Category: Conference

Presented by Marlon Blackwell, FAIA, and Meryati Blackwell, AIA, Marlon Blackwell Architects, at GENERATE 2024 Practice + Design Conference. 

Article by Jon Bell, AIA Colorado’s Communications and Creative Director. 

The final keynote of the conference offered a delightful twist: hearing from both Marlon Blackwell, FAIA, and Meryati Blackwell, AIA, together. During soundcheck, Marlon remarked, “You know, we don’t get to do this together very often.” This set the tone for an engaging and dynamic presentation, as the duo stood side-by-side, working through nearly 200 slides. They drew deeply from their vault of expertise, sharing insightful and captivating nuances for each project they highlighted.

The presentation spotlighted their recently published monograph, ‘Radical Practice: The Work of Marlon Blackwell Architects’, focusing particularly on public and civic projects. The Blackwells explored the transformative potential of design to enhance collective identity and encourage thoughtful, active engagement.

The Blackwells went deep into a variety of projects, exploring the richness of their work, focused on the understanding that the health and welfare of both individuals and communities is profoundly impacted by designs that enhance collective identity and encourage both thoughtful and active engagement. I’ve captured a few details from the projects below, as well as provided links to each project for your own curiosity.

Exploring Radical Design

Marlon opened by pointing out that the word radical is used as an adjective related to the word radicalis, a 14^th century Latin word meaning “of or relating to a root.” He said that having roots to the fundamentals to effect change to the word, results in an effective and authentic transformation in these places.

The Blackwells’ approach to design, which they call “abstract unions,” aims to balance engagement and detachment, often blending disparate features. For them, abstraction becomes a process of building connections with place.

Tackling “The Bear”

As a metaphor for confronting challenges in community-changing projects, the Blackwells shared an image of a large stuffed bear that stands ing the entrance to their offices. “Everyone must take on the bear,” they quipped, symbolizing the existential questions their team faces in their work.

Place-Centric Philosophy

The Blackwells articulated their design ethos as such:

In the Place,
Of the Place
For the Place,
(sometimes necessarily)… Out of Place.

They emphasized the importance of embracing both the good and bad to fully honor a place’s identity. This is key facet to their working definition of “making place.”

After giving an overview of the many locations around the world, representing a wide variety of contexts, that Marlon Blackwell Architects has had to contemplate what it means to make place, our two presenters dove into their work. They started with quick stories about an orthopedic hospital in NW Arkansas, a new corporate Walmart campus that will integrate a mountain bike course, and an air traffic control tower made from stainless steel and aluminum that incorporates education and public programming in a first of its kind program. Then, they slowed down the pace and unpacked a lineup of stellar work that kept the room in rapt attention.

Selected Projects Shared

Saint Nicholas Eastern Orthodox Church – transformation of a building

This project transformed a welding shed into a church. Using proportion and scale to achieve elegance on a budget, the team repurposed a satellite dish into a dome—paying a metalworker in beer. The project is the least expensive to ever win an AIA National Honor Award.

Shelby Farms Park – transformation of a landscape 

At 4,500 acres, one of the nation’s largest urban parks was revitalized with programs generating revenue and reactivating the space. Each structure, such as the visitor center with its massive porch, is designed to harmonize with the landscape while providing shade and comfort.

Heartland Whole Health Institute – radical health

This project is a healthcare campus integrating preventive care and natural landscapes. The design connects indoor spaces to trails and a ravine, using natural materials to enhance the therapeutic environment. 

They decided to make the campus parking garage into a unique structure that not only holds cars, but offers a coffee shop, restaurant, and a bar that now hosts events and weddings. This part of the campus project is an example of how the Blackwells approach each project: what else can they add or change about the project that fundamentally transforms what the project can offer.

Marygrove Early Education Center – early childhood education 

Inspired by African diaspora quilts, this vibrant project embraces color and joy, fostering an uplifting experience for children and parents alike. In part by creating a multi-sensory, multi-color exterior, Joy was the operative word that they used to describe this project as they designed for the joy children experience at the school as well as the joy the parents feel while interacting with the school. 

Enterprise Research Campus Hotel – urban ensemble 

The Blackwells shared how this large-scale project involved designs from several different firms revitalizing a former rail yard. They discussed materiality and shared how their large-scale models were constructed in Italy, where the types of car paints the Blackwells like weren’t allowed to be used. 

Ledger City Center – urban interplace

This innovative urban project brings a six-story building down to street level via a unique ramped design, inviting public interaction. When you’re on the street, this building feels more like a one or two story building.

