Level Design Podcast

After 17 episodes, we took a break to refocus on business. Now we’re back with a completely new format.

You can expect 2 episodes a month (Audio + video) with a new cohost (Miles) and some incredible guests.

We’ll be sitting down with engineers, architects, business leaders and entrepreneurs, city officials, and infrastructure experts to explore how we got here, what’s happening today, and how to build a better industry and world.

We’ll also be discussing some new and exciting opportunities for design professionals to dramatically change the way they work.

In this conversation, we explore the cost of neglecting infrastructure and the ripple effect it has on so many areas of our lives.

We also discuss the responsibility of design professionals and the economic impact of infrastructure investment. The conversation delves into the need for a shift in perspective and the potential solutions to address the expanding knowledge gap.

We Cover:

Introducing Miles as the New Co-host

Bringing a Different Perspective

The Importance of Understanding Infrastructure History

The Cost of Neglecting Infrastructure

The Ripple Effect of Infrastructure on Cost and Convenience

The Current State of American Infrastructure

Whose Responsibility is Infrastructure?

Advancements in Materials and Physics in the 1630s

The Impact of Trade Routes on Infrastructure

The Influence of Rivers on City Planning

Connect with us:

The Level Design Podcast is a podcast for Architects and Engineers who want to thrive in this industry by creating more freedom, fulfillment and financial security.

Join us in uncovering how to restore value and honor to the unique people who choose to be designers and caretakers of our built world and why it’s essential to the future of our society, our industry, and our planet.

Scott sits down with Wade Williamson and his team at Axium Inspections.

Colorado's #1 inspection company and growing nationally.

Over 20 Certified Home Inspectors who offer full-service home and commercial inspection services, including radon testing, sewer scopes, well & mold inspections, lead testing, asbestos inspections, drone inspections and more!

So what are inspections? Why do we need them? How did we get here?

617,000 bridges across the United States.

Currently, 42% of all bridges are at least 50 years old, and 46,154, or 7.5% of the nation's bridges, are considered structurally deficient, meaning they are in “poor” condition.

Ben Kenney, P.E. owner of Engineering Operations joins Scott and Murray to discuss some fascinating topics

• Corporate barriers
• Bridge Inspection
• Price of a bridge
• Some serious mistakes we’re making with bridges and other infrastructure
• Infrastructure challenges we currently face
• Potential solutions
• A diving story that will make you claustrophobic
• And much more

In this episode, Scott & Murray discuss:

• Environmental consciousness
• Half of our environment impact is just “building stuff”
• Let’s take a conscious look at what we’re doing
• Is money always the driver for the design community
• Free, independent & flexible thinking
• Picking up where we left off in the early 1500s
• Climate change
• Greed and power, taking the land vs existing with the land
  

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Can we maintain our human conveniences and have less adverse impact on our planet?

Are Architects & Engineers going extinct?

What do we need to revive in our industry?

Join Scott Zurn and Murray McBride as they discuss

In this episode, they discuss:

• The human convenience
• Cost of infrastructure
• Communication challenges today
• Why we need more Architects & Engineers.
• How we can improve the way we pay for and build our infrastructure
• Getting involved locally
• How Engineering, Architecture, and construction relates to your tax dollar
• 57% of our Engineering community quits, why and how to change that
• The one activity in our infrastructure that produces 7% of carbon emissions into our atmosphere
• What the hell happened in Texas

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Sixty million Indigenous People lived throughout the Americas before European expansion. In a short amount of time, 90% of those people were lost to European disease and violence. An estimated loss of 55 million people; a 10% reduction of the world's population at that time.

What happened to the infrastructure of each of these ancient people and what can we learn from it?

Join Scott Zurn and Murray McBride as they discuss what went wrong when the Europeans settled the Americas. Instead of learning from the Indigenous People and their way of sustainable living, old European ideas were brought here and repeated the same mistakes.

Also, enjoy a new segment where Scott and Murray discuss current events, like the Texas storms that left dozens dead and millions without power over several days.

In this episode, they discuss:

• an LDPI update
  
• Continued: The history of infrastructure
  
• the importance of the A&E community's knowledge and our planet’s future
  
• the struggle between political forces and the public interest on infrastructure
  

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Engineers are traditionally men. Why?

Engineers are fleeing the industry at record numbers, unhappy with the status quo...so what? Why should we, and everyone else care?

The bulk of human convenience relies on the intellect of the A&E community.

But there’s a gap. A gap between the unique genius that goes into our infrastructure by A&E professionals, and the general public.

In this fascinating episode, join hosts Scott Zurn and Murray McBride as they discuss why this is happening and what we’re doing about it.

They discuss...

✅ how design professionals can thrive outside of the traditional corporate model

✅ character qualities needed to succeed as an entrepreneurial A&E professional

✅ the three founding articles of LDPI as a for-benefit company

✅ environmental impacts of our throw-away culture

✅ how we can create prosperity for design professionals, the industry, and the world.

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I believe we are in an employee and employer revolution.

I think we are in a place where there’s disillusionment from both parties about the other.

Disjointed expectations between the two.

The last time this happened at the scale was after the depression.

So what's the solution to this problem?

Let's explore.

Episode Schedule: Every other Monday

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Innovative business structures are emerging. B-Corporation (For-Benefit) that are legally required to make business decisions based on profit, people, and the planet.

In today's episode we explore how these new models can impact you and the old models are outdated and broken. It's time for a change.

We are shifting our thinking so that Architects and Engineers can thrive in this industry.

✅ The pros and cons of the current business model within most A&E firms.

✅ How For-Benefit Corporations are changing the industry and the world.

✅ How the For-Benefit business structure allows you to thrive.

Episode Schedule: ~Every other Monday

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The modernization of the business of A&E is going to happen, and needs to happen. In fact, it is happening as we speak. In this episode we look at technology and new business structures that are changing the way we work, collaborate, market, buy, sell and live.

We are shifting our thinking so that Architects and Engineers and thrive in this industry. We take a look at exponential change in other industries that quickly put behemoth companies out of business in a matter of years.

Why couldn't they pivot? Why didn't they embrace technological evolution?

Episode Schedule: Every other Monday

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How much of your Fair Market Value are you keeping?

Based on conversations with architects and engineers across the country of all different disciplines and ages, we have a pretty good guess.

We've looked at the past 40 years to project the next 40 within the design industry. In this episode Scott discusses the past, present, and future of your fair market value.

How can we keep more of it?

If you feel like you're not keeping much of your Fair Market Value, be sure to listen to this episode in its entirety.

Episode Schedule: Every other Monday

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In our conversations with architects and engineers across the country of all different disciplines and ages, we have started to hear a common theme. The business of A&E has diverged from the practice of A&E.

Is today's episode, Scott explores the history of our industry, how we got here and what the future holds. If you are an A&E professional feeling more like a commodity than a valued design professional, be sure to listen to this episode in its entirety.

Episode Schedule: Every other Monday

Get Involved: