{"Design Voice Podcast","Design Voice Podcast"}

Christine Williamson is the founder of the Building Science Fight Club, an Instagram community dedicated to teaching building science and construction to architects and other building professionals. She also provides technical design consulting services to architects, developers, and contractors, assisting with design development and reviewing details and specifications to improve durability, comfort, and energy efficiency.  

In this episode, Christine and I talk about how building science is design, pushing through the painful early years of your career where you feel like you don’t know anything yet, how Christine ended up teaching architects about building science and creating an online course. Christine also shares why she started the Building Science Fight Club,  and gives a behind the scenes look at how she creates content for account.

Learn more about Christine at https://www.christine-williamson.com/

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Janet Tam is a founder and Principal of Noll and Tam Architects. Janet grew up in Richmond, California, and studied architecture at UC Berkeley in the 1970s and early 80’s, when the university was a pioneer of socially responsible design. There, she encountered groundbreaking courses on social factors and user needs, and was drawn to the power of architecture to enrich people’s lives by serving the public good.

Janet and her business partner, Chris Noll, founded their firm in 1992, to establish a talented studio of architects that pursued the ideal of active community involvement and environmentally responsive design. Since its founding, the Berkeley-based firm has become a leader in Bay Area public architecture, and is noted for championing women in leadership roles. Janet’s work, and that of the firm, is regarded for its emphasis on recognizing and articulating shared community values with projects that bind people together in a common vision for the future.

In this episode, Janet talks about: her experience of starting a practice while raising two daughters; how introspection and surrounding yourself with experts is key to building a healthy firm; working with a firm therapist; how the strength of the firm’s culture helped them get through the pandemic; what it means to stay “fresh” in the architecture profession; succession planning, letting things go, and passing on knowledge; and how architects never retire but morph into something else.

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Primaverarch is an organization dedicated to stimulating change for the recognition of women in the architectural profession. Inspired by the renaissance era and the symbolic idea of spring, Primaverarch is a movement of rebirth, revival, and renewal.

Primaverarch was created by Nadeen Hassan, Chaerin Kim, and Soany Marquez, three minority-women who recently graduated from the Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York. Throughout their studies, they experienced a lack of professional support, mentorship, and recognition, and so decided to start Primavera. Primaverarch is a catalyst movement that is dedicated to creating a seat at the table for all women in the field.

Learn more about Primaverarch at: https://www.primaverarch.org/

In this episode we talk about: why Nadeen, Chaerin, and Soany started Primaverarch; on giving their interviewees a space to feel empowered, and feel like they have a voice; Primaverarch’s goal of showcasing diverse voices, and that white women do not represent all women; how amplifying black voices should not just be a trend, but is something you’re supposed to be doing constantly; the long term goals for Primaverarch, and creating not just a platform but a space for opportunities and a support system for emerging professionals; on infiltrating national organizations like AIA to push for change; being conditioned in architecture school to just accept the status quo, and the need to push back and question who is being taught or amplified; why the lack of statistics on Middle Eastern or Arab architects is problematic; and how Nadeen, Chaerin, and Soany provide a support system for each other, have each others backs, and push each other forward

We want to hear from you! Please send your feedback to hello@designvoicepodcast.com and follow the show on Instagram @designvoicepodcast.

Kate Thatcher is the Chief Executive Officer of Architecture + Information (A+I), a strategy-led architecture and experience design agency based in New York.

As CEO, Thatcher drives the acceleration of innovation, collaboration between teams and subject areas, and further development of culture and inclusion initiatives within A+I.

Kate first began her career at A+I in 2004, returning again in 2011 upon completion of her Masters in Architecture degree from Yale University. At A+I, Kate has led design teams creating spaces for world-class companies like Equinox, Chanel, and Horizon Media. She became a principal at A+I in 2018 and was named the agency’s first CEO in 2020. Her innovative project experience and unique perspective having worked up the ranks of the organization inform her leadership style.

A tireless advocate for equity within the architecture and design professions, Kate is responsible for the launch, in 2020, of the firm's +IMPACT initiative, a platform for A+I’s employees to leverage their talents and expertise on opportunities at the intersection of design and social impact. 

