Business of Architecture Podcast

Today, we have a very special episode for you. Here at Business of Architecture, it is one of our mantras that we "Lead from what we live," meaning that we try our darnedest to make sure that we are actually implementing and doing all the things that we talk about and all the things that we teach. What we're going to be talking about today is about when there are lapses in a business in terms of t...

This week, we have Andrew Foreman. Andrew runs an architecture practice in Hawaii called Blueprint808. Andrew's practice has been awarded for consecutive years as Hawaii's Home + Remodeling Readers' Choice Architecture Firm. Blueprint808 specializes in custom home designs and is dedicated to improving the design and constructions that are completed in Hawaii. In this episode, we're going to talk a...

Today, I bring you an incredible conversation with the Founder of FreeState, Adam Scott. Adam is an architect, he's a designer, and the creative force of FreeState, which is a pioneering experience master planning agency. In this episode, you'll discover how he's taken his skills as a designer and applied them not just to the architectural built space but also the entire experience in an environme...

In today's show, I'm going to let you in on a little interview I did with architect Michael Smith. Michael runs an architectural practice on the central California coast. Last year, he reached out to me to interview me on his podcast. Today, we're going to talk about what it's like running a small architectural practice. We talk about marketing a small architectural practice. We talk about podcast...

Are architectural services commoditized? Here's the problem: it isn't uncommon for clients to undervalue architectural services, to undervalue what it is that we do. And when they don't value it, they don't want to pay for it. This leads to a race to the bottom and unrealistic and hard to meet expectations of clients. Today I'm joined by Rion Willard. After training at London's Bartlett School of...

This week, I'm speaking with the Founding Principal of Bittoni Architects, Mark Bittoni. Founded in 2004, Bittoni Architects is a full-service architectural practice based in Los Angeles, California. Their body of work ranges in building type and scale, from interiors to master planning, driven by a methodology defined by their explorative approach and a curiosity for the unconventional. In this e...

This week, I'm speaking with Paul Iddon of Agency PSI Ltd. Paul Iddon RIBA, has over 30 years of experience in construction, architecture, and marketing, having run his own architecture firm, OMI Architects, in 1992 to running a marketing agency in 2006, developing brand and engagement strategies with architects and manufacturers. Paul is also the Vice President of the Manchester Society of Archit...

This week, I'm speaking with Bolanle Williams-Olley, Chief Financial Officer and part-owner of Mancini Duffy, a technology-first design firm based in NYC, overseeing the firm's financial and operational performance. Bolanle has had 12 years working in the AEC industry, having worked with HLW and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) prior to joining Mancini Duffy. She holds a Masters in Education & Soc...

This week, I'm speaking with the Co-Founder of Studio Banana, Key Kawamura. Studio Banana founders Key Kawamura and Ali Ganjavian met and became fast friends while attending the University of East London for their architecture degrees. Not quite fitting into the places they were working in, they decided to start their own architecture and product design firm, Studio Banana in 2007, further expandi...

This week, I'm speaking with Wendy Dunnam Tita, Principal at Page. Early in her career, Wendy worked for the residential practice of Ike and Kligerman in New York and, in 1995, became the Vice President of the firm of Page Southerland Page in Austin. In 2002, she set off and operated her own boutique practice in Austin and Hood River, Oregon, returning to Page in 2013 as Principal and Director of...

This week, I'm speaking with Wendy Dunnam Tita, Principal at Page. Early in her career, Wendy worked for the residential practice of Ike and Kligerman in New York and, in 1995, became the Vice President of the firm of Page Southerland Page in Austin. In 2002, she set off and operated her own boutique practice in Austin and Hood River, Oregon, returning to Page in 2013 as Principal and Director of...

This week, I'm speaking with Wendy Dunnam Tita, Principal at Page. Early in her career, Wendy worked for the residential practice of Ike and Kligerman in New York and, in 1995, became the Vice President of the firm of Page Southerland Page in Austin. In 2002, she set off and operated her own boutique practice in Austin and Hood River, Oregon, returning to Page in 2013 as Principal and Director of...

