Practice Disrupted by Practice of Architecture

Episode 114: The Architecture of Motherhood What lessons can you learn from an immigrant architect about starting a firm in the US while becoming a mother?In celebration of Mother's Day this weekend, we welcome back Gloria Kloter, the founder and CEO of Glow Architects and a best-selling author. Less than a year ago, she released her book, "The Architecture of Motherhood," which shares her journey to building a business while becoming a new mom. In this episode, we revisit Kloter's story and book to see what additional lessons she has learned since its publication. Now a mom of two little ones, Kloter shares how motherhood has continued to shape her perspective on architecture and design.Through "The Architecture of Motherhood," Kloter offers a unique perspective on both motherhood and architecture. Her book is a testament to the power of personal experience and how it can shape one's professional life. Join us as we dive deeper into Kloter's story and learn more about her journey as an immigrant architect, business owner, and mother.Guest:Gloria Kloter, AIA, NCARB, CODIA, is an award-winning architect, founder and CEO of Glow Architects, a keynote speaker, and a bestselling author. Gloria has been a practicing architect both in her home country (Dominican Republic) and in the United States since 2004. She is an advocate for immigrant architects, women in architecture, and motherhood.In her book, The Architecture of Motherhood, she shares her incredible journey to becoming a worldwide renowned architect and business owner while being a new mom. Through this book, the reader can learn how women in any industry can find a balance between their professional life and motherhood without having to compromise either role. Gloria is also a co-author of the bestselling book “City Shapers: Stories of Immigrant Designers”, a compilation of the journey of 24 successful professionals from all over the world who are making a positive impact and paving the way in the USA as architects and leaders in our industry.Kloter has dedicated a huge chunk of her career to helping other young architects grow. As a leader in the architecture community, she is the founder of the Foreign Architects, a private online community where she mentors young and aspiring immigrant architects on how to obtain their architect license in the United States.​​As a testament to her influence and impact, Gloria Kloter currently serves as the Architect Licensing Advisor of the State of Florida through AIA Florida. She is a part of the Board of Directors of the AIA Tampa Bay where she is the founder and chairperson of the Women in Architecture (WIA) committee.Among her awards and recognitions, Gloria is a recipient of the Outstanding Leadership Award 2022 by Realty 2.0 and the AIA Tampa Bay 2020 Kelley Emerging Professional Award, She was also honored with the 2019 Sho-Ping Ching Women’s Leadership Summit Scholarship, a recognition to mid-career women architects who are advancing toward leadership roles and are making a positive impact within their communities. ​Gloria has been a keynote speaker and panelist on several occasions at the Young Architect conference, YASS, YAWS, NCARB's Architect Licensing Advisor Summit, AIA National Conference on Architecture, Women Architects Festival, World Creativity and Innovation Conference, AIA Western Mountain Region Vision 2020, and Realty 2.0, among other events.Gloria Kloter and Glow Architects have been featured by major architectural and global publications like Architizer, Young Architect Podcast, Context & Clarity Podcast, Practice Disrupted Podcast, EntreArchitect, Arquitexto, NCARB, YAF Connection,  South Tampa Magazine, Thrive Global, Tech Times, Influencive, and others, regarding her experience in the field of Architecture, Interior Design and her journey as a foreign architect in the USA. 📍 Show Links:  Immigrant Architects📚 Continue Learning:The Architecture of Motherhood City Shapers: Stories of Immigrant Designers💻 Learn about our podcast partner:👉 This episode is sponsored by Autodesk.Autodesk has been part of the design conversation since 1982, providing the tools that help architects around the globe imagine and create beautifully designed, memorable buildings that people love and admire.Autodesk is honored to support the work of Practice Disrupted, bringing the architecture community together, sparking curiosity, and leading vibrant and necessary conversations with the industry’s visionaries and thought leaders.📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social:Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter

Episode 113: 2023 AIA Gold Medal Award Winner Carol Ross BarneyWhat can we learn from 2023 AIA Gold Medal Award Winner Carol Ross Barney?Join us this week as we speak with Carol Ross Barney, the 2023 AIA Gold Medal winner. Ryan Gann, a former employee of Carol's and one of her students, will be our facilitator. Get ready to be inspired by a unique conversation that only happens between two individuals who have a great deal of respect for each other and have worked together for many years.Ryan and Carol's conversation is a fascinating exploration of the intersection between architecture and social justice. They discuss the importance of Equity + Representation in architecture, and how Carol has been a trailblazer in this area throughout her career. She shares stories about the challenges she faced as a woman in a male-dominated field, and how she overcame them with the help of other women who inspired and supported her along the way. The conversation also touches on Purpose Driven Architecture, which is an approach that prioritizes the needs of people and communities over aesthetics or ego. Carol explains how this philosophy has guided her work, particularly in projects that serve marginalized communities.  Finally, Ryan and Carol go beyond architecture to discuss how design can be used as a tool for social change.They talk about the role of architects in addressing issues like climate change, affordable housing, and racial inequality, and how Carol's work has been driven by a desire to impact society positively.  Overall, this conversation is a powerful reminder of the potential for architecture to be a force for good in the world, and of the importance of diversity and inclusion in the field.It was a great privilege to sit back and listen to these two individuals. We hope that you will enjoy the change-up in the format of this episode and find it as insightful as we did.Guests:Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, HASLA has been in the vanguard of civic space design since founding Ross Barney Architects in 1981. With a career that spans nearly 50 years, Carol has made significant contributions to the built environment, the profession, and architectural education. From the early days in the United States Peace Corps planning National Parks in Costa Rica to recent collaborations with City Governments, Carol has relentlessly advocated that excellent design is a right, not a privilege. At the forefront for equity in the architectural profession, Carol has long sought to move beyond her gender as a contributing factor or hindrance to success. But it’s not enough just to blaze the trail, Carol continually teaches, mentors, and empowers young architects to contribute their ideas and designs to progress the profession.Ryan Gann, AIA, NOMA an Architect and Design Strategist; helps clients become better versions of themselves through design, culture, and prosperity. This work expands beyond architecture and often sits at the intersection of engagement and facilitation, elevating community-centered voices through the built environment. Ryan is the recipient of the AIA Associates Award, Schiff Foundation Fellowship from the Art Institute of Chicago, was the inaugural Architect-in-Residence at the Hyde Park Art Center, and recently co-curated an exhibition with Carol at the Chicago Architecture Center titled ReCovered: Chicago's Urban Tree Canopy."📍 Show Links:  Learn more about Ross Barney ArchitectsMeet Ryan Gann📚 Continue Learning:Learn about AIA Gold Medal Winner Carol Ross Barney💻 Learn about our podcast partner:👉 This episode is sponsored by Autodesk.Autodesk has been part of the design conversation since 1982, providing the tools that help architects around the globe imagine and create beautifully designed, memorable buildings that people love and admire.Autodesk is honored to support the work of Practice Disrupted, bringing the architecture community together, sparking curiosity, and leading vibrant and necessary conversations with the industry’s visionaries and thought leaders.📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social:Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter

Episode 112: Leading Climate Action Through Adaptation & MitigationHow can architects support their communities before a disaster happens?This week we speak with Illya Azaroff, an internationally recognized leader in disaster mitigation, adaption, regenerative design and resilient planning strategies. Following Superstorm Sandy, Illya was a frequent consultant to New York City and other public entities on issues of resilience, policy and sustainability. His work has continued to expand beyond New York into wide-reaching US and international communities. Illya is using his training in architecture to help the communities he partners with access funding and implement climate-focused solutions. We discuss some of the projects he supports, strategies he recommends architects can take action on, and the difference between adaptation and mitigation. Illya further explains why architects must become global leaders in climate action.Guest:Illya Azaroff, FAIA, is an Architect, Geographer, and professor at New York City College of Technology (CUNY). He is the founding director of +LAB Architect, whose mission is to build resilient capacity and advance goals for a sustainable, regenerative future while giving underserved communities greater voice and visibility. Illya serves on the AIA National Board (2023-25). He served as a COP-27 delegate and is leading the COP-28 delegation for the AIA this year. Currently, Illya serves as a technical expert on the New York Climate Impact Assessment.📍 Show Links:  https://www.pluslabglobal.com/ https://illyaazaroff.com/📚 Continue Learning:Listen to PD Episode 004 - Purpose Driven PracticeCOPhttps://www.aia.org/articles/6571631-aia-delegates-at-cop27-provide-key-takeawahttps://www.aia.org/resources/6077668-framework-for-design-excellenceAdaptionhttps://www.undrr.org/publication/sendai-framework-disaster-risk-reduction-2015-2030https://climatechampions.unfccc.int/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SeS-Adaptation-Agenda_Complete-Report-COP27_FINAL-1.pdfPerformance Based Codeshttp://media.iccsafe.org/downloads/CodesPlus/Performance-Based-Building-Design-Concepts-Chapter2.pdf2030 Commitmenthttps://www.aia.org/pages/6464938-the-aia-2030-commitment📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social:Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter

Episode 111: Practice with Purpose - A Guide to Mission Driven DesignHow can architects address some of society’s most urgent challenges?Written by LEDDY MAYTUM STACY Architects, “Practice with Purpose: A Guide to Mission Driven Design” is about designing buildings beyond their property lines to address some of society’s most urgent challenges: the climate emergency, racial and ethnic injustice, chronic homelessness, educational crises, and the preservation of the embodied carbon and culture of existing buildings. These are not discrete phenomena - they are inextricably linked in an ecological and societal emergency that demands creative, integrated design responses. Architects and designers have a historic opportunity to help lead our communities toward an equitable, climate-positive future for all.This week we sit down with Founding Principal William Leddy and Senior Associate Gwen Fuertes of LMSA to learn more about the firm’s model for practice, their new book, their projects, and net zero carbon architecture.Guests:William Leddy, FAIA, is a Founding Principal of San Francisco-based LEDDY MAYTUM STACY Architects, the 2017 recipient of the AIA Firm Award.  For over 30 years, he has been a national leader in the design of environments that celebrate our place in the natural world.  LMSA has received more than 175 design awards and is one of only three firms to have received eleven or more national AIA Committee on the Environment Top Ten Green Project awards. A past chair of the national AIA COTE, he currently serves as the AIA California Vice President for Climate Action, helping to advance the rapid decarbonization of the built environment in California and beyond. He is the co-author of his firm’s new book – “Practice with Purpose: A Guide to Mission Driven Design”, published in late 2022.Gwen Fuertes, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, has two decades of work in design, research, and analysis of high-performing buildings. She began her career at the US Green Building Council in Washington, DC. She then worked at the Center for the Built Environment (CBE) as a graduate student researcher, acquiring a depth of expertise in building science and post-occupancy analysis. Gwen has worked at LEDDY MAYTUM STACY Architects for over nine years, designing low-carbon, mission-driven projects in Northern California.Gwen was a member and former co-chair of the AIA 2030 Commitment working group, most recently leading the pivot of the program towards a carbon-focused metric. She was also a member of the LEED Technical Committee. She has taught at California College of the Arts and UC Berkeley as an adjunct lecturer, focusing on energy efficiency, resilience and resource cycles, and considers teaching a passion. She has spoken at numerous national conferences on integrating low-carbon design in practice.📍 Show Links:  Learn more about LEDDY MAYTUM STACY ArchitectsPurchase Practice with Purpose: A Guide to Mission Driven Design📚 Continue Learning:Ed Roberts CampusEdwin M. Lee ApartmentsUC Davis Walker HallAIA California Climate Action Learning Resources📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social:Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter

Episode 110: Architecture, And: CeramicsHow do you balance a career in architecture while exploring a passion for art?This week we’re joined by Betty Chung, a registered architect, designer and ceramic artist, currently working as an architect by day and as a ceramic artist by night. Her ceramic work is a synthesis of art and architecture, exploring forms by their materiality and texture through 2 & 3 dimensions expressing  form and the creation of sculptural yet usable objects. In this interview we explore how Betty has successfully built parallel careers in architecture and an artist. She has continued to practice while also building her ceramic business from the ground up. She discusses her work in the built environment, in clay, and raising her new daughter.Guest:Betty Chung began her interest in ceramic in 2008 through involvement at the Auckland Potters Studio, working alongside with some world-class Ceramic Artists. From this early work she recognised the importance of expressing her Asian  heritage, fused with her up-bringing within Western culture. It is from this bi-cultural aspect that characterises her ceramic and architectural work.Betty has exhibited her work both in Australia and New Zealand. Betty’s work are now found about the world from a unique commission for an exclusive dinner set for a 60m luxury super yacht, Athos, to commission in restaurants, to sales at the Te Uru Gallery, Tauranga Gallery and other local retails, cafes and restaurants.📍 Show Links:  Learn more about Betty Chung CeramicsLearn more about Isthmus Group📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social:Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter

Episode 109: Architecture is Political CrossoverHow is architecture political?This week we are joined by Melissa R. Daniel, a fellow podcaster and creator of Architecture is Political, a podcast where Black and Brown folks have a conversation about architecture. In launching and developing her podcast, Melissa shares her story of growing up in Tyler House, a low-income housing development in Washington, DC. Her experience inspired her to pursue a career in architecture. Through the creation of her podcast, Melissa is exploring her identity and the role architects can take in political activism and design. We'll discuss why architecture is political and how architects can stay engaged through their work.Guest:Melissa R. Daniel is a Facilities Project Manager in Maryland and is the creator/ host of the Architecture is Political (AIP) podcast, where Black and Brown folks discuss architecture. She received the 2022 AIA Whitney M Young Award and the 2018 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Associates Award. Melissa serves as Chair for AIA Housing and Community Development Knowledge Community and as a Steering Committee Member to the DC Legacy Project Barry Farm-Hillsdale.📍 Show Links: Listen to Architecture is PoliticalFollow @archispolly on Instagram🎤 Related Podcast Episodes:Arch is Polly Tyler House SeriesTIKTOK, ARCHITECTURE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE Legacy of Barry Farms and Hillsdale CommunityTyler House & Gentrification w/ Rev. Chris TobiasArchitects, Displacement and Housing2022 AIA Whitney M. Young Jr. Honor Award Winners: RIDING THE VORTEX📍 Episode correction:26:30, it’s Rev. Earl Tyler, not Earl Grey📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social:Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter

Episode 108: Attracting and Retaining Midcareer WomenWhy are leadership-track women in architecture leaving their firms?Throughout 100+ episodes of Practice Disrupted, we’ve touched on the missing middle, burnt-out architects, and the challenges in navigating career growth in practice. We wanted to dedicate an entire episode to exploring and understanding why midcareer and even senior-level women are considering leaving their firms. We'll look also discuss the core issues driving retention in the field.We invited career and executive coach Maya Sharfi on the show to discuss her new whitepaper titled, 'Attracting and Retaining Leadership-Track Women in Architecture & Planning.' Maya has been working extensively with women across practice on training and career development. In this episode, she shares her insight and provides recommendations.Guest:Maya Sharfi is a career and executive coach and the founder of Build Yourself. She helps women in design, tech, and innovation advance their careers on their own terms and helps companies grow and promote their rising women leaders through coaching, training, and consulting.Companies Maya has worked with have seen a 3x increase in the rate of women promoted, and 18% of women are more likely to recommend their companies to other women. They’ve seen more women owning and leading initiatives and setting boundaries that make projects more effective and grow junior staff. Maya's individual clients achieve results like moving into senior director roles, launching new, innovative programs, and achieving $25,000 raises.Maya has trained national industry groups, like Women in Innovation and the American Institute of Architects, and works with leadership and staff at global design and innovation companies such as Stantec, Gensler, and HOK, and she helps women become principals and partners at their firms. 📍 Show Links:  Learn more about Build Yourself📚 Continue Learning:Attracting and Retaining Leadership-Track Women in Architecture & PlanningApply for Partner & Principal One-on-One Coaching📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social:Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter

Episode 107: Architecture, And: Business DevelopmentHow do architects leverage their skillset to become better at sales?This week on Practice Disrupted, we follow the career path of an architect turned architechie who landed in the business development side of a tech company, Monograph. If you are interested in learning more about other roles that architects can have in tech, this one is for you! We take a deep dive with our guest, Tyler Suomala, on all things in architecture, the realities of burnout running your own practice, entrepreneurship, the search for an architecturally adjacent career, parenthood, and more. The conversation also goes into different roles in sales, identifying the difference between sales development and account executive roles, how sales differ from his new role in marketing, how important ongoing talent development support has been for his career, and Monograph’s famous 4-day work week.We also talk about his growth as a content creator on LinkedIn and how he has grown an audience of over 15,000 followers.Guest:Tyler Suomala is an architechie and business development professional at Monograph. He helps architects better communicate their unique value through his fun and popular weekly newsletter, Tyler Tactics. 📍 Show Links:  Join Tyler TacticsTyler on LinkedInMonographOther Episodes with individuals from Monograph:075 - Growing an AEC Startup, The Evolution of a Company034 - Investing in What’s Next, The Spatial Syndicate013 - Architecture, And: Entrepreneurship📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social:Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter

Episode 106: Open Architecture Collaborative Pathways to EquityHow are designers centering equity and racial justice in architecture and design practices? Open Architecture Collaborative is a global learning community mobilizing architects, designers, and a diverse range of professionals who shape the built environment with technical skills to build capacity with communities experiencing systemic racism and marginalization.Pathways to Equity is a design leadership experience for social equity. The program aims to create transformative learning experiences, shifting the field towards anti-racism and equitable outcomes. P2E introduces designers to methods for equity in practice, historical and systemic racism within the buit environment, self-reflective and community building practices, and strategies for community engagement.Consider enrolling in Pathways to Equity for 2023! P2E Virtual is a 10-week online introductory course happening April 11th-June 13th, 2023. Community members, firm principals, and individual volunteers are encouraged to apply.Guests:Shalini Agrawal is trained in architecture and is founder of Public Design for Equity. She is director for Pathways to Equity, a leadership program of Open Architecture Collaborative that trains architects and designers in racial justice workshops. She works with interdisciplinary practitioners, firms and organizations to address equity in the workplace and community engagement. She is Associate Professor in Critical Ethnic Studies at California College of the Arts, teaching curricula that aims to decolonize design and architecture practices.📍 Show Links:  Apply to Pathways to Equity📚 Continue Learning:Learn more about the Open Architecture CollaborativePublic Design for Equity📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social:Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter

Episode 105: Podcast Live: AIA|LA People, Processes, and Practice: Technology + The Business of DesignHow can technology elevate the business of design?AIA Los Angeles invited Practice Disrupted Co-Hosts Evelyn Lee and Je’Nen Chastain to present the opening keynote at their annual technology conference in February.More about the conference: Digital transformation is revolutionizing the AECO industry, offering new ways to develop and construct the built environment. The use of cloud, data, and artificial intelligence is maximizing the creative potential of architects and engineers by augmenting their ability to rapidly create, analyze, and optimize designs while streamlining processes and revealing actionable project insights. However, this rapid advancement of technological trends sometimes creates more questions than answers.How can we better engage with clients using technology? How can we best manage practices? How can we build better and more efficiently? This conference gathers the AECO community to discuss how technology is reshaping the industry and provides a platform for designers, architects, and built environment professionals to embrace the new possibilities of digital and explore innovative solutions for their clients.A special thank you to: Brian Skowvron, Assoc. AIA, Nicole Buhles, Assoc. AIA, Lauren Coles, AIA, Will Wright, Hon. AIA|LA, & Carlo Caccavale, Hon. AIA|LACo-Hosts:Evelyn Lee is the Global Head of Workplace Strategy and Innovation at Slack Technologies, and Founder of the Practice of Architecture. She integrates her business and architecture background with a qualitative and quantitative focus to build better experiences for the organization’s employees, clients, and guests. She is widely published, wrote a monthly column for Contract magazine for over three years, and is now a frequent contributor to Architect Magazine. Evelyn has received numerous industry awards, including 2016 40 Under 40 award for Building Design + Construction and the 2014 AIA National Young Architects Award. She recently served as the first-ever female Treasurer to the AIA National Board in 2020-2021.Je’Nen Chastain is the founder of Apostrophe Consulting, a practice focused on helping architects and next-gen leaders strengthen their teams and businesses. In addition to consulting with firm leaders on practice management issues, she mentors architects on career development, leadership, and strategy. She specializes in facilitating conversations that engage multi-generational teams and has designed, developed, and presented dozens of training programs that inspire next-gen leaders. Je’Nen received the 2017 AIA National Associates Award, an Associates Award from AIA California in 2012, and an Emerging Professionals Award from AIA San Francisco in 2017. She served on the AIA National Board in 2010.📍 Show Links:  More about the conferencePD Technology Playlist📚 Continue Learning:Future ForumAIA Los Angeles📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social:Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter