Evan Wiskup, founder of Wiskup Architecture and co-founder of Neighbor, shares his unique perspective as both an architect and a real estate developer. He discusses his early interest in design and architecture, his intentionality when studying and practicing architecture, and his transition into real estate development.

Evan emphasizes the importance of finding fulfillment in one's work through balancing between design excellence and practicality, finding compatibility in project partnerships, and moving towards happiness every single day.

wiskuparchitecture.com

itsneighbor.com

00:00 Introduction and Background

01:22 Early Interest in Architecture

04:14 Engaging with Reality

05:37 Shifting Perspective on Architecture

06:07 Getting in Touch with the City

09:25 Transitioning to Grad School at Yale

10:23 Exploring Theoretical Frameworks in Architecture

11:47 Working at OMA and Alloy

13:16 Transitioning to Real Estate Development

25:08 Founding neighbor and Wiskup Architecture in succession

34:19 Managing Multiple Projects and Prioritizing Happiness

38:10 Selecting Projects and Collaborators

42:30 Closing Remarks and Getting in Touch

Once captivated by design's allure, how do those shaping our built environment tap into the compounding power of sharing knowledge, honing their skills, and seamlessly blending beauty with efficiency?

Find Andrew on LinkedIn.

How can one develop a rewarding and meaningful career as an architect?

Jacki Schaefer, an architecture career specialist, discusses her journey in the field of architecture and how transitioning away from it led to creating value for others. She highlights the disillusionment she experienced in practice and the disconnect between academia and the profession and how she turned both into a force for positive change for her own life. Jacki also emphasizes the value of career coaching and the need for individuals to understand their motivations and goals in the face of the narrow definitions of success in architectural culture. The conversation concludes with insights into the trends and ideas shaping the new generation of architects and advice for students and professionals.

Follow Jacki on LinkedIn

00:00 Introduction and Background

01:41 Transitioning Away from Architecture

03:08 Disillusionment with Architecture

05:05 Feeling Isolated in Architecture

06:04 Creating a Career Coaching Role

07:31 The Value of Career Coaching

09:23 Ethics in Career Coaching

11:12 Understanding Motivations and Goals

13:27 Narrow Definitions of Success in Architecture

15:49 Influence of Academia on Career Expectations

20:02 Trends and Ideas in the New Generation of Architects

23:40 Advice for Students

24:59 The Lifelong Process of Career Development

25:29 Thinking Ahead and Making Decisions

25:57 Identifying Skills and Experiences

26:25 Understanding Job Parameters

26:54 The Uncertainty of the Future

27:23 Being Open to Possibilities

27:51 Employer Perspective on Hiring

28:14 The Value of Training and Teaching

29:07 Looking Beyond Technical Skills

29:35 Considering Cultural Fit and Personality

30:02 The Anxiety of Finding a Job

30:31 The Gap Between Academia and Practice

31:29 The Challenges of Transitioning to the Real World

31:56 The Impact of Leaving College

32:23 Exposing Students to Different Perspectives

33:21 The Value of Architecture Education

33:49 Questioning the Quality of Work

34:18 Learning from Mistakes and Anti-precedents

35:16 The Importance of Interdisciplinary Work

36:16 Understanding Different Perspectives in Architecture

37:13 The Need for Broad Exposure in Education

38:04 Small Business Owners Doing it Right

39:01 Asking the Right Questions about Success

40:24 Valuing Architecture as Part of Life

41:23 The Challenge of Defining Success

42:49 The Impact of Working with Students

43:17 Memorable Stories of Impact

45:41 Listening to Your Inner Voice

MoPo Season 2 Schedule

March 4 - Season Introduction with your hosts

March 11 - Jacki Schaefer - ⁠Career Coach⁠

March 18 - Andrew Kao - Former VP at ⁠CBRE Hana⁠, Former VP at ⁠Miller Knoll⁠

March 25 - Evan Wiskup - Founder of [⁠Wiskup Architecture⁠] Co-founder of ⁠neighbor⁠

April 1 - Evan Smith - Co-founder of ⁠Highland Park Technologies⁠

April 8 - Zach Soflin - Founder & CEO of ⁠Layer⁠

April 15 - Brandon Hall - Founder of ⁠BHA⁠

Follow Us @

On ⁠Spotify⁠

On ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠

On ⁠Youtube⁠

On ⁠Instagram

On LinkedIn

On the inaugural season of Most Podern, where we embark on an exploration of a fundamental question: How do we shape the world around us professionally? Join hosts Minkoo Kang, Libo Li, and Alex Yuen as they guide us on an insightful journey into the dynamic landscape of careers in and around the built environment.

Through candid conversations with professionals from an array of fields and pursuits, we delve into the intricacies of careers that quietly influence our world. From passionate architects to determined startup founders, our guests generously share their personal journeys, challenges, and aspirations as they navigate their professional paths.

Get ready for engaging discussions with experts and innovators as we uncover valuable insights into professional success as well as personal fulfillment. Whether you're a seasoned professional seeking new perspectives or someone just starting out on your journey, we invite you to join us over the conversation!

Season 2 Schedule

March 4 - Season Introduction with your hosts

March 11 - Jacki Schaefer - Career Coach

March 18 - Andrew Kao - Former VP at CBRE Hana, Former VP at Miller Knoll

March 25 - Evan Wiskup - Founder of [Wiskup Architecture] Co-founder of neighbor

April 1 - Evan Smith - Co-founder of Highland Park Technologies

April 8 - Zach Soflin - Founder & CEO of Layer

April 15 - Brandon Hall - Founder of BHA

Follow Us @

On Spotify

On Apple Podcasts

On Youtube

On Instagram

Alex is an urban designer and architect from San Francisco. He’s a founding partner of Collective Operations (CO) and teaches urban design at Harvard GSD. In this conversation, Alex discusses how he fell in love with cities, how Steph Curry inspired his approach to his career, and his motivations as a teacher, urban designer, architect, and developer.

Highlights

References and Links

Libo is a Data Engineer at Meta. He trained as an architect and worked in a wide variety of roles across different companies. In this conversation, we discuss his move from design into technology, the motivations and challenges in career transitions, and the relationship between a title and one’s identity.

References and Links

Minkoo Kang is a designer and developer from Seoul. In this episode we talk to Minkoo about his journey into design, what motivated his move towards finance, and discovering the value of design.

People, Companies, and Things Mentioned.

Welcome to the Most Podern Podcast!

In this episode, we discuss why we are starting this podcast and what we think is missing from the conversation around the built environment.

OMA is an international architecture firm lead by Rem Koolhaas.

MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a well known University in Boston Massachusetts in the US

Rem Koolhaas is a Dutch architect, theorist, and urbanist. He co-founded the internationally acclaimed firm, OMA.

Links and References