AIA YAF Connection 19.04 - Practice Innovation

Connection

The architecture and design journal of the Young Architects Forum

This issue: Practice Innovation: In a rapidly changing industry young architects and designers grapple with new business models, alternate career paths, tools to advance design analysis, and unique ways to facilitate collaboration.

2021

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2021 Young Architects Forum Advisory Committe 2021 Chair 2021 Vice Chair 2021 Past Chair 2021 - 2022 Knowledge Diretor 2021 - 2022 Advocacy Director 2021 - 2022 Communications Director 2020 - 2021 Community Director 2020 - 2021 Strategic Vision Director 2021 - COF Representative 2021 - 2022 Sarategic Council Liason AIA Staff Liason AIA Staff Liason

Abi Brown, AIA Jessica O’Donnell, AIA Ryan McEnroe, AIA Jason Takeuchi, AIA Monica Blasko, AIA Beresford Pratt, AIA Katelyn Chapin, AIA Matt Toddy, AIA Ronald Blitch, AIA Cheryl McAlee, AIA Jessica Rogers, Assoc. AIA Jonathan Tolbert, Assoc. AIA

2020 - 2021 Young Architect Regional Directors New England Southern California The Virginias Western Mountain Ohio Valley South Atlantic Texas Michigan New York

Cathlin Osepchuk, AIA Mandy Freeland, AIA Allie Ditzel, AIA Ashley Harishorn, AIA Seth Duke, AIA Emily Schickner, AIA Amaya Labrador Jonathan Jackson, AIA Chris Fagan, AIA

2021 - 2022 Young Architect Regional Directors Central States Florida Caribbean Northern California Middle Atlantic North Central New York Pennsylvania Northwest and Pacific Illinois Gulf States New Jersey

Malcolm Watkins, AIA Trevor Boyle AIA Olivia Asuncion, AIA Kathlyn Badlato, AIA Ryan Welke, AIA Christopher Fagan, AIA Anastasia Markiw, AIA Brittany Porter, AIA Holly Harris, AIA Kiara Luers, AIA Matthew Pullorak, AIA

Connection is the official quarterly publication of the Young Architects Forum of AIA. This publication is created through the volunteer efforts of dedicated Young Architect Forum members.

Copyright 2022 by The American Insititute of Architects. All rights reserved.

Views expressed in this publication are solely those of the authors and not those of The American Institute of Architects. Copyright © of individual articles belongs to the author. All images permissions are obtained by or copyright of the author.

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Table of contents 05

Editor’s note 24 Beresford Pratt

The power of collaboration Alexandra Gadawski

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President’s message Daniel Hart

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Architecture and marketing Jason Holland

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YAF chair’s message Abigail R. Brown

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Educational design Kelsey Jordan

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Advancing supply chain equity Tannia Chavez

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Future forward grant

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Democratizing net-zero design Tannia Chavez

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Changing how we practice with a ‘One Team, One Model’ approach Beresford Pratt

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Becoming an architect whisperer Hallie Crouch

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Practice Innovation Lab Ashley Thornberry

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2021 Whitney M. Young Jr. Award Recipient Gabriela Baierle

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Mission 2130

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Many small firms, one giant network Vin Minkler & Matthew Pultorak

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Connection and chill Knowledge focus group

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Editorial team Editor-in-Chief Beresford Pratt, AIA, NOMA Pratt is a design manager and architect with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He co-leads multiple J.E.D.I based architecture pipeline initiatives with Baltimore, Maryland K-12 students. He is the AIA Young Architects Forum Communications Director.

Senior Editor Amaya Labrador, AIA, LEED AP BD+C Labrador is a healthcare project architect . She currently serves on the AIA Houston Board of Directors, the Emerging Professionals Committee, and is the Young Architects Regional Director for the region of Texas.

Senior Editor Holly Harris, AIA, LEED AP BD+C Harris is a healthcare architect and planner at SmithGroup in Chicago, Illinois. She co-leads the AIA Chicago Healthcare Knowledge Community and was selected for the Herman Miller Scholars Program for Emerging Professionals in Healthcare in 2019. She is the vice chair of the AIA Illinois Emerging Professionals Network and serves as the Young Architects Regional Director for the region of Illinois.

Senior Editor Matthew Pultorak, AIA, NOMA, CSI Pultorak is a Senior Planner/ Estimator for Rutgers University’s Planning Development and Design Team and Owner of Time Squared Architect, LLC in New Jersey. He currently serves as the Young Architects Regional Director for the region of New Jersey, Emerging Professionals Communities At-Large Director of Mentorship, and AIA Jersey Shore’s President-Elect.

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Contributors: Daniel Hart Abigail R. Brown Tannia Chavez Hallie Crouch Gabriela Baierle Vin Minkler Alexandra Gadawski Jason Holland Kelsey Jordan Ashley Thornberry Knowledge Focus Group Allie Ditzel, AIA Ashley Hartshorn, AIA Kiara Luers, AIA Caitlin Osepchuk, AIA Jason Takeuchi, AIA

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Editor’s note:

Practice innovation Over the past four years, the Young Architects Forum has worked to address some of the most challenging issues of our time under the lens of practice innovation. In a rapidly changing world, economy, industry, and social order young architects and professionals are continuously learning how to be nimble and lead the charge in designing strategies of how we work, design, and think.

In 2021 the Practice Innovation Lab toolkit was developed to explore how to leverage the architect’s skills to improve on how things are done, and to ideate disruptive concepts, processes, and products through interactive workshops. In this issue of Connection, Ashley Thornberry showcases how AIA Kentucky/ AIA Indiana took advantage of developing their own practice innovation lab during the ongoing pandemic.

We will also see design disruption in Tannia Chavez’s interviews of designers and creators of innovative

technological tools shaping the design industry, like Effrie Escott designer with TALLY and Sandeep Ahuja, CEO and co-founder of cove. tool. Tangentially, BIM tools have fostered stronger collaboration in a ‘One Team, One Model’ approach amongst architects, engineers, and clients.

Practice owners like Jason Holland showcase how architects can build brands with their deep knowledge in designing built environments. Vin Minkler and Matthew Pultorak paint a picture of how coalition and network building for small businesses can foster collaboration through staff sharing and workload sharing across offices. And Hallie Crouch tells a personal, and actionable, story of taking a unique dive into an alternate career path.

Each of us has an opportunity to learn from these many young architects and professionals to help shape our world, industry, and careers as we practice innovation.

Editorial committee call Q1 2022: Call for submissions on the topic of climate action.

Connection’s editorial comittee welcomes the submission of articles, projects, photography, and other design content.

Submitted content is subject to editorial review and selected for publication in e-magazine format based on relevance to the theme of a particular issue.

2022 Editorial Committee: Call for volunteers, contributing writers, interviewers and design critics. Connection’s editorial comittee is currently seeking architects interested in building their writing portfolio by working with our editorial team to pursue targeted article topics and interviews that will be shared amongst Connection’s largely circulated e-magazine format.

Responsibilities include contributing one or more articles per publication cycles (3–4 per year).

If you are interested in building your resume and contributing to Connection please contact the editor in chief at: aia.beresford.pratt@gmail.com

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President’s message:

2022 AIA president

Productivity guru David Allen says: “There are no problems, just projects.” I like that quote because it reminds me that no matter how serious and overwhelming our challenges may be, they are solvable.

just as important architects be innovative in our thinking, our outreach, our communication. It doesn’t matter how innovative we are if our clients and communities don’t work with us to deploy innovative best practices.

Our communities have big challenges. And our profession is uniquely equipped to help. Whether it’s climate change, racial inequity, or the pandemic, we can address our most urgent problems with design.

Through innovative strategies, we’re making great strides in demonstrating the power of design and building the partnerships we need to achieve meaningful progress – locally, nationally, and globally.

That’s why I say design thinking is our superpower. By training and by nature, architects are big picture thinkers. Problem solvers. Innovators.

AIA’s Mayors Innovation Project is just one example of new outreach at the local level. This recently launched initiative pairs mayors and city staff from three cities -- Eastpointe, Mich.; Clarksville, Tenn.; and Blacksburg, Va. – with an architect for about 6 months to tackle a local renovation, reuse or retrofit challenge. Each city’s goal is to reduce environmental impact and equitably serve the surrounding community.

Nationally, we moved the needle on the federal infrastructure debate. More than 5,000 members wrote their members of Congress to deliver our simple message: Buildings are infrastructure. The infrastructure bill signed into law in November includes meaningful advancements toward building a more resilient and sustainable built environment.

We know how to design spaces that are more resilient, more inclusive, and healthier. And the need for these spaces has never been more obvious, or more urgent.

When we talk about innovation in architecture, we usually focus on technology, and for good reason. Groundbreaking advances in methods, materials, and project management are some of our best tools for building 21st century communities.

But for architectural innovation to achieve its full potential, it’s

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We’re also walking the walk in sustainable design with the AIA headquarters renewal project. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to embody our values in our own building. For decades to come, AIA’s space in Washington will stand as a tangible demonstration of the values of equity, sustainability, inclusiveness, and innovation we champion.

and conversing with public officials, AIA’s delegation ensured the profession’s voice was represented in new ways. Our team spoke directly with a number of US members of Congress, cabinet members, mayors, environmental leaders, and partner organizations to raise awareness of the role of the building sector.

Drawing on the latest innovations and best practices, we’re designing a model workspace of the future, for the workforce of the future. And who better to advise the landmark project than the members and shapers of that future workforce: future architects? To help develop the design plan, AIA welcomed six students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to serve as interns for the project. Virtually embedded with the design team from April through August 2021, these students gained real-world experience while offering invaluable insights into designing a post-COVID workplace of the future.

AIA is developing a toolkit to guide firms in developing their own inclusive internship programs.

We can’t talk about innovation without noting one of the biggest changes coming to AIA in 2022. I am thrilled to welcome Lakisha Woods, CAE, to serve as AIA’s next Executive Vice President/Chief Executive Officer. With her experience leading the National Institute of Building Sciences, Lakisha embodies an ideal combination of expertise and fresh perspective to help AIA succeed in addressing our priority issues.

It’s a pivotal time for the built environment, and the profession is implementing pivotal innovations to meet the moment. There are no problems, only projects.

At the global level, AIA sent its first-ever official delegation to the United Nations Committee Of the Parties, COP26, in Glasgow last fall. Speaking at events, forging partnerships,

Daniel S. Hart, FAIA, PE

Hart is the 2022 AIA president. He is the executive vice president of architecture and serves on the board of Parkhill. He was an adjunct instructor of architectural engineering at Texas Tech University.

He was also the founding president of the college’s Design Leadership Alliance.

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YAF chair’s message:

Never stop thinking big:

A look back on the Practice Innovation Lab as YAF develops a new 5-year strategic initiative

As I wrap up my year as chair of the Young Architects Forum and enter my last year on the committee, I cannot help but think back to how I got my start. In 2018, I stepped onto YAF’s Advisory Committee in the role of community director. But before that, and most relevant to this Connection’s theme, I attended the AIA’s Practice Innovation Lab (PIL) in October 2017. For those of you still unfamiliar with the PIL, plenty has been written about the experience, the outcomes, and the process both on the AIA website and within the pages of previous Connection issues, and I encourage you to read those articles by fellow contributors.

Something that hasn’t been made obvious in much of this coverage is that the Practice Innovation Lab also marked the beginning of a five-year strategic initiative for the Young Architects Forum. If you do the math, you’ll realize that those five years will come to an end later in 2022. As I write this, the YAF leadership is moving full steam ahead with a steering committee to conceptualize and plan a multi-part summit that will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Young Architects Forum through a future-focused event that reevaluates the needs of young architects and pushes boundaries to propel the profession forward. While the Practice Innovation Lab was largely meant to spark inward innovation relevant to the profession of architecture, this new “Summit

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30” looks outward toward the convergence of climate change, technology, and society in the next 100 years.

What will the world look like in the year 2130? How can the profession of architecture evolve to meet the demands of our future communities and climate? What technology has been invented to support these efforts and provide for both planetary and human health? What do architects need to start doing today to proactively address these changes instead of passively reacting once there is no other choice? These are all questions that the steering committee is asking, and we look forward to providing opportunities for you to help us explore the answers throughout 2022.

In the meantime, I have been reflecting on the legacy of the Practice Innovation Lab and asking myself what lessons we should bring with us into the future. Two takeaways come to mind: one, that the YAF has a unique ability to initiate and bring about real change within our profession, and two, that true innovation is the result of hard work, perseverance, foresight, and sure, a little bit of luck.

As young architects, we occupy a unique space in the AEC industry. We have completed a master’s or professional bachelor’s degree in architecture, we have passed the AREs

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after gaining experience across all facets of the architectural process, and yet we still have many decades of our careers ahead of us. The Practice Innovation Lab set the stage for a continued search for innovation within practice. One day soon, we will all reach a point when we are no longer considered young architects. When that day comes, we must maintain our eagerness to evolve the standard business model of architecture, to advocate for change, and to be a guiding light for our profession.

This time last year, we were sorting through the chaos surrounding multiple crises: a global pandemic, civil unrest, the effects of a warming planet, a demand for equity and justice, and the uncertainty surrounding the future of work. There was a hope that all of this would lead to innovative business models and new ways of working remotely (or in a hybrid fashion), but a year later, there is a clamoring and a yearning for a “return to normal.” Until we realize that how we are living now is our new normal, we will continue to find different ways of doing the same things under the guise of “innovation.”

I implore you to look outside of the profession and into Web3, NFTs, cryptocurrency, and the metaverse with the same rigor and optimistic wonder that we approached our studio projects in school. While many, including myself at times, may dismiss

any or all of the above as a fad, the truth is that there are a lot of people trying to solve real-world problems with this new technology. We risk being marginalized quickly if we turn away from their efforts and ignore progress. If the past two years have taught us anything, it’s that there are a lot of issues on which we disagree, but to tackle the most pressing problems our planet faces, we must first make space to listen to “the other.”

Later this year, the YAF’s Summit 30 will encourage us to look outside the insular nature of architectural practice and toward the larger issues facing society. I think this is an important and necessary shift, given the overwhelming challenges the world faces today. And yet, as we look toward the future and a new five-year strategic initiative, I know we plan to bring the lessons of the Practice Innovation Lab with us. And as I approach the end of my tenure on the Young Architects Forum, I know that I will bring this thirst for innovation and change with me into my next endeavor, whether that be within my firm or new opportunities within the AIA. Please join us this year as we wrap up our focus on practice innovation and look toward the horizon. Because if we are going to make it to the year 2130, we can’t stop thinking big.

Abigail R. Brown, AIA

Based in Washington, D.C., Brown is a co-founder of JAMB Collective, a resource-sharing network for small and medium-sized architecture firms that was born at the 2017 Practice Innovation Lab. She serves as 2022 YAF past chair.

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Advancing supply chain equity A conversation with one of TALLY’s designer: Efrie Escott

Efrie Escott Escott Investigates materials, ecosystems, and digital technologies as an associate in the KieranTimberlake Research Group by translating data-driven research into building design. She was a core member of the development team for Tally, the founder of Philadelphia’s Dynamo User Group, and a member of the USGBC Materials and Resources Technical Advisory Group. She is also the co-chair of AIA Philadelphia’s Women in Architecture Committee.

With a mission to understand the potential of having an inhouse design lab in our firm and an eagerness to increase my knowledge about the life-cycle performance of buildings, I had a conversation with Efrie Escott, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, LFA, an expert on this topic and one of the creators of the Tally tool - Efrie helped me navigate through a clear vision for life-cycle design.

ones we share more broadly, like Tally. During the process of making an internal life cycle assessment tool, we realized that the workflow needed to go out to the industry to be shared with architects and designers so they can verify the environmental impact of their buildings without needing to get an additional environmental degree.

Tannia Chavez (TC): How did you become an architect and researcher?

TC: What is Tally?

Efrie Escott (EE): I started my architecture education with the intent to become an architect with a hobby in environmental activism. Over the course of my education and early years of practice, I became interested in how buildings participate as a part of the larger ecosystem. So I leveraged that interest along with my training as a licensed architect and my master’s in environmental management, with a focus on urban and industrial ecology, to look at ways that we can approach the building design process differently. That is a big commitment that KieranTimberlake Architects made possible by providing me the opportunity to focus on those questions full-time.

EE: Tally was designed as a plug-in compatible with Revit to calculate the embodied environmental impacts of a building.

Implementing Tally in your workflow makes it possible to achieve dramatic reductions in the amount of embodied carbon emissions of a project. We were able to make an 82% reduction of embodied carbon in a series of prefabricated houses, OpenHome. They are already operationally carbon neutral, but we are trying to bring it to zero total carbon through Tally by conducting a life-cycle assessment. Every time we build another house, we’re looking for every single additional kilogram of embodied carbon we can pull out of it.

TC: Is this how you became part of the Tally team?

EE: Yes, I joined KieranTimberlake specifically because of the opportunity to be a part of making Tally and with the idea that the tool would become one used by building designers everywhere to change the way we look at designing buildings.

This past May, KieranTimberlake gifted the Tally software to Building Transparency, creators of the EC3 tool and a nonprofit with expertise on software for the AEC demographic that aligns with our vision.

TC: Should every firm have a software lab?

EE: Absolutely. At KieranTimberlake, we make a lot of tools to be used internally for our own buildings in addition to the

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Above: OpenHome, Image courtesy of KieranTimberlake.

Detail view of entry door and custom vertical cedar cladding of one of the OpenHome projects. Starting with a system of pre-designed elements, owners work with architects to refine the layout, finishes, amenities, and enhancements.

