MarketScale Manufacturing

Sarah Kuchar joined hosts Daniel Litwin and Bryce Stuckenschneider for a podcast interview to accompany the latest installment of MarketScale's Faces of Design series.

What followed was an in-depth interview about the challenges of striking out on your own to start your own business and the risks and rewards that come with that.

"I saw myself more and more going against the stream with the designs I was creating," said Kuchar. "I think that's probably what started the idea."

The idea is just the beginning, however. Starting her own studio required her to find answers to a number of questions, including office space, creating a website, and finding an accountant. "I think that when you have your own business you have to weigh what do you spend money on to save your time, which is valuable, and then what can you just do yourself and put in the extra hours to save a higher cost," she said.

Kuchar herself spent a lot of time transforming her new office into the highly functional space that the business required.

What resulted from the hard work of building her own studio was the ability for her to execute the designs that she is passionate about and to be involved in the details of a project.

"I love getting into the small details of a cabinet and a pull and the detail on the face of that cabinet...I couldn't get to that level on the really big projects," Kuchar said. "I missed that level of detail and how personal it gets."

Her unique design and attention to detail is on full display with the project they did for Codeverse, a program dedicated to teaching kids how to code. "They wanted it to feel like the classroom of the future," she said. "A lot of the forms in the space are all curved and encourage movement throughout the space."

Kuchar also incorporated elements of what the kids are learning into the space.

"The entire classroom can be hacked by the kids. So, they can make lights turn on and off or turn colors," she added.

Launching your own enterprise can be extremely challenging, but through it all, Kuchar said it's all worth it.

"The lows are really low and you have to keep your head up. But the highs are so high and that keeps me going."

Kennedy pointed out that the land under Highway 345 ought to be more valuable than it is, and it’s not very valuable precisely because of its presence. Given the fact that this is "literally downtown Dallas," he thinks it's "ridiculous." On the podcast, Kennedy pointed out that by removing highways from the center of cities, many cities have been renewed and traffic has in fact improved. For Kennedy, it's pretty obvious why: highways were never supposed to go through cities, but were meant to only link them. “A lot of cities are inherently counterintuitive because they are complex systems that behave in unusual ways,” he said.

When driving around the country, you will find no shortage of large, durable structures and constructions that were built to stand the test of time: bridges, levees, and buildings that seem quite rugged. However, these structures are susceptible to the ravages of time and the elements. When attempting to maintain and inspect these projects, it requires an unexpectedly delicate approach.

On today's episode of Glass is in Session by Clarus, we're exploring two of their flagship products, Depth and Float. These two glassboard designs have been paramount to the success and growth of Clarus, but beyond the specificities of the design, these glassboards really pull the curtain back and show that collaborative surfaces were, for a very long time, an after-thought.

As the modern classroom and workspace keeps changing, so do the ways those spaces get visualized and constructed. We're rejoined by Brittney Ricks, VP of Brand & Marketing, who explains how designers, facility managers and construction firms are having to come together earlier in the process to create integrated, authentic collaborative spaces.

If there's one main thing to take away from this conversation, it's that design doesn't have to be neglected to achieve high performing solution products. "As collaborative surfaces are now being integrated within the design, it's important that the products they're choosing are going to stand the test of time," Ricks said.

Our faces of design are more than just faces. They're voices too. Bob Borson, Principal at Malone Maxwell Borson Architects, used his voice to unveil the behind-the-scenes world of AEC to anyone who was interested; turns out that was hundreds of thousands of people a month.

Borson's blog, Life of an Architect, became one of the most trafficked architecture websites in the world, all because of his engaging, down-to-earth, and authentic content. Borson didn't aim to impress, he aimed to inform and entertain.

Our Faces of Design feature on Bob Borson explores his influence on the industry and the history behind his successful blog; with our podcast, we wanted to dig even deeper into Bob Borson the man, not the architect. Rejoined by MarketScale AEC Contributor Bryce Stuckenschneider, we get ask the tougher questions: What is the hardest part of growing your business? What's something you wished you had been told earlier in your career? If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be and why?

Exploring the method behind his blog-madness and analyzing his unique take on modern design, our podcast with Borson is the perfect curtain-reveal of a man who's passion for architecture extends beyond his work and into the connections he makes along the way.

On Glass is in Session, we've discussed several aspects of the glassboard. We've looked at the intricacy behind the designs, the psychology of writing, and their impact on the Healthcare industry. On today's episode, we wanted to explore the business side of Clarus; specifically, how they ensure client success. Being a company that is best known for creating a "simple" communication tool, their communication prowess doesn't stop there.

Larissa Brown, Client Success Manager for Clarus, joined us on the podcast to explain the long, personal relationship between company and client that ensures their glassboards are being used to their max potential. It helps that glass is a versatile material. "We have tabletops made of glass, we have walls made of glass, we have doors made of glass," Brown said. "When we are talking with clients, we let them know that their possibilities are limitless."

Brown deals with clients in corporate, educational and healthcare spaces, all of which require different functions and a different level of bureaucratic communication; she breaks down how Clarus personalizes each interaction and product, and why they're consolidating their communication process down to an easy-to-use portal. In the end, it's all about educating customers, and Brown explains why that takes time and careful attention. "What we really pride ourselves on is that the client is taken care of," Brown said.

On today's episode, we get a look at two different but equally powerful topics in AEC: the impact of drones, and the overcrowding of cities. For the impact of drones, we chat with two VDC specialists who tell us first hand how the constructions and design has adapted to deeper data, optimized workflows and new technology. Though drones are powerful tools, they do bring their challenges; James Holmes with Rogers-O'Brien Construction and Grant Hagen with The Beck Group walk us through the ups and downs. For the overcrowding of cities, we look abroad for answers at home. George Frantz, Associate Professor for the Department of City & Regional Planning at Cornell University, joins us on the podcast to break down his years of research on Chinese cities, and why density doesn't equal overcrowding. You'll also get the hottest industry news and a look at 3D printing in the industry; all of that and more on MarketScale AEC.

In 2017 the Telecommunications Industry Association published Revision H of the ANSI/TIA-222 Structural Standard for Antenna Supporting Structures, Antennas and Small Wind Turbine Support Structures. Chief Engineer for FDH Infrastructure Services, Dennis Abel, joined the podcast to explain the changes included in Revision H and describe why they were necessary.

"The standard is developed by engineers, tower owners, manufacturers and others," Abel says. He also states that public safety is something that's at the heart of these revisions. "We're all in it to come up with a standard that's going to help protect the health and safety of the public and the workers that work on these towers and that's the most important thing."

Abel discusses the challenges involved in implementing these changes and elaborates on the process for coming to a consensus on what should be included in this revision. He also looks down the road on what could be coming next in Revision I or in an addendum to Revision H.