Archispeak

We answer questions from an incoming architecture student about, well, all kinds of things. What should one do before beginning an architectural education? In addition to “everything”, what should one pay extra attention to in school? What should one study on their own time? What is the process of getting licensed in multiple states?

We discuss some recent adventures in home ownership and compare notes on a list of places we have and haven’t been to from an architectural perspective.

Topic We do a debrief on the AIA National Conference on Architecture in Chicago both as an a attendee and as an exhibitor, what it was like being in the presence of our people again, thoughts about cities and their intersection with “the conference”, health outcomes from the conference (yep), and a quick tour of some Frank Lloyd Wright projects (because when in Rome/Oak Park…). Links Branch Techno...

Topic What lies beneath the surface of a seemingly simple project, that once built, doesn’t perform as required? We also get into the common request for projects to be “future proofed” by clients because why not? These are just some of the things that are part of the day-to-day of an architect. Sponsor Start implementing powerful systems for the profitability you need and the freedom you want. Joi...

Topic A conversation about architects, school design, funding, symptoms versus sources of problems, and gun policy in America. Links AIA Statement: This is a time of reflection ‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens (The Onion) Start implementing powerful systems for the profitability you need and the freedom you want. Join Douglas Tieger, FAIA for the next Designi...

Topic Topics: SpaceX’s Starlink roaming internet service for the ability to truly work from anywhere and we dig into a listener email about mentoring in the adjacent industry of environmental design in game development. Links Starlink Starlink Portability for RV’s Graphic Standards website TRXL Podcast Start implementing powerful systems for the profitability you need and the freedom you want. Joi...

Topic We discuss Cormac’s big news 🎉 and the various type of places we as architects have for making including sketchbooks, apps, coding, and physical workshops. What are your favorite places for making? Let us know on Twitter (@archispk) or in the comments for this episode at https://archispeakpodcast.com Links The Craftsman (tv show trailer on YouTube) Sponsor Start implementing powerful s...

Topic What do concept cars, skateboarding, and architecture have in common? It’s all about ‘the process’, finding new ways to suffer, expertise vs generalization, all the pieces of the puzzle, and thinking about how we evolve the built environment. Links Isuzu VehiCROSS (Wikipedia) Pontiac Aztek (Wikipedia) The Pontiac Aztek Survived Walter White in Breaking Bad; Why didn’t It Survive in the Auto...

Topic Music producer & YouTuber Rick Beato had some observations about Gen Z in a recent video on his channel. In this episode, we compare his theory to our experiences raising kids, and then draw parallels to architecture. We also throw down about the ‘data versus wisdom’ tug-of-war that’s occurring in the industry. Links Rick Beato - Why Gen Z Doesn’t Care About Music (YouTube) King Gizzard...

Topic We get a house-hunting update from Cormac, share some of our experiences designing science buildings, and also touch on project delivery methods, quality contractors, and change orders. Links ”We’ll See” parable Contractor's Guide to Change Orders (2nd Edition) (Amazon) @CheriseLakeside on Twitter Sponsor Start implementing powerful systems for the profitability you need and the freedom you...

Topic We get an update on Cormac’s house hunting saga and follow up on our recent conversation regarding the SCI-Arc Basecamp panel discussion and the apparent lack of conversation within the architectural community about the cultural factors that were surfaced which should be widely addressed. Links Basecamp: How to be in an Office (by SCI-Arc on YouTube) SCI-Arc LowLights - Basecamp: How to be i...

Topic Heavy sigh; deep breath. Cormac’s house hunting adventure continues. We also observe the architectural profession’s identity crisis in which the problem of it lacking a communicable, easily understandable value proposition to the market is ever apparent. Sponsor Start implementing powerful systems for the profitability you need and the freedom you want. Join Douglas Tieger, FAIA for the next...

Topic Evan and Cormac discuss the recent controversies surrounding and following a live event (and corresponding live stream on YouTube) in SCI-Arc’s Basecamp lecture series entitled “How to be in an Office” on March 25, 2022 featuring panelists Tom Oyler (Oyler Wu), Marikka Trotter (Tom Wiscombe Architecture), and Margaret Griffin (Griffin Enright Architects). Topics in this discussion include ed...