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TC: Can you please explain how Tally is addressing equity and justice concerns in our designs?

TC: Can you provide any recommendations to have an efficient collaborative workflow?

EE: With our expertise on supply chains gained through Tally, we noticed that it is possible to increase transparency into supply chain equity. We have started tracking the relationships between environmental justice and the design supply chain.

EE: The biggest one is having a good relationship with your structural engineer; they are our allies with the topic of embodied carbon (SE2050). Acknowledging the structure as a primary area of reduction in embodied carbon as early as possible in the design process is crucial.

TC: Can you explain this?

EE: There are all kinds of things happening before our building materials get to the construction sites, like extraction and manufacturing. The environmental impact has direct implications for the communities in which these processes occur, and to the workers that are involved in the process. That is why we are focusing on supply chain equity that includes things like emissions and toxicity for the workers in the manufacturing plant or for the communities that are around the manufacturing sites. Also, it looks into things like modern slavery and the fact that there are a lot of places that aren’t as transparent in terms of their supply chain, more specifically where and how their materials are made and extracted.

There are a lot of things within our supply chain that, as architects, we usually don’t have a lot of control over, and we don’t have a lot of knowledge of. The Tally team has been doing so much work on the supply chain to understand it from an environmental perspective; we’re also pretty concerned about what it means from an equity and environmental justice perspective.

So, we’re starting to dig more deeply into that topic area and trying to provide some transparency to it. We are currently in the beginning phases of this work, but we hope to be able to share more soon.

TC: Can you give three reasons why young architects should advocate for the use of sustainable platforms in their firms?

EE: Number one, it is an emerging area, and you can become an expert on it at your firm, as very few people know much about most of these tools. Number two, there is a moral and ethical imperative—which will impact our generation directly.

Number three, as architects, we must reduce embodied carbon, which frequently aligns with making the right budgetary decision in a building.

TC: Are we ever going to achieve net zero in our constructed designs?

EE: Yes, because we have to find a way! Everyone needs to have a place to live and work, and as architects, we need to figure out ways to supply those environments without compromising the rest of the world that we live in.

TC: Can you share the books that inspire you through your professional life?

EE: I mostly read a lot of fiction and listen to a lot of podcasts for professional reasons, but for nonfiction inspiration, one of my favorite authors is Bill McKibben. He is a phenomenal author on environmental issues. Another is Naomi Klein; she was really influential in forming some of my opinions regarding our economy and the relationship of the environment to our profession. And the third is Kate Simonen, the founder of the Carbon Leadership Forum. Her “Life Cycle Assessment” is written specifically from the perspective of architects. It lives on my desk, and I assign chapters to my students every single year that I teach.

TC: How long have you been teaching life cycle assessment, environmental simulation methods, and building performance topics?

EE: I started assistant teaching about sustainability to architecture students while in graduate school at the University of Michigan in 2012. I enjoyed the process, both in terms of interacting with students and in seeing how introducing topics of environmental performance early in the architecture education sequence changed the way young students approached the design of buildings. I became a lead instructor teaching LCA/ environmental methods in 2015 at Temple University while working at KieranTimberlake Architects.

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Above: Tally Overview, Image courtesy of KieranTimberlake. The versatile Tally app allows users to include comprehensive information about the materials and products their buildings will contain within their Autodesk Revit models to quantify a building’s embodied environmental impacts to land, air, and water systems.

Right: Tally design option comparison, Image courtesy of KieranTimberlake. Tally enables users to compare the environmental impacts of whole buildings, manufactured building products and materials, and material assemblies.

TC: Why is this topic so important to pass along, especially to the new generations?

EE: Increasingly, building performance is a required deliverable for architectural projects. When we do not think about performance topics in an integrated, intelligent way, with an understanding of how design decisions have direct ramifications for building performance, we wind up with ugly buildings that people want to replace. When we teach and learn about sustainability in a holistic way, with an understanding of how design can improve performance and how performance can improve design, the result is buildings that inspire people.

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Tannia Chavez, International Assoc.

AIA

Chavez is a project manager at OMFPE Consulting in New York City and is serving as New York Regional Associate Director to the AIA National Associates Committee.

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Democratizing net zero design: cove.tool

Sandeep Ahuja Ajuha is the CEO and co-founder of cove.tool, the end-to-end building-performance and data app. Most recently, Sandeep presented at the U.N. Environment Assembly, with 1,500 global delegates, on the impact of buildings on climate change, showcased at the TedX Atlanta and won the Forbes 30 under 30.

With her desire to bring automation into the AEC world, she is pioneering the integration of data-driven thinking into the design and construction process by developing intelligent software.

Remote working proved that having an efficient workflow is valuable to our professional and personal lives. Being able to understand how to design sustainably is as important as meeting our project budget. Sandeep Ahuja, AIA, co-founder and CEO at cove.tool, will tell us about reducing embodied carbon in our projects assisted by the software she developed.

Tannia Chavez (TC): How did cove.tool begin? What was your vision?

Sandeep Ahuja (SA): When I learned about the impact buildings have on the environment, I wanted to find a way to make significant changes in the building and construction industry. I decided to become a sustainable architect and work with firms to reduce energy consumption while reducing costs for their projects. I collaborated across 26 offices to build the internal in-house green team at my first sustainability consulting office. My goal was to integrate sustainability into every single project from start to finish. During this time, I realized that many of the clients we worked with were from large firms that could afford this type of consulting service. But there were smaller firms that didn’t have the same resources. If we were really going to have an impact on climate change, firms of all sizes needed to have access to our services.

My co-founder and I started using computer scripts to automate processes and take on more clients. We were able to support more than 200 projects on the East Coast and a few on the West Coast in the time span of a year. But it was clear that we needed to streamline processes to accomplish our goals and expand the business. We brought our third co-founder onboard and started developing the cove.tool app, a data-driven platform designed to optimize building projects for energy and cost. We’ve come a long way since then, and the tool has grown from a building-performance and energy-modeling platform to adding 3D modeling and HVAC design for mechanical engineers. Honestly, it was a gradual transition. But now, we continue to expand the software and grow our team, and most importantly, we have offset more than 29 million metric tons of carbon to date—and we’re not done yet.

TC: How much life-cycle energy can I save in a project by using cove.tool?

SA: It depends on the ambitions of the project team, their goals, and the actual design. The spectrum of the project and whether the project is a new construction versus a renovation also has a significant impact. However, we’ve had clients that were able to achieve net-zero carbon in newly designed projects, too.

For us, it is extremely important to talk about the total cost of the construction. If it’s not affordable or not included in the project budget, it is simply not feasible. We believe that managing the budget is how we help small projects with a low budget to make a better decision. Our platform currently holds over 25,000 projects, and many of them have a high budget. But we focus on supporting every scale of the project, not restricting the design intent or the realizations. Cove.tool provides a minimum of three compatible and affordable options to fit each specific budget. There are an infinite number of options affecting the project’s budget. Cove.tool narrows down all the possible solutions that can include focusing on one option or several, like mechanical systems, roof, wall sections, glass, including TEI renovations. It’s easier to visualize the area with a higher priority when looking at the whole analysis report. It’s kind of pushing and pulling to find the best solution for a tight budget.

We also have an in-house team of experts that can guide you in choosing your best-suited alternative. We offer training, coaching, and live-chat support, as we understand that this topic is broad and very new to many of our worldwide clients TC: Can you provide an example of an unusual building project that has succeeded with the advice of your experts and platform?

SA: One that instantly comes to my mind is the Living Building Challenge project at the Georgia Tech Student Center—now known as the Campus Center. Our experts at cove.tool helped the university’s design group realize that by renovating the

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Above: cove.tool’’s 3D Annual Sunlight Exposure (ASE) analysis feature.

Above: cove.tool’s 3D Sun Hour analysis feature.

building, instead of demolishing it, they were going to save so much more carbon. The carbon comparison report, along with the cost comparison of the renovation, showed a significant reduction in carbon and cost. It was a clear winner!

TC: Are there any additional features to come?

Besides being a successful story, Georgia Tech is where I went to school. I have so many associations and ties there, and it was cool to see that the software that I built with my team was able to have a high impact on my alma mater!

SA: Yes, tons of new features are launched consistently. The cost estimator will be added as a core part of the platform.

Also, we are continuing to grow the embodied-carbon calculations to automatically estimate mass timber versus concrete.

This one is incredibly essential in the early phases of design, and it makes it easier when you don’t have to wait for the structural calculations to make a final decision in the project.

TC: If I understood correctly, cove.tool is very supportive of preservation projects, right?

TC: Is cove.tool adapted to the 2030 Challenge for Embodied Carbon and local mandates?

SA: Absolutely. In fact, there are dedicated resources on historic preservation within the tool because saving buildings is how we save carbon.

SA: Yes, all of the above apply. The 2030 Challenge report was published two days ago for the 2020-year data, and I was so excited to see cove.tool among the top five tools used for 2030 reporting. There is literally one button for the 2030 auto report within the platform. We have also partnered with committees across the country to continue along with the education piece.

Making sure that we can continue to educate and provide resources. And since we are super committed for this challenge to be put in motion, cove.tool launched a discount through March 2022 to make it even more accessible to smaller firms across the country to start reporting.

TC: What is cove.tool’s strength?

SA: I feel like it’s unique and high-level. One key difference is the functionality of the tool, and it is 100% agnostic! It is like a blender that works with any software. It brings architects, engineers, and contractors in the same workflow, helping them check the carbon emissions and cost of the project. Back in the day, as a consultant, it took me 40 to 50 hours to do a simple task, but cove.tool takes 30 minutes to obtain the same exact results.

What’s most exciting about cove.tool is that it includes cost versus energy optimization and cost versus carbon optimization.

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In terms of the local energy codes and zoning mandates, we have a dedicated research team checking the current prevalence in the energy code. And every so often, we get heads up

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Above: cove.tool’s 3D Daylight analysis feature with new chat functionality.

from our users and the people involved in putting the amendments together. It is great to know that there are so many dedicated groups focused on these initiatives.

TC: How is cove.tool positioned in the current AEC market?

How do you feel it is improving the workflow?

SA: Well, most of our clients are starting to use it at the proposal phase and winning projects, but it is really when their competitors meet the codes and design with good daylight views (showing a cove.tool analysis) that we noticed more firms keep using it through the final design process to late design development and early construction drawings.

In the last two years, the AEC industry has changed drastically, and there is so much uptake in technology within this space.

Through the pandemic, technology became an unseen benefit, helping architects figure out new workflows and collaborating comfortably online.

Technology is starting to play a more important role along with the macros. Two years ago, I did not hear the word climate change as often as I do now. People are getting aware of climate change across the world; we hear about it now so much because of floods and hurricanes. The economic destruction has caused people to wake up and start moving in the right direction. Firms are being more conscious about climate change and are starting to implement tools for building performance.

SA: Carbon, carbon, carbon! Buildings are 40% of all global carbon emissions, and we have the ability to fix it. That’s why I wake up every day—to fight climate change! For young architects who don’t have consultants on their design team, we are here to help.

TC: Can you provide any recommendations to have an efficient collaborative workflow?

SA: Well, of course, implementing tools and technology drastically helps, but you must continuously evaluate them to make sure they are efficient for your team. Look for tools that support team collaboration and integrate with your current workflows.

TC: Our communities are getting more informed about embodied carbon materials and are looking for long-term sustainable designs. Being well informed makes you demand better services and better designs. Is your platform user-friendly for community leaders?

SA: Yes. When building cove.tool, we felt that our mission was to make it user friendly, and we did it! I am happy to say that we studied all the possible end users and their different levels of comfort with technology to make it easy to navigate our platform. All you need is to be enthusiastic about fighting climate change—as our team is!

TC: Can you give a few reasons why young architects should advocate for cove.tool to be implemented in their firms?

Tannia Chavez, International Assoc.

AIA

Chavez is a project manager at OMFPE Consulting in New York City and is serving as New York Regional Associate Director to the AIA National Associates Committee.

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Becoming an architect whisperer: An alternative career story

Time called us The Unemployed Generation. The Great Recession disrupted the traditional path for many architecture students as design firms downsized, furloughed, and laid off staff. When my job search in Cleveland ran dry, I followed my now husband to D.C. with just a few hundred dollars to find a design firm to take my first steps into this profession.

Above: The imaginative building of Skynear Designs, which nurtured the first steps to a non-traditional path.

I visited nearly 20 offices in the D.C. metro area on foot. All were architecture firms except one—Skynear and Company, a fantastically eclectic furnishings and fashion boutique in a three-story Victorian townhome with an oversized Egyptian cat crawling up the facade. In its prime, it furnished the homes and flats of D.C.’s elite and eccentric. This strange, imaginative place was not the polished, high-gloss design firm that students intrinsically crave, the default example for industry success. Lynn Skynear had been a journalist covering the Vietnam War. She traveled the world as a stewardess. She started a business, restored the Iraqi Embassy after a fire, furnished clubs and movie sets, and became a known art dealer and philanthropist. No one told her to take all these paths—she took risks, explored fearlessly, and did what made her happy.

I worked at Skynear for two years as creative director, which placed me far outside my comfort zone. I walked runways to

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promote the clothes we sold, appeared on local news channels, planned industry events, and networked with influencers. I discovered my love for business and people—and previously I was terrified of both.

I returned to Ohio, back to Bialosky, the design firm of my traditional internships. I entered a traditional role as architectural designer with some marketing responsibilities. I sat at my workstation and felt so differently than I had in D.C. For years, it was very difficult for me to reconcile because, again, the most glorified models of success in our industry are working at (and eventually owning) a premier design firm. Despite being at a respected practice like Bialosky, I was unhappy.

Then came a moment of confirmation. A single moment inspired me to take a risk, to reject licensure, and to define my own trajectory. In 2016, I met Françoise Mouly, art editor of The New Yorker, at a symposium at The Cleveland Museum of Art. I did not know of her, but I needed to meet her after learning her story. Born in Paris, she studied architecture at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts and quickly became disenchanted with the idea of a career in architecture—citing the lack of creative freedom. She moved to New York with pocket change at a time of economic downturn—a familiar story. I told her I was in knots over “turning my back” on a traditional path, and she said, “Everyone should study architecture, but not practice it.” Imagine if scientists, educators, and artists had an architecture education rooted in design thinking. I was intrigued, but more so, I was motivated. I needed courage to invent a position that didn’t yet exist for me—and build the trust and support of leadership at Bialosky that it was right for both me and the firm. I was an unhappy under-performer about to negotiate a (completely overhead, unbillable) role change. In the moment, it seemed like a long shot, but for firm partners Jack Alan Bialosky Jr., FAIA, and David Craun, AIA, the shift to marketing and strategy was the outcome they expected all along. It was my choice, but they are the ones who made that choice possible.

So, what does a director of strategy do? I know peers who have

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also created this role at their design firms across the country.

It is always fascinating to hear how others define the scope of this role. For me, at a midsize Midwest design firm, this role stretches beyond the traditional marketer. When introducing myself, I say I am an Architect Whisperer. I am described as a “trusted advisor and a moral compass,” which allows me to work on many aspects of the practice, including business development, strategic planning, HR, brand identity, firm culture, and professional development for our team. Rewarding work in this role includes leading our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Action Plan, building new and improved policies and programs, coaching win strategies for new clients, advising on Fellowship applications, and authoring our mission, values, and vision statement. While there is a large range to my assignments and my responsibilities, they all point to the two things I mentioned earlier: business and people.

Sharing this story matters to me because it is my hope that students and practitioners of any age do not immediately accept the default definition of success in architecture. I have shared my story to students with a mountain of real-life examples of colleagues who also took nontraditional paths, such as city architect, exhibit designer, architect for a nonprofit, architect for the GSA, project manager for a park system, architect-artist, or design researcher. “Everyone should study architecture, but not practice it” fills up an entire slide, and the students soak it in. They ask, “Why weren’t we told about these paths sooner?” This article has the same mission.

Actions + Resources If you are at the edge of a career change or at an uncertain moment, there are resources for you. Nontraditional careers are not for everyone, but I know that those who have made the switch cannot imagine doing anything else.

• Seek them out. Find the nontraditional practitioners in your network through your natural project channels (city, county, nonprofits, AIA components) and through one- or two-degree connections on LinkedIn. Ask them the hard questions. Shadow them. Ask to e-meet them.

• If you are hitting a wall, contact me through LinkedIn, and I’d be happy to make a connection.

• Attend events and seminars in an adjacent field that overlaps with architecture, such as IIDA, SMPS, AIGA, and ULI. Browse the titles and roles of speakers and attendees to see what piques your interest as a dream job.

What dialogues at these events bring a spark of joy and motivation?

• Read and listen to diverse career journeys, even if they are outside of the profession.

I recommend:

o Build Boldly, Bolanle Williams-Olley (2021) o More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are, Elaine Welteroth (2019) o Architecture is Political: A Podcast Where Black and Brown Folks Have a Conversation About Architecture, by Melissa R. Daniel, Associate AIA. You will find conversations with nontraditional practitioners in architecture such as writers, entrepreneurs, activists, marketers, critics, and reporters. www.archispolly.online o Coffee with the Fellows, a podcast-like archive of conversations in which AIA Fellows and emerging professionals interview each other. The series features diverse practitioners and stories. https:// www.aiacleveland.com/coffee-with-fellows1 o Lean on your mentors. My traditional-path architect mentors were, and still are, my loudest cheerleaders and closest confidants.2 Mentors know your strengths and can help you build self-awareness that is crucial to career decisionmaking. o Talk to your managers and leaders. Once you know your strengths and interests, creatively consider the value-add or value-shift you can propose at your current firm or organization.

This may be related to marketing, business development, social media/communication, graphic design, practice management, talent management, human resources, strategy, community engagement, or specialty consulting such as a building envelope specialist. For the leaders who may be reading this piece: I encourage you to actively calibrate positions or shift talent to mutually benefit your people and practice.

Footnote 1- Full disclosure: I helped launch Coffee with the Fellows under AIA Cleveland and continue to organize this series.

2- Gratitude to my traditional-path and non-traditional-path mentors in alphabetical order: Jack Alan Bialosky Jr., FAIA; David Craun, AIA; Ruth Gless, FAIA; Tim Hawk, FAIA; Aaron Hill, AIA; Bruce Horton, AIA; Steve Kordalski, AIA; Angela Miklich, Diane Davis-Sikora; Doug Steidl, FAIA; Greg Stroh; and Jodi van der Wiel, AIA.

Hallie Crouch, Associate AIA

Crouch is an associate principal at Bialosky and the first nontraditional practitioner to hold the title. She serves as director of strategy and is often called the Architect Whisperer. She has presented on equity and alternative careers at design schools and architecture conferences nationwide.

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2021 Whitney M. Young Jr. Award Recipient: Pascale Sablan

Pascale Sablan, FAIA, NOMA, LEED AP Sabian is the 2021 Whitney M. Young Jr. Award Recipient. An architect and activist, she is the 315th living African-American female registered architect in the United States and the youngest African-American to be elevated to the AIA College of Fellows.

Beyond her work at Adjaye Associates, Pascale is the founder & executive director of Beyond the Built Environment, positioned to uniquely address the inequitable disparities in architecture by providing a holistic platform aimed to support numerous stages of the architecture pipeline. Beyond the Build Environment is the champion agency behind initiatives such as the SAY IT LOUD exhibits, SAY IT WITH – Me(dia), and the Great Diverse Designers Library.

Pascale is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2018 AIA Young Architects Award. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Pratt Institute and a Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University.

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Gabriela Baierle (GB): You have recently joined Adjaye Associates. How has the transition been? What do you love about the work you’re doing now?

Pascale Sablan (PS): I started in January of 2021, and it’s been a rewarding transition. My new role recognizes my work as both architect and activist. Beyond my role as an architect, I am also responsible for overseeing initiatives around design and justice, and ensuring the office is tracking its goals in this space. Advocacy is not a secondary function of how we spend our time; it is front and center. We are learning together about making a difference, and I get to work on projects that have been centered around justice. It’s been great.

GB: I know you are very proud of your Haitian heritage.

Is there a correlation between your role as architect and activist, and your heritage?

PS: It’s been a tough year with everything that’s been happening in Haiti, particularly because it made it more difficult to travel and be present there. My relationship to it is two-fold.

I am both Haitian, and a member of the diaspora. I have two different perspectives to grapple with, and this adds to my work and my motivation. I’ve been involved there for years. For example, it was after the 2010 earthquake that I traveled there with the Architecture for Humanity Rebuild 101 guide to teach contractors and builders about building methods in an effort to make local architecture more equitable and more resilient to climate disasters. Being part of the team for the National Palace of Haiti project, the design competition that David won prior to joining the studio, has been profoundly rewarding and gave me an opportunity to leverage my Haitian heritages as an architect on this historic project.

GB: You once said in an interview that “the 2014 NOMA conference saved your life”(sic). Can you tell us about that particular experience?

PS: There are three reasons why I say this. The first reason is because 2014 is the year I became licensed. During the con-

ference, the keynote speaker asked newly licensed architects to stand up; and two people did, and it was Jason Pugh and I. Fast forward to now, and Jason now leads NOMA, and I am president-elect. Creating a community of like minded architects fighting for justice, a connection I could have only made at a NOMA National conference. The bonds and friendships I made during that conference are my most cherished and precious professional relationships I have in my network. The second reason I credit NOMA 2014 saved my life is because it also was catalytic to activating my public speaking career. I received great feedback from the audience, and the positive response reached my firm leaders. This provided me with growth opportunities in my office. Thirdly, I won a design award for a Haiti Campus project I developed with the ACE Mentoring students I worked with that year. At that point, NOMA 2014 conference replenished my cup in a lot of ways, from providing me a platform to share my thoughts, encouragement from my peers, and recognition of my work.

GB: What does getting involved mean to you?

PS: This kind of advocacy work is about collective responsibility - it is important that we don’t start from scratch, but we leverage the hard work of those who came before. And it is important that we fully understand who are the agents of change in this space and who are the oppositions and pour our resources accordingly. Starting to participate as a sponge means you can be part of that force to make change.

GB: As president-elect of NOMA, what are the goals you are bringing to this charge?

PS: I’ve had the ability to serve under the presidential reign of Kevin Holland, Brian Hudson, Kim Dowdell and now Jason Pugh. With respect to the NOMA a 50-year legacy, I plan to come in looking to understand how the initiatives that are already in place are performing, to look at metrics, and go from there. My unique goal is to take NOMA international, which I have been preparing for through both my advocacy work with Beyond the Built Environment, with initiatives such as the SAY

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IT LOUD traveling activation exhibitions and now my role within Adjaye Associates. We are currently working on building the mechanism and infrastructure that allows successful chapters to be created abroad.

contributions into the conversations. It took nothing away from him to acknowledge and give importance to the team and their work. Observing that attitude was catalytic for me. I always try to speak to people’s contributions.

GB: You are our most recent Whitney M. Young Jr. Award recipient. How has the repercussion been?

GB: How should the College of Fellows work to create a future that is socially and racially just?

PS: It’s been an honor. Being recognized with this award has helped validate and empower the activist work that I do, and the difference is actually quantifiable. For example, since I was honored with this award, the Great Diverse Designers Library has grown from documenting 299 to 669 architects. It’s humbling and so exciting to see these initiatives propelled by the recognition.

PS: There is an opportunity here for the reframing of who gets elevated and the systems that are embedded that make it less likely for women and people of color to win awards and be supported. First look inward - what can we do internally to be a more equitable organization? Secondly, there should be some kind of pledge, either centered on mentoring or in creating a goal that we can all work towards together. An example is the AIA New York Chapter statement against designing unjust spaces of incarceration; the Say It With Media initiative that stemmed from Beyond the Built Environment is another. I personally believe in creating tangible goals collectively; being a megaphone, speaking to the issues of design justice and acknowledging the past architecture that was used to hurt, taking a stance against carceral spaces, these are all ways in which the College of Fellows can further expand its support of diverse designers, and of a future that is more equitable.

GB: Could you exemplify a way in which you were supported, and how you support your emerging peers?

PS: When I worked under the brilliance of Sudhir Jambhekar, I started noticing that the way he presented projects would lift all the team members. I had never seen someone in a position of power be so generous with their light and bring in the team’s

Gabriela Baierle, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP BD+C

Baierle is a licensed architect practicing, writing, and teaching in Boston, Massachusetts. She specializes in academic projects at Finegold Alexander Architects. She has taught studios at the Boston Architectural College and the University of Minnesota.

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Many small firms, one giant network: Working together to help small firms grow.

Becoming an architect is the dream of many within the design profession, and for those people, all of their effort is focused on learning the ins and outs of the craft, from conceptual planning to technical detailing to construction administration.

While becoming a licensed architect requires a great deal of knowledge and understanding of the built environment, rarely is the focus on a greater understanding of business in and of itself. The 2020 Firm Survey Report, conducted by the AIA, showed that approximately 27% of firms are sole proprietors. With over a quarter of the workforce performing all

business tasks independently, without staff members, it puts a tremendous burden of accountability on these firm owners because, without them behind the wheel, there is no one else to steer the ship. Between the overwhelming responsibility of sole proprietorship and a profession that traditionally has a limited focus on business practice, many young professionals turn away from operating their own firms. However, a modified business model focused on collaboration and work-sharing could help those seeking firm ownership, with opportunities to navigate the uncharted waters of their gaps in expertise.

Above: Graphic representation of estimated firm and industry size, per the Firm Survey Report 2020 by the AIA .

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While every project is different, standards are used to guide the process and production, which allows for a consistently predictable final product. Looking at the operation of many large firms, project teams will be assembled based upon project needs and staff experience. Having the resource pool of varying levels of employees is a large firm’s greatest resource and, in turn, is naturally limited in a small-firm setting. However, if a series of small firms all worked under a similar standard and process, these firms could use a collaborative worksharing method, allowing the assemblage of project teams, similar to that seen in large firms. The seamless integration of team members based upon specialization, project size, and availability would open the door for these small firms to resources beyond their previous reach, and the new limit on their operational capabilities would now be based upon the size and experience available within their collaborative network of industry professionals. Process standardization is critical in making this collaboration work and sets the stage for successful project implementation.

As two small-business owners, both within our first few years of incorporation, we saw an opportunity for collaboration on projects traditionally seen only by colleagues within the same firm. We had shared all our firm standards; including proposals, fee schedules, CAD library, BIM files, general notes, and more, comparing how we could develop a base standard for all work moving forward.

“When I began to have more work than I could handle, I reached out to Matt, and we started to implement our idea.” Vin said, “By utilizing Dropbox, I was able to share my client folders with Matt for seamless integration with my file system. As Matt worked on projects, they were saved directly to my server, allowing me access to them instantaneously as if we were within the same office

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space. This was another key factor for our idea to work.

We both needed to be able to share projects with each other quickly and without the need to email them, avoiding not having access to the latest files when a client called with a question.”

As work progressed, so did our standard process and modes of communication. Knowing that the A/E Industry is ever changing, we began planning for the implementation of new technologies and how to transition all day-to-day practices over to BIM software.

“As I have been using AutoCAD and Matt using Revit, we both agreed that Revit is the direction we wanted to work towards for collaboration, but having developed a highly detailed AutoCAD system over the last two decades, drafting was made much easier.” Allowing all ongoing projects to continue without delay, Vin said, “Matt adopted my company’s drafting standard with the notion that we would then develop a Revit system together that could mimic what I already created with AutoCAD.” While we both share a similar architectural background, Vin and I had different approaches to the business of architecture and how we manage projects overall. We knew going into the first few projects that there would be some learning curves and we would need to work together in meshing our varying process styles.

“It helped that we are both more tech savvy and were already familiar with using file-share systems.” Said Vin: In terms of handling payment, “we developed a fee breakdown which assigned a percentage to every stage of a project, making it simple to ensure we were each paid properly for our time. We found, though, that the hardest part of ‘hopping’ in and out of

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Above: Graphic representation of firms with systems in place for Telework per the Firm Survey Report 2020 by the AIA The American Institute of Architects. “Firm Survey Report 2020: The Business of Architecture 2020”.

projects is whether the other has the time in that moment to do so. We are each after all trying to build our own businesses, and spending time working on each other’s projects does take away vital time to do so.”

While we have come a long way, with lessons learned, we see the potential for this business model to grow, benefiting all individuals involved. As long as a common standard is maintained, all firms and individuals can adapt to new projects quickly and work toward developing the network’s abilities.

Among many lessons learned throughout the pandemic, we experienced firsthand how adaptable the design community really is, as nearly all businesses transitioned to telework conditions. According to the 2020 Firm Survey conducted by the AIA, 95% of the firms reported having systems in

place for telework-ready employees. With the technological framework in place, this model of collaboration is no longer bound to the bricks and mortar of a single office. As we gain more experience with the inter-firm collaborations, we see new businesses and individuals within the profession coming on board with our network. There are still many strides to take before this network scales both in size and geographically, but it has the potential to become a well-oiled machine, adding an invaluable resource for all of the sole practitioners and small firms who have been previously limited by their in-house capabilities.

Vin Minkler, AIA

Minkler is founder of Minkler Architecture & Design LLC in Red Bank, N.J. Minkler Architecture & Design is a sole-practitioner firm specializing in single-family residential design, multifamily and commercial projects. Minkler is also the chair for AIA New Jersey’s EPiC.

Matthew Pultorak, AIA, NOMA, CSI

Pultorak is the founder of Time Squared Architect LLC in Marlboro, N.J., specializing in residential and small commercial projects. Pultorak works with Rutgers University’s Planning, Development, and Design team. Pultorak is the Young Architects Regional Director for New Jersey.

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The power of collaboration

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With each passing year, we gain more knowledge about how buildings affect our climate, our environment, and our health.

Given this information, it is crucial that architects consider the role they play and how careful design contributes to a healthier and more sustainable world for everyone. While we are accustomed to considering the well-being of the occupants of our buildings, designers do the world a disservice when we take a narrow view of sustainability. Therefore, we must expand our thinking to include human and environmental impacts through the full lifecycle of the products we specify.

While the scale of change required can seem daunting to the individual designer, as a collective advocating for shared goals, we have tremendous power to create change. And just as no one person can create this type of change, neither can one discipline. Architects, engineers, manufacturers, owners, and contractors must all be aligned behind common goals.

Our collaboration among disciplines is crucial to achieving big outcomes in sustainability.

The Lighting Advocacy Letter is an example of this type of collaboration. The Letter is hosted on mindful Materials, a collaborative hub and online material library. The Letter was inspired by the AIA Materials Pledge and focuses on the same five impact areas: human, ecosystem health, climate health, social health and equity, and the circular economy. This alignment between the Letter and the Pledge gives strength to the signal being sent.

The Letter is addressed to manufacturers and asks for increased transparency to allow specifiers to make more informed decisions about the products they select and to select products that align with project goals. For many years, the focus of sustainability in lighting has been on energy efficiency.

Because simple energy efficiency has historically been considered sufficient when thinking about lighting and sustainability, the lighting industry has lagged behind other product sectors when it comes to material transparency. This in turn has led to a lack of information when considering lifecycle impact, material health, and embodied carbon. The Letter aims to make manufacturers consider a move toward greater transparency and more sustainable product offerings.

Transparency is important, but it is only the starting point.

Architects and designers use specifications to formalize their sustainability requirements in detailed technical terms, but to select products that align with firm values and project goals, greater transparency is required. Once there is more information available about the products we are specifying, we will be able to make truly informed decisions and create buildings that improve both human and environmental health. Ultimately, the market will respond by creating products that are optimized to reduce impacts on human health and the environment.

Signing on to the Lighting Advocacy Letter is the first step toward improving the holistic sustainability of the lighting products you specify. If you are interested in supporting the Letter, you can sign on at the mindful Materials website.

Alexandra Gadawski, AIA, WELL AP, LEED AP BD+C

Gadawski is an architect and sustainability leader at HMFH Architects in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

She is a co-chair of the mindful Materials Architecture & Design Engagement Working Group.

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Architecture and marketing

What happens when an architect stops thinking about building spaces and starts thinking about building brands?

Positioning, consumer journey, target customer, touchpoints, value proposition, unique selling point (USP), and P&L (profit and loss) may not be typical terms in an architect’s lexicon, but when “architecture thinking” is leveraged in a broader context as “design thinking,” interesting synergies emerge between architecture and marketing. This can be an advantage for architects interested in utilizing a design background to create brands and brand experiences that engage people in multi-sensory dynamic environments.

While working with international and local brands in China, STUDIO DOHO realized that brands often engage marketing and advertising companies to implement brand activations because of the strength of their focus on human behavior and their ability to engage consumers across numerous touchpoints, which is anytime a consumer has any type of interaction with a brand.

While challenging the assumed dichotomy of architecture and marketing, similarities consistently emerged in the creative-thinking process to solve a design problem or case, yet a very different set of deliverables produced from the two disciplines.

Architecture by nature is a people-driven endeavor, yet when considered through the lens of marketing, it has the opportunity to engage consumers on a deeper, experience-rich level through the similar storytelling process architects use to define architectural concepts. Marketing helps these stories come to life through designing full brand concepts that define all levels of customer experience and engagement.

The real resonance between architecture and marketing is to apply the standard generalist thinking of an architect to an even broader domain. This breadth of perspective can allow for unique opportunities outside the traditional path of an architect and leverages architecture training to expand further and create concepts, experiences, and new brands.

Key clients, represented by the marketing department of a brand, often need more than standard architecture or interior design services traditionally offered to create the full concepts required in their briefs. Success in this arena required STUDIO DOHO to consider how we could stretch our service offerings to go far beyond the traditional architecture model.

Building on these insights, STUDIO DOHO began to evolve from an interior-design-based practice to a brand-driven creative consultancy that works to create a wide range of brand concepts and strives to bridge the gap between architecture and marketing.

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Bridging the gap “Architecture is not so much a knowledge of form, but a form of knowledge.”—Bernard Tschumi A simple comparison between architecture and marketing can be found when considering the difference between building a house and building a home.

The intrinsic value of four built walls versus the value of the meaning given to those walls by the people who live within them is very different. While some esteemed pieces of architecture have certainly elevated to have meaning beyond their walls, buildings can still stand without achieving this level.

However, it is critical in marketing to create meaningful brands that live in the hearts of consumers because brands inherently lack a physical nature, so they will simply vanish if they do not achieve this level of endearment and meaning.

Similarly, a house will stand even when it is empty, yet the relationships of the people living within its walls are critical to success in creating a home.

This differentiation became clear when we began to design whole brand concepts instead of a single space and required our team to develop multidisciplinary skill sets. For example, the deliverables required to create a new food and beverage (F&B) brand concept for Budweiser necessitated a wide range of design thinking to consider all aspects of the project.

First, we had to define a clear, concise concept and write a brand story that resonated with our defined target consumers.

After the Unique Selling Point (USP—which is the thing that

Above: Excerpt from Brand Playbook for Budweiser China Localization. Image Courtesy of STUDIO DOHO and Budweiser

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makes you stand out in the market—was defined, we simultaneously developed the 3D design of a spec interior space while hiring and collaborating with a chef to develop the food menu that supported the concept. We then organized food tastings to develop the dishes, developed a P&L to define the business case, and provided menu pricing based on the dishes to create a viable business model.

The other branding assets were then further developed, including graphic design, naming, logo, staffing requirements, uniform design, and other collateral design that, all together, created an entire F&B concept. The final product was a brand book that tells the complete story of all aspects of the concept and financial planning, which can then be implemented in the market.

Design thinking allowed us to apply our architecture skills on a much broader scale to think like a marketing company, while enabling us to deliver this type of product.

Positioning our company When we began thinking like marketers, we realized it required us to shift the perception of our own company. Architecture and interior design no longer defined the full scope of our services and became a limiting factor for potential projects.

Our value proposition—or what we promise to deliver to clients— had to be redefined to help us break free from the traditional architecture thinking of creating spaces, places, and environments.

We came to realize that our ambition was found more in engaging the people who visited our places, rather than creating the place itself. This helped us to take a human-centric and personal approach to crafting the experience, memory, and perspective of the consumer, which we articulated in our company’s vision statement: We create excitement This guiding principle allows us to think in a much broader context than traditional architects. Instead of focusing on creating spaces, places, or environments, we above all else aim to create excitement for all consumers who engage with our projects.

This shift in perspective helped us innovate our practice model and step further into the realm of marketing.

The why This is an exciting time to disrupt traditional typologies such as F&B and retail, but to be relevant in a new generation of tech-

WE CREATE EXCITEMENT Above: STUDIO DOHO IP asset representing the brand vision. Image Courtesy of STUDIO DOHO.

nology, architects must think more like marketers to innovate.

An architect’s advantage is the knowledge and understanding to translate ideas into space, but to design consumer experiences requires more holistic thinking in telling the story of a brand.

Shifting our mindset to become master storytellers, like marketers, allows the architect to craft narratives that drive the spirit of a project. When this is achieved, it can be articulated into concepts with deeper meaning. For example, we recently worked with Coca-Cola to bring awareness of their recycling and sustainability initiatives in Shanghai.

Coca-Cola, as a part of its “World Without Waste” initiative, aims to recycle the equivalent of 100% of its bottles by 2030.

However, because of regulations in China, recycled bottles are not permitted for food use by consumers. In response to these limitations, the company worked with vendors to create a range of fabrics and building acrylics from the recycled bottles. The fabrics are then produced into a line of merchandise including shirts, hoodies, bags, and umbrellas.

Despite the great initiative, Coca-Cola needed help to tell this story and bring consumer awareness to its efforts. We leveraged our storytelling skills to narrate a concept we called the “Flower Explosion.”

Fabrics made from recycled bottles were handmade into flowers, which were installed in a temporary exhibition “exploding” out of a Coca-Cola bottle. This visual representation of the lifecycle of the product—bottle to fabric to flower to exploding from the bottle—gave instant understanding to the story.

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Clockwise from left: 1. Flower Explosion exhibit featuring handmade flower using fabrics made from recycled bottles.

2. Retail exhibit of Coca-cola merchandise made from recycled bottle fabrics.

3. Infinity Spiral exhibit representing the infinite life cycle of a recycled plastic bottle in colors of Coca-Cola gradient Visual Identity.

Images Courtesy of STUDIO DOHO and NOT YOUR TYPE.

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The exhibit also featured a gradient “infinite” spiral made of acrylics from recycled bottles, which represents the brand’s new color gradient and shows the long-term sustainable thinking of the brand. This project was in collaboration with Not Your Type.

Architecture thinking to create a brand “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.”—Jeff Bezos Almost every aspect of society can be considered a brand.

New York City is a brand. L.A. is a brand. Your university is a brand, and the USA is a brand. Your football team is a brand, and your favorite player on the team is a separate brand. Even the architecture company you work for is a brand.

The concept of a brand extends far beyond the logo on your cellphone or the emblem on your car. It is a personal or public statement of what you stand for, what you do, and what you believe in. Yet it is also a larger representation of the collective group of people who find similar values in your beliefs.

When an architect builds a building, the building can be considered the architecture, but the collective memories, experience, and engagement of the people with the building or the space inside becomes the brand of the building. Brand equity, or how people think/feel about your brand, can change over time and is one of the most important considerations in marketing.

These ideas became a driving factor when we worked with Zippo to create an experience center that provided a creative outlet for the brand. The project is a combination of creative studio, office, retail laboratory, cafe, and social hub for the Zippo community. We worked to create a space that captured the brand’s DNA in a spatial environment while utilizing storytelling to create an engaging concept for the brand.

The most rewarding aspect of the project came after the opening, when the client received feedback that people who visited the space said their perceptions of the brand shifted from its being a traditional product to a creative, innovative company.

Above: Render of Workshop at Zippo Edge with custom product Visual Merchandising. Image Courtesy of STUDIO DOHO and Zippo.

Lessons learned We believe the future will require more close collaboration and offices that can provide a wide spectrum of deliverables.

The skill set of an architect has a unique advantage to create engaging environments, yet when viewed through the lens of marketing, architects can create full brand experiences that have lasting impact.

Architecture provides a strong foundation for our business.

But we view architecture as a launch pad, rather than a fixed pedestal, to propel us to apply design thinking to a broad range of problems and scenarios.

The role of the architect in the future will continue to be more dynamic, and our generalist thinking can help us have a broader reach and impact in society. It is critical to remain agile and flexible in our rapidly changing world and continue to find innovative ways to leverage our architecture training.

STUDIO DOHO was included in the prestigious 2020 Architectural Digest Top 100 Young Firms (AD100 YOUNG) in China.

Jason Holland, AIA

Holland is the co-founder of STUDIO DOHO, a brand-driven creative consultancy in Shanghai, China. Holland was the 2019-2020 AIA Shanghai treasurer, and the 2020 COF Grant recipient for the Emerging Professionals Program.

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Educational design: Renewing history

Architects and educators have carefully experimented with and studied school environments for over a century. Advances in design are due to factors such as technological innovations, political movements, health epidemics, and cultural shifts, paired with the desire to provide children with a lifestyle and education better than the generation that came before. We are at the epicenter of another movement in educational facilities as influences like the coronavirus pandemic, technological varieties of educational delivery, and the need to be safe, healthy, and wanted have been in the forefront of educational methodologies. While the minute factors may vary from generation to generation, there is a common need to provide educational facilities that deliver a specific pedagogy in a community based on cultural norms and desired academic outcomes.

For example, the one-room schoolhouse is thought of as a primitive educational facility. Early on, this facility also would be what we now call a community center or a multi-use facility, as in many cases the school would also be the town’s religious epicenter. There was no separation of church and state because there was no “state” at that time, physically or figuratively. In Europe, educational experiments such as “natural education” were being better understood because of epidemics and people looking outside the city limits for refuge. Kindergartens, or children gardens, were founded at this time during the Common School Movement, and in 1874, the Kalamazoo Decision determined it was legal for public schools to be paid for by local property taxes. The political decision coupled with child labor laws during the Industrial Revolution caused expansions of public schools in the coming decades.

At the turn of the century, schools were built to be standardized with as many students as possible to maximize classroom space. Ventilation was passive through expansive openings.

The placement and size of windows were standardized because of their importance for both daylighting and providing views to rest students’ eyes. In contrast to standardized schools, the Montessori Movement was gaining popularity, and in 1911, its first school in the United States opened. These facilities were the first of their kind, focusing on “child-centered learning,” therefore shifting the paradigm that classrooms needed desks in a row and instead calling for collaborative, flexible educational spaces.

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Above: Part of Missouri’s educational exhibits at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, the model country school, “fully furnished,” intended to provide a model for rural school construction. Image taken in 1904.

Public Domain Image Provided by: St. Louis Public Library.

During the same time, the Open-Air School Movement was gaining traction because of the tuberculosis epidemic in both Europe and the United States. It was believed that exposure to air and sunshine would assist in stopping the spread of the disease and aid in students’ physical and mental health. Outdoor classrooms became commonplace in areas that adopted the movement. By the 1930s, open-air schools were more mainstream in architectural thought, and more were beginning to question the educational environment. Like Montessori, many educational visionaries were trying to think beyond students in desks and better understand the psychological effects of school environments in the open air, with a focus on child-centered design. Both features are still a focus in educational design just shy of a century later.

