Episodit
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David Prutting joins Evan and Cormac to talk about what 50 years of building high-end contemporary homes has taught him about the relationship between architects, owners, and builders. They explore the trust triangle that makes or breaks a custom project, why David actively steers clients away from design-build, and the floor plan theory he's developed over decades: the stranger the plan, the better the architect was listening.
This episode is especially relevant for architects at any career stage who want to understand how their work lands with the people who actually build it. David's perspective is rare â a builder who has spent five decades alongside Steven Holl, Toshiko Mori, Olson Kundig, and KieranTimberlake, who hires architects into his own construction firm, and who has been on both sides of the client chair. His book, A Builder's Life Done Well, is available on Amazon (link below).
Episode Links:
Get the book: A Builder's Life Done WellPrutting + Company â prutting.comDavid Prutting on LinkedInPrutting + Company on LinkedInPrutting + Company on InstagramProfile â Residential Design MagazineSteven Holl ArchitectsToshiko Mori ArchitectJoeb Moore & PartnersOlson KundigKieranTimberlakeNew Canaan Modern â Prutting + CompanyPhilip Johnson Glass HouseAnnunciation Greek Orthodox Church (FLW) â Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy-----
Thank you for listening to Archispeak. For more episodes please visit https://archispeakpodcast.com.
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Sven Shockey, FAIA joins Evan and Cormac to talk about Virginia Tech Academic Building One â a 300,000-square-foot computer science and computer engineering building on a new campus in Alexandria, Virginia whose faceted, photovoltaic-integrated form was derived through 1,400 computational iterations. They explore what it means to design a building's exterior before the interior program is finalized, how three distinct types of building-integrated photovoltaics get assigned to 17 different facades based on orientation and performance data, and what a sewage wastewater energy exchange system has to do with a tunnel under a parking lot.
This episode is especially relevant for design architects and architecture students who want to understand how computational tools actually interact with design judgment â and for anyone who's ever wondered what it looks and feels like to sit inside a building where the facade is doing real work. The shadows move. The light is soft. The algorithm found a non-intuitive answer, and then the real design work began.
Episode LinksGuest
Sven Shockey on LinkedInSven Shockey at SmithGroupSmithGroup
SmithGroup websiteSmithGroup on LinkedInSmithGroup on InstagramVirginia Tech Academic Building One
Project page â SmithGroupVirginia Tech Innovation CampusFirst building nears completion â Virginia Tech NewsAlumnus plays large role in designing the campus â Virginia Tech NewsVirginia Tech's Striking New Building Pays Homage to the Sun â Interior DesignVirginia Tech Innovation Campus Academic 1 Building â Architect MagazineA Window to the Future â Inform MagazineDesign centers on sustainability & connectivity â SmithGroup (2020)First building nears completion â SmithGroup (2024)Awards
Interior Design Best of Year 2025 â Dual HonorsAIA Virginia 2025 Design AwardsContext: Virginia Tech & Amazon HQ2
Virginia Tech Innovation Campus key to attracting Amazon HQ2 â Virginia Tech NewsRelated Work: DC Water Headquarters
DC Water Headquarters â SmithGroupPutting Wastewater to Work â SmithGroup PerspectivesDC Water HQ earns LEED Platinum â DC Water SmithGroup-----
Thank you for listening to Archispeak. For more episodes please visit https://archispeakpodcast.com.
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Puuttuva jakso?
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A van conversion project that was supposed to take three days is now four months in and an eighth of the way done. Evan and Cormac dig into what actually happened and why an architect's brain might be the single biggest obstacle to finishing a personal fabrication project on time. They cover the scope creep hiding in "wouldn't you do it differently?", why one wrong cut forces every subsequent piece to compensate, and the design-build logic that makes real-time problem-solving both efficient and indefinitely slow.
This episode is especially relevant for architects and designers who've ever started a hands-on project with a realistic-sounding timeline and found themselves months later still fitting cedar lining around corners that aren't quite 90 degrees, holding a saw, and refusing to call it good enough.
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Thank you for listening to Archispeak. For more episodes please visit https://archispeakpodcast.com.
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Cormac spent last week driving from Detroit to Baltimore for a punch review, then north to a factory two hours outside Toronto to inspect replacement vestibule glass â only to reject it for the second time because the print scale was still wrong.
Along the way, he squeezed in an unplanned tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin Martin House in Buffalo, ended up teaching the docents, and toured AGNORA's glass factory, where he found something almost no other manufacturer will attempt: a fully miterless, corner-glazed insulated glazing unit. He also saw a project where a developer printed the image of a demolished historic building onto the glass facade of its replacement.
Evan and Cormac dig into what "punch ready" is supposed to mean, whether we can still build at the level of FLW's Prairie homes, and what it costs (in time, travel, and patience) to hold a project to the standard it was designed to. This episode is especially relevant for project architects and CA practitioners who know the exhaustion of traveling to a site review only to walk away with another rejection, and who still find genuine awe in what the industry is technically capable of building, even when the job itself won't let you use it.
Episode Links:
AGNORA - glass manufacturer websiteFLWâs Darwin Martin house-----
Thank you for listening to Archispeak. For more episodes please visit https://archispeakpodcast.com.
Support Archispeak by making a donation.
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Five years into one project. Ten into another. Three principals retired before the second one wrapped. Evan and Cormac dig into what long-duration architecture projects reveal about career identity, why the profession has always romanticized the architect who works until death, and what retirement actually looks like when architecture is all you've ever done. They also get into the slow erosion of architectural vocabulary, why Cormac put a massive "WHY" at the center of his studio board, and the design decisions that unravel when nobody stops to ask the most basic question.
This episode is especially relevant for mid-career and senior architects who are quietly wondering where the work fits in the rest of their life â and for educators and mentors in the profession who want to give students the reasoning skills, not just the technical ones.
Episode Links:
Archispeakâs âWhat Makes This Building Greatâ - Kahnâs British Museum-----
Thank you for listening to Archispeak. For more episodes please visit https://archispeakpodcast.com.
Support Archispeak by making a donation.
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Ten years into a $600M research laboratory project, Cormac reflects on what it actually means to see a complex build through to the end â the COVID-era redesign, the permit battles across three code cycles, and the people who've been on site since day one. He and Evan unpack the case for continuity: why the architects who know every decision that was ever made are essentially irreplaceable, and why the grinding sameness of long construction administration is also the kind of rare, compacted education that most architects never get in an entire career.
This episode is especially relevant for project architects and CA teams who've ever wondered whether staying on a long, demanding project is actually worth it â and for anyone who's adopted someone else's mid-stream project and immediately felt the weight of not knowing why.
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Thank you for listening to Archispeak. For more episodes please visit https://archispeakpodcast.com.
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Cormac spent twelve hours trying to send one email. Evan has seventeen apps open at all times. This week they trace the architecture of modern distraction â from "you're on mute" killing the flow of real-time thinking, to AI making it easier to do more of the wrong things faster, to the structural reason architects keep saying yes when they should say no. The profession runs on availability, responsiveness, and service, and those instincts are now at war with the deep, focused work that good architecture actually requires. This episode is especially relevant for architects who recognize the gap between how busy they feel and how much actual work they can point to at the end of the day â and who are starting to wonder whether the answer is less technology, better boundaries, or just learning to say no.
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Have a question for the hosts? Ask it at AskArchispeak.com
Thank you for listening to Archispeak. For more episodes please visit https://archispeakpodcast.com.
Support Archispeak by making a donation.
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Architecture firms are adopting AI faster than they're building the expertise to judge it.
In this episode, we explore the AI and expertise paradox with Christopher Parsons, Founder and CEO of Knowledge Architecture, the firm behind Synthesis â a knowledge and learning platform built for AEC firms â digging into what happens when the tools your firm is counting on require more institutional knowledge to evaluate than the people on staff actually have.
AI tools for technical work in architecture â code checking, quality assurance, documentation review â don't run themselves. They require experienced practitioners who can distinguish a real error from a flagged decision, catch what the model missed, and exercise judgment the model can't replicate. The problem is that the people who can do this are retiring. And the emerging professionals now entering firms are, in many cases, actively avoiding the deep technical tracks that build that kind of expertise. The knowledge gap is structural, and most firms aren't naming it yet.
Meanwhile, the apprenticeship model that used to transfer institutional knowledge quietly â through proximity, repetition, and mentorship â has eroded. Young professionals aren't getting the reps on site visits, project management calls, and technical coordination that used to form the foundation of good judgment. Architecture's feedback loop compounds this: a decision made today may not be visible in a finished building for four or five years, and by then the people who made it may not be at the firm. Organizational learning is nearly impossible without systems designed to accelerate it.
This conversation is essential listening for architects, firm leaders, and AEC educators who want to understand what it actually takes to build expertise in a profession that keeps adding tools faster than it builds the judgment to use them.
What you'll learn in this episode:
âą Why AI tools for architecture QA and code-checking require senior technical oversight â and what happens when that oversight retires
âą How the knowledge management crisis in AEC firms is structural, not just a staffing problem
âą Why emerging professionals in architecture are increasingly skipping deep technical tracks â and what that means for AI adoption
âą How architecture's long project feedback loop makes organizational learning harder than in almost any other industry
âą What intentional mentorship looks like in practice â including "desirable difficulty" and how one firm rebuilt its approach to professional development
âą Why expertise functions more like a verb than a noun, and what that means for how firms should think about training and retention
#AIinArchitecture #KnowledgeManagement #ArchitecturePractice #AEC #ArchitectureEducation #DesignTechnology
Episode Links:
âThe AI and Expertise Paradoxâ by Chris Parsons-----
Have a question for the hosts? Ask it at AskArchispeak.com
Thank you for listening to Archispeak. For more episodes please visit https://archispeakpodcast.com.
Support Archispeak by making a donation.
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In this episode of Archispeak, we catch up after Evanâs trip to New York City and the AECtech conference, where he moderated a panel with design technology leaders whoâve climbed all the way into firm leadership. We also talk about the continuing education grind it takes just to keep our licenses alive, why thereâs really no such thing as âarchitecture without technologyâ anymore, and how technologists are quietly becoming some of the most strategic voices in practice. From the culture and community around AECtechâs workshops and hackathon, to studio juries that ask students whether they actually had fun, to wandering Heatherwickâs Little Island and wrestling with the idea that architecture is allowed to be whimsical and purely experiential, we connect the dots between career paths, culture-building, and remembering why we fell in love with this profession in the first place.
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Have a question for the hosts? Ask it at AskArchispeak.com
Thank you for listening to Archispeak. For more episodes please visit https://archispeakpodcast.com.
Support Archispeak by making a donation.
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In this episode of Archispeak, we pull back the curtain on what modern practice actually feels like when AI, meetings, and the architecture grind all collide. We talk about coming back from travel feeling not three weeks behind but three months, calendars that look like Tetris played on hard mode, and what happens when you join a call and realize youâre the only human in a grid full of AI note-takers. Cormac and Evan dig into how AI meeting companions, transcripts, and recordings change the way we think, remember, and take responsibility for decisionsâand why itâs getting harder to even know where the ârealâ record of a project lives when itâs scattered across Zoom chats, email, Revit, and shared drives.
From there, we zoom out to the bigger question: what this nonstop communication and tool-stack chaos is doing to actual design work, mentorship, and the next generation coming up inside firms. We wrestle with whether AI is really relieving the grind or quietly raising expectations so everyone is âonâ all the time, and we talk honestly about boundaries, attention, and how to carve out space for deep work in the middle of the mess.
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Have a question for the hosts? Ask it at AskArchispeak.com
Thank you for listening to Archispeak. For more episodes please visit https://archispeakpodcast.com.
Support Archispeak by making a donation.
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In this episode of Archispeak, we sit down with architect Anthony Laney to explore the ideas behind his new book, Poetics of Home. We talk about what it really takes to design spaces that feel deeply human and how his team at Laney LA has built a practice around clarity, rigor, and emotional resonance.
We dig into the invisible forces that shape a great project: the trust between architects and builders, the discipline required to strip a design down to its essentials, and the humility it takes to let a home reveal what it wants to become. Anthony shares stories from the field, from working with an extraordinary build team to navigating the inevitable surprises that show up during construction, and how those moments often lead to the most beautiful outcomes.
Across generations in our profession, thereâs a hunger for meaning in the work. This conversation gets right to the heart of that. Whether youâre just entering architecture or youâve been at it for decades, Anthonyâs perspective is a powerful reminder of why we do this in the first place: to create places where people can live well.
ï»żEpisode Links:
POETICS of HOME by Laney LAAmazon Link-----
Have a question for the hosts? Ask it at AskArchispeak.com
Thank you for listening to Archispeak. For more episodes please visit https://archispeakpodcast.com.
Support Archispeak by making a donation.
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In this episode of Archispeak, we talk about that elusive quality that aligns people with great art (and spaces)âbut this time through the lens of a real-world architectural field trip. Evan shares his recent trip to Iowa, where he spent time touring projects and hanging out with the folks at OPN Architects. We dive into why the atmosphere of a place, both in architecture and in practice, matters more than most people realize.
