Design Voice Podcast

Erica Loynd, FAIA is a Principal based out of DLR Group's Seattle office, and is a Justice and Civic Studio Sector Leader. Erica is particularly passionate about sustainability, restorative justice, and the impact of the built environment on human wellness. She is an expert at leading teams to elevate conditions for disenfranchised people, and setting innovative justice standards that support wellness, equity, and transformative programs to successfully return people to their communities. Volunteering with AIA WA Council as the state licensure advisor, AIA Seattle's mentorship programs and membership steering committee, Erica has worked with architects and aspiring candidates to enrich their careers in architecture. She has also been leading the national AIA Academy of Architecture for Justice Knowledge Community to push for innovations in research and operations to better serve all people.

In this episode we talk about:

• Being elevated to an AIA Fellow, and what Erica's application experience was like
• Why Erica believes architects should not walk away from justice architecture work
• Inspiring and educating justice architecture clients to do better
• Changing existing conditions as much as we can on a path towards stopping incarceration
• How Erica first became involved in the justice + civic sector, and what she finds most fulfilling about her work
• The rapid testing and COVID response sites in King County, Seattle that Erica and DLR Group designed at the outset of the pandemic

--

LISTEN to other episodes at www.designvoicepodcast.com

FOLLOW the show on Instagram @designvoicepodcast

EMAIL us at [email protected]

Qeturah Williams is a Senior Architect based out of DLR Group's Houston office. As a Project Manager and Senior Architect with 16+ years of design and construction experience, her expertise lies in the management of all phases of the architectural design process - from direct collaboration with new and existing clients to visioning, programming, design, and construction administration. She loves the technical aspect of architecture and finds that there's nothing more satisfying than seeing a well-drawn detail implemented by a skilled tradesperson. Qeturah's broad range of work includes diverse commercial projects across multiple market sectors - institutional, industrial, Laboratories, Healthcare, High Education, and K-12 Education.

Qeturah is especially passionate about education projects, and their immediate, positive impact to the client, community, educators, and learners. She believes that through design, architects are the stewards of the future, entrusted by the clients as partners to meet and exceed their goals. Qeturah is the 11th Licensed Female African-American Architect in Texas and 7th in Houston.

In this episode we talk about:

• Qeturah's 10 year plan to become an architect, and her experience in architecture school at University of Houston
• Qeturah's licensure journey, and why it was never an option to not get her license
• Becoming a mentor, and stepping forward as an example of what success in the field can look like
• Moving into a Project Management role, and Qeturah's advice for new PMs
• What Qeturah loves about K-12 projects, and the challenge and joy of being entrusted by clients to make a positive mark on society
• How architecture is a very visceral profession, and what Qeturah finds most rewarding about being an architect
• Qeturah's advice for emerging professionals and her advice specifically for Black female professionals

Natasha Espada, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP BD+C is the founder and Principal of STUDIO ENÉE Architects. She has over 25 years of design and construction expertise in both renovation and new construction for institutional, civic, and commercial clients. Natasha served as the 2020 President of the Boston Society for Architecture. Her platform focused on equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice in the profession, as well as working to make Boston a Design City by bringing art and design to all neighborhoods in Boston.

She has been a speaker on Equity and Practice at the AIA Grassroots Conference in Washington, D.C., AIA Connecticut's Equity Summit, and AIA New Hampshire's The Future of Practice Conference. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Northeastern University and has been a design critic and lecturer at Harvard GSD, MIT, Yale, Wentworth, Roger Williams, and the BAC. Since 2012, she has served on the Committee for Green Communities and the board of the Permanent Public Building Committee in Needham, MA. Natasha is a graduate of University of Florida and holds a master's degree in architecture from the University of Virginia with a certificate in American Urbanism.

In this episode you'll hear:

• When Natasha decided she was ready to start her own firm
• The prep that went into it before she made the jump
• The biggest challenge of starting the practice
• On forming a new, collaborating type of design practice
• Her goals for the firm, and what the ideal size is
• Natasha's experience as an adjunct professor
• The idea of code switching and feeling like you need to hide your true self at work
• When Natasha realized she could be herself
• Advice for emerging professionals who feel like they still have to mask themselves at work
• Natasha's work as the 2020 President of BSA, and what she plans to do next

--

LEARN more at www.designvoicepodcast.com

FOLLOW the show on Instagram @designvoicepodcast

EMAIL us at [email protected]

Vanessa Kassabian is a Cultural+Performing Arts design leader based out of DLR Group's New York office. She works closely with teams across the firm to facilitate design discussions and provide critical guidance on considerations around site, programming, massing, aesthetics, and execution. Vanessa has extensive experience designing for significant cultural programs throughout the United States, as well as in Canada and Mexico. As a strong proponent of collaboration and an integrated design approach, Vanessa works to foster client, consultant, and internal design team relationships from concept design to construction completion.

Born and raised in Texas, Vanessa is an active member of the American Institute of Architects and a LEED Accredited Professional. As a champion for the power of design, Vanessa focuses a great deal of her time on educating and mentoring the next generation of designers and has served as a visiting professor at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, and a guest lecturer at the Haifa International Waterfront Conference in Haifa, Israel. She previously led a research-based design workshop at the University of Calgary's Faculty of Environmental Design, and has served as a studio critic at Columbia University, the Pratt Institute, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Syracuse University, and the University of Pennsylvania.

In this episode we talk about:

- Vanessa's design philosophy, and how it has been shaped by her previous experiences at OMA/REX and Snohetta, and now at DLR Group

- How to build a strong design culture

- What we miss about being in the office

- How to increase diversity in design leadership, and Vanessa's advice for emerging professionals who want to become Designers

- How we need to expand the notion of what constitutes "design"

- If you can teach someone to be a good designer

- What Vanessa finds most rewarding about being an architect

--

LISTEN to other episodes at www.designvoicepodcast.com

FOLLOW the show on Instagram @designvoicepodcast

EMAIL us at [email protected]

She Builds Podcast is a show featuring the seldom told stories of women who build; women whose worth is not taught in architecture school, but who have shaped the industries of architecture, construction, and development throughout history. The podcast was started by Jessica Rogers, Lizi Raar and Norgerie Rivas, three friends who, after graduating from Syracuse University School of Architecture together, wanted to fill in the gaps in their education and share those with others. Episodes have featured Norma Merrick Sklarek, Julia Morgan, Jane Drew, Eileen Gray, Zaha Hadid, and many more!

In this episode, Jessica, Lizi, and Norgerie share the origin story of She Builds, their process for researching and putting together the show, and the most interesting things they've learned about the women they've featured. We also talk about the importance of seeing others like yourself in the profession, and how architecture history curricula are still stuck in their old male-dominated Eurocentric ways, but that this might slowly be changing.

Learn more about She Builds at www.shebuildspodcast.com!

--

LISTEN to other episodes at www.designvoicepodcast.com

FOLLOW the show on Instagram @designvoicepodcast

EMAIL us at [email protected]

Joann Lui is an architect and founder of the Facebook community Women Architects Collective. With over 2700 members and counting, the Women Architects Collective has grown into an active community where women architects find support, build their networks, and celebrate their accomplishments. Joann is also a personal brand strategist and helps architects and designers build an unforgettable online presence and get noticed in their careers and businesses.

In this episode we talk about what inspired Joann to form the Women Architects Collective, why everyone should have a personal brand, and what the most important factors are in building your personal brand. Joann also gives some great advice for introverts on how to find your voice when it might be out of your comfort zone, and shares her thoughts on leadership and mentorship.

Learn more about Joann here: www.joannlui.com.

And check out the Women Architects Collective here!

--

LISTEN to other episodes at www.designvoicepodcast.com

FOLLOW the show on Instagram @designvoicepodcast

EMAIL us at [email protected]

Julia Nagele is the Director of Architectural Design at HEWITT Seattle. She believes the success of today's projects rely on the expertise of many, and is dedicated to creating an inclusive environment that promotes participation from a broad range of diverse thinkers. Julia helps enforce these values at HEWITT, as the team strives to address complex urban conditions in a straightforward and elegant manner. Her experience as an Assistant Affiliate Professor at the University of Washington reinforces her professional practice by guiding team projects as an editor and forming strategies for successful outcomes. She believes the art and science of making architecture, navigating agencies and understanding complex client organizations requires her to connect the dots at the right time for the right people. In doing so, the most opportunity and value for a client's project will be realized.

In this episode, Julia tells the story of how a chance encounter in Rome led to her moving to Seattle. Julia shares how her career transitioned from an ebbing and flowing path to a clear trajectory upware, and gives some great advice on how to become a Designer at a firm. We also talk about how there are no shortcuts to being innovative or creative, and what it's like to be on a Wikipedia list of the tallest buildings designed by women.

HEWITT projects referenced in the episode:

The Emerald

Luna Apartments

Mama Tower

222 Dexter

Winka Dubbeldam is the Chair and Miller Professor of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design, where she has gathered an international network of innovative research and design professionals. She has also taught advanced architectural design studios at Columbia, Cornell, and Harvard University, among other prestigious institutions. Winka was named one of the DesignIntelligence 30 Most Admired Educators 2015, and has been a juror at the Prix de Rome, several AIA juries, and at the Bogota Architecture Biennale in 2010.

As the founder/principal of the New York firm Archi-Tectonics, Dubbeldam is widely known for her award-winning work, recognized as much for its use of hybrid sustainable materials and smart building systems as for its elegance and innovative structures. Archi-Tectonics' work ranges from residential to commercial, from real to virtual, and is realized in urban designs, architectural designs, and installations.

In this episode, Winka talks about her role as Chair of Architecture at UPenn, and highlights some of the exciting programs and research that's happening at the school. Winka also talks about her experience starting Archi-Tectonics, what the hardest part of running your own practice is, and the impact she hopes to have through her work.

Katie Swenson is a nationally recognized design leader, researcher, writer, and educator. She is a Senior Principal of MASS Design Group, an international non-profit architecture firm whose mission is to research, build, and advocate for architecture that promotes justice and human dignity. Before joining MASS in early 2020, Swenson was vice president of Design & Sustainability at Enterprise Community Partners, Inc., a national nonprofit that invested over $43.6 billion in community development. She founded Enterprise's National Design Initiative, directing the Affordable Housing Design Leadership Institute, the Pre-Development Design Grant, and the Rose Fellowship. The Rose Fellowship partners emerging architectural designers and cultural practitioners with local community development organizations to facilitate an inclusive approach to development resulting in sustainable and affordable communities.

A prolific writer, she released two books in the fall of 2020: Design with Love: At Home in America, and In Bohemia: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Kindness, both by Schiffer Publishing. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master of Architecture from The University of Virginia. Katie was also a Harvard University Graduate School of Design Loeb Fellow in 2018-2019, and has taught at the Boston Architectural College and Parsons School of Design at The New School and lectured extensively on sustainable community development and affordable housing.

Bonnie Bridges is the founder and Principal of Studio BBA in San Francisco. A strategic, clear thinker, perceptive listener and creative dynamo, Bonnie leads Studio BBA with adaptability, energy and fearless optimism. Drawing on deep expertise in the skilled facilitation of decisions and processes, and an intuitive, analytic nature, she guides the studio's atelier of designers in creating beautiful, enriching, successful spaces and buildings for their clients.

Bonnie brings a keen awareness of place and purpose to her work, with an approach to the design process grounded in human experience, logic and thoughtful actions. This humanistic methodology took form during her graduate and doctoral research, which explored the relationship between being and building—through contemporary architectural theory and the study of phenomenology as interpreted and developed by Husserl and Heidegger, Kenneth Frampton, and Juhanni Palassma.

Site-specificity and material simplicity are essential aesthetic principles in Bonnie's work, informed by growing up in California and ten years in the Sonoran Desert. She was profoundly inspired by these landscapes—imprinting within her a fundamental experience of light and space.

Actively involved in the civic realm and the greater architectural community, Bonnie is fueled by a deep, longstanding dedication to advancing the profession—through mentoring, teaching, advisory and Board roles. Bonnie founded the firm in 1992, preceded by working for award-winning firms in California and Arizona.

In this episode Bonnie shares how her deep knowledge of contemporary architectural theory enriches all projects at the firm. Bonnie talks about how at the core of her work is the belief that everyone who participates in a project actually matters. She also shares her experience of starting her own practice while raising a family, and that one can be dedicated to their intellect, values, and what they bring to society, but equally dedicated to their family.