Design Voice Podcast

Dana Getman is an Associate Principal at SHoP Architects in New York City, leading some of the firm's most complex and dynamic projects. Dana received a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University and a Master of Architecture II from Yale University. She recently completed project management of 111 West 57th Street, a 1,400 foot tall terracotta and bronze super tall residential tower located adjacent to the original Steinway showroom overlooking Central Park. Among other projects, she also led the team during key phases of design and construction for the East River Waterfront including Pier 15 and the Esplanade, which create 14,000,000 sf of public space along the East River. She is an expert working with user groups and community stakeholders to build consensus throughout the design and construction process. Currently, she is overseeing design teams for the National Veterans Resource Center at Syracuse University and the OBO Design Excellence Program. She is Chair of Urban Land Institute Next in New York and a member of the urban planning committee at the Municipal Art Society in addition to regularly lecturing.

In this episode, Dana talks about her journey that took her from a Girl Scout project to architecture school, what it was like managing the design and construction of a residential supertower in Manhattan, how the thought processes that go into design public spaces can inform those of private developments, and gives some insight into the design process at SHoP. Dana also talks about her experiences with having both a fulfilling career while being a young mother, and shares what makes SHoP such a special and welcoming place for families.

Taryn Kinney is a Principal, and K-12 Education Studio Leader at DLR Group. Taryn is a native Texan who has successfully led the strategy, visioning, planning, and design of more than two million square feet of learning space, both nationally and internationally. She enjoys sharing her knowledge from her experiences and creating connections to implement exceptional learning environments. During her 15 years of developing facilities to support new educational models she has seen her clients face increasingly complex challenges. Taryn joins her clients in their journey to define unique responses to external and internal challenges through evidence-based practice. She incorporates current developmental research, environmental psychology, and organizational psychology to design facilities that respond to human learning and behavior.

In this episode, Taryn shares how she went from loving studying architecture in college, to wanting to explore other career options, to finally creating a role for herself that incorporates her interests in architecture, research, the social sciences, and the design of learning spaces. Taryn talks about how she has developed and implemented a comprehensive planning process that empowers students, educators, parents, school boards, and community members to craft a vision for future learning in their community. We discuss how buildings can be a catalyst to help clients achieve their vision, but that buildings can't change human behavior on their own. Taryn also gives some great advice on what to do if you realize a traditional architecture career isn't for you.

Natalie Tse is a California licensed Structural Engineer and Project Manager at Tipping Structural Engineers in Berkeley, California with a broad range of design experience in educational, commercial/retail, residential, science and technology sectors. Her portfolio includes the structural design, assessment, and seismic retrofit of over 35 school campuses, a mission critical laboratory and office building, and the design of a new wood-framed cathedral over concrete post-tensioned podium.

Natalie is deeply passionate about innovative solutions, well-integrated and cost-effective designs, responsiveness during construction, and open communication. She is profoundly committed to learning, mentoring, building strong relationships, family, and giving back to the community. In 2015, Natalie co-founded the SE3 Project, a project established to understand and mitigate issues of employee engagement and retention, advancement, work-life balance, and gender equity in the structural engineering profession.

In this episode, Natalie talks about her career journey so far, shares some of the pinch points along the way and how she got past them, and gives some great career advice for both parents and non-parents. We also talk about what inspired her to help co-found SE3, why giving back to the community is so important to her, and what she loves most about being an engineer. Natalie also reveals her favorite structural system.

Rachel Preston Prinz is an architecturally-trained American designer, and founder of the Santa Fe based consulting agency Archinia. She works at the intersection of architecture and design, placemaking, cultural and historic preservation, and community engagement.

In addition to Archinia, Rachel also runs a non-profit organization, Architecture for EveryBody, which aims to bring the craft of architecture, usually reserved for the wealthiest 98%, to the people. Rachel is a filmmaker, an educator, has given multiple TEDx and Pecha Kucha talks on design, and has had her work featured on HGTV, Bravo, NMPBS and Canadian PBS. She is also going blind from macular degeneration.

In this episode, Rachel tells the story of her fascinating life journey thus far, which has taken her from military school, to the cathedrals in Paris, through the Rocky Mountains, and finally to Santa Fe, where she established her hybrid profit/non-profit practice. Rachel shares how despite numerous setbacks, she found her passion and voice, and crafted a career that she loves.

