Architect-ing

In this episode of Architect-ing, we're joined by Scott Lindenau, an architect known for his innovative designs that prioritize the integration of light and minimalist principles. Scott shares insights into his creative process, showcasing standout projects like his own Aspen trailer park residence and a transformative 1968 house. He opens up about the dynamic partnership with his wife, who leads the interiors division, and discusses the future expansion of Studio B Architecture + Interiors, with a spotlight on a significant Chicago project. Join us for a glimpse into the visionary world of Scott Lindenau.

In this conversation, Adrian Sopher and Erin Bagnall, principals of Sopher Sparn Architects, reflect on their professional journeys in the ever-evolving realm of architecture and urban planning. Adrian's career was significantly shaped by a pivotal moment in architecture school that sparked his deeper exploration of the field, while Erin's path was marked by adaptability and resilience, navigating challenges from the aftermath of 9/11 to finding her niche in interior design. Their joint venture, Sopher Sparn, emerged from their shared experiences in tackling complex entitlement work, eventually growing through strategic partnerships. They also have a discussion on leadership transition, highlighting the nuanced nature of succession planning in the architectural industry.

This episode is sponsored by Signature Doors and Windows and Modern in Denver Magazine.

In this week’s episode of Architect-ing, we talk with Ron Abo, FAIA, an architect with a rich history of community-focused work. Ron Abo recounts his experiences and insights, and how he discovered architecture as an outlet for his creative passions and a way to combat loneliness as a Japanese American in a predominantly white neighborhood. Ron's journey through architecture school in the 1960s led him to engage with real community projects during the War on Poverty's Model Cities initiative. He vividly recalls his involvement with the West Side Design Center and collaborating with diverse individuals to address community needs.

Ron's commitment to community-led design extended into his career, with projects like the Crusade for Justice school addition and passive solar houses in the 1970s. Despite facing doubts and financial struggles, Ron's determination to create meaningful impact highlights his journey as a socially conscious architect.

This episode is sponsored by Modern in Denver Magazine.

Zac Rockett and Jason Ro, of Ro | Rockett Design, join the show to talk about their inspiring journey of collaborative creativity. They recount the pivotal moment when they transitioned from established firms to launching their practice, emphasizing the importance of meaningful projects that fueled their growth. They also touch on design-centered approach, collaboration with clients to achieve shared design goals, and the significance of harnessing site attributes to shape unique architectural solutions. This episode is all about their professional trajectory, emphasizing the essence of meaningful projects, design narratives, and the journey of shaping a successful architecture practice.

In the extended bonus segment, Jason and Zac share insights into their partnership dynamics and how they complement each other's strengths. Their collaboration in architecture involves a balance of design and practicality, with Zac's knack for design and Jason's financial background creating a winning team. Overall, their experience showcases the intricate dance between creative expression and pragmatic problem-solving in the realm of architecture.

This episode is sponsored by Modern In Denver, Signature Doors and Windows, and Daniel Jenkins Photography.

Louise Bordelon, Chair of the Landscape Architecture Department at the University of Colorado Denver, joins the show to talk about her diverse background and experiences, from growing up in Cape Town, South Africa, to her journey through architecture school and beyond.

Louise explores the unique architectural landscape of South Africa, the challenges of designing for low-cost housing in shanty towns, and the tension between traditional architectural education and real-world design problems. Louise shares insights into her research on the Natchez Trace Parkway and explores the intersection of geography and landscape architecture, particularly focusing on the Mississippi River.

This episode is sponsored by Modern in Denver.

Bill Allen, founder of Evolve Lab, joins the show to talk about the importance of technology and networking and the personal insights that shaped his unique journey.

Bill shares his story from studying computer-aided drafting to working at HDR Architecture and eventually becoming a conference speaker, focusing on topics like computational design and interoperability using tools like Grasshopper and Dynamo.

Prepare to be amazed by the transformative power of cutting-edge tools such as Helix, enabling model conversion, Glyph, revolutionizing documentation tasks in Revit, and Morpheus, an intuitive generative design tool, and Veras an AI-powered visualization add-in that uses your 3d model geometry as a substrate to generate new design options. In the end, this episode highlights the tremendous potential of technology to optimize architectural workflows.

This episode is sponsored by Modern In Denver.