In this episode we talk about:

• How Kate became the first ever CEO of A+I, what she did to prepare for the role, and her advice for younger professionals on how to develop their leadership skills
• Challenging the status quo narrative of the lone starchitect
• Nonlinear career paths, and not regretting the forks in the road
• Why it can be difficult to leave things behind as you advance in your career, but not being afraid of the new opportunities it may bring
• How her role as CEO is like a design exercise
• What a strategy-led integrated design agency is, and how A+I is different from traditional architecture firms
• The alignment of an institution’s vision, the space they occupy, and the people that inhabit that space
• What a strategist does, and how they are equal parts data scientist and spatial storyteller
• Kate’s experience as a parent during the pandemic, and her hope for what the future post-pandemic work-life might be like

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Sylvia Kwan, FAIA is a principal based out of DLR Group’s San Francisco office. She has practiced in San Francisco for more than 40 years and her past and present designs continue to impact the built environment in the Bay Area. Sylvia founded Kwan Henmi Architecture in 1980, and in 2017 Kwan Henmi joined DLR Group, where Sylvia continues to focus on the transportation and higher education sectors. She takes great pride in building relationships with clients and exceeding their expectations.

Sylvia is an AIA Fellow, and has served on AIA boards at both national and local chapter levels. She has received numerous awards and personal recognitions for her design and business achievements, including the San Francisco Business Times’ 75 Most Influential Women in Business.

In this episode we talk about:

• Sylvia’s experience of starting her own firm in her 20’s, and what she attributes to her success
• On relinquishing control as the size of your firm grows
• Going into full rainmaker mode, and how Sylvia honed her business development skills over the years
• Business development tips, and advice for public speaking
• On building relationships with decision makers and developing your reputation
• Sylvia’s experience of running her practice while raising two sons
• Kwan Henmi’s merger with DLR Group 
• Sylvia’s goals for this next phase of her career after being in the profession for 40+ years
• Her career highlight
• How Sylvia ended up being cast on Survivor Fiji!

Special thanks to Drew Henmi for this episode’s intro song. Check out the full version of the song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4K7uFzRNNk

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Liz Brack is a structural engineer based out of DLR Group’s Phoenix office, where she is actively involved in a diverse range of building types with a focus on K through 12 projects.  Liz is active in the community through the organization and participation of multiple STEM outreach with the local schools. She is also the active Philanthropy chair of the Structural Engineers of Arizona Young Member Group. In addition to her work with DLR Group, Liz teaches an intro to structural engineering course at Arizona State University.

In this episode we talk about

• Mentorship programs, and what qualities an ideal mentor has
• What Liz finds most compelling about working on K-12 projects
• The percentage of women engineers in the AEC field, and what the profession could do to encourage more girls to pursue the career
• How every structural engineer has a favorite type of structural system
• The career trajectories of structural engineers
• Design challenges in projects, and the crazy things architects ask for
• Advice for engineers newer to the profession
• Leaning on your mentors

Elaine Molinar is a Partner and Managing Director at Snøhetta. She began her career as a designer of the Alexandria Library in Egypt after participating in the initial conception for Snøhetta’s winning competition entry. Throughout her time with Snøhetta, Elaine has held key positions in major cultural projects and competitions in Canada, the Middle East, Europe and the United States including the award-winning Norwegian National Opera & Ballet and James B. Hunt Jr Library at NCSU. In 2005, she helped found Snøhetta’s New York office after the firm was awarded the National September 11th Memorial Museum Pavilion at the World Trade Center in 2004, the office’s first commission in the Americas. Elaine currently leads the general management of Snøhetta’s US practice.

Elaine’s commitment to the issues of social and physical well-being influences her work not only as a design leader but also as an employer and cultivator of Snøhetta’s growing practice. Her early training in classical dance and performance brings an insightful understanding of ergonomics, perception, and comfort to the environments we design and inhabit. Her experience in the design of theaters, libraries, and the workplace has given Elaine an in-depth understanding of complex programmatic issues and has positioned her well to champion design from the user’s point of view.