PS1200 – ennobling the prosaic

A creative urban development using Quonset hut arches in unexpected ways, offering restaurants, retail, and residential spaces within a compact site.

Thaden School – education and wellness

Wheels, Reels, and Meals are the three experiences that make up the Thaden Experience. Students learn to work on bikes, how to create stories, and to grow and cook delicious meals. A focus of the school involves learning outdoors, so the Blackwells worked directly with landscape architects to ensure that the buildings connect deeply with the landscape. The buildings interact seamlessly with the landscape, featuring innovative rooflines, slatted siding, and expansive porches.

In conclusion, Marlon and Meryati captivated the audience with their depth of expertise and passion for design. Marlon’s concise, impactful explanations and Meryati’s focus on community connections showcased their complementary styles. The audience left inspired, eager to explore the transformative power of thoughtful, radical architecture.

Presented by Julie Snow, FAIA, Founder, Snow Kreilich Architects, at GENERATE 2024 Practice + Design Conference.

Article by Jose Banuelos, a junior majoring in architecture at the College of Environmental Design, University of Colorado at Boulder.

Julie Snow, FAIA, NOMA, founded her studio in Minneapolis, MN, in 1995 and the firm has since grown into a nationally recognized and award-winning practice. Today, Snow Kreilich Architects focuses on producing architecture that preforms against multiple measures of design success, resulting in consistent design recognition for projects that reply on a fresh and intensive design investigation of every project. 

Julie started her presentation by offering a few big questions and supplying a way her studio has approached these topics.

She asked:

“How do we bring focus to our most elevated design aspirations, to inspire, to transform daily life, and to offer quiet moments of awe? How do we find transforamtive moments in our architecture?”

Julie continued:

“As a studio, we rely on the power of small ideas. The ability of small ideas to navigate the design process. I would suggest that the most critical design decisions may not be the singular big idea, but instead the small ideas that refine the project.”

Julie Snow’s keynote, “Architecture’s Trajectory”, focused on how small ideas can bring a project to life. In fact, towards the start of her talk, she announced the title of the talk was changed to “Small Ideas”.

In the projects she walked attendees through, the small ideas that refined their projects often derived from an extended context that she also mentioned. Most people would think about the topography or surrounding buildings when thinking about context in architecture, while Julie expanded on those underlying factors by adding social, cultural, and political context when considering the design process.

“Urban Stadium” was one of these projects in St. Lewis that considered the social and cultural history of the area to create a meaningful structure for the community with the development of Citypark Stadium. The small ideas create a sense of community through the portico style columns and the enclosing canopies. These small ideas are what bring the project together to focus on community and the energy inside and around the stadium. 

Other projects she presented also embody this principle of small ideas, bringing to life the main purpose of the project. “Ecotone” is a project involving community outreach through the renovation of a skating rink into a community driven space. The existing Steinberg Pavilion and Rink is a beloved public institution that opened in 1957 with a donation from the Steinberg Charitable Trust. The current project will renovate and expand the Frederick Dunn-designed mid-century modern building and site in east Forest Park, St. Louis.

“Industrial Nature” is designed with a focus on the natural landscape that was lost in history. 

The design reflects patterns of the river to inform spaces and landscape types. Five main features define the park: two broad tree-lined promenades, a river walk, a flexible green, and a building/plaza zone.

“Quietly Familiar” is a residential project in which the space and connection client could reminisce about his past. 

All of the projects presented achieved their purpose through the accumulation of small, yet impactful, ideas involving the many different and varied factors considered throughout the design process.

Keynote presented as a conversation with Evelyn M. Lee, FAIA, 2024 AIA President-elect, and Mike Chapman, Executive Producer at ByDesign, at the GENERATE 2024 Practice + Design Conference.

Article by Kaylyn Kirby, AIA, Associate Principal at Semple Brown Design.

As someone who already greatly respects and appreciates Evelyn – her work within the Institute, Practice Disrupted podcast, and beyond – I was excited for her session at this year’s AIA Colorado Practice + Design Conference. She did not disappoint. 

After a day of design-focused, inspirational keynotes, the 2025 AIA President-Elect’s Q&A session provided a refreshing shift to the narrative. The conversation centered around a few topics: how the profession evolves to meet future issues, around attracting and retaining talent as we face competition from adjacent professions, and how we and shift practice models in order to provide greater benefits and pay.

With a Q&A format of presentation, some of the topics of discussion are bundled below.