Alan Golin Gass, a living legend of Colorado architecture with a body of work spanning nearly 70 years, joins the show to talk about his varied experiences during a live audience recording at DoCoMoMo Colorado’s March Chapter Meeting with a special introduction from Kephart's Josh Robinson. Alan talks about his illustrious career in urban design in Denver, from his early days as a student at Harvard to his expectations for the future of architecture.

In this interview, we take a deep dive into his past, explore the challenges he faced when starting his own firm and talk about his most significant projects to date. Alan also shares his favorite building design and his innovative solar work. Lastly, he answers questions from the audience about his experience and advice for aspiring architects. See images from this event in a previous post on Instagram.

This episode is sponsored by Modern in Denver Magazine and DoCoMoMoCO.

Jorgen Jensen, Co-Founder of Fantastic Frank Colorado and the previous founder of Slate Real Estate Advisors, joins the show to share about his journey moving out of studying architecture school into business school and building his own brokerage company. He speaks about his passion for capturing moments and curating memories through imagery. He describes the influence of his Iowa upbringing and the impact of several influential mentors on his work as a creator. Finally through his work with the first US-based branch of Fantastic Frank, he illustrates the impactful presence a small company can have in a large world and the importance of connecting people with the spaces that are right for them.

This episode marks the last before a short hiatus. Stay tuned for upcoming episodes to resume.

This episode is sponsored by Form Kitchens, Signature Doors and Windows, and Modern In Denver.

Jennifer Olson and Ryan Walterscheid, Partners at Forum Phi, join the show to talk about directing their firm “without a name on the door”. This duo, with varying background and complimenting skill sets, leads the Aspen/Denver-based architecture, interiors and planning firm in a way that prioritizes high quality work environments while also maintaining profitability and design integrity. We talk about being choosey with clients, pushing sustainable practices and the challenges of regulations in Aspen and Pitkin County.

This episode is sponsored by Form Kitchens, Signature Windows and Doors and Modern In Denver.

Greg Kingsley and Brant Lahnert, co-founders of KL&A Engineers and Builders, join the show to talk about their long careers working alongside architects. From their varied backgrounds, to what drove them towards structural engineering, to starting a small firm with lofty ideas that quickly landed large projects with architects and clients like John Carney, Harry Teague, CCY, Shigeru Ban and Mickey Zeppelin these two legendary figures tell stories and dish the knowledge they have gained running their, now, 120 person firm.

In the extended bonus segment (we could have talked for four hours if we hadn’t gotten kicked out of the building), we talk about partnership dynamics, sustainability in the building industry and the future of design within Colorado.

This episode is sponsored by Modern In Denver.

For the 50th episode, the tables are turned and Adam Wagoner, Co-Founder of Vessel Office of Architecture, Adjunct Instructor at CU Denver CAP and host of Architect-ing, is interviewed by previous guest and friend of the show, Katie Donahue (episode #19). In this long episode, after popping confetti, the two talk about who Adam is not, his background growing up in the middle of Kansas, and his various experiences progressing through Kansas State University, Wichita, the Netherlands, Yale, Mexico City, Denver and his newest architecture firm, Vessel Office. From there they get into everything from design obsessions, working methods, internship experiences, founding companies, academic failures, ideas of “good” architecture and reasons to start the podcast. Katie tried to ask Adam 50 questions about himself, but stopped at 15.

If you didn’t get enough in the 105 minute interview, there is more chatting after the credits.

Thank you to everyone who has been listening to these first 50 episodes, supporting us, and helping to create a stronger design community in Colorado!

This episode is sponsored by Modern In Denver, Pear Workplace Solutions, Form Kitchens and Signature Doors and Windows.

Laura Marion, founder of Flight Architecture, joins the show to talk about how architects should respond to their natural environment and the responsibilities they have to the needs of the people who inhabit their designs. She talks about the lineage of architects in her family, how they influenced her design philosophy, and how she plans to practice architecture moving forward. She also explores the concept of “love” within her creative process, both for the natural world as well as architecture.

After the credits they discuss the shared challenges of starting a firm, gathering clients, and balancing the realities of being a working architect with the desire to create meaningful design, as well as the shared desire for more collaboration between different firms and architects.

This episode is sponsored by Signature Doors and Windows and Modern In Denver Magazine.