ï»żEpisode Links:
Watch this episode on YouTube (with all the pictures that go along with the conversation!)Jeff Skunk Baxter - Harmonic Vibration & the Human Spirit (YouTube)The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin (Amazon)tetragrammaton podcastRick Beatoâs interview of David Gilmour (YouTube)OPN ArchitectsPickle Palace-----
Have a question for the hosts? Ask it at AskArchispeak.com
Thank you for listening to Archispeak. For more episodes please visit https://archispeakpodcast.com.
Support Archispeak by making a donation.
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In this episode we discuss how taking a step back from work leads to better architecture. We talk about concrete ways to break free from constant busyness, when to pause instead of charging ahead, and how technology can both help and hurt creative solutions. We offer clear, practical advice on finding the right balance between thinking things through and getting work done.
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Have a question for the hosts? Ask it at AskArchispeak.com
Thank you for listening to Archispeak. For more episodes please visit https://archispeakpodcast.com.
Support Archispeak by making a donation.
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In this episode of Archispeak, we trade fresh field notes from Cormacâs latest midwestern architecture road trip and wrestle with the title theme: Misalignments of Rigor. Cormac stands in the rain in Toledo to watch a Gehry facade actually perform, peek at SANAAâs elegant double-skin glass and its (imperfect) parapet detail, and then compare all of it to a new addition grafted onto a Louis Kahn building that seems to ignore his relentless order. Along the way, we unpack preservation vs. recreation, how committees and clients steer âof-our-timeâ interventions, and why tiny choices like material transitions, door proportions, and device locations (aka wall warts) make or break the whole. For students, emerging pros, and firm leaders alike, we turn on-the-ground observations into practical takeaways: where rigor matters, when to prototype, how to collaborate with manufacturers, and how to keep design intent aligned with construction reality so your next addition reads as deliberate, not accidental.
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Have a question for the hosts? Ask it at AskArchispeak.com
Thank you for listening to Archispeak. For more episodes please visit https://archispeakpodcast.com.
Support Archispeak by making a donation.
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In this episode of Archispeak, we dive into the tough reality of how the architecture profession often fails its own. From the way firms accelerate project timelines while under-developing young talent, to the disconnect between academia and practice, we ask hard questions about why architects feel overworked, underprepared, and sometimes completely betrayed by the system theyâve dedicated their careers to. We explore how the industryâs obsession with speed and efficiency robs emerging professionals of essential learning opportunities, and why bad leadership and broken processes keep compounding the problem. Through real-world storiesâfrom 52-minute model load times to lessons learned only through hard-earned experienceâwe grapple with whether the profession can change course, or if itâs destined to keep âeating its young.â
ï»żEpisode Links:
Are students prepared for practice? (AIA article)-----
Have a question for the hosts? Ask it at AskArchispeak.com
Thank you for listening to Archispeak. For more episodes please visit https://archispeakpodcast.com.
Support Archispeak by making a donation.
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In this episode of Archispeak, we walk across the street in New Havenâliterally and figurativelyâto explore two masterworks by Paul Rudolph and Louis Kahn. These buildings, separated by time but connected by place and purpose, offer a rare opportunity to see two giants of architecture in conversation across the street.
We kick things off outside Paul Rudolphâs brutalist Art and Architecture Building, a six-story monument to concrete, shadow play (which is Cormacâs favorite), and interlocking geometries. From rough textures to zigzagging stair sequences, we unpack how Rudolphâs massing, detail, and bold restraint create an intensely dynamic corner in the city.
Then, just steps away, we head into Louis Kahnâs Yale University Art Gallery. Built 20 years prior, itâs a study in geometric discipline, restrained materiality, and the classic served-and-servant spatial philosophy. From triangular waffle slabs and coffered ceilings to floating stair treads, we peel back the layers of this early Kahn work and talk about how it set the stage for what came later in his career.
We also announce a new series: What Makes This Building Great?, available exclusively on our YouTube channel, where we take our conversations further by sketching over photos and plans to peel back the onion of master works of architecture. These are the kinds of deep, nerdy dives weâve always wanted to doâand weâd love your feedback as we build this series out.
Head to our YouTube channel to watch the first episode featuring Kahnâs Yale Center for British Art. And let us know what buildings you think are worthy of the title.
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Have a question for the hosts? Ask it at AskArchispeak.com
Thank you for listening to Archispeak. For more episodes please visit https://archispeakpodcast.com.
