Business of Architecture Podcast

Architect Nate McBride founded his eponymous firm, McBride Architects in 1983. The firm has completed many award-winning residential, cultural and educational projects. You may have seen their work featured in publications such as Architectural Record, Elle Decor, the Boston Globe, and more. In today's episode, you'll discover how McBride developed his design firm, including the challenges and bum...

Betsy Vohs is the founder of Studio BV, a design-focused architectural practice based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After a successful career at Gensler, Betsy launched Studio BV to create a design-focused, intimate experience for her clientele. In this episode, you'll discover how Betsy grew her design-driven office to a studio of 15 people with her philosophy of "doing the best work with the best p...

Drew Deering is an associate principal at the architecture firm Moody Nolan, the largest African-American owned architectural firm in the US. On this podcast interview, Drew shares how he manages complex teams and projects to deliver superior client results.   To learn more about Drew visit his: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ddeering/ AIA profile: https://network.aia.org/network/members/pr...

This week, I'm speaking with Jake Rudin and Erin Pellegrino, Founders of Out of Architecture, a career consulting firm interested in exploring the value of their skills both in and out of the architectural profession. Jake has a decade of experience in building things from the ground up. At Adidas, he leads teams in Computational Design, Digital Technologies, and Pattern Engineering. Previously, J...

Today we will be speaking with Michael Bernard AIA. He is the founder of Virtual Practice Consulting, where he provides strategic advice to design and construction firms. He was a professor in the architecture department at The California College of the Arts in San Francisco for many years and previously served as a director on the board of the San Francisco chapter of the AIA and on the board of...

Today I will be speaking with Harshad Pillai who is the Director of Fogarty Finger, an architecture firm committed to redefining the urban built environment through projects that are as evocative as they are pragmatic. Harshad is currently overseeing the development of over 3 million square-feet of projects across various sectors of New York. Astoria West has more than 500 units soon to be availab...

This week I have the pleasure to be speaking with Jesse Tarr who is the founder and president of CityPermits. City Permits was established in 2009 as a small company consisting of 2-3 employees and has since grown exponentially over the past decade. Their mission is to provide professional, efficient and thorough permit expediting services for residential and commercial clients.   In this episode...

This week I am speaking with Rhode Partners recent equity partners Director Bobby Tait, and Director of Operations, Kate Meehan. Rhode Partners was Founded by Director Brett Rhode in 2007 and since then they have become a leading Austin firm specializing in master planning, architecture, and interior design, civic, multi-family residential, hotel, office, and retail projects..   In today's episode...

Participate in the largest-ever survey on what small architecture practices are charging? Visit:  https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/feesurvey Hello and welcome to the Business of Architecture. This week I am speaking with Hugh Glazer who is a CPA for 30+ years and delivers CFO and Business Operations Services to Private Companies and Not for Profit Organizations. As a consultant, part time CF...

This week I am speaking with Hiroshi Okamoto who is one of the co-founder of OLI Architecture. Hiroshi Okamoto is a member of the AIA and has had an exciting architectural career path working at practices such the Ushida Findlay Partnership in Japan, and with the Joint Venture of Nikken Sekkei, Tohata Gumi and RTKL International, on Tokyo infrastructure projects and of course Hiroshi worked closel...

Today we speak with Jason Boyer, an architect developer and founder of Boyer Vertical, a firm that specializes in developing sustainably minded, architecturally significant projects in the Phoenix Metro area. His first development project was the award-winning artHAUS condominiums in Midtown Phoenix, and Boyer is currently working on KARMA, a modern community of 11 homes coming to North Central Ph...

Brian founded New York City-based architectural firm Messana O'Rorke with Toby O'Rorke in 1996. He has since developed an extraordinary portfolio of work in residential, commercial, retail and conceptual projects.  The firm is anticipating their first monograph, Messana O'Rorke : Building Blocks , with text by Mayer Rus and a foreword by Thomas Phifer, to be published by Rizzoli this October and w...

This week I'm speaking with Jenna Knudsen, the managing principal of CO Architects based in Los Angeles.  Whilst working at CO Architects she has led award-winning, large-scale academic, laboratory and healthcare projects on university and healthcare campuses across the country. Since 1998 apart from a with a brief stint at Rafael Viñoly Architects, she has been with CO Architects and progressed h...

Walter Marin was born in Latin America but raised in the heart of New York.  The son of an immigrant cabinetmaker, he was raised with an appreciation for craftsmanship that led to his life-long love of the built environment.  He completed a BS/BA in Architecture in 1982 and worked with well-known architectural design firms including the Howard Golden firm prior to establishing Marin Associates in...

Today you'll also hear from Patrick MacLeamy, the former CEO of HOK. During his 50-year tenure at HOK, MacLeamy witnessed the firm's growth from a single midwestern office to 27 locations across the globe offering architecture, interiors, engineering, planning and more. MacLeamy joined HOK St. Louis in 1967, after which he helped establish the firm's San Francisco outpost in 1970 - later becoming...

Herbert M. Cannon is one of the nation's leading experts in the management of A/E firms. He is a former longtime consultant to Robert A. M. Stern Architects where he helped the firm grow from 150 employees and 8 partners to 350 employees and 16 partners. He founded AEC Management Solutions in 2000 with the simple goal of helping A/E firms of all sizes earn and keep the money they deserve by focusi...

Karen Compton is Principal of A3K Consulting, a consortium of business management consultants specializing in the AEC environment. In this capacity, Ms. Compton oversees a team of professionals focused on the development of transformative business strategies and solutions that reflect an organization's long- and short-term goals.   Ms. Compton has more than 20 years of experience in business manag...

Today's episode is a replay from our Business of Architecture UK podcast. It was so great, we wanted to share it here as well. Acrylicize, a multidisciplinary design studio in Hackney, has cornered a niche market which occupies a number of different territories, from fine art and interior design, to architecture. They are masterful at creating brand experience and awareness in corporate and commer...

Kenneth Lewis is a Managing Partner in SOM's New York studio office. Kenneth knows New York's development world like the back of his hand, having managed some of the most complex building projects in the city's recent history. In his 35 plus years in building in New York City and beyond. Ken's work includes One World Trade Center, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, and its neighbor Se...

As we've researched and worked with firm after firm, a common thread stands out from those firms who have more success than others - the caliber and experience of people working at the firm. This is why the People Playbook is one of the four pillars of the SMART Practice Method. On today's episode you'll hear from Lance Cayko, co-founder of F9 Productions, an architectural and design-build practic...

What is the key to having a successful architecture practice? There are many ways to answer this question, and everyone defines success differently. What does success mean to you? Consider this question for a moment. What does success mean to you? I'll guess that your definition of success isn't being financially stretched, burned out or unfulfilled. Recently, I heard an interview with Oprah Winfr...

Drew Lang, founding principal of LANG Studio in New York, shares the challenges of being an architect developer and how many of those challenges were solved with a unique approach to the award-winning development in the Catskills, Hudson Woods. Drew is an active advocate for positive collaboration in community and getting more readily to a place of joy in our work within the industry. With this ph...

Pamela Durkin, ASID, LEED AP, has quite the trifecta of expertise as an Interior Designer, Business Coach, and Marketing Consultant. With 30 years of experience running her own Florida based practice, she has earned her some very hard-won business lessons, some of which she shares with us on this episode. She knows how to be magnetic in attracting ideal clients, not simply waiting around for them...

Today we welcome Matthias Hollwich, principal and founder of New York architecture firm HWKN. Learn about the inception of HWKN and it's growth, how Architizer led to a deep understanding of how media and publishing relate to the world of running an architectural practice, and so much more. Matthias gives us insights on how he approaches working with developer clients in order to deliver innovativ...

Why is it so common to give away free work in the architecture industry? Doctors don't work for free. Attorneys don't work for free. Yet it has become so common in the architecture industry to give away work for free, that many clients now expect it. Today I speak with Bryon McCartney of Archmark. As a graphic designer by training, Bryon runs a branding and communications agency for architectural...