Competition with tech 

Evelyn started her career in traditional practice before shifting to tech and is now serving as consultant to tech companies, along with her other pursuits. When realizing her passion and skills lied in Project Management and CA, she realized her skills were highly transferrable to other industries that would provide greater pay and flexibility, especially as she grew in her career and family. 

The starting salary for an entry level UX (User Experience) designer is $120,000; the starting salary for a recent architecture grad is … not that. Tech and other adjacent fields also offer expanded benefits such as unlimited PTO, longer maternity and paternity leave, more holidays, and more. This is something that the current business model of architecture cannot support. If we want to attract and retain our talent, we have to change how we do business. We must stop the race to the bottom to get the job, but rather shift conversations both externally and internally to expand our services and thus bolster our ability to provide better pay and benefits.  

She noted it’s hard for architects to advocate for higher fees on projects when clients know what we get paid (thanks google). It seems a change in conversation is required – architects are doing more than ever to deliver projects today. There are expanded documentation, coordination, entitlements, building code and energy code compliance requirements that require additional time, effort, and expertise. Architects are seemingly absorbing, rather than addressing, the greater scope with clients. 

Onboarding 

Evelyn noted that people determine if they will stay at a job long term, rather than a few years or as a career stepping stone, within the first 90 days on the job. This time pressure places great importance on the onboarding process, integrating talent into the culture, and making sure they feel equipped to do their job. This goes beyond onboarding in the first week but requires check-ins at 30 and 90 days to see how that person is acclimating into the new position.

Personally, I also think onboarding is a great time to understand how the firm is operating from fresh perspectives. For example, does our file structure make sense? Is it easy to find the resources you need throughout your day, week, etc.? 

Management

Evelyn also discussed a very interesting approach to managing teams – a “personal manual.” The idea is that different managers (i.e. Project Managers) have different styles and preferred communication styles.

She proposed managers should create a manual for themselves that contains how they prefer to be communicated with, such as method (phone, in person, message, etc.), time of day or specific days that work best, and when to elevate an issue to them for additional insight. This allows staff that may be working with different managers to better understand why a communication method that works with one manager may be less effective for another.

I think this is also an exercise that allows people to really think through and understand their own working and communication styles. 

Mentoring

There have been many conversations over the years and at AIA Colorado’s annual conference about how we mentor in architecture and what that looks like in a flexible/hybrid environment. Evelyn noted the idea of “osmosis learning” is not happening and is not as effective as some believe.

As someone who personally struggles with retaining focus in a loud open-office setting, I could relate to her opinion around this topic. Most people in the office have their headphones on to help filter out the noise of the open office, people on meetings, chatting, etc. The antiquated idea that everyone is simply overhearing their co-workers navigating phone calls and coordination issues as a form of learning, is not really working. We have too many distractions and too many working styles for that to be effective.

Evelyn also noted that the profession likes to simply “throw people in the deep end” rather than actively training and mentoring them. We have to be more intentional in how we mentor and teach, this is even more critical in a hybrid and flexible work environment. Evelyn suggested cataloging resources and making sure they were easy to find for all employees. Things such as a video tutorial for common questions or tasks, or a slack channel dedicated to detailing or code questions. The benefit of a channel is that it is then a resource that can be searched by people in the future that may have the same question. These types of activities cut down on siloed or repeated email questions back and forth. 

How we work  – flexibility, remote/hybrid work

In 2024, it’s easy to forget the state of the world and work in 2020. However, the pandemic forced us to shift how, and where, we work and how we communicated and collaborated on projects. There are many opinions on what architecture practice looks like today, but I would urge us to not let the lessons we learned during the pandemic be lost. There are times of day that different people work most effectively, which may or may not align with standard business hours. As long as this is communicated and understood by project teams, it should not be an issue. The profession needs to evolve and embrace the flexibility, remote and hybrid work that we proved could work during the pandemic, and that competing industries are providing. The younger workforce will demand it or look for alternative options outside of the field.

With general declining college acceptance rates due to a lull in birth rates following the Great Recession, we’re already going to be seeing declining numbers of architectural graduates in the coming years. Pair this with a high cost of investment (higher education costs / student loans) and a low return on investment (low pay and benefits), the profession could face a challenging future. We are a creative and problem-solving profession, let’s approach a change in practice models and the future of work with this perspective. 