In this special episode of Design Voice Podcast, I'm joined by Carrie Moore and Jennifer Grosso of SOM's New York office to discuss mentor-mentee relationships. Carrie and Jen talk about the mentorship programs at SOM, and share their insights on why mentorship is so valuable from both the mentor and mentee perspectives. They offer some great advice on what to do if your firm doesn't have a formal mentorship program, as well as how to find your place at a larger firm. Carrie also shares with her her journey to becoming a director at SOM.

Carrie Moore is a director at SOM's New York office, where she has worked on some of SOM's most dynamic and transformative projects within the education sector. She is also passionate about helping others navigate their careers and become successful project leaders. Jennifer Grosso is a Senior Architect at SOM, where she works on all phases of large-scale mixed-use projects. Jen is a also a board member of ArchiteXX, and is actively involved in the Urban Land Institute.

Bianca Koutsakos is a Business Development Manager at Neoscape, a creative agency that specializes in branding and visual storytelling of the built environment. Bianca represents the agency's San Francisco office, and spearheads the market growth, business development and marketing strategy for their West Coast market. Part of her role involves increasing awareness of Neoscape's services that specialize in 3D visualization, branding, film, interactive, and design specifically for commercial real estate on the West Coast.

In this episode, Bianca shares what she loves most about commercial real estate, as well as some great advice on what it takes to "make it" in a male dominated industry. We also talk about Bianca's work with the Women's Leadership Initiative of ULI, some of the latest 3d visualization and interactive tools that Neoscape's RADLAB is exploring, and what it means to be a good storyteller.

Wanda Lau, LEED AP, is the editor of tech, practice, and products for ARCHITECT and Architectural Lighting. Along with 10 years of experience in the AEC industry, she holds a B.S. in civil engineering from Michigan State University, an S.M. in building technology from MIT, and an M.A. in journalism from Syracuse University's Newhouse School. Her writing covers a wide range of topics including architecture, technology, business, sustainability, and energy performance, and has appeared in Architect, Architectural Lighting, Eco-Structure, Men's Health, ASID Icon, University Business, Urban Land, The Syracuse Post-Standard, among others. You can also hear her interviewing leaders in design and technology on Architect's podcast, ArchitectChats.

In this episode, we discuss what current AEC technologies she finds most fascinating, how she comes up with her story ideas, what topics she thinks deserve more attention, and her thoughts on covering the architecture profession in the #MeToo era.

Margaret Cavenagh is a Principal at Studio Gang and leads the firm's interior architecture practice, working closely with Jeanne Gang on all interior, renovation, and architectural projects. Margaret has experience designing a wide range of project types and scales including multi-family, mixed-use projects; work space design; and custom residential design.

Guided by expert observations of how people use space, Margaret consistently delivers award-winning interior designs while attaining some of the highest sustainability ratings, including LEED Platinum and Living Building Challenge certification. She has lent her design expertise to projects such as the Conservation Center, Maisonette, Columbia College Media Production Center, Shoreland, Harbor Point Residence, Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, City Hyde Park, and Writers Theatre.

Margaret holds a Master of Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis, and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Virginia. She has juried and served as a guest lecturer for the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

In this episode, Margaret shares with me her journey to becoming Principal at Studio Gang, what the design and research process is like at the firm, and dives deep into some of her favorite projects. We also discuss that never ending push and push between the interior and exterior of a building. Aside from all the architecture talk, Margaret also gives great advice on how and why you should advocate for change, not just for yourself, but for your peers and for your profession.

Anthia Wong is a Team Lead and Project Manager with the interior and architecture firm FORGE, where she works on a wide range of commercial, interior, and tenant improvement projects. She focuses much of her time on relationship building and fostering the lines of communication externally with clients, as well as internally within the firm. Her underlying passion of wanting to help people lent well to elevate her to a position that requires making sure that client expectations are being met while nurturing internal teams to make sure members have the tools they need to achieve success.

In this episode, Anthia shares with me her journey from taking a watercolor class in community college, to studying architecture at California College of the Arts, to her current role as a Team Lead at FORGE. We also discuss whether or not leadership skills are innate or can be learned, why working on tenant improvement projects can be a great experience for people fresh out of school, and how being a project manager is kind of like being a mom.

Angie Sommer, S.E. is an Associate at ZFA Structural Engineers in San Francisco. She's currently a project manager and engineer for a wide variety of projects around the Bay Area and California, with a focus on the educational and senior living sectors. She is heavily involved in a variety of industry organizations, including the San Francisco chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW SF), and the Structural Engineering Engagement and Equity Committee (SE3) of the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC). On top of all that, Angie is the co-founder of Vow Muse which helps people craft unique wedding toasts, speeches, and vows.