[132] Architecture, And: Ownership, Mergers, and Tech Startups

How do you utilize technology to make good design efficient and accessible for everyone?

On this episode of Practice Disrupted, we sit down with Alma Lopez, Head of Creative at CANOA, and Elizabeth (Liz) Wert, Head of Brand at CANOA, an AI-assisted collaborative online tool for designers, to learn about their journey from business owners to company mergers, how a tech startup forces efficiency, and the ways CANOA serves as an inspiration point for both its users and an evolving industry.

[131] Five Topics on Mental Health for Architects & Designers

For this week’s episode, we’ve selected five mental health topics that commonly relate to the practice of architecture: identity, perfectionism, stress + anxiety, burnout, and coping strategies. Allison Grubbs, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist, and Certified Clinical Supervisor, joins us to discuss these in-depth.

[129] Architecture, And: Waterfront Design

How do you transform interests into a specialized niche and trailblaze a non-linear path?

On this episode of Practice Disrupted, we sit down with Dena Prastos AIA, a waterfront architect with a background in civil engineering and Founder and CEO of Indigo River, a women-owned transdisciplinary design firm focused on progressive waterfront architecture, resiliency, and climate adaptation.

[128] CO Architects, Leading the Way Through Change

How do you shape the next chapter of an established firm, while leading a “practice into perpetuity”?

Tune in for a conversation with Jenna Knudsen, Managing Principal at CO Architects, where we learn about Jenna’s transition into the role of Managing Principal, the challenge of stepping into a new role during COVID, and how continual improvement shows up in the 160 person practice.

[126] Redesigning Professional Practice

How are Professional Practice professors redesigning their coursework to support architecture students entering an industry in transition?

Tune in as we kick off a NEW! podcast series centered on Professional Practice. Karen Williams from the University of Oregon School of Architecture & Environment and Nilou Vakil from the University of Kansas School of Architecture and Design join us to discuss their experiences teaching Professional Practice and the potential for this course to evolve and expand. 

[125] Building a Feminist Architecture Firm

How do you redefine what a 21st-century architecture firm looks like and how it operates?

This week Leah Alissa Bayer, Sarah Vaccaro, and Kate Conley discuss their practice, Architects FORA, a 100% woman-owned design firm.

[124] Architecture And: Mental Health in the Profession

How can we better support the mental health of architects and designers?
Co-hosts Evelyn Lee and Je’Nen Chastain sit down with the moderator of Practice Disrupted’s Season 7 kickoff, Joann Lui, licensed architect turned-marketer and founder of the Women Architects Collective, to discuss how she transitioned from architecture into marketing for tech startups, and why this decision was in support of her passions and her mental health.

[123] Architectural Education: Evolving Curriculum & Alternative Paths

How has the MIT School of Architecture and Planning driven innovation and influenced alternative career paths for students in the field?
In response to their listeners’ curiosity on bridging pathways into alternative careers, co-hosts Evelyn Lee and Je’Nen Chastain interview Nicholas De Monchaux, Professor and Head of Architecture at MIT, to discuss the evolution of curriculum at the oldest architecture program in the US.