About Evelyn

Evelyn M. Lee, FAIA, is a multi-faceted professional who uniquely blends her architectural background with a tech-driven focus. As an architect now immersed in the tech industry, she serves as an angel investor, startup advisor, and fractional COO for SMB Architecture firms, playing a pivotal role in their growth and success. Despite her career transition, Evelyn’s passion for architecture remains unshaken, fueled by a deep admiration for the professionals in the field, their dedication to serving clients, and the indelible impact they imprint on communities.

A sought-after speaker, Evelyn regularly shares her insights on the evolution of architecture practice, leadership and team development, the integration of technology in practice operations, and the exploration of alternative careers. Outside of her architectural pursuits, she is a founding advisor for Women Defining AI, championing a more inclusive and diverse landscape in artificial intelligence. Evelyn Lee’s leadership and forward-thinking approach are not just about innovation and progress, they’re about guiding the architectural profession towards new, uncharted directions.

Presented by Anne Mooney, FAIA, Co-Founder, Sparano + Mooney Architecture at GENERATE 2024 Practice + Design Conference.

Article by Andrea Malta, Senior, College of Architecture and Planning at CU Denver

At the heart of the 2024 AIA Generate Conference, Anne Mooney delivered a keynote that was both
insightful and inspiring. Titled “A Way of Working,” she shared the philosophy and methodology that
define her architectural approach, illustrating these principles through an exploration of five
projects at different scales and settings from Sparano + Mooney. Mooney described how she
grounds her projects in strong ideas and translates those ideas into meaningful architectural
designs. Her way of working involves slowing down to move beyond preconceptions, allowing time
to uncover the unique potential within every project.

Mooney’s approach is exemplified in her design of Saint Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, where
her dedication to thoughtful design is evident. She began with in-depth research, immersing herself
in the life of Saint Joseph to guide her project decisions. A hallmark of her process is the use of
physical models, which allow for a tangible exploration of scale and early design concepts. Her
work involved studying Roman Catholic church precedents and poche studies, which influenced
the development of small chapels integrated into the building’s oval shape. Materiality played a
central role in the design; budget constraints prompted creative thinking and presented unique
opportunities. Elements like the tinted windows inspired by the 12 apostles and aligned with the
sun, the preservation of the existing church on the site, and the thoughtful sloping of the floor to
remove the hierarchy between the altar and congregation, all exemplify how the design reflects the
unique value architects bring to a project.

Mooney then transitioned to a smaller-scale project: a residence where the client’s desire was to
have a sanctuary, an escape from how busy life gets. This posed its own challenges, particularly
given the dense neighborhood context, but the outcome was a design that felt both protective and
inviting. The final form emerged as a unified mass with splits in the volume. What I found especially
inspiring about this talk was the attention to the smallest details. For example, a physical section
model was created, with a fallen tree trunk used as the base. The trunk, with a natural split, aligned
perfectly with the central division of the pool, reflecting how Mooney’s design process is deeply
rooted in thoughtful integration even in its early stages.

Next, Mooney discussed her work on the Kimball Art Center in Park City, where research played a
key role in shaping the design. She drew inspiration from Park City’s logging history, grounding the
project in the idea of dense tree colonies characteristic of the area. The program was organized to
reflect the organic growth patterns of these tree colonies, where educational programs were placed
in the lower area and everything else merged from it above. The design resulted in a glazed skin that
celebrates the 330 sunny days of Park City in the exterior, with a solid wood inner core in the
interior. A key takeaway from this talk was Mooney’s reflection that “Buildings outlast their current
use,” highlighting the importance of designing spaces that can adapt and be reconfigured over time.

As the fourth project, Centro Civico Mexicano Community Center, in Salt Lake City was explored.
The center will serve as a hub for the Spanish speaking community, providing a space for cultural,
educational, and social events. Mooney explained how as a team, they analyzed diagrams of a well-
known Mexican song, that got recorded by 12 different singers in different genres to generate a
conceptual construct using the language of the cassette to give form to the hall of the center. The
iteration process incorporated various forms of public art, and Mooney emphasized the importance
of physical models, as they are often preferred over digital renders and drawings in conveying the
design’s essence to clients.

Lastly, Mooney presented the Wabi-Sabi residence in Emigration Canyon, located above Salt Lake
City, where the unique mountainous context dictated the scale of the project, rather than the usual
city-based considerations. She emphasized the importance of analyzing conceptual pieces, to avoid defaulting to previous design solutions. Something that often becomes a challenge, even as a
student. She reinforced her commitment to making site-specific, client-specific projects. The Wabi-
Sabi residence resulted in two hinged volumes over the site, anchored to the street. Careful
attention to materiality and waste reduction influenced the scale and volume of the spaces. The
residence sits quietly in its surroundings, offering stunning views of the canyon as well as distant
city lights depending on the program.

