Practice Disrupted by Practice of Architecture

Welcome to the launch of Practice Disrupted! Meet hosts Evelyn Lee and Je’Nen Chastain who will begin to discuss the changing nature of architectural practice.

Hosts:

Evelyn Lee, Founder of Practice of Architecture & Senior Experience Designer for Slack Technologies

Je’Nen Chastain, Founder of Apostrophe Consulting

Evelyn M. Lee, AIA, MBA, MPA is a licensed architect in the state of California, with over 15 years of experience working with individuals and companies that are looking to reshape their future. She has been a featured keynote speaker, panelist, and moderator at national conferences and symposiums. Her topics focus on developing knowledge leadership, organizational change management, capacity building, stakeholder engagement, and strategic approaches to put design thinking to work in life and in practice. She also serves on the advisory council to ZeroSixty, an accelerator for the AEC Industry and is the first female Treasurer to AIA National‘s Board of Directors. When not working on the Practice of Architecture, Evelyn works as the first-ever Senior Experience Designer at Slack Technologies.

Je’Nen M. Chastain, MBA, Assoc. AIA is a business strategy consultant trained in architecture and business management with expertise in marketing, communications, and leadership development. She founded Apostrophe Consulting with the goal of helping architecture firms win more work, build a culture of leadership and trust within the design studio, and create a pipeline for emerging leaders to grow in our industry. A recipient of the 2017 AIA Associates Award, Je'Nen holds both a B.Arch. and an MBA. She previously spent nearly a decade in the San Francisco Bay Area, collaborating with award-winning architecture firms on design, marketing, and business development efforts. She has spoken across the country on leadership development, career advancement, emerging professionals, mentorship, and women in architecture.

Show Links:  

practicedisrupted.com

http://practiceofarchitecture.com/ 

https://apostrophe.consulting/  

Follow us on social media: @practiceofarch

How has Practice Disrupted grown and evolved since launching in 2020?

On the Season 7 Finale of Practice Disrupted, Evelyn and Je’Nen reflect on the podcast’s evolution over the last four years, and share a behind the scenes conversation on the creation of the show. They discuss lessons about the complexities of change within the industry, and some of their favorite conversations along the way. Stay until the end of the episode for a special announcement!

First, Je’Nen shares the intentions behind launching Practice Disrupted and her desire to lean into the narrative-building storytelling element of audio. We hear about changes during the podcast’s four years and how it felt to recognize its growing impact and reach. 

From there, Je’Nen and Evelyn reflect on the challenges, successes, and lessons from producing 140 podcast episodes. Je’Nen shares some of her favorite moments as a co-host and interviewer, and they both illustrate how they’ve grown through the podcast and solidified their place within the industry. 

“This podcast has been a great exploration of our shared desire to move the profession in a new direction. I hope through the process of having all these conversations, people have discovered new ideas or figured out new solutions that they can integrate into the way they're running their businesses.” - Je’Nen Chastain

To wrap up the episode, Je’Nen shares three takeaways she hopes listeners will gain from the show, and Evelyn drops a few teasers for exciting upcoming conversations. 

Tune in early 2024 for Practice Disrupted’s Season 8 kickoff. Happy New Year!

Guests:

Je’Nen Chastain, MBA, Assoc. AIA, is the founder and owner of Apostrophe Consulting, a business management consulting practice dedicated to helping architects and next-gen leaders strengthen their teams and businesses. After studying and practicing architecture and later earning her MBA, Je’Nen launched her business to help AEC leaders across the US. She partners with growth-minded teams who share her desire to transform the practice of architecture and advance industry change. Je’Nen has received several industry leadership awards, including the 2017 AIA Associates Award and Presidential Citations from AIA California & North Carolina. She has 15+ years of leadership experience with the AIA, including writing the business plan for the AIA Leadership Institute. Je’Nen served on the AIA national board of directors in 2010 and is a Upjohn Fellow of the Institute.

📍 Show Links:  

Connect with Je’Nen on LinkedIn

Learn more about Apostrophe Consulting

Follow Apostrophe Consulting on Instagram

📚Continue Learning:

Architects FORA’s Scholarship + Internship Program

📚Past Related Episodes:

PD #1: Practice Shifts 

PD #9: Voices from the Future of the Profession

PD #10: Organizational Design, Process, and Innovation

PD #16: Voices from the Future of the Profession (LGBTQIA+)

PD #62: 2022 AIA Gold Medal Winners: Brooks + Scarpa

PD #68: 2022 AIA Whitney M. Young Jr. Honor Award Winners: RIDING THE VORTEX

PD #69: A Case Study on Leadership: Expanding Established Design Practices to New Locations

PD #80: Season 4 Finale with Madame Architect

PD #85: A Case Study for Practice: Latent Design

PD #89: Entrepreneurship in Practice: Taking Risks To Create Value

PD #95: Voices of Mothers in Practice

PD #113: 2023 AIA Gold Medal Award Winner Carol Ross Barney

PD #118: 2023 AIA Architecture Firm Award Winner, Mithun

PD #122: Entrepreneurship in Architecture, Apostrophe Consulting

PD #125: Building a Feminist Architecture Firm

PD #127: NCARB Scholars of Professional Practice 

PD #133: 2023 Whitney M. Young, Jr. Award Honoree Robert L Easter, FAIA, NOMAC

PD #137: MASS Design Group Business Evolution

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Check out our past episodes 

Be a part of our community — join the conversation!

How do you bring accomplished leaders and diverse AEC professionals together to increase the diversity of leadership in the AEC industry? 

On this episode of Practice Disrupted, we sit down with the team at LeaderFlow: Executive Director Janiece Williams, and John Gavan, CEO of KPFF Consulting Engineers, to discuss their leadership development program and the vision they have to bridge the gap between leadership and professionals of color in the AEC industry. 

First, John shares how he collaborated with the Southern California Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (SoCal NOMA). We learn that Janiece was part of LeaderFlow’s 2021 pilot program and how stepping into her current role as Executive Director was in response to navigating her path in, and then out, and now alongside the architecture industry.

From there, we delve into the details of LeaderFlow’s program, an opportunity for professionals of color to coach and mentor each other about lived and shared experiences. Janiece and John also share how creating connections can help individuals navigate the challenges of growing in a career — which is why LeaderFlow invites industry leaders to facilitate curriculum to underrepresented communities as a way to find empathy and be inspired to future possibilities. 

“This isn't about expecting anything from non-people of color to solve humanity's issues. This is about inviting them to the table to be just as vulnerable — if not more — to engage in this conversation, to show up, and to be a part of this experience with them. This is about having human connection and sharing lived experiences and challenges that we all face, and maybe can relate to, in life.” - Janiece Williams 

To wrap up the episode, Janiece and John each share how LeaderFlow has impacted their growth from both a leadership and personal development perspective and how firms can become supporters and allies of LeaderFlow’s work. 

Tune in next week for Practice Disrupted’s Season 7 Finale!

Guests:

Janiece Williams, Executive Director of LeaderFlow is a trained architectural designer and one of the original cohort participants from the 2021 pilot program. With over 10 years of architecture experience, she developed a strong desire to help developing professionals as they navigate the architecture industry. This passion led her to commit more of her time to justice, diversity, equity, & inclusion-related causes and initiatives. The impact of the pilot program led her to co-launch LeaderFlow to encourage others, especially Professionals of color, to invest time in their own personal growth and development, and empower them to become great leaders.

John Gavan, CEO of KPFF Consulting Engineers is driven by the heightened social unrest in the country and he wanted to find an impactful and tangible way to effect meaningful change in the AEC industry. In 2021, John had the idea to introduce the framework of a leadership development program that he started within KPFF’s organization to the Southern California Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (SoCal NOMA). The first annual program was open to SoCal NOMA members at various stages in their careers and consisted of interactive training sessions facilitated by top industry professionals and leaders.

📍 Show Links:  

Learn more about LeaderFlow

Connect with LeaderFlow on LinkedIn

📚Continue Learning:

Check out SoCal NOMA

Check out Rooted Consulting Group

📚Past Related Episodes:

PD #138: New Realities: Employee Wellness and Organizational Culture in Design Firms

📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social:

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Check out our past episodes 

Be a part of our community — join the conversation!

How do organizational dynamics tie to social and emotional well-being at work?

We sit down with Cameron MacAllister Group thought leaders, Saskia Dennis-van Dijl and Annelise Pitts, who are actively advancing Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) inside of AEC firms and across the industry at large. On this episode of Practice Disrupted, we dive into the results and observations from their co-published report, “New Realities: Employee Wellness and Organizational Culture in Design Firms.”

First, Saskia and Annelise share how the project was born from post-pandemic concerns about employee mental health and productivity. We learn about the research’s Competing Values framework used to understand how organizations define effectiveness across two axis points.. From there, we discuss specific data points within the report around burnout, engagement, well-being, and connection to colleagues — and the specific impact those results have on the industry, resulting in increased stress and more responsibility. Saskia and Annelise also point us to what firms are doing well and ways for managers and leaders to maintain sight of the bigger purpose.  

“We think that culture is driven by the work rather than all the other behaviors that happen around doing the work. We have to consider the wellness of the people who work for us at every scale. What are we doing to support individual wellness?” - Saskia Dennis-van Dijl

To wrap up the episode, we discuss how systemic issues hinder workplace wellness. We also talk about the need for creativity when designing and leading AEC practices — to create an action plan that aligns firm and team culture, organizational strategy, and work-life policy and practices.

Tune in next week for an episode about LeaderFlow. 

Guests:

Saskia Dennis-van Dijl, Principal Consultant at Cameron MacAllister Group advises clients in the areas of marketing, practice management, leadership development, and strategic planning. She counsels in-house marketing principals and senior marketing staff on best practices, marketing trends, and prospective clients and also leads training workshops for architects, engineers, and related professionals throughout the United States. Saskia was a founding member of the 2014 Equity by Design research project sponsored by AIA San Francisco and now works with companies around the nation on culture and policy development to achieve goals of diversity and inclusion in all aspects. 

Annelise Pitts, AIA, Associate at Shepley Bulfinch is a passionate designer, facilitator, and advocate for justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in the built environment. As an architect and associate with Shepley Bulfinch, she works with clients nationally, focused primarily on higher education. In her role as a design strategist with LENS, a design strategy, research, and innovation practice group within Shepley Bulfinch, Annelise offers participatory visioning and planning, change management, and organizational development services, collaborating with clients to develop holistic responses to purpose-aligned issues at the heart of the design experience  — sustainability & resilience, health and wellness, and justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

📍 Show Links:  

Learn more about Cameron MacAllister Group 

Read Cameron MacAllister Group’s Employee Wellness and Organizational Culture Report

Learn more about Shepley Bulfinch 

Learn more about LENS Strategy Consultancy Agency 

📚Continue Learning:

Read the AIA Guides for Equitable Practice 

Read Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture

📚Past Related Episodes:

PD #22: Reimagining Work in the New Digital-First Workplace

PD #91: How the Future Works 

PD #136: Redesigning the Future of Work

📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social:

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Check out our past episodes 

Be a part of our community — join the conversation!

How is AI reshaping the way architects design, collaborate, and innovate?

On this bonus episode of Practice Disrupted, we sit down with Amy Bunszel, the Executive Vice President of Architecture, Engineering and Construction Design Solutions at Autodesk, and Ryan McNulty, Principal of MBH Architects, to dive into the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as it relates to architectural practice — including The Phoenix, one of Ryan’s recent projects recently showcased at AU 2023.

First, Amy describes the positive impact of AI and how the technology can help the built world — and its customers — improve the sustainability of projects. She explains the role Autodesk AI plays in delivering more innovative projects to clients in a way that will transform both the industry and individual practice.  

AI can help with three things: automation, augmentation, and vast data analysis. The sustainability challenges in the world are also accelerating the need for change. The built environment is responsible for 42% of annual global CO2 emissions. Now is the time to leverage all the great technology we can to drive towards some of these important goals. - Amy Bunszel

From there, Ryan illustrates why and how AI can be useful for architecture from a project standpoint. He shares how AI helps to diminish architectural administrative tasks and focus on architectural decisions — one example being The Phoenix, a West Oakland affordable housing project created in collaboration with Autodesk. We also learn Ryan and Amy’s future plans for integrating AI into different projects and tools in support of the changing profession. 

To wrap up the episode, Ryan and Amy provide tips for architecture students integrating AI into their practice and share their individual aspirations for how AI can positively impact and shape their environments.  

Tune in next week for an episode about employee wellness and organizational culture in design firms.

Guests:

Amy Bunszel, EVP AEC Design at Autodesk manages product strategy and execution for Autodesk’s 3D design portfolio including the Autodesk Architecture, Engineering and Construction Collection, AutoCAD family, Autodesk Revit, and more.  

With more than 20 years’ of experience innovating software products across the architecture, engineering, and construction, manufacturing and media and entertainment industries, Amy inspires innovative strategy while driving large-scale agile software development around the globe. Amy combines her roots as a start-up co-founder with deep product management knowledge and large-scale product execution expertise to build high performing teams focused on delivering value to their customers.  

Ryan McNulty, Principal MBH Architects has an innate ability to unify project stakeholders to create successful projects with meaning and respect to local context. Ryan is known for his keen thirty-thousand-foot view of projects while closely managing every detail. This holistic design approach informs the decision-making process and allows effective communication at every stage, making him an asset to MBH’s broad array of project types — from workspace and labs, to multi-family and hospitality projects. 

Ryan brings deep experience with complex structures, managing client goals, community hearings, and stakeholder coordination. He is currently principal-in-charge of a a large commercial project in Los Angeles, as well as a confidential residential development in New York City.  

📍 Show Links:  

Learn more about Autodesk AI

Evolve your AEC toolbox with Autodesk AI

📚 Continue Learning:

Check out Autodesk X The Phoenix  

Watch Autodesk Forma X Arco – Embracing the promise of data

Learn more about AU

📚 Past Episodes Referenced:

PD #103: Enhancing Workflow with Artificial Intelligence 

📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social:

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Check out our past episodes 

Be a part of our community — join the conversation!

Why do we need a non-profit architecture business model?

A Model of Architecture for Society (MASS) Design Group was founded in 2008 as a non-profit organization with the mission to research, design, build, and advocate for architecture that promotes justice and human dignity. On this episode of Practice Disrupted, we sit down with Patricia Gruits, AIA, Co-Executive Director and Ashley Marsh, Senior Director to learn about how MASS has experienced and moved towards growth in recent years.

Patricia and Ashley share why MASS is a nonprofit architecture firm and how their specific business model challenges others to think differently. 

“Being a nonprofit allows us to challenge policymakers, challenge developers, challenge communities to think more radically, more equitably, more sustainably, about what the potential of the built environment is. That space for failure and learning is something nonprofits are very, very interested in.” - Ashley Marsh 

To wrap up the episode, Patricia notes the ways the MASS continues to evolve and adapt through challenges. Plus, Patricia and Ashley share their perspective about the reality and reward of the profession — including the significant impact relationships have on each individual’s experience at work. 

Tune in next week for an episode on a new report titled “New Realities: Employee Wellness and Organizational Culture in Design Firms.”

Guests:

Patricia Gruits, AIA, the Co-Executive Director of MASS Design Group believes that design is a tool to envision a better world  — one that is just and beautiful for all people and our shared planet. Patricia also supports the strategy, development, operations and design practice across the North America studios. She works in concert with studio principals, lab leaders and designers, to navigate how architecture can address critical issues of Public Memory, Disability Justice, Food Systems, Native Communities, Climate Resilience, and Restorative Justice. 

