see differences in Australia and New Zealand’s architectural vernaculars?
Most of what I see of New Zealand architecture is through Instagram and Here Magazine, and I’m always inspired and impressed. I could be wrong about this, but I think there’s still an ability for architects to experiment a lot more on their own homes over there. The different climates and landscape are obviously the biggest difference, and your cooler climate makes many of the glorious houses with magnificent views or on rolling hills very attractive to an international market, particularly the US. Here in Australia, we’re just chasing the shade!

Tell us a little more about ‘Architecture is Ace’ and what inspired you to create it.
My background is comedy and radio but my passion has always been architecture and design. In 2014, I started doing comedy shows in architecturally significant homes (mostly Modernist) and then in 2015 I made ‘Streets Of Your Town’ for ABC TV, which tracked the evolution of domestic architecture in the post-war period. It tells the story of how Australia went from Modernism to McMansionism.

Since then I’ve continued to make accessible architecture documentaries and perform in architecturally significant spaces. I love telling stories and I love design. This show is a funny lecture with some really beautiful short architecture films in it. I love meeting interesting people and visiting meaningful architecture and these shows are a culmination of that passion.

What are the issues facing the profession of architecture?
I think getting a seat at the table with various levels of government is paramount and essential if we are going to tackle Climate Change. Apart from a severe lack of biscuits in architecture offices, AI is a blessing and a curse, and smarter people than me will have a better idea how that is going to play out.

What else are you looking forward to doing and seeing while you’re here?
I’m really looking forward to meeting some interesting people. You guys are the friendliest people in the world.

Tickets can be purchased for Ross’ shows in Wellington, 24 September; Auckland, 25 September; and Christchurch, 26 September.