Mooney closed her keynote with a powerful reminder that architecture is a collaborative effort,
framing it as a team sport—a brilliant perspective that highlights the importance of collective
engagement in design. Lastly, she mentioned that there are a lot of things in this profession that are
beyond our control, but there are still many aspects that we can control, and the way we work is
one of them. By consciously shaping our approach, we have the power to influence both the
process and the outcomes in meaningful ways.

Tech Connect 2024 was a 1-day event prior to the GENERATE 2024 Practice + Design Conference, held in Keystone, CO, focused specifically on the changing landscapes in artificial intelligence and its rapid impact on our profession.

The three presentations were:

• “How AI changes architecture: the productive, ethical and innovative intersection of technology, computation, robotics and the built environment”
  • Randy Deutsch, FAIA
• “Building an image generator: principles and practices in AI”
  • Matthew Goldsberry, Assoc. AIA
• “Transforming workplace design with AI: insights and innovations”
  • Arjun Kaicker, AIA

Summary thoughts by Craig Lawrence, AIA, Partner/Principal at Rowland+Broughton

Empathy might not be the first thing we think of when we think of AI.  The simple mention of “AI” in the context of architecture very likely conjures feelings of being behind in adoption of this cryptic and seemingly opaque technology, or looming clouds of uncertainty and intimidation.

What if, instead of anxiety, “AI” fostered a sense of empathy: feelings of connection and collaboration, of personalization, flexibility, adaptability, and environmental evolution?

In the thoughtful hands of Arjun Kaicker, AIA, and his team at Zaha Hadid Architects, AI and other forms of computational design are envisioned and practiced as ways to deeply understand the occupant experience and their needs.  

In a case study of workplace design, AI-powered iterative and generative design was demonstrated as a way to solve complex spatial problems and catalyze innovation. In a fascinating example of generative iteration, the ZHA team quickly studied hundreds of office floor layouts to optimize and balance such workplace needs as collaboration, sunlight, and activity.

Using AI’s interpretive capabilities, they next built programmatic profiles of potential users, and plugged that data into predictive simulations via “agents” to demonstrate how occupants may actually use a space over time. The resulting workspaces were less rigid, more adaptable, and more responsive to the needs of the occupants, both now, and in the future.

There is no doubt AI looms large over our industry. Questions of how to adopt, what it can or can’t do, authenticity, and a myriad of other issues, certainly tend to cast long shadows.  

However, the application of the technology demonstrated by Kaicker casts AI in a different light. It has the ability to usher in an era of greater exploration, less rigidity, and more collaboration between designers, stakeholders, occupants, and even the environment.  Rather than a thing fixed in time and space, our built environment has the potential to be predictive, adaptive, and democratic. Our design processes have the potential to be more informed, intentional, and responsive. There is no better time than now to jump in, experiment, and discover how these tools can lead to better architectural practice and more just outcomes for the occupants of our built world.

About Arjun

Arjun Kaicker, AIA, NCARB, ARB, RIBA, LEED AP

Co-Head of Workplace Analytics and Insights, Zaha Hadid Architects

Arjun is an architect with 25 years’ experience in user-centered Workplace Design, from initial office building design to interior and product design. At Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA), Arjun has worked on over 100 projects globally, and while a partner at Foster+Partners projects included Hearst Tower and 425 Park Avenue in New York and Apple Park in California. Arjun’s recent work spearheading innovations in design AI and algorithm driven analytics is helping ZHA develop ever more rigorous, user-centered and adaptive architecture and design

Tech Connect 2024 was a 1-day event prior to the GENERATE 2024 Practice + Design Conference, held in Keystone, CO, focused specifically on the changing landscapes in artificial intelligence and its rapid impact on our profession.

The three presentations were:

• “How AI changes architecture: the productive, ethical and innovative intersection of technology, computation, robotics and the built environment”
  • Randy Deutsch, FAIA
• “Building an image generator: principles and practices in AI”
  • Matthew Goldsberry, Assoc. AIA
• “Transforming workplace design with AI: insights and innovations”
  • Arjun Kaicker, AIA

Summary thoughts by Julianne Scherer, AIA, Managing Principal, HDR

Drawing from HDR’s investigation in creating a custom AI image generator designed specifically for architectural design, Matthew Goldsberry offers the following recommendations for firms interested in a similar exploration:

1. Begin building an organized digital library of your firm’s architectural photos, renderings, and drawings. Even if you’re not ready for AI implementation, having a well-organized visual database will be valuable when you are.
2. Trial existing AI visualization tools, such as Midjourney or DALL-E, to understand their basic capabilities and limitations for architectural work. This gives you practical experience without major investment.
3. Document your current visualization workflow and identify pain points where AI could help most – especially in early design phases and client presentations.