In recognition of her outstanding contributions to architecture, Patricia received the 2020 Flansburgh Young Designer Award by the Boston Society for Architecture. Patricia also frequently speaks at national and local AIA events, including the AIA 2022 National Convention where MASS received the Architecture Firm Award.   

Ashley Marsh, RA, is a Senior Director of MASS Design Group and is responsible for securing strategically-aligned partners, supports, and funding to advance the mission and secure the long-term health of the organization. She guides the stewardship of existing relationships as well as the identification, qualification and cultivation of new ones. Ashley serves the North American studios by developing and driving earned income strategy and tactics, and has been with MASS Design Group since 2018. 

Ashley’s early career specialized in consulting on the upstream stages of project and owner readiness, advising a spectrum of education, technology, creative and nonprofit organizations in design, strategy and change management capacities. She helped a public school in Oakland, California win a $10 million XQ Super School grant, was named ‘40 under 40’ by the San Francisco Business Times, and was part of the team that wrote The Third Teacher–one of Fast Company’s best design books of 2010. Ashley is a recipient of the Design Futures Council Emerging Leader award and serves on the Advisory Board of the Boston Architectural College. 

📍 Show Links:  

Learn more about MASS Design Group

Read the 2022 AIA statement honoring MASS Design Group 

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Check out our past episodes 

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How do you build a people-first workplace environment that is both innovative and supportive?

On this episode of Practice Disrupted, we sit down with Brian Elliott, a leading expert on workplace flexibility and co-author of How the Future Works: Leading Flexible Teams to Do the Best Work of Their Lives who spent two decades building companies and leading teams as a startup CEO and leader at Google and Slack. Brian co-founded Future Forum to help decision-makers tackle real-world challenges, including hybrid work and building for diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

First, we hear about Future Forum as an extension of and in support of Slack, which changed the way we work together. Since Future Forum has ended, Brian shares where to look for insight and data about the workplace to keep topics top of mind and weighs in on the debate between office and work-from-home culture and the opinions about different generations’ approaches to work. Brian also illustrates the need for intentionality if/when people come together and the effect it specifically has on marginalized communities.

At the end of the day, people are people. And what we're talking about here is actually a really core element, which is, ‘How do you drive engagement of employees in the mission and purpose of your business?’ That engagement is what gets them to go the extra mile to try harder to work harder for your customers. It shows up in things like trust and transparency, and how that actually impacts people's work ethic, much more so than anything else. - Brian Elliott

Then, Brian illustrates the overarching element of a flexible, innovative workplace: emphasizing a people-first approach. We learn of a few companies implementing innovative strategies and tactics to their support teams, and Brian provides recommendations for starting those conversations, including creating boundaries for the communication tools put into place. 

To wrap up the episode, Brian gives his perspective on whether architecture should pivot its business model in regard to output, quality, and productivity and gives recommendations for leaders to implement change within their organization. Plus, we learn what the changing economy can mean for the future of workplace culture, and Brian shares how the next steps in his career are still in support of making work life better for people. 

Tune in two weeks from now for an episode with MASS Design about how and why structuring an award-winning architecture as a nonprofit maximizes industry reach.

Guests:

Brian Elliott is a leading expert on workplace flexibility. After two decades building companies and leading teams as a startup CEO at Google and Slack, Brian co-founded Future Forum, a leading think-tank on the future of work. He’s also the co-author of “How the Future Works: Leading Flexible Teams to Do the Best Work of Their Lives.” Brian has shared his insights and best practices on how to create more effective, connected, and diverse organizations in various publications and media outlets including Axios, Bloomberg, the Economist, Fast Company, Forbes, Fortune, Harvard Business Review, the New York Times, Time and the Wall Street Journal.

His mission is to build a future of work that's better for everyone and believe that in doing so, we can dramatically improve organizational outcomes. Brian is also a proud father, happy spouse, and frequent dog walker.

📍 Show Links:  

Connect with Brian on LinkedIn

Learn more about Future Forum

Access Future Forum Pulse

Read How the Future Works

PD #91: How the Future Works

PD #22: Reimaging Work in the New Digital-First Workplace

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Check out our past episodes 

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How can you merge architecture with space robotics to create a new design language? 

On this episode of Practice Disrupted, we sit down with Melodie Yashar, a space architect, technologist, researcher, and Vice President of Building Design and Performance at ICON, a construction technologies company focused on large-scale additive manufacturing. First, Melodie illustrates the niche discipline of space architecture and the types of backgrounds and perspectives that lead people into the field. We learn about Melodie’s serendipitous entrance into space architecture after submitting to a NASA 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge, and why the merge of design and technology is an inspiration for her work.  

3D printing was an area that felt like it was advancing my knowledge in technology and taking it beyond the scope of creating an architectural model. Tackling the most challenging scientific and technological problem of space, you merge architecture with a specific idea or opinion of space robotics. That was the thing that really compelled me at the time. And it still does, frankly. - Melodie Yashar

Then, we dive into ICON: The five main areas they contribute to, their different building and design teams, and one of the company’s newer additions, 3D-printing house design. We learn why 3D printing became a solution for challenges space architecture faces, and how ICON’s teams plan for unforeseen events when working with emerging technology like 3D printing. Melodie also details projects ICON’s working on alongside NASA to reimagine aspects of space.

To wrap up the episode, Melodie speaks to the rapid growth of the space architecture field, plus ways to collaborate with ICON and help reimagine 3D printing as a new design language.    

Tune in next week for an episode about redesigning the future of work. 

Guests:

Melodie Yashar, is a space architect, technologist, and researcher. She is the vice president of building design and performance at ICON, a construction technologies company focused on large-scale additive manufacturing. Melodie oversees the architectural direction of ICON’s built work as well as the performance of ICON’s building systems to deliver optimally performing structures that shift the paradigm of homebuilding on Earth and in space. Melodie is a professor at ArtCenter College of Design. In previous roles, Melodie was a research associate at NASA Ames as well as a co-founder of Space Exploration Architecture, a research group developing human supporting design concepts for space exploration. Her background is in industrial design, architecture, and human-computer interaction with an emphasis in robotics.

📍 Show Links:  

Connect with Melodie on LinkedIn

Learn more about ICON

Join ICON’s Initiative 99 Competition 

Watch Melodie’s TED Talk 

Learn more about AIA’s Women’s Leadership Summit

Check out NASA’s 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge

Take a peek at House Zero  

PD #25: Architecture, And: Tech

PD #66: Architecture, And: Technology

PD # 102: Architecture, And: An Evolving Career in Tech

PD #134: Architecture, And: Growing a Tech Start-up out of an Architecture Firm

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Check out our past episodes 

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How does architecture support a CEO stepping out and into a specialized tech start-up space? 

On this episode of Practice Disrupted, we sit down with Zach Soflin, AIA, the Founder and CEO of Layer, the first and only flexible and mobile-friendly building management software. First, we learn how the company was created in response to the Nebraska State Capitol Building where Zach and his previous firm, BVH, were looking to connect field data to their designs. Zach built his own solution, which would become the prototype for Layer. Zach shares what he’s learned about being a CEO and how an architecture background (and mindset) shows up in day-to-day operations. 

“Critical thinking and skills I learned in architecture have helped immensely in building this business, particularly around designing product and user experience. Those skills have definitely translated and given us an opportunity to provide a different software experience than what architects might be used to working with.” - Zach Soflin

Then, we dive into Layer: its focus on design as an entry point toward its target market, and Zach shares how customers utilize the software to link different parts of their projects together. We also ask Zach about hiring prioritization in a highly technical field and his process for navigating the talent pool outside of Silicon Valley. 

To wrap up the episode, Zach shares the biggest obstacle for architecture to overcome, and the role technology plays in shaping the future of the practice. With potential entrepreneurs in mind, he illustrates a step system to understand if creating a product is, in fact, the best solution for a problem at hand. 

Tune in next week for another episode in our Architecture, And series with Melodie Yashar, Space Architect.

Guests:

Zach Soflin, AIA, is the Founder and CEO of Layer, where he leads company operations and product development. With a decade of experience practicing and leading computational design and innovation initiatives, Zach’s passion for improving the building lifecycle drives the vision and energy behind Layer — a multi-platform app and Revit add-in that makes it easy for architects and engineers to connect rich building data to BIM. Zach speaks regularly about BIM and complex building data, including at the APT International Conferences, AEC Tech Symposium, AIA National Conference on Architecture and BILT Digital Week. 

📍 Show Links:  

Learn more about Layer

See what Layer is up to on LinkedIn

Read The Next Normal in Construction McKinsey Report

PD #25: Architecture, And: Tech

PD #29: Taking the Leap from Architecture into Tech

PD #32: Designing a Technology-First Architecture Practice

PD #66: Architecture, And: Technology

PD #102: Architecture, And: An Evolving Career in Tech

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How does a desire to make a difference bring visibility to underserved and marginalized students, and future practitioners?

On this episode of Practice Disrupted, we’re incredibly honored to be in conversation with Robert L. Easter, FAIA NOMAC, an AIA National Award winner, recipient of the 2023 Whitney M. Young Jr. Award, whose work broadens diversity, equity, and inclusion within the profession. Robert is the founding Principal of Kelso & Easter, Inc. (KEi) Architects, an award-winning full-service architecture firm passionate about the built environment and how it influences the world in which we live.

We begin the conversation by learning about Robert’s hope for the architectural industry. He shares where he believes there’s room for evolution, and the role his parents played in his determination to fight for, support, and uplift diverse communities. 

From there, we learn about Robert’s response to winning the 2023 Whitney M. Young Jr. Award, and Robert’s path to becoming the 15th president of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). He describes his hand in its evolution, particularly in building relationships with students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Robert also describes the difference between “being rewarded” and “being rewarding” and illustrates some of his most meaningful takeaways and moments from his vast portfolio of work.

“Things are starting to change because you get involved in the fight. And you learn that you've got more allies than you think you do. And that there are people who want to help you achieve some of the goals that are important to you. There are a lot of biases I had when I was a young person that have gone away because of this endeavor.” - Robert L. Easter 

To wrap up the episode, Robert shares why having empathy and compassion for the “most important social and cultural issues of our time” allow us to become better problem solvers in our personal and professional lives.  

Tune in next week for the next episode in our Architecture, And series.

Guests:

Robert L. Easter, FAIA NOMAC is an AIA National Award winner, and the recipient of the 2023 Whitney M. Young Jr. Award. Robert began practicing in Baltimore, Maryland where he served as a Project Architect and designer for Ford & Associates, Inc. In 1992, Robert was elected as the fifteenth president of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), as a vigorous advocate for increased minority participation in the public and private sector building industry.

In 2017, Robert was invited to participate in the Dean’s Forum of the AIA’s Large Firm Round Table where he helped create partnerships between firms and the seven historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to advance the hiring and licensing process. In 2020, Robert was elevated to the AIA’s College of Fellows. Robert was also a member of the AIA Virginia Board of Directors and in 2022 was elected as the first African American to serve as the components president. 

Robert recently retired as the chair of the Hampton University Department of Architecture after 15 years, where he adopted the Integrated Path to Architectural Licensing program. His work, both civic and professional, has been recognized in national print media, including NOMANews, the New York Times, Metropolitan Magazine, the Richmond Times Dispatch, the Richmond Free Press, Progressive Architecture Magazine, and Inform Magazine.

📍 Show Links:  

Connect with Robert on LinkedIn

Read AIA’s article about Robert 

Learn more about NOMA

See Robert’s work at KEi

PD #09 Voices from the Future of the Profession

PD #68 AIA Whitney M. Young Jr. Honor Award Winners: RIDING THE VORTEX

PD #79 Increasing Black Women in Architecture 

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