Jesse Balok, Vice President of Planning, Design and Construction at Henry Ford Health, joins Evan Troxel and Candace Kitchen to unpack Destination: Grand, the system’s historic $2.2 billion expansion of its Detroit campus. Jesse shares how Henry Ford Health is planning a once‑in‑a‑generation build while keeping a 110‑year‑old hospital campus running, and why phasing, decommissioning, and infrastructure renewal must happen alongside forward‑looking innovation.

They discuss collaborative project delivery, early stakeholder engagement at scale, and designing for flexibility as care models evolve. Jesse also highlights sustainability initiatives, including a Central Energy Hub targeting an all‑electric hospital by 2030, and the broader community impact of the Future of Health: Detroit vision, including research partnerships, mobility, and neighborhood redevelopment.

Jesse Balok is the Vice President of Planning, Design and Construction at Henry Ford Health. Jesse leads major campus planning and delivery efforts, including Destination: Grand, a transformative redevelopment of Henry Ford’s Detroit campus focused on patient experience, staff wellness, logistics modernization, and long‑term adaptability.

• Destination: Grand / Future of Health: Detroit (overview): https://www.henryford.com/future-of-health
• News release: Henry Ford Health celebrates groundbreaking of Destination: Grand: https://www.henryford.com/news/2024/09/henry-ford-health-celebrates-groundbreaking-of-detroit-hospital-expansion-project
• Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (rehab partner reference): https://www.sralab.org/
• Churchill and the Commons Chamber: https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/architecture/palacestructure/churchill/

In this episode of Innovation by Design, Evan Troxel and Candace Kitchen sit down with Dr. Matias del Campo, architect, theorist, and one of the leading voices at the intersection of architecture and artificial intelligence.

Matias shares the trajectory that led him from the University of Applied Arts Vienna to co-founding SPAN, a practice built on computational design and experimental architecture. He discusses how his research into AI-driven design creates what he calls a "design ecology," merging technology, nature, and philosophical inquiry into a unified creative process.

The conversation digs into how generative AI tools are transforming the way architects think about form, materiality, and authorship. Matias offers perspective on what these tools actually change in the design process, what they don't, and why the discipline of architecture is uniquely positioned to absorb and redirect these new capabilities.

You'll also hear about SPAN's high-profile projects and how academic research feeds directly into built and speculative work that pushes the boundaries of what architecture can be.

• How AI and computational design are reshaping architectural practice and aesthetics
• The concept of "design ecology" and integrating technology, nature, and philosophy
• Generative AI's impact on architectural authorship and the creative process
• SPAN's approach to experimental, technologically driven architecture
• The relationship between academic research and professional practice
• What architects need to understand about AI tools and their limitations

• SPAN Architecture
• Matias del Campo on LinkedIn
• Matias del Campo on Wikipedia
• Neural Architecture (book)
• Diffusions in Architecture (book)
• New York Institute of Technology — MS ACT program

In this episode, hosts Evan Troxel and Candace Kitchen sit down with David Mans, Director of AECtech at Thornton Tomasetti's CORE studio, to explore the intersection of computational design, community building, and hands-on innovation in AEC.

David traces his path from undergraduate architecture at Pratt Institute through early computational design experiments to leading what has become one of the industry's most influential technology conferences. He explains how parametric and computational design opened the door to discovery and surprise in the design process, and how that same spirit of experimentation now drives the AECtech hackathon format.

The conversation digs into what actually happens at an AECtech event, from hackathon teams building working prototypes in 24 hours to symposium panels on technology-driven career paths in architecture. David shares standout moments, including the hackathon project that became the foundation for Rhino Compute, and a recent London hack where agents simulated consultant negotiations before a project even started.

David also reflects on the tension between automation and reflection, the value of cross-industry thinking, and why Thornton Tomasetti continues to invest in these events as a way to stay ahead of where the industry is headed.

• How computational and parametric design introduced the idea of discovery and surprise into the architectural design process
• The origin and evolution of AECtech from a single New York hackathon to five global events per year
• Why the hackathon format works: constrained time, self-forming teams, and cross-disciplinary collaboration
• Standout hackathon projects, including the prototype that became Rhino Compute and an agent-based consultant negotiation tool
• The emergence of agentic AI workflows and MCP protocols at recent events
• Career paths for technologists in AEC and how senior leaders who started in computational design are now shaping firm culture
• The importance of reflection and downtime in an era focused on automation and speed
• What Thornton Tomasetti and CORE studio gain from hosting and participating in these events
• Cross-industry inspiration: bringing agile and Kanban workflows from software development into architectural project delivery

David Mans is the Director of AECtech at Thornton Tomasetti's CORE studio. David oversees the AECtech conference series, which now runs five events per year across the globe, bringing together professionals from architecture, engineering, construction, software, and AI to explore emerging technologies through hackathons, workshops, and symposiums. David is also the author of over 20 Grasshopper plugins, a Visiting Associate Professor at Pratt Institute, and formerly the Senior Computational Designer at Grimshaw Architects, where David worked on projects including the award-winning Dubai Expo 2020 Sustainability Pavilion, Terra.

• AECtech: https://www.aectech.us/
• Thornton Tomasetti CORE studio: https://www.thorntontomasetti.com/core-studio
• David Mans on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mans-a359505/
• CORE studio on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/core-studio-tt

In this teaser episode, hosts Evan Troxel and Candace Kitchen introduce Innovation by Design, a new podcast produced by Total Door Systems.

You will hear what the show is about, why it exists, and what to expect in Season 1, including conversations on small firm excellence, design equity, healthcare mega-projects, and how specifications can be a strategic advantage in the building industry.

Subscribe now so you get all the episodes.

About the show

The Innovation By Design podcast is a Total Door Systems and TRXL Media production.

Learn more about Total Door Systems at https://totaldoor.com

Learn more about TRXL Media at https://trxlmedia.com