Josh Oqueli, founder of Bonsai Design Build, joins the show to talk about growing up in LA, his time in the Marine Corp, his career switch from engineering to architecture, his pursuit of becoming an architect as developer, the challenges of starting a new firm, and his passion for delivering good, affordable architecture to more people.

After the credits they talk about how Architect-ing started, the dreams and challenges of development work, and then geek out on Passive House design and building performance.

This episode is sponsored by Signature Doors and Windows and Modern In Denver Magazine.

Dana Crawford, the powerful development force behind Union Station, Larimer Square and many other Colorado landmarks, joins the show to talk about her childhood growing up on Kanopolis Lake in the middle of Kansas to gaining a full ride scholarship to Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She talks about her early days in the oil-booming-times of Denver and the drive that pushed her to purchase a “skid-row” block of LoDo when she had four children under eight years old. Dana shares about her newest pursuits in Idaho Springs and Trinidad, Colorado and gives advice to aspiring developers.

This episode is sponsored by Slate Real Estate Advisors, Signature Windows and Doors, and Modern In Denver

Christian Butler, founder of Studio Limited, joins the show to talk about his exposure to building and architecture through Habitat For Humanity, his graduate school experience at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin, and his entrepreneurial journey as an architect/developer/builder in Denver. Christian is a wealth of knowledge and an inspiration to those of us curious about practicing architecture outside of a traditional model. 

This episode is sponsored by Slate Real Estate Advisors, Signature Windows and Doors, and Modern In Denver.

Kevin Hirth, director of KEVIN HIRTH Co. & Assistant Professor at UC Denver CAP, joins this live show recorded at CU Denver College of Architecture and Planning to talk about his architectural education at University of Virginia and Harvard Graduate School of Design, a few of his foundational mentors, and his appreciation and embrace of drawing as a representational form.

In our live Q&A Kevin responds to questions regarding staying focused, his early interest in physical making, engaging in architectural history and theory, and what’s on the horizon for his practice and pedagogy.

This episode is sponsored by Form Kitchens, Signature Doors & Windows and Modern In Denver.

Mike Blea and Breton Lujan, co-founders of Raw Creative, join the show to talk about their shared Colorado upbringings and their initial disinterest in architecture before finally “drinking the Kool-Aid” and diving in to found their design and fabrication firm. They talk about the early days of Raw, which started at CU Denver and the Colorado Building Workshop, and the moments they have since learned and grown from.

After the credits we talk more about our shared struggle with “imposter syndrome”, a secret Aspen house, and how to deal with the feeling of being addicted to stress.

This episode is sponsored by Modern In Denver.

Stacy Passmore and Diane Lipovsky, co-founders of Superbloom, join the show to talk about their relatively new Landscape Architecture firm. We dive into their varied backgrounds living and working in locations such as Washington DC, Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, Vancouver, Telluride, Ghana and Nigeria before both attending Harvard (a decade apart). Stacy and Diane met at Civitas and after a fortuitous camping trip, Superbloom was formed in 2021.

We talk about running a firm as a partnership, hiring employees, winning projects, and building community. After the credits they flip the table and ask Adam questions about his influences, they talk about their favorite Architect-ing episodes, and their experiences reviewing architecture students.

This episode is sponsored by Modern In Denver.

Bob Binder, Principal and Denver Studio Director at DLR Group, joins the show to talk about growing up in Colorado, encountering architecture at an early age, studying at Montana State University and working summers in the oil fields. Bob has sat at every seat in DLR, starting as an intern and progressing to Studio Director. We talk about the benefits (and shortcomings) of a large firm, and his goals and desires for the future.

After the credits we talk Broncos football (at the time of this interview we thought Aaron Rodgers might be the next quarterback, but we are now both happy with landing Russel Wilson) and work life balance within the profession.

This episode is sponsored by Modern In Denver.

Adam Harding, @rothsheppardarchitects, Joseph Montalbano, @studiotrope, Nicole Nathan, @jnsarchitecture, and Rebecca Stone, @ozarchitecture, join the show for a live interview at the School of Environmental Design at University of Colorado Boulder. Each panelist presents a project from their academic past, a few recent professional projects, and discuss the journey in between. See all the slides from their presentations on our website: www.architect-ing.com.