Elaine’s work has led to numerous international awards and recognition including the Stanford Prize for Innovation in Research Libraries,  AIA/ALA American Library Award,  and an AIA Presidential citation, among others.  Elaine has served as guest lecturer, studio critic, and awards juror in addition to daily practice. She is a member of the American Institute of Architects and is a LEED accredited professional.

Erica Loynd, FAIA is a Principal based out of DLR Group’s Seattle office, and is a Justice and Civic Studio Sector Leader. Erica is particularly passionate about sustainability, restorative justice, and the impact of the built environment on human wellness. She is an expert at leading teams to elevate conditions for disenfranchised people, and setting innovative justice standards that support wellness, equity, and transformative programs to successfully return people to their communities. Volunteering with AIA WA Council as the state licensure advisor, AIA Seattle’s mentorship programs and membership steering committee, Erica has worked with architects and aspiring candidates to enrich their careers in architecture. She has also been leading the national AIA Academy of Architecture for Justice Knowledge Community to push for innovations in research and operations to better serve all people.

In this episode we talk about:

• Being elevated to an AIA Fellow, and what Erica’s application experience was like
• Why Erica believes architects should not walk away from justice architecture work
• Inspiring and educating justice architecture clients to do better
• Changing existing conditions as much as we can on a path towards stopping incarceration
• How Erica first became involved in the justice + civic sector, and what she finds most fulfilling about her work
• The rapid testing and COVID response sites in King County, Seattle that Erica and DLR Group designed at the outset of the pandemic

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Qeturah Williams is a Senior Architect based out of DLR Group’s Houston office. As a Project Manager and Senior Architect with 16+ years of design and construction experience, her expertise lies in the management of all phases of the architectural design process - from direct collaboration with new and existing clients to visioning, programming, design, and construction administration. She loves the technical aspect of architecture and finds that there's nothing more satisfying than seeing a well-drawn detail implemented by a skilled tradesperson. Qeturah’s broad range of work includes diverse commercial projects across multiple market sectors - institutional, industrial, Laboratories, Healthcare, High Education, and K-12 Education.

Qeturah is especially passionate about education projects, and their immediate, positive impact to the client, community, educators, and learners. She believes that through design, architects are the stewards of the future, entrusted by the clients as partners to meet and exceed their goals. Qeturah is the 11th Licensed Female African-American Architect in Texas and 7th in Houston.

In this episode we talk about:

• Qeturah’s 10 year plan to become an architect, and her experience in architecture school at University of Houston
• Qeturah’s licensure journey, and why it was never an option to not get her license
• Becoming a mentor, and stepping forward as an example of what success in the field can look like
• Moving into a Project Management role, and Qeturah’s advice for new PMs
• What Qeturah loves about K-12 projects, and the challenge and joy of being entrusted by clients to make a positive mark on society
• How architecture is a very visceral profession, and what Qeturah finds most rewarding about being an architect
• Qeturah’s advice for emerging professionals and her advice specifically for Black female professionals

Natasha Espada, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP BD+C is the founder and Principal of STUDIO ENÉE Architects. She has over 25 years of design and construction expertise in both renovation and new construction for institutional, civic, and commercial clients. Natasha served as the 2020 President of the Boston Society for Architecture. Her platform focused on equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice in the profession, as well as working to make Boston a Design City by bringing art and design to all neighborhoods in Boston.

She has been a speaker on Equity and Practice at the AIA Grassroots Conference in Washington, D.C., AIA Connecticut’s Equity Summit, and AIA New Hampshire’s The Future of Practice Conference. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Northeastern University and has been a design critic and lecturer at Harvard GSD, MIT, Yale, Wentworth, Roger Williams, and the BAC. Since 2012, she has served on the Committee for Green Communities and the board of the Permanent Public Building Committee in Needham, MA. Natasha is a graduate of University of Florida and holds a master’s degree in architecture from the University of Virginia with a certificate in American Urbanism.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• When Natasha decided she was ready to start her own firm
• The prep that went into it before she made the jump
• The biggest challenge of starting the practice
• On forming a new, collaborating type of design practice
• Her goals for the firm, and what the ideal size is
• Natasha’s experience as an adjunct professor
• The idea of code switching and feeling like you need to hide your true self at work
• When Natasha realized she could be herself
• Advice for emerging professionals who feel like they still have to mask themselves at work
• Natasha’s work as the 2020 President of BSA, and what she plans to do next