Topic Cormac is very busy house shopping and therefore taking multiple road trips to the new location, so naturally, he has some stories about the current housing market landscape. We also discuss the state of truthiness (or lack thereof) in online real estate listings, both written and photographically.

Topic We discuss the recent death of Christopher Alexander, his infamous book A Pattern Language , the newly released The Adam Project movie and architecture as a character, Cormac’s big news, and more. Links The Adam Project (Netflix) Gimme: The House from ‘The Adam Project’ Christopher Alexander (Wikipedia) Pattern Language website The book: A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction by...

Topic Evan stages an intervention because of Cormac’s fountain pen hoarding and then the hosts open the storybook on past projects where teammates took too much liberty in the decision-making process. Links Lamy Safari fountain pens ( official website | buy on Amazon ) Noodler’s Ink - Blue Black , of course (Amazon) Field Notes reporter’s notebooks ( official website | buy on Amazon ) Shape the Fu...

Topics: Stopping the work; firing bad clients; abusive clients, the promise of future projects, and their effect on morale in the studio; rationalizing crappy project work; digging holes of risk; communicating design; and more. Links TRXL 071 - ‘Trust But Verify’, with Roderick Bates Sponsor Shape the Future of Architecture. You have the power to influence future updates to how architects are educ...

Topic Books. Libraries. Personal architectural book libraries... We did some organizing of the bookshelves and it gave us a reason to slow down & crack open some old friends, which led to talking about some first-year arch school projects. Links Cyril A. Farey (Wikipedia) Farey’s works sold at auction Ian Stewart (watercolor artist) Wassily Kandinsky (Wikipedia) Piet Mondrian (Wikipedia) Spons...

Topic We compare and contrast our recent getaways to New York City and Death Valley National Park, and archi-nerd-out on performing arts theater design. Links Hamilton on Broadway Death Valley National Park Rhyolite Ghost Town Sponsor Shape the Future of Architecture. You have the power to influence future updates to how architects are educated, trained, and licensed. Visit ncarb.org/AOP to take N...

It’s time to plan another road trip to a National Park, dark skies, astrophotography, and Evan speaks at a Professional Practice class at a local architecture school. Links Death Valley National Park (Nat’l Park Service) The racetrack Great Basin National Park (NPS) Valley of Fire State Park (Nevada State Parks) Badlands National Park (NPS) EntreArchitect community (Facebook) Listen and Subscribe...

We’re celebrating a couple of birthdays, iPhone photo memories that lead to a conversation about amazing architectural chapels, and more. Links Wayfarer’s Chapel by Lloyd Wright Wayfarer’s Chapel (Wikipedia) ARCHEYES article on Wayfarer’s Chapel (includes the plan drawing) Additional drawings of Wayfarer’s Chapel Thorncrown Chapel by E. Fay Jones (Wikipedia) Yancey Tire Chapel by Rural Studio Mild...

A conversation about a recent lecture by Andrew Freear and Rusty Smith of Rural Studio at The Architectural League. Links Andrew Freear and Rusty Smith, Rural Studio: The Challenges of Sustainable Rural Living (YouTube) Archispeak #170 - Guerilla Architecture ; a conversation with Steven Hoffman of Rural Studio after a viewing of the Citizen Architect documentary. Sponsor Enscape is a real-time re...

Topic We discuss how the grass is always greener wherever someone looks like they are loving their career, ping pong ball shooters and old-timey drum brakes, formative TV shows and books on making things, problem-solving including the interpretation of the building code, and more. Links Adam Savage’s website Mythbusters (Wikipedia) Tested - ping pong ball shooter (YouTube) Every Tool's a Hammer: L...

A follow-up conversation (with the occasional digression) to a recent presentation at the AIAS FORUM | CONVERGE 2022 conference for architecture students. Links Advice for the Next Generation of AEC Professionals (YouTube) Students: Join the Peopleverse | AIAS FORUM CONVERGE (YouTube) Sponsor Enscape is a real-time rendering and VR tool for the AEC market. It empowers design workflows by plugging...

It’s 2022 and we didn’t even notice, Cormac doesn’t like “resolutions”, work ethics and work habits, attracting and retaining talent, the profession’s struggle with profit and devalued labor to create it, scheduling quality productive time, and setting boundaries with Focus modes. Sponsor Enscape is a real-time rendering and VR tool for the AEC market. It empowers design workflows by plugging into...