This week, I'm speaking with Wendy Dunnam Tita, Principal at Page. Early in her career, Wendy worked for the residential practice of Ike and Kligerman in New York and, in 1995, became the Vice President of the firm of Page Southerland Page in Austin. In 2002, she set off and operated her own boutique practice in Austin and Hood River, Oregon, returning to Page in 2013 as Principal and Director of...

This week, we're taking a human-centered approach to architecture discussions with Dr. Tyrone Yang. Tyrone graduated with a Master's in Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 2002. He also has a Ph. D. in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Virginia and a BA in Psychology from Cornell University. Currently, he has recently founded Architectural Health and Yang Architect...

This week, I am speaking with the award-winning architect and designer Suman Sorg, a fellow of the AIA and founder of Sorg Architects. She has also recently formed a non-profit design firm, A Complete Unknown, in her home in Washington DC. The A Complete Unknown design firm has a mission to promote social justice, peace, and unity through architecture and design. Suman has over 30 years of buildin...

This week, I'm speaking to Mike Grosswendt who is the CEO and Founder of All Coast Construction, a construction company based on the west coast of the US. Mike focuses his attention onto new construction and restorations. He's worked with many world-renowned architects. He's worked with an incredible array of A-list celebrities as well including Quincy Jones. He's recently completed the home of Ro...

This week, I'm speaking with Mark Weaver and Darrell Wilson of Mark Weaver Associates. Mark Weaver Associates is a full-service design firm based in Los Angeles that was founded in 1970. Since then, they have built an impressive portfolio of work with residential installations, they worked on private aircraft, yachts, and even private island retreats in a vast array of locations from Los Angeles t...

This week, I am talking to Los Angeles-based interior designer, Ryan Saghian, who is emerging as one of the most formidable talents, inspiring many young people that they too can follow their dreams. Ryan is only 28, and even before hitting his 30th birthday, he's overcome many challenges to find international acclaim, become a social media darling, and is now building his product empire. Ryan has...

This week, I'm talking to Paul of Form4 Architecture. Paul founded Form4 alongside Robert J. Giannini In 1998, Robert Giannini was the CEO when the company began, and for more than 21 years, Giannini guided the firm with the co-founders Ferro, John Marx, and James Tefend. Over the pandemic period, Robert retired, and Paul Ferro stepped into the CEO role. We talked about his previous experience bei...

This week, I am speaking with Robert Yuen. Robert is the CEO and Co-Founder of Monograph, which is a software company revolutionizing the future in how architectural projects are managed. Robert used to work as an architectural designer in Chicago. He ultimately ended up settling down in San Francisco where he discovered passion for designing software for the AEC industry. Robert is a serial entre...

This week, we speak to Maryline Damour, the Co-founder of interior design and construction firm Damour Drake, who has an impressive portfolio of work ranging from Brooklyn lofts to even an 18th-century cathedral in Haiti, which has been damaged in the 2010 earthquake. Maryline worked for many years in marketing and business development for firms such as Deloitte, Ernst & Young, PwC, and Accenture....

This week, I'm speaking with David Croteau who serves as the President and Principal of Flansburgh Architects. David has over 35 years of experience managing, planning, and designing projects throughout the U.S. and has worked internationally in over 30 different countries. David directs efforts to extend Flansburgh's geographic reach and its capacity to deliver contemporary culturally sensitive p...

This week, I'm speaking to Kyle Webb who is the Founder and Principal of KH Webb Architects who are based in Colorado. Webb Architects was born in 1999 and boasts and an impressive array of innovative designs, many of them getting regional and national recognition. A lot of these projects are in the Town of Vail. Webb Architects have also worked outside. They've worked in New York, Florida, Michig...

This week, I'm speaking to Eric Clough who is the founder of Manhattan-based design firm 212box. Eric was originally from the Midwest and spent his formative years in both Brussels and London. He graduated from Yale in 1999 and founded 212box in late 2000. 212box is actually made up of six companies, which are working in different disciplines and different sectors, and they have an incredible arra...

This week, I'm speaking to Christina Kaz and Lilit Devejian, Founders and Principal Designers of LUXYSPACE, an interior design firm based in California with studios in both Fresno and Beverly Hills. Christina and Lilit have a fabulous story and a very inspiring relationship. Both are Armenian, both are incredibly stylish, and both are often mistaken as each other's sisters. The two met whilst work...