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Vanessa Kassabian is a Cultural+Performing Arts design leader based out of DLR Group's New York office. She works closely with teams across the firm to facilitate design discussions and provide critical guidance on considerations around site, programming, massing, aesthetics, and execution. Vanessa has extensive experience designing for significant cultural programs throughout the United States, as well as in Canada and Mexico. As a strong proponent of collaboration and an integrated design approach, Vanessa works to foster client, consultant, and internal design team relationships from concept design to construction completion.

Born and raised in Texas, Vanessa is an active member of the American Institute of Architects and a LEED Accredited Professional. As a champion for the power of design, Vanessa focuses a great deal of her time on educating and mentoring the next generation of designers and has served as a visiting professor at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, and a guest lecturer at the Haifa International Waterfront Conference in Haifa, Israel. She previously led a research-based design workshop at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Environmental Design, and has served as a studio critic at Columbia University, the Pratt Institute, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Syracuse University, and the University of Pennsylvania.

In this episode we talk about:

- Vanessa’s design philosophy, and how it has been shaped by her previous experiences at OMA/REX and Snohetta, and now at DLR Group

- How to build a strong design culture 

- What we miss about being in the office

- How to increase diversity in design leadership, and Vanessa’s advice for emerging professionals who want to become Designers

- How we need to expand the notion of what constitutes “design”

- If you can teach someone to be a good designer

- What Vanessa finds most rewarding about being an architect

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She Builds Podcast is a show featuring the seldom told stories of women who build; women whose worth is not taught in architecture school, but who have shaped the industries of architecture, construction, and development throughout history. The podcast was started by Jessica Rogers, Lizi Raar and Norgerie Rivas, three friends who, after graduating from Syracuse University School of Architecture together, wanted to fill in the gaps in their education and share those with others. Episodes have featured Norma Merrick Sklarek, Julia Morgan, Jane Drew, Eileen Gray, Zaha Hadid, and many more! 

In this episode, Jessica, Lizi, and Norgerie share the origin story of She Builds, their process for researching and putting together the show, and the most interesting things they’ve learned about the women they’ve featured. We also talk about the importance of seeing others like yourself in the profession, and how architecture history curricula are still stuck in their old male-dominated Eurocentric ways, but that this might slowly be changing.

Learn more about She Builds at www.shebuildspodcast.com!

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Joann Lui is an architect and founder of the Facebook community Women Architects Collective. With over 2700 members and counting, the Women Architects Collective has grown into an active community where women architects find support, build their networks, and celebrate their accomplishments. Joann is also a personal brand strategist and helps architects and designers build an unforgettable online presence and get noticed in their careers and businesses. 

In this episode we talk about what inspired Joann to form the Women Architects Collective, why everyone should have a personal brand, and what the most important factors are in building your personal brand. Joann also gives some great advice for introverts on how to find your voice when it might be out of your comfort zone, and shares her thoughts on leadership and mentorship.

Learn more about Joann here: www.joannlui.com.

And check out the Women Architects Collective here!

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Julia Nagele is the Director of Architectural Design at HEWITT Seattle. She believes the success of today’s projects rely on the expertise of many, and is dedicated to creating an inclusive environment that promotes participation from a broad range of diverse thinkers. Julia helps enforce these values at HEWITT, as the team strives to address complex urban conditions in a straightforward and elegant manner. Her experience as an Assistant Affiliate Professor at the University of Washington reinforces her professional practice by guiding team projects as an editor and forming strategies for successful outcomes. She believes the art and science of making architecture, navigating agencies and understanding complex client organizations requires her to connect the dots at the right time for the right people. In doing so, the most opportunity and value for a client’s project will be realized.

In this episode, Julia tells the story of how a chance encounter in Rome led to her moving to Seattle. Julia shares how her career transitioned from an ebbing and flowing path to a clear trajectory upware, and gives some great advice on how to become a Designer at a firm. We also talk about how there are no shortcuts to being innovative or creative, and what it’s like to be on a Wikipedia list of the tallest buildings designed by women.

HEWITT projects referenced in the episode:

The Emerald

Luna Apartments

Mama Tower

222 Dexter

Winka Dubbeldam is the Chair and Miller Professor of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design, where she has gathered an international network of innovative research and design professionals. She has also taught advanced architectural design studios at Columbia, Cornell, and Harvard University, among other prestigious institutions. Winka was named one of the DesignIntelligence 30 Most Admired Educators 2015, and has been a juror at the Prix de Rome, several AIA juries, and at the Bogota Architecture Biennale in 2010.

As the founder/principal of the New York firm Archi-Tectonics, Dubbeldam is widely known for her award-winning work, recognized as much for its use of hybrid sustainable materials and smart building systems as for its elegance and innovative structures. Archi-Tectonics' work ranges from residential to commercial, from real to virtual, and is realized in urban designs, architectural designs, and installations.

In this episode, Winka talks about her role as Chair of Architecture at UPenn, and highlights some of the exciting programs and research that's happening at the school. Winka also talks about her experience starting Archi-Tectonics, what the hardest part of running your own practice is, and the impact she hopes to have through her work.

Katie Swenson is a nationally recognized design leader, researcher, writer, and educator. She is a Senior Principal of MASS Design Group, an international non-profit architecture firm whose mission is to research, build, and advocate for architecture that promotes justice and human dignity. Before joining MASS in early 2020, Swenson was vice president of Design & Sustainability at Enterprise Community Partners, Inc., a national nonprofit that invested over $43.6 billion in community development. She founded Enterprise’s National Design Initiative, directing the Affordable Housing Design Leadership Institute, the Pre-Development Design Grant, and the Rose Fellowship. The Rose Fellowship partners emerging architectural designers and cultural practitioners with local community development organizations to facilitate an inclusive approach to development resulting in sustainable and affordable communities. 

A prolific writer, she released two books in the fall of 2020: Design with Love: At Home in America, and In Bohemia: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Kindness, both by Schiffer Publishing. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master of Architecture from The University of Virginia. Katie was also a Harvard University Graduate School of Design Loeb Fellow in 2018-2019, and has taught at the Boston Architectural College and Parsons School of Design at The New School and lectured extensively on sustainable community development and affordable housing.

Bonnie Bridges is the founder and Principal of Studio BBA in San Francisco. A strategic, clear thinker, perceptive listener and creative dynamo, Bonnie leads Studio BBA with adaptability, energy and fearless optimism. Drawing on deep expertise in the skilled facilitation of decisions and processes, and an intuitive, analytic nature, she guides the studio’s atelier of designers in creating beautiful, enriching, successful spaces and buildings for their clients.

Bonnie brings a keen awareness of place and purpose to her work, with an approach to the design process grounded in human experience, logic and thoughtful actions. This humanistic methodology took form during her graduate and doctoral research, which explored the relationship between being and building—through contemporary architectural theory and the study of phenomenology as interpreted and developed by Husserl and Heidegger, Kenneth Frampton, and Juhanni Palassma.

Site-specificity and material simplicity are essential aesthetic principles in Bonnie’s work, informed by growing up in California and ten years in the Sonoran Desert. She was profoundly inspired by these landscapes—imprinting within her a fundamental experience of light and space.

Actively involved in the civic realm and the greater architectural community, Bonnie is fueled by a deep, longstanding dedication to advancing the profession—through mentoring, teaching, advisory and Board roles. Bonnie founded the firm in 1992, preceded by working for award-winning firms in California and Arizona.

In this episode Bonnie shares how her deep knowledge of contemporary architectural theory enriches all projects at the firm. Bonnie talks about how at the core of her work is the belief that everyone who participates in a project actually matters. She also shares her experience of starting her own practice while raising a family, and that one can be dedicated to their intellect, values, and what they bring to society, but equally dedicated to their family.

June Grant is an architect, designer and researcher committed to the craft of buildings, their potential to enhance cities and develop socially responsible solutions to complex real-world problems. June is the founding Principal of blink!LAB architecture, a boutique, research-based architecture practice focused on adaptive and transformative sustainable development. Her design approach rests on an avid belief in cultural empathy, data research, and new technologies as integral to design futures and design solutions. She is also the current President of the San Francisco Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (SFNOMA), where she is committed to growing practice opportunities for under-represented groups by strengthening the role of communication.

In the episode we talk about:

• June’s experience being President of SFNOMA during the “Twin Pandemics”
• Planning the first ever virtual NOMA Conference
• How the act of building is one of the most political events, and there’s no such thing as a neutral building
• The power and importance of observation 
• The structure of blink!LAB, and how 70% of the work is for private clients which in turn supports 30% of the work which is for communities
• Advice for young professionals who want to pursue impactful, non-traditional practices
• The one underrated tool emerging professionals have to offer communities
• June’s research and work on Accessory Dwelling Units.
• Why June wanted to become an architect

The 2020 NOMA Conference will be October 14-18, 2020! Check out https://www.noma.net/conference/ to learn more.

Alyssum Skjeie is a museum professional focused on presenting multi-faceted stories related to architecture and history. She is the new Director of El Pueblo History Museum in Pueblo, CO. In her new role she is eager to learn more about the Southern Colorado region in order to create collaborative exhibitions with the community. Prior to moving to Pueblo last December she lived and worked in Pittsburgh, PA for 8+ years. In her time there she was part of the Heinz Architectural Center at Carnegie Museum of Art, and curated or was a team member for over 20 architecture exhibitions and countless public programs. Significant exhibitions Alyssum curated are Sketch to Structure (2015) and Copy + Paste; The Hall of Architecture (2017-2018). She also particularly enjoyed being an integral team member on HACLab Pittsburgh: Imagining the Modern (2015-2016) and Lina Bo Bardi Draws (2019).

In her free time Alyssum runs, hikes, and quilts. She started hosting architecture runs in Pittsburgh as a way to share her love of both running and buildings. Colorado architecture runs are coming soon. She currently enjoys summiting the mountain peaks near Pueblo. 

In this episode, we talk about:

• Alyssum’s journey of studying design, to studying architecture history, to becoming a museum professional
•  Alyssum’s love of introducing architecture to the public
• How exhibits have the power to raise questions and engage people in public discourse about architecture and design
• The importance of people being able to express what they like or don’t like about their cities
• Using your voice to talk about what you want to see in museums
• Exploring architecture through movement, and Alyssum’s architecture running tours in Pittsburgh
• Alyssum’s new role as Director of El Pueblo History Museum, and her goals of creating collaborative exhibits with the community.

Mani Farhadi is a Senior Facilities Planner at Stanford University School of Medicine in the Office of Facilities, Planning and Management. A global thinker and creative thought leader, Mani has three decades of experience in planning and architecture, and in collaborating with both public and private institutions. She enjoys combining her passion for education with her extensive planning skills to bring about stakeholder consensus and thoughtful solutions.

Mani’s leadership extends into volunteer duties as well. She is a former Board of Trustee member at Los Gatos Union School District, and Chair of the Bond Oversight Committee, for which she received the ‘Citizen Architect’ award. Mani also volunteers for the AIA Silicon Valley Women in Architecture Committee, as well as for various Iranian-American cultural and advocacy groups.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Mani’s experience of growing up in Iran, and how she came to embrace her intersectional identity

• On feeling in-between

• Bonding with other Iranian-American architects

• The duality of being a mother and working professional, and Mani’s advice for how to merge the two sides of yourself

• How Mani made the transition from working at private architectural firms to becoming a Senior Planner at Stanford University School of Medicine

• Mani’s volunteer work with the Women in Architecture Committee for the AIA Silicon Valley, and how organizations like WIA have evolved to become more than just about women’s issues

• Mani’s experience during COVID and having her two adult sons at home (they made a Tik Tok video!)