They talk about the importance of establishing a strong project concept, strategies for clear communication, and preparing for job interviews. Afterwards, they take some written-in and audience Q&A from the CU EVD students.

This episode is sponsored by the University of Colorado Boulder AIAS and Modern In Denver.

Jon Gambrill and Michelle Liebling, Co-Managing Directors of Gensler Denver, join the show to talk about their Swiss-army-knife-type experiences and career trajectories that brought them to running the Colorado branch of the largest architecture firm in the world. They talk about the practicalities of leading an architecture office, the benefits of a large corporate firm, the low and high points of their careers, the biggest issues facing architecture in the future, and advice to young architects and women entering the field.

After the credits we talk about “sympathy” interview strategies for winning projects during COVID, Michelle’s time away from Gensler, and the time Jon hired Rebekah Wagoner instead of Adam Wagoner.

This episode is sponsored by Herman Miller and Modern In Denver.

Chris Gray and Steven Perce, Founders of BLDG.Collective, join the show to talk about each of their unique journeys that eventually led them to graduate school at the University of Colorado Denver and to founding their practice in the Great Recession of 2009. They talk about the lessons learned in leading an architecture firm as a partnership, and how they have methodically crafted their design and business approach to collaborate with ideal clients on meaningful projects.

After the credits we have an extended conversation about business and marketing advice, the Boulder architectural community and ways to talk about architecture to clients and your grandma.

Alex Gore, Co-Founder of F9 Productions and Inside the Firm Podcast, joins the show as part of a podcast swap to talk about his life as a serial entrepreneur from his beginnings drawing spaceship fuel tanks, to studying only the courses he was interested in at North Dakota State, to landing a job with Daniel Libeskind, to obtaining a Masters in Construction Management, to founding F9 Productions in one room with a folding lawn chair around 9 basic principles set upon “multiple legs” of different revenue streams.

Check out Alex and his business partner, Lance Cayko’s podcast Inside the Firm, where they dive into the nitty-gritty details of how to start, run, and grow a small business.

This episode is sponsored by Modern In Denver.

E.J. Meade, Principal at Arch11, joins the show to talk about how his car broke down in Boulder, and he never left. After gaining a philosophy degree, E.J. picked up a “How to Carpentry” book, and built his first home. A summer at the GSD propelled him into architecture school at the University of Washington and then CU Denver where he was mentored by the uncompromising Douglas Darden. From school E.J. founded Arch11 (1 more than 10) and never looked back.

In the bonus segment, we talk about the future of Arch11, the longevity of an architect’s career, how you have to get fired to understand you can survive it and how Rodolfo Machado compared E.J. to his maid.

This episode is sponsored by Modern In Denver and Herman Miller.

Marc Swackhamer, the Chair of Architecture at the University of Colorado Denver and co-founder of HouMinn Practice joins the show to discuss discovering architecture at the University of Cincinnati and setting up a thesis at Rice that would plague/challenge him the rest of his career. We talk about issues of inclusion and equity within the profession and academia, winning the national search to be the Architecture Chair at CU Denver, explorations with his partner Blair Satterfield at HouMinn and LoDo Labs, and experiments that borrow strategies from nature to produce unexpected results like a Nursepod that can repopulate forests after fires.

This episode is sponsored by Herman Miller and Modern In Denver.

Christy Headlee, founder of Be.Studio and Be.Women, joins the show to talk about starting her firm and social platform during the pandemic, her beginnings in small town Kansas, discovering design at the University of Nebraska, developing her skills at Oz and Gensler and working to better combine family and children with the professional design environment.

After the credits we swap advice about starting a firm and Christy talks about the future of Be.Women.

This episode is sponsored by Herman Miller and Modern In Denver.

John Rowland and Sarah Broughton, founders of Rowland+Broughton Architecture, share their experiences running their Aspen/Denver based firm. They talk about their education at CU Boulder, working in New York, building a strong design team, engaging with the art and design community and receiving the AIA Colorado Firm of the Year Award.

This episode is sponsored by Herman Miller and Modern In Denver.

Harry Teague, founder of Harry Teague Architects, joins the show to talk about his origins growing up in a family of designer, attending Yale in 1969 during the birth of post modernism, Black Panther trials and burning of the school, developing the architectural fabric of Aspen for the last fifty years and his advice to the next generation of architects.