During the Depression in the 1930s, the Public Works Administration provided financing for 70% of new school construction for local communities, but 15 to 20 years later, between 1945 and the 1950s, school boards struggled to keep up with ever-increasing enrollments due to the baby boom. New standards on design predicted that schools would be four times

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Above: Adult men and women attend an evening class at the Jackson School in St. Louis, circa 1900. Public Domain Image Provided by: St. Louis Public Library.

Above: The Clark Elementary School, located in St. Louis, was designed by architect William B. Ittner in 1910. Public Domain Image Provided by: St. Louis Public Library.

more expensive than in the past decade. Post-World War II schools aimed to be more standardized and cost-conscious, and schools took on a different look. Many of these buildings were one-story, flat-roof structures with a combination of glass, metal, brick, and concrete. The new materiality technology caused them to be lightweight and easier to build, but they had a shorter lifespan. School construction became standardized, and for one of the first times in educational construction, more attention was devoted to designing for acoustical performance.

by educational philosopher John Dewey. Dewey’s philosophy included flexible space that was unconventional at the time of standardized desks and affixed chalkboards. At over 80 years old, the school is now a National Historic Landmark.

Many well-known architects contributed to these movements because educational visionaries needed them to push the boundaries of school design. Alvar Aalto, Richard Neutra, and Walter Gropius assisted in designing child-centered schools.

Crow Island School was designed by the Saarinens and Perkins & Will. Opened just before the baby boom and the start of postwar-style schools, Crow Island is still known today for its progressive philosophy and innovative solutions for maximizing access to fresh air, daylight, and the outside through flexible “finger-plan” design. The design redefined how elementary schools could look and function. Everything in the school, from door handles to furniture, is child-centered design as inspired

After the baby boom, declines in enrollment and budgets caused many schools to economize or reconfigure. This led to a decline in some educational environments. Renovation projects were strategically conducted to maintain basic standards and functionality as schools from the 1940s and 1950s were starting to need repairs. Some districts found it more beneficial to build new facilities with a more informed pedagogy than to repair and add. An emphasis on prefabrication techniques came to the forefront, and an increased reliance on technology reduced the need for natural ventilation and introduced fluorescent lights as a cultural norm. Some schools were even designed with no windows.

From the 1960s through the 1980s, researchers started to conclude that there was a connection between educational environments and educational attainment and student behavior. Open-plan and open-space schools were more widely

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Since the turn of the century, educational design has renewed exploration in natural ventilation and daylighting. The Green School movement has spurred research and rating systems such as LEED and Living Building Challenge to help guide the design. Many new implementations involve advances in technology, which is allowing facility managers to monitor energy consumption and alter building systems for efficiency and comfort. During the pandemic, technology has not only affected the delivery of educational curricula, but also caused an emphasis on outdoor classrooms and open-air solutions to stop the spread of disease.

Above: Children check out books from two librarians. Handwritten on the back of the print: “Library service at Adams School St. Louis Public Library” “Ph-BD-005-03d” “Adams School 1922” Public Domain Image Provided by: St. Louis Public Library.

accepted, though they were critically known for conflicting information about the success or failure to enhance the educational experience. While researchers started to understand the outcomes of good educational design, the largest cultural shift in the field during this period was desegregation. Equity issues in school facilities, especially in urban areas, caused social unrest, experimental buildings, and criticism about the state of education and educational facilities.

In 1995, a report was published by the Government Accountability Office on school facilities. It estimated that $112 billion was needed to bring the facilities up to “good overall condition,” through the removal of hazardous materials and the newly instated ADA guidelines. Almost 30 years later, architects still face educational environmental issues such as hazardous-material removal and non-compliant ADA facilities. Poor indoor environmental spaces led to significant research in the late 1990s on indoor air quality.

Technology is not the only way that schools are progressing or rooting themselves in communities as cultural epicenters. New future-focused solutions have an emphasis on the physiological effects on the students. Flexibility of the learning environment has prompted designs with more multi-use space, which is also advantageous for the monetary and sustainability bottom lines because facilities can be smaller and more efficient.

Because of crises such as mass shootings, safety has become a required balance between utilitarian design and educational wellness standards. Safety also requires facilities that support mentally fit individual students and overall populations, as well as anti-bullying procedures and places for self-expression.

Throughout the years, technological innovations, political movements, health epidemics, and cultural shifts have altered architects’ approach to educational design. The push for innovation and solutions has renewed interest in past movements.

The recycling of past ideas causes some to question whether educational design is progressing with new ideas. Architects, educators, and communities can affect generational change through educational environments and the everlasting desire to provide children with a lifestyle and education better than that of the generation before.

Kelsey Jordan, Associate AIA, WELL AP

Jordan is a project architect in Chicago with a professional and research emphasis on educational environments, focusing on how architecture can address obesity, food deserts, and wellness in educational environments.

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FUTURE FORWARD GRANT Presented by the Large Firm Roundtable (LFRT) and the AIA Young Architects Forum (YAF), this grant supports emerging professionals in the testing of new ideas that disrupt the tradtional conception of practice, process, and product in the field of architecture. The primary objective of the Future Forward Grant is to perpetuate innovation in the practice of archtiecture by empowering emerging professionals to do things they would not otherwise have the capital or resources to accomplish. This grant seeks to fund untested ideas and advance exploration, innovation, and disruption in the architecture profession.

Applicants may submit proposals within the following categories: PRACTICE: Supports programs that foster leadership development, advance the organizational effectiveness of professional practice, and redifine firm management strategy.

PROCESS: Supports programs that promote firm culture, streamline workflow, and establish new methods of project delivery.

PRODUCT: Supports the development of new prototypes, programs, or technologies that advance the practice of architecture.

ELIGIBILITY The Future Forward Grant is open to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) members who have been licensed to practice architecture fewer than 10 years, Assoc.

AIA members, and members of The American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS). All applicants must be in good standing with the AIA or AIAS. GRANT AMOUNT: There is a maximum of $10,000 in grant money available. Grant proposal may be made in increments of $1,000. Proposal with matching funds are encouraged.

SCHEDULE: The application period for the Future Forward Grant is February 1, 2022 through April 30, 2022 at 11:59pm EST. Grant receipients will be announced in June 2022.

APPLY HERE or email yaf@aia.org for more information.

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Changing how we practice with a ‘One Team, One Model’ approach Jessica O’Donnell, AIA O’Donnell is a project architect at Kitchen & Associates in Collingswood, N.J., where she focuses on multifamily housing projects and internal staff development initiatives and leads BIM management initiatives. O’Donnell has over nine years of experience in residential and mixed-use building design, holds an NCARB certificate, and is licensed in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Jake Timmons Timmons is a licensed professional engineer specializing in structural engineering and a principal at Riverstone Structural Concepts in Boise, Idaho. Timmons has over 15 years of experience providing structural engineering services on a wide array of projects, including bridges and industrial, residential, commercial, mid-rise, and hospitality structures.

Dustin Balton Balton is a project coordinator for Holstein White. Since early 2013, he has consistently executed plans and specifications for the company’s engineering assignments for commercial, municipal, educational, health care, senior living, hospitality/entertainment, dining, and residential projects. In this role, Balton is part of the mechanical department at HW, specializing in the design of mechanical, plumbing, and fire-protection systems.

Beresford Pratt (BP): Can you please describe the project? Who is on the project team to help make this project successful?

JO: Brook Street Lofts is a new construction, 245,000 square feet, transit-oriented development in New Jersey. The six-story mid-rise building consists of four floors of residential housing above two floors of non-combustible garage parking for building occupants. Additionally, there are walk-up residential units on the first two floors along Brook Street. This building contains a total of 146 residential units of mixed-income family rental housing. The design team started working on drawings in 2019, and construction is slated to wrap up this fall.

This was Kitchen & Associates’ first integrative-design project with out-of-house consultants working “live” in the same project file database. We collaborated with the Riverstone Structural Concepts team from Boise, Idaho, and the Holstein White MEP team from Feasterville, PA.

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BP: For those who may not be familiar, can you describe the tool ArchiCAD? JO: ArchiCAD is a building information modeling (BIM) design software used internationally on projects of all scales and degrees of complexity. Within this software, the design team can take one project file from conceptual schematic sketches through construction documents. There are a multitude of features and plug-ins that enable designers to create realistic renderings, movies, and VR walkthroughs of projects from that same singular file. ArchiCAD also has several internal messaging options that allow users to communicate with one another within the database.

BP: What were some of the determining factors that encouraged the team/your firm to select ArchiCAD over other programs/tools on the market?

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Above: Rendering of Brook Street Lofts

JO: In 2002 Kitchen & Associates (K&A) transitioned from a first generation 2D/3D CAD tool to the full BIM software tool ArchiCAD. At the time, the Firm was growing in staff and size of projects. This growth required a new way of producing design and documentation to achieve the goals for profitability, coordination, quality, and timeliness of service. Over the last 20 years, K&A has developed a robust custom template, custom object library, with a standards manual and in-house BIM development and training team. However, collaborating outof-house consultants still required importing and