Additional actions include the following:

• Experiment with the practical Integration of these AI tools including: how to integrate them with existing software (BIM, rendering programs); identify best practices for using AI in client presentations; and examine ways to maintain consistency between AI-generated images and final designs.
• Advance your technical understanding of AI tools including: basic principles of architectural-focused AI image generation; data management and organization for AI training; and ethical considerations and copyright issues in AI-generated architectural imagery.

About Matthew

Matt Goldsberry, Assoc. AIA, HDR

Matt oversees the applied research and implementation of advanced computational design workflows. He is the director of Data-Driven Design and is responsible for developing new computational tools and workflows to facilitate design exploration, automated analysis, and advanced data management. Matt is also a Lecturer at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he teaches courses on advanced geometry and building information modeling. Matt holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of California Los Angeles and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Tech Connect 2024 was a 1-day event prior to the GENERATE 2024 Practice + Design Conference, held in Keystone, CO, focused specifically on the changing landscapes in artificial intelligence and its rapid impact on our profession.

The three presentations were:

• “How AI changes architecture: the productive, ethical and innovative intersection of technology, computation, robotics and the built environment”
  • Randy Deutsch, FAIA
• “Building an image generator: principles and practices in AI”
  • Matthew Goldsberry, Assoc. AIA
• “Transforming workplace design with AI: insights and innovations”
  • Arjun Kaicker, AIA

Summary thoughts by Andy Rockmore, AIA, Principal at SAR+

It’s only been two years since the introduction of AI image generators like Midjourney. AI proved that images can be created not by people, but by using descriptive words. This free software generated billions of images in seconds of seductive buildings. Until recently, AI didn’t know the AI-generated image was a building; now it does. AI can almost immediately spit out floor plans, structural framing options (based on discoverable geotech reports), and unlimited program configurations. All the while, Architects continue to take on more production and risk, while accepting less time and lower fees.

So let’s stop asking AI to do the things we do well, and have it do the things we don’t do so well. How can we let go of some historically important tasks, so we can adapt to our highest and best value, creating space and time for holistic, human-centered design? 

Professor Deutsch offered a few impactful pro tips:

• Use AI to start the explorative concept design process. A few ChatGPT prompts or questions, stating the problem, will generate information that puts you in the middle of the problem, rather than being stuck at the start. 
• AI can run exhaustive iterations of everything from office building core locations to whole master plan configurations in seconds, giving confidence that all options have been analyzed, and removing, or at least isolating, subjective preferences. 

When AI does more and more of our tasks, when construction knowledge is baked into our design tools, when our clients are undertaking their own test-fits, what do we do with more time? We design. We improve the quality of our work, we continue to search for balance between work and life, and knowing our profession as we do, we likely take on even more work.

No doubt Architects will continue pushing AI to accomplish tasks a computer can do more efficiently, accurately, and quickly. However, fortunately, what AI will always need us to do, is what makes us authentically human beings: continue creating possibilities, orchestrating people and relationships, using our innate empathy, and translating and synthesizing an ever complex world.

About Randy

For over thirty years, Randy Deutsch, FAIA has been an architect and educator, author, international keynote speaker, and AI researcher. As a licensed architect, Randy designed over 100 large, complex sustainable projects for which he received the AIA Young Architect Award Chicago. In the last decade, Randy has authored 6 books, most recently Convergence: The Redesign of Design; Superusers: Design Technology Specialists and the Future of Practice (a “Best Future of Technology Book of All Time” recipient); Think Like an Architect: How to develop critical, creative and collaborative problem-solving skills; and Adapt As an Architect: A Midcareer Companion.

In addition to teaching at University of Illinois at Chicago starting in 2001 and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign starting in 2012, until 2019 Randy served as Associate Director for Graduate Studies in the School of Architecture. He previously served on AIA Chicago Board as Director and Vice President; on Architect Magazine’s 2018 R+D jury; led an annual Executive Education program at Harvard GSD; and served on the 2023 AIA National Design Awards jury. In 2020, his team received an NSF Grant and DPI Seed Grant for planning a first-of-its-kind institute for the application of AI in design, construction and operations of buildings and infrastructure.

In 2020, Randy was elevated to Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council. As a book author, international keynoter, workshop leader, administrator, mentor and educator Randy currently leads a graduate AI studio and aims to help current & future design professionals understand impacts of emerging technology on future practice, to plan for and navigate a fast-moving, uncertain future with confidence.

More about Randy www.randydeutsch.com

This keynote presentation was a conversation with Tom Kundig, FAIA, RIBA, Principal / Owner & Founder, Olson Kundig, and Sarah Broughton, FAIA, Co-Founding Principal at Rowland+Broughton Architecture / Urban Design / Interior Design and 2023 President of AIA Colorado, at ENGAGE 2023 Practice + Design Conference.

Kicking off the conference, this keynote session featured Tom Kundig sharing his contextual approach to design, providing an overview of his work that often serves as a backdrop to the built, cultural, or natural landscapes that surround them. In the wide-ranging conversation, Tom shared his philosophies around craftsmanship, collaboration, and what it means for humans to be in a relationship with architecture.

“It was an honor to interview Tom as part of his keynote talk at the conference this year. Olson Kundig’s work and practice is an inspiration to me personally and I know many other Colorado AIA members share this admiration.

Tom’s candid and intimate sharing of his career and journey was enlightening. From how his mountain climbing hobby taught him time management, to his love of simple structures and his admiration of sculpture, it highlighted how Tom is able to consistently contribute and push his architecture. His openness echoes his curiosity and how that thirst for life has resulted on currently working on every continent other than Antarctica. Way to go Tom and thank you!“

— Sarah Broughton, FAIA

Tom on where he learned time management:

“Just starting with something that was super important to me, which were the mountains. I grew up in the mountains. My parents are both Swiss. So naturally, the mountains are really important to my life and I learned a few things mountain climbing and mountain skiing, and all of you that do those sports know how difficult those sports are, and the risk reward. And this is what was most important to learn, sort of risk reward for hard, hard work. Not necessarily romantic, some of those unbelievable, almost spiritual moments you get with a lot of hard work. 

And we all know as practicing architects, that’s what it’s all about. It’s really about hard work for occasionally, the really special moments. Climbing with John Roskelley and Chris Kopczynski, I learned how to time manage, which is a hard issue for a lot of architects and contractors. To date. I’ve never been wrong walking on a construction site. And a contractor will say the critical path is finishing this project on this date. I will consistently say you’re not even close. You’re four or five months away. And I’ve never been wrong, unfortunately, because that hurts us all.

What I learned from John, and was he obviously a world class climber. He says ‘as soon as you start to climb, you’re already behind schedule‘. And your job in every phase of the project is to find five minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes. So you’re banking the hours in advance of the inevitable surprise at the end of the project.

That’s the way a few of us in the office were when we were managing projects. And again, I learned that from climbing with John and Chris, learning how to manage my time. And to be tough as nails about the risk reward.”

A few of Tom’s thoughts for emerging professionals:

“..this is particularly important for the students or the young professionals in the audience, is if you work on small projects, you go through the cycles quickly. And so you recognize my scribble had this effect during construction. And it was either a good thing or was not a good thing. So you have that cycle. That goes quickly. When we worked on the Burke Natural History Museum, I was on that project for 14 years from scribbles to finally opening up… But if you were a young architect that worked on that project, you would only have seen it in 14 years. That’s a significant part of your career, working on a relatively complicated, large project, and you have a small part of it.

What we like to do is put students and young professionals on large projects to learn about large projects, but also have two or three small projects along the side. And you can only really do it in some retail kind of agendas. But we think the residential arenas, super important for that.”

“..for the students and young professionals, I was 32 years old when I started on this project, I don’t think I was doing architecture when I got my I got my license when I was 24 years old. And that was super young. And I said to my dad, you know, I actually don’t think I’m an architect. And he said to me, ‘well, you’re not actually. You’re licensed, but you’re not an architect.’ And I actually, that was actually a wise thing to say because, of course, I was involved in a number of buildings for a number of years. But until I worked on studio house, I didn’t feel like I had matured to the point where I was actually an architect. So be patient. It takes time. It’s frustrating, but it’s ultimately all worth it.”

Tom’s thoughts on mission statements:

“There is no agenda in our office. There is no mission statement in our office… I think it was Mark Cuban that said, ‘if you have a mission statement, you’re already you’re already failing.’ Which I think is kind of interesting. I don’t know if that’s totally true. But he said that and of course it made us feel good because we don’t have a mission. We don’t have any real agenda, other than just trying to do great work. And it doesn’t matter what the scale of the project is, what the budget of the project is.”

Tom’s use of technology and Artificial Intelligence:

“I participate in none of the new technologies. I’m still pencil and paper. If there’s a proportional study for fenestration or whatever I have to do with pencil, I don’t use pens anymore.

But obviously, the office is fully loaded for bear with technology. And it’s kind of amazing what it’s capable of doing. A.I. of course, we have we’re experimenting with A.I. It was kind of hilarious, because the A.I, group in the office went out and they punched in my name. And I saw that building and thought That’s actually pretty good. It was kind of scary. But it is a tool and I think it’s a really interesting tool. I think you gotta recognize it as a tool.So far, and it can probably help, you know, in some ways, sort of understanding a situation, but I find it fascinating.”

See more ENGAGE 2023 Practice + Design Conference coverage at aiacolorado.org/conference.

Also, keep an eye out for Tom’s conversation with Adam Wagoner on the Architect-ing podcast to be released in the coming weeks.

Presented by David Goldberg, FAIA, President, MITHUN, at ENGAGE 2023 Practice + Design Conference.

The second keynote speaker of the 2023 AIA Colorado Practice and Design Conference was Dave Goldberg from the architecture firm Mithun. As president of the practice, Dave presented the projects and approach to architecture that led to the firm’s selection as the 2023 AIA Architecture Firm of the Year.

Mithun was founded in 1949 by Omer Mithun in the Pacific Northwest and is now considered to be in its fourth and fifth generations of leadership. Dave focused on the evolution of the practice and their arrival at today’s mission of “Design for Positive Change.” 

Based on a spirit of design, education, environment, urban-placemaking, and civic engagement, the firm is notably structured as an interdisciplinary design practice that embraces collaboration. To make a bigger impact on the world, Mithun evolved from an architecture-centric practice to a collaborative interdisciplinary, project-centric practice that succeeds by integrating multiple design disciplines into the design process. Today, in addition to architecture, their integrated design model includes landscape architecture, urban design, planning, and research and development.

Dave presented the four pillars of the Mithun design firm: Collaborative Interdisciplinary Model, Centering Equity, Sustainable Design Leadership, and Innovative Research.

Collaborative Interdisciplinary Model

Meant to dispel the myth of the “all-knowing genius designer,” the new paradigm of architecture is to “collaborate, listen, and lead the process.” For Mithun, all disciplines having a “seat at the table” is both figurative and literal. In addition to each collaborator contributing input during design, the firm has been amplifying collaboration for years by embracing the laptop so that all team members can sit around the “big table” and screen to work together.

Centering Equity

While acknowledging the majority-white led firm and profession in general, Mithun is committed to using design to combat racism, bias, and discrimination in all forms. In addition to work on affordable housing projects and work with tribal and underserved communities, Mithun provides pro-bono design services by contributing approximately 1% of their net revenues annually.

Sustainable Design Leadership

Wide-ranging evidence of Mithun’s leadership in sustainability includes their early adoption of the 2030 Challenge, carbon-neutral operations since 2004, and seven AIA COTE design awards. Additionally, the firm helped develop the LEED Neighborhood Development program, Sustainable Sites Initiative, and created a Build Carbon Neutral online calculator to estimate the embodied carbon of construction projects.

Innovative Research

In 2016, Mithun formalized their R+D efforts to build upon past research and innovation success. Mithun R+D was created to sponsor internal project research, external partnerships, and intellectual research pursuits. Since the R+D formalization, the firm has funded over $1 million and 10,000 hours of research, with the participation of more than 100 Mithun staff.

Concluding the presentation, Dave shared their Louisiana Children’s Museum project that embodies the values and firm mission of “Design for Positive Change.” An AIA COTE Top Ten Plus Award winner, the project creates an outdoor learning laboratory for the children of New Orleans that exemplifies the triple bottom line of social well-being, environmental health, and a just economy. “Growing out of the trauma of Hurricane Katrina, the project became a model of resilience, integration of landscape, and bioclimatic design.”

See more ENGAGE 2023 Practice + Design Conference coverage at aiacolorado.org/conference.

Also, keep an eye out for Dave’s conversation with Adam Wagoner on the Architect-ing podcast to be released in the coming weeks.