After the credits we have an extended conversation about his experience jointly designing the first group up building in Denver’s Taxi development with Will Bruder and David Baker.

This episode is sponsored by Modern In Denver.

In this first live, public recording of Architect-ing during Denver Design Week, Adam is joined by Stephen Dynia of Dynia Architects, Kevin Nguyen of Regular Architecture, and Joana Emhof and Hans Osheim of ArcDen Studio.

This episode, which consists of an introduction by Adam, 5 minute Pecha Kucha-style introductions by each guest, panel discussion and audience Q&A, revolved around this brief: Every company has its beginning. The impetus to go it alone, embracing all the autonomy such a choice brings, is often met with excitement and clarity—as well as an unavoidable dose of trial and tribulation. What does it take to build a business from the ground up? How does a founder balance creative vision with the practicalities of professionalism?

See the slides each guest presented on the @Architecting-stories Instagram page.

This episode was sponsored by Modern In Denver and hosted at Pear Workplace Solutions in downtown Denver.

Paul Andersen, founder of Independent Architecture, joins the show for a long conversation about his top five buildings in Colorado, the meaning of “good” within architecture, his beginnings at UCLA with Greg Lynn, his times teaching at Cornell, Harvard and UIC, how he started his own firm, and his experience co-curating the US Pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale.

After the credits we have an extended conversation where we swap our best architecture school review stories (he does a spot-on Peter Cook impression). He talks about what community means to him, traveling between Denver and Chicago, and we talk more about the idea of “good”.

This episode is sponsored by Sierra Pacific Windows and Modern In Denver

Rob Pyatt and Janna Ferguson, principals at Pyatt Studio, join the show to give a window into the life of their tight knit firm.

Rob had a winding path to find architecture before studying at the University of Colorado and then starting Pyatt Studio. He was one of the early instructors at CU’s Colorado Building Workshop as well as the Executive Director of the Building Collaborative at the Native American Sustainable Housing Initiative (NASHI) and a Board Member of AIA Colorado.

Janna, who began as one of Rob’s students at CU, went on to earn a Masters degree from Portland State and study under Glen Murcutt at the International Master Class. She has stayed with Pyatt Studio her entire career but also works closely with NASHI, AIA Colorado and a number of other organizations.

In this episode we talk about the genesis of their firm and core principals as well as their work and community-based design philosophies with Native American communities.

This episode is sponsored by Modern In Denver.

Ignacio Correa-Ortiz, Senior Architect and Urban Planner, joins the show to give us the stories of his varied experiences and talk about how he is working to make Denver a more equitable environment.

Ignacio grew up in Columbia but studied in Belgium and then Wisconsin. He worked for firms such as CCY, SOM, HDR, and OZ before joining RTD in 2011. Beyond these offices, Ignacio engages in many community organizations and volunteer roles such as serving as a Planning Board Member for the City of Denver, the Denver Director for AIA Colorado, a Board Member for the Denver Architectural Foundation and the Co-Chair of the American Planning Association EDI Committee. We talk about his personal theory of Regenerativism as well as his current research into Troglodyte Architecture.

After the credits we discuss a recent burglary that occurred in his home and his thoughts on the roles that zoning, social housing and accessory dwelling units can play within the city.

This episode is sponsored by Modern In Denver.

Adam Harding, principal of Roth Sheppard Architects, joins the show to talk about his uniquely Colorado career and the new path he has been plotting since taking over leadership at Roth Sheppard.

We talk about his art-influenced background through his education at the University of Colorado. Out of school, Adam started at Roth Sheppard and has never left, becoming a principal in 2016. Adam creates goals and relentlessly drives towards them. He was awarded the AIA Colorado and AIA Western Mountain Region Young Architect of the Year Awards in 2015 and the AIA National Young Architect of the Year in 2021. He is heavily involved in creating a better community and giving architects a stronger voice in his multiple roles at AIA Colorado. He navigated the pandemic as the president in 2020.

This episode also includes a bonus segment where we talk about the larger goals Adam has for Roth Sheppard, the office’s Department of Curiosities, and the development of their Denver Rabbit House.

This episode is sponsored by Modern In Denver.

Laurel Raines of Dig Studio and Ransom Beegles of R Design Landscape join the show for a special Landscape Architect discussion, inspired by the Modern in Denver article “In Praise of Place” (https://view.publitas.com/modern-in-denver/modern-in-denver-summer-2021/page/122-123). With ten slides in ten minutes, each architect introduces who they are, how they got here and what excites them. From there, we join to discuss the state of Colorado landscape design, its past and where they see the profession going.

Ashley Stevens of Evoke was scheduled to join as well but unfortunately had to drop out because of technical issues. 

This episode also includes an extended conversation, after the end credits, about “archi-gawking” and both architect’s educational backgrounds at Harvard and Colorado State University.

This episode is sponsored by Modern In Denver.

Renée del Gaudio, sole employee of Renée del Gaudio Architecture, joins the show to talk about her vision for an authentic Colorado architecture.

We talk through her journey from Michigan to Washington to California to Peru and finally to Colorado where she has formed her own firm, literally out of the ashes of a forest fire. She purposefully works on few projects but all at an extremely high quality, gaining her many AIA Design and Firm of the Year Awards as well as write ups in Dwell, Modern in Denver, 5280 and the Wall Street Journal.

Renée has had a clear vision for her life and career with the inspiring directness and energy to get her there. Her mission is to create architecture that belongs in Colorado, the same way her mentors were designing projects rooted in the Pacific Northwest. Beyond this work, she has also completed design build projects around the world in places like Cuba, Mexico, and Kenya.

If all that doesn’t excite you (somehow) then listen in for her story about being smuggled out of Peru under a blanket in the back of a jeep!

This episode is sponsored by Modern In Denver.

Rich Carr and John Cottle, two of the partners at CCY Architects, join the show to talk about their roots and what brought them to architecture and to their Aspen based firm. CCY is an architectural giant in our state being founded some 50 years ago. They constantly produce work of high quality that is critically rooted in its place, whether that be in the mountain environments of Colorado or spread out in other areas of the world.

On top of our conversations about their careers and design process, we dig into their new monograph, Connection which is full of photographs, plans and drawings not seen on their website before.  Check it out once it hits the bookshelves.

This episode is sponsored by Modern In Denver.

Kitty Yuen, Principal and Denver Studio Leader at Ratio Design, joins the show to give a low down on the Colorado design scene.

Kitty has been a mainstay in the Denver for the last two decades, moving up the ranks at firms like Klipp Colussy Jenks Dubois, Oz, Gensler, Burkett Design, EUA and now to the Studio Leader position at Ratio Design which was previously Humphries Poli. Beyond all this work, raising her twin daughters and being married to another architect, Kitty is also very active in the AIA where she was the Denver president in 2011.

In this episode we get into her childhood growing up in Hong Kong and then moving to Minnesota before becoming the rebel in her family and attending architecture school in Arizona. Kitty has a great approach to design and leadership, pushing for the profession to be positive force in our community and inspiring other young architects as a role model.

After the credits we have an extended conversation about why she doesn’t go after awards, how she collects selfies from famous architects and what I am going to do with all the blackmail I have been collecting.

This episode is sponsored by Modern In Denver.

Julian Lineham and Chris O’Hara, founders of the structural engineering and façade design group Studio NYL join the show to share their great wealth of experiences and stories working with international architects like Michel Rojkind, Peter Bohlin, Sasaki and Studio Gang as well as local architects like Brad Tomecek, Joseph Montalbano, Rob Pyatt and Rick Sommerfeld. 

Chris and Julian are from two different parts of the world, NY and London but were brought together by their extreme passion for design and architecture. They are active in the AIA and other engineering associations and speak widely at conferences and events pushing for more innovative and sustainable developments within architecture.

And after the credits, this episode also includes our extended conversation about their early Bjarke Ingles experience and stories about hanging out with Mexican presidents.

This episode is sponsored by Modern In Denver.

Katie Donahue, co-founder of K Works Studio, associate architect at Handel Architects, instructor at The University of Colorado Denver and at Parsons School of Design in New York, joins the show to talk about her passions and exploits within her busy architectural life.

Beyond all her professional roles, Katie is also busy pushing for sustainable practices like Passive House and reuse of different materials. She lends her talents to organizations like Architecture for Humanity and the Open Architecture Collaborative and consistently and powerfully advocates for underrepresented groups of designers.  Katie has also won a number of awards, most notably AIA Colorado’s Young Architect of the Year in 2013.

