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As state funding decreases for state colleges and universities, architects and space planners have the added challenge of revising how existing buildings are used and how to get the most out of its square footage. On today’s episode of the AEC podcast, we talk to two architects from the University of Missouri about the school’s emphasis on sustainability and how it leads the way in LEED certifications: Gerald Morgan, Campus Facilities Director of Space Planning & Management, and Chris Wilson, Sustainable Design and Construction Program Manager.

"I'd say over the last five to 10 years, we've started to recognize that we have to better utilize existing space because we could see the handwriting on the wall," says Gerald Morgan, who’s helped lead campus facilities management at the University of Missouri for 25 years. "That's the lack of funding. But we've been forced to be even more creative than we have in the past.”

But it’s not just university administration that’s interested in careful use of resources; Students are keenly interested as well. “Students end up driving some of the sustainability features that we end up putting into buildings,” said Chris Wilson, whose environmental design background helps Missouri focus on smart sustainability campus-wide. "They push the university to get these things done."

As technology continues to alter the way architecture is thought of and implemented, the education process has also shifted. To get a peek behind the curtain, we sat down with Michael L. Garrison, Professor and Cass Gilbert Teaching Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin. Michael talks about how teaching architecture has changed over time, about preparing students for the 21st century, his involvement with the University of Texas at Austin Solar Decathlon Houses, and about what we have to look forward to in this industry.

“You might think of your house and you have maybe a thermostat, or maybe two thermostats, [but] think about [how] in the near future you may have two thousand thermostats," Garrison said. "And so, with that kind of information [being] relatively cheap, your house can be able to be made in such a way that it in can have a different temperature in each particular room or actually be able to follow you as you move through the house and change the temperature as you move through it.”

When is a building more than a building? Can a sidewalk be more than a sidewalk? On today's podcast, our host spoke with Carlo Ratti, Professor of Urban Studies & Planning at MIT and Founding Partner of Carlo Ratti Associati. They discussed the balance between tradition and transition, the thought process when considering new ideas, and reimagining the "skin" of our buildings.

"There is something very important with cities and buildings about they are a kind of anchors against the time that flows," Ratti said. "But, I think you can keep that permanence, you can still have that permanence and still allow the building, the city to respond in a more dynamic way. You still recognize the place, you will still have familiarity but, at the same time it will respond to you, like an old friend."

The proliferation of social media has given rise to a new breed of cultural leader: the microinfluencer. Also known as just "influencers," these social media masters are creating personal platforms that are not only curating the hottest trends, but setting trends of their own for consumers. The microinfluencer isn't limited to B2C though, and not by longshot. B2B influencers have the potential to set decade-long standards for their industries, and represent the authentic voices within their communities. On this final podcast from the series How to Stay Connected and Relevant in the Digital Age of Design, Bryce Stuckenschneider and Daniel Litwin analyze 12 of the most engaging influencers in AEC, and how they're impacting the industry, from interior design to commercial architecture.

"I think that great ideas can come from anywhere," Stuckenschneider said. "And one of the incredible things about social media is I can pull inspiration from people who live in a remote corner of the world, people that I would've never had a chance to interact with." This list of 12 is the end-all be-all of lists, nor is it definitive. What it does bring is an authentic list of influencers no matter their reach, from the editor-in-chief at Interior Design Magazine to smaller individuals with a few thousand followers. "I think there’s something to gain there; not only can you learn why it’s important to use social media as the tool to get those messages across, but then just deeper, I mean each influencer is bringing a fresh perspective to the table and whether it’s interior design, whether it’s commercial architecture, as an AEC professional, you could gain some tips for design, for construction or maybe even just the processes of how you go about collecting your data," Litwin said.

Click here for the full article outlining each of the 12 influencers Stuckenschneider picked out, and give this podcast a listen for more insight on why each was chosen and how they're impacting AEC.

There are a lot of important pieces of information that go into deciding where we want to live. There are even more data points that go into designing where we live. On today's podcast, our host spoke with Olivia Jovine, an urban planning analyst for localize.city. They discussed the process of sifting through mountains of data to find relevant insights for planning, the different planning approaches that have historically been taken in New York City, and how Olivia gets to be "Boss of Everybody for a Day". "I think in both the fields of urban planning and technology, it's really important to think about issues of access and how they relate to what you're doing," Jovine said.

When it comes down to it, city planning and urban design is all about designing places that people actually love living in, said University of Texas professor and Director of Graduate Program in Urban Design, Dean Almy. We sat down with Dean for this episode of the AEC Podcast to discuss "modern planning" of old, and newer, smarter approaches. "People started second guessing and saying, ‘Wait a minute, these places are somewhat soulless,’" Almy said. "How do we create places where people actually want to live in and grow up in, and be part of a community?"

It's simple: for quality customer interaction, relationships and retention, you have to transparent as a contractor. "Do the right thing and the doors will open," said Diane Voirin, Director of Operations and Maintenance at Dallas-based P3 Builds. On this episode of the AEC Podcast, we sat down with Voirin to discuss the importance of transparency with your clients, and why admitting what you can and can't do within the given time frame is a best formula for success.