Support Archispeak by making a donation.
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In this episode of Archispeak, we walk through the Yale Center for British Art by Louis Kahn and reflect on what makes this building truly great. From its masterful use of natural light and honest materials to the clarity of its spatial organization, Kahnâs final building is both a work of art and a place for art. We discuss what it feels like to experience the space firsthand, how it invites contemplation, and why it continues to resonate with architects decades later. Along the way, we explore timeless questions about authorship, permanence, and what architecture has the power to communicate.
ï»żEpisode Links:
Watch a YouTube-only visual version of this episode hereYale Center for British Art (Wikipedia)-----
Have a question for the hosts? Ask it at AskArchispeak.com
Thank you for listening to Archispeak. For more episodes please visit https://archispeakpodcast.com.
Support Archispeak by making a donation.
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In part 1 of our summer series centered on the 2025 AIA Conference on Architecture, we discuss Evan's first visit to Boston and share his and Cormac's impressions of the city.
Rather than focusing on CEUs or presentations, we explore how the AIA Conference continues to serve as a powerful gathering place for the profession. The serendipity of in-person meetups, the nuance of hallway conversations, and the inspiration found in real-world architecture make it a unique moment in the calendar year.
Whether you made it to Boston or not, this episode captures the essence of what makes architectural travel and community engagement so energizing. It's a reminder that often the most meaningful aspects of being an architect happen outside the officeâwalking the streets of a great city or reconnecting with colleagues over drinks after years apart.
ï»żEpisode Links:
Evelyn Lee, FAIA - AIA 2025 PresidentArcolArchistarUpcodesHotel Marcel-----
Have a question for the hosts? Ask it at AskArchispeak.com
Thank you for listening to Archispeak. For more episodes please visit https://archispeakpodcast.com.
Support Archispeak by making a donation.
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In this episode of Archispeak, weâre joined by Carla Johnsonâauthor, speaker, and innovation strategistâfor a conversation thatâs both energizing and reflective. We dive into the idea of âslowing down to speed upâ and how reconnecting with our innate curiosity might be the most important skill for architects and creative professionals today.
Carla shares her journey from engineering to architecture marketing to helping AEC firms rediscover the lost art of asking better questions. We explore how our industrial-era systems stripped us of critical thinking and why nowâthanks to tools like AIâwe have a new opportunity to reawaken our creativity.
Together, we talk about reframing failure, why safe ideas might be the riskiest ones, and how even a simple breath can change the way we approach problem-solving. Whether youâre a student staring down deadlines or a project manager caught in the machine, this oneâs a reminder to pause, stretch, and let your curiosity lead the way.
ï»żEpisode Links:
Carla Johnson on LinkedInCarlaâs websiteMichael Easterâs The Comfort CrisisJony Iveâs interview at Stripe Sessions-----
Have a question for the hosts? Ask it at AskArchispeak.com
Thank you for listening to Archispeak. For more episodes please visit https://archispeakpodcast.com.
Support Archispeak by making a donation.
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In this episode of Archispeak, we explore the evolving frontier of home automation with Jeff Thomas of Control4 and Michael Smith of Bromic Heating. Together, we unpack the layered relationship between architecture and integrated technologyâwhy itâs critical to bring smart home specialists in early, how lighting, heating, and sound are blending into seamless user experiences, and where the real opportunities lie for residential architects.
We dig into the nitty-gritty: from the difference between Zigbee, Z-Wave, and Wi-Fi protocols, to the challenges of retrofitting systems in older homes. Along the way, we highlight how smart tech isnât just about gadgetsâitâs about extending comfort, enhancing ambiance, and making homes safer, more energy-efficient, and more enjoyable to live in.
If youâve ever felt out of your depth when a client asks about smart thermostats, color-tunable lighting, or voice-controlled heating, this oneâs for you. Weâre asking the questions you didnât know you needed to askâso you can deliver better outcomes and stay ahead of whatâs coming next.
This episode has been made possible with the generous support of Bromic Heating.
ï»żEpisode Links:
Jeff Thomas on LinkedInMichael Smith on LinkedInControl4 websiteBromic websiteEclipse heatersBromic heater Revit and CAD filesDesign service with a heating expert-----
Have a question for the hosts? Ask it at AskArchispeak.com
Thank you for listening to Archispeak. For more episodes please visit https://archispeakpodcast.com.
Support Archispeak by making a donation.
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