After the credits, this episode includes bonus recordings of us hanging out and talking about work life balance, adventures in Nepal, and designing shoes and candles and then were interrupted by both my kids while we were talking about parenthood and the profession.

This episode is sponsored by Modern In Denver.

Adam Steinbach and Jim Pfieffer, founders of UNUM: collaborative, join the show to talk about the struggles and triumphs of starting a young, progressive design firm. We talk about their shared origins in Philadelphia and their eventual move to Denver. Here they created UNUM, a four year old firm of eight people which is having a visible impact on our Denver fabric. Creating projects that have branched off from Liv Studios innovative hospitality interiors, UNUM has been crafting interior spaces for restaurants, markets, bars, and other retail that have been getting themselves and their clients notice and praise. Beyond these interiors they are branching into residential and resort projects and have created two side projects, UNUM home and UNUM shop, diversifying the typical business model of an architecture firm.

After the credits, this episode includes an extended conversation where they reveal what was actually in their coffee cups and other stories about the struggles of our profession, the design community in Denver and their attempts to bend PVC pipe with hot water.

This episode is sponsored by Modern In Denver.

Kaci Taylor, founder of THE5WH and architect at Page Southerland Page, joins the show for a frank conversation about her career and experiences as the only black female architect in the state of Colorado. We talk about her beginnings in LA to her education at the University of San Francisco and Tulane and then her move to Denver. In Colorado, she worked through multiple firms, struggling with hostile work environments, until she landed at Page and started THE5WH as a way to better implement her design philosophies. She gives us a frank and powerful story of navigating the built environment and the profession as a black woman all with her inspiring passion for helping people and improving lives with design.

This episode also includes an extended conversation, after the end credits, about race and the profession as well as what Kaci is currently pushing forward with AIA Colorado.

This episode is sponsored by Modern In Denver.

Brandon and Tana Anderson, founders of LIVstudio join the show to talk about their shared backgrounds in Texas before finding each other and igniting their partnership during a semester abroad in Italy. The couple went on to work for many of the top Denver architecture firms as well as Lake Flato before forming LIV and crafted some of the best restaurant interiors in Denver such as Il Posto, Super Mega Bien, Sushi Rama and Denver Central Market. This conversation could have gone much longer than the hour and twenty minutes that it did and there is actually bonus material after the end crits. 

This episode is sponsored by Modern In Denver.

Nicole McIntosh and Jonathan Louie, founders of Architecture Office and faculty members at Texas AM's Department of Architecture, join the show as a brief interlude from Colorado designers. However this episode is seen as a continuation of their recent lecture at the University of Colorado Denver. They talk through their unique origins (Nicole's at 7:30 and Jonathan's at 35:33), educational backgrounds, how they came together and the work they are creating now. This episode also contains a bonus clip after the credits where they talk about winning the Architectural League Prize and their experience with Kevin Hirth (1:11:30).

This episode is sponsored by Modern In Denver. 

Heidi Mendoza, owner of the interior design firm re.dezine, joins to talk about her rich and diverse path that brought her to design.  Growing up in Finland Heidi studied Marketing and Accounting before switching to Broadcasting which led her to TV voiceovers and singing in a band. While pregnant with her second child she completed a degree at the Interior Designers Institute in Newport Beach California and moved to Colorado. Heidi formed re.dezine after founding the Creative Co-Lab and has crafted immersive interior projects throughout Colorado. 

Rick Sommerfeld, Founder of the UC Denver CAP  Colorado Building Workshop and Director of the Design-Build Certificate Program, joins the show to talk about his deep architectural background and connection to our state.  He tells the story of the beginnings of the award winning Building Workshop and dives into some of its many trials, tribulations and successes.  

Chris Shears, founder of Shears Adkins + Rockmore Architects and instructor at the University of Colorado Denver, joins the show to talk about our shared beginnings growing up in the neighboring, Kansas towns of Hutchinson and McPherson. He talks about the series of "interventions" that took him from studying medicine to discovering architecture at the University of Minnesota, Walter Gropius' Architects Collaborative, Harvard's Graduate School of Design and then Colorado where he and his firm have had a profound impact on our urban fabric.