Design Voice Podcast

Rachel Preston Prinz is an architecturally-trained American designer, and founder of the Santa Fe based consulting agency Archinia. She works at the intersection of architecture and design, placemaking, cultural and historic preservation, and community engagement. In addition to Archinia, Rachel also runs a non-profit organization, Architecture for EveryBody, which aims to bring the craft of architecture, usually reserved for the wealthiest 98%, to the people. Rachel is a filmmaker, an educator, has given multiple TEDx and Pecha Kucha talks on design, and has had her work featured on HGTV, Bravo, NMPBS and Canadian PBS. She is also going blind from macular degeneration. In this episode, Rachel tells the story of her fascinating life journey thus far, which has taken her from military school, to the cathedrals in Paris, through the Rocky Mountains, and finally to Santa Fe, where she established her hybrid profit/non-profit practice. Rachel shares how despite numerous setbacks, she found her passion and voice,

In this special episode of Design Voice Podcast, I’m joined by Carrie Moore and Jennifer Grosso of SOM’s New York office to discuss mentor-mentee relationships. Carrie and Jen talk about the mentorship programs at SOM, and share their insights on why mentorship is so valuable from both the mentor and mentee perspectives. They offer some great advice on what to do if your firm doesn’t have a formal mentorship program, as well as how to find your place at a larger firm. Carrie also shares with her her journey to becoming a director at SOM. Carrie Moore is a director at SOM’s New York office, where she has worked on some of SOM’s most dynamic and transformative projects within the education sector. She is also passionate about helping others navigate their careers and become successful project leaders. Jennifer Grosso is a Senior Architect at SOM, where she works on all phases of large-scale mixed-use projects. Jen is a also a board member of ArchiteXX, and is actively involved in the Urban Land Institute.

Bianca Koutsakos is a Business Development Manager at Neoscape, a creative agency that specializes in branding and visual storytelling of the built environment. Bianca represents the agency’s San Francisco office, and spearheads the market growth, business development and marketing strategy for their West Coast market. Part of her role involves increasing awareness of Neoscape’s services that specialize in 3D visualization, branding, film, interactive, and design specifically for commercial real estate on the West Coast.  In this episode, Bianca shares what she loves most about commercial real estate, as well as some great advice on what it takes to “make it” in a male dominated industry. We also talk about Bianca’s work with the Women’s Leadership Initiative of ULI, some of the latest 3d visualization and interactive tools that Neoscape’s RADLAB is exploring, and what it means to be a good storyteller.

Wanda Lau, LEED AP, is the editor of tech, practice, and products for ARCHITECT and Architectural Lighting. Along with 10 years of experience in the AEC industry, she holds a B.S. in civil engineering from Michigan State University, an S.M. in building technology from MIT, and an M.A. in journalism from Syracuse University's Newhouse School.  Her writing covers a wide range of topics including architecture, technology, business, sustainability, and energy performance, and has appeared in Architect, Architectural Lighting, Eco-Structure, Men’s Health, ASID Icon, University Business, Urban Land, The Syracuse Post-Standard, among others. You can also hear her interviewing leaders in design and technology on Architect's podcast, ArchitectChats. In this episode, we discuss what current AEC technologies she finds most fascinating, how she comes up with her story ideas, what topics she thinks deserve more attention, and her thoughts on covering the architecture profession in the #MeToo era.

Margaret Cavenagh is a Principal at Studio Gang and leads the firm’s interior architecture practice, working closely with Jeanne Gang on all interior, renovation, and architectural projects. Margaret has experience designing a wide range of project types and scales including multi-family, mixed-use projects; work space design; and custom residential design. Guided by expert observations of how people use space, Margaret consistently delivers award-winning interior designs while attaining some of the highest sustainability ratings, including LEED Platinum and Living Building Challenge certification. She has lent her design expertise to projects such as the Conservation Center, Maisonette, Columbia College Media Production Center, Shoreland, Harbor Point Residence, Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, City Hyde Park, and Writers Theatre. Margaret holds a Master of Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis, and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Virginia. She has jurie

Anthia Wong is a Team Lead and Project Manager with the interior and architecture firm FORGE, where she works on a wide range of commercial, interior, and tenant improvement projects. She focuses much of her time on relationship building and fostering the lines of communication externally with clients, as well as internally within the firm. Her underlying passion of wanting to help people lent well to elevate her to a position that requires making sure that client expectations are being met while nurturing internal teams to make sure members have the tools they need to achieve success. In this episode, Anthia shares with me her journey from taking a watercolor class in community college, to studying architecture at California College of the Arts, to her current role as a Team Lead at FORGE. We also discuss whether or not leadership skills are innate or can be learned, why working on tenant improvement projects can be a great experience for people fresh out of school, and how being a project manager is kind of

Angie Sommer, S.E. is an Associate at ZFA Structural Engineers in San Francisco. She’s currently a project manager and engineer for a wide variety of projects around the Bay Area and California, with a focus on the educational and senior living sectors. She is heavily involved in a variety of industry organizations, including the San Francisco chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW SF), and the Structural Engineering Engagement and Equity Committee (SE3) of the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC). On top of all that, Angie is the co-founder of Vow Muse which helps people craft unique wedding toasts, speeches, and vows.

Pascale Sablan, AIA, is an award winning architect and mentor in New York City. Pascale seeks excellence and humanity in all of her projects while providing a resounding voice for the issues facing women architects and architects of color. She’s also only the 315th black female architect to obtain licensure in the US. She has lectured at colleges and universities across the US, is a 2018 AIA Young Architects Award recipient, a past president of the New York Coalition of Black Architects (NYCOBA), and serves on the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) national board as the Northeast Regional Vice President and Historian. Pascale is currently a Senior Associate at S9 Architecture in New York City. Previously she had been an associate at the New York’s FXFOWLE Architects for more than a decade. As a member of FXFOWLE’s design team, she contributed to a number of commercial, cultural, and residential projects in the U.S., Asia, and the Middle East. In this episode, Pascale speaks about her career j

Julia Gamolina is the founder and editor of Madame Architect, an online platform celebrating women in architecture from different generations, countries, and corners of the industry.  Originating as a guest series on ArchiteXX's online journal Sub_teXXt, Madame Architect is designed to encourage young women considering entering this industry by showing the myriad of choices they have in crafting a meaningful career. The ultimate goal for Madame Architect is that everyone who is looking at the site is able to find encouragement and guidance for their own pursuits, and empathy and understanding for the pursuits of others.  Julia is also a Business Developer at FX Collaborative and has experience in both communications and design. She is the Co-Chair of ULI New York’s Young Leaders Group Communications Committee and is on the AIANY Women in Architecture Committee. Learn more about Madame Architect at www.madamearchitect.org

Sandra Vivanco is a Professor of Architecture and Diversity studies at California College of the Arts, co-director of the CCA BuildLab, as well as the founding principal of A+D, Architecture + Design, in San Francisco. Based on the premise that inclusiveness and design excellence can and should co-exist, the work of A+D is globally recognized and operates at multiple scales. As one of a few of Latina-owned architecture firms in the country, A+D explores cultural identity representation as design inspiration for new and invigorated public spaces. In this episode, Sandra and I discuss so many interesting topics - the scrappy beginnings of her architecture practice, the melding of architecture and diversity studies in her curricula, on why representation matters, on engaging communities throughout the design process, and more! Learn more about Sandra at: https://www.cca.edu/academics/faculty/svivanco Learn more about A+D Architecture at: www.a-plus-d.com

Jennifer Wolch is the William W. Wurster Dean and Professor of City and Regional Planning in the College of Environmental Design at University of California, Berkeley. Jennifer holds a BA in Anthropology and an MA in Geography from California State University Hayward, and a PhD in Urban Planning from Princeton. She's a scholar of urban analysis and planning, and her past work focused on urban homelessness, urban environmental justice and political ecology, and the delivery of affordable housing and human services. Jennifer shares with me her experiences in academia and as Dean, and we get into an in depth discussion on the housing crisis and homelessness issue in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Angeles Garcia is a Project Executive at McCarthy Building Companies. Originally from Ensenada, Mexico, Angeles has a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Tijuana Institute of Technology. Angeles started out at McCarthy over 20 years ago by answering a newspaper ad for a Project Admin position. Since then she has slowly worked her way up to an executive role, breaking down barriers all along the way. In this episode, Angeles shares some great advice on how to inspire teams to do great work, how organizations can address unconscious bias, and how we should all stop second guessing ourselves and just go for it. Show Recap: How Angeles's family's home remodel when she was in high school inspired her to study architecture Transitioning from being an architect in Mexico to practicing in the US - and then realizing she wanted to do something else Getting her foot in the door at McCarthy It wasn't always Angeles's goal to be a Project Executive at one of the largest construction firms, and at one point she thou

Anne Torney is a partner at Mithun | Solomon, and leads their San Francisco office. For more than 20 years, she has made affordable multi-family housing and transit-oriented urban infill the focus of her work. For Anne, architecture isn't just about the form or the icon, but the process of making and the narrative of a building, and sharing that with a community to help them envision change. She believes that the two biggest challenges of our time are income inequality and climate change, but design has the power to address both. In this episode, Anne tells the story of her first community planning meeting, how Mithun has been able to successfully get affordable housing projects built in San Francisco, and shares why you should bring your values to your firm and push for change. Show Recap: How Anne's interest in architecture developed - "In a very backwards way" The idea that buildings can be read like books, as critical cultural objects Working at David Baker Architects was her first introduction to afford

Mary Wurst is a lighting designer and electrical engineer DLR Group. Her design philosophy revolves around seeing light, whether natural and artificial, as the soul of any space. A chance encounter with a cadaver arm ended up steering her toward getting an engineering degree, and she’s now a Senior Associate at DLR Group.  We discuss the importance of exposing high school students to different careers, the challenges that mid-level professionals face, how she balances her work life with her home life, and why firms should be less focused on the rigidity of the 9-5. Show Recap: How Mary ended up going to engineering school Why it's important to expose students to different career options What made her join an integrated design firm instead of working for a strictly engineering firm How she decided to become an electrical engineer What it was like advancing from Intern to Senior Associate at the same office On having independence at work What she loves most about being an engineer The biggest challenges that m

Nishita Lakhani is a Senior Project Engineer at McCarthy Building Companies. Although she is relatively new to the profession, I loved hearing how passionate and positive she is about the construction industry. We talked about the differences between construction in India versus the U.S., how you don’t realize it when you’re in school but communication is the key to successful projects, and whether or not mentorship and diversity initiatives are actually effective. Show Recap: How growing up in India inspired Nishita to pursue a career in construction How growing up in India inspired Nishita to pursue a career in construction Nishita explains the difference between the Construction Engineering Management and Construction Management majors On interning at Disney! Why she chose to stay in the U.S. after graduation, and how construction in India is different from the U.S. I shared my experiences working in Shanghai Advice for someone who wants to study CEM How we both spend most of our day talking to or emailin

Sandra Biddulph is a structural engineer, and a Principal at the firm DCI Engineers. Before settling down in Irvine, Sandra worked in both LA and Seattle, and has had a really interesting career journey. She’s worked at small firms, co-founded her own practice, and worked on the general contractor side before becoming Principal at DCI. She appreciates the art of structural design; watching a project come together, with a tangible finished product that becomes a part of our built environment. In this episode, we talk about what it was like transitioning from Project Engineer to Project Manager to Principal, why engineers should get out and promote their profession,  and how she was able to balance her work life with her home life.   Show Recap: How Sandra decided to pursue structural engineering On designing her first project What it was like transitioning from Project Engineer to Project Manager Letting go and developing trust in younger professionals On co-founding her own practice If she ever considered no

Irina Schneid is an architect, educator, and principal of the interdisciplinary design lab SCH+ARC Studio LLC. Aside from running her design practice, she currently teaches undergraduate design and theory courses at Pratt Institute. In this episode, Irina shares with me how she got her foot in the door in the ultra competitive world of academia, how she balances teaching and running her own practice, and how motherhood has changed her notion of what constitutes a successful career.

Laura Guzman is the National Director of Marketing and Business Development at the global engineering firm WSP. Prior to that, she was the Chief Operating Officer at Microdesk, a design technology consultancy, so she really has her finger on the pulse of the AEC industries. In this episode, she shares her career journey, and I ask her for all sorts of advice on how to be an advocate for yourself, how to work with difficult people, and on applying for roles you don't feel ready for yet. (We also talk digital agriculture!)

In this episode, I speak with Rose McClure, a structural engineer at Simpson Gumpertz & Heger. Rose is a co-founder of the Structural Engineering Engagement and Equity Committee (SE3), which was established in 2015 with the mission to study and work to improve engagement and equity in the structural engineering profession. We discuss all things SE3, and how work-life balance, flexibility in the workplace, and equity aren't just "women's issues". 

In this inaugural episode of Design Voice Podcast, I speak with Jill Lerner, FAIA. Jill is an architect and Principal at Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, a global architectural design and planning firm, where she leads their academic, healthcare, and research practices.  In this episode, Jill shares how she became an architect, what she loves most about the profession, and what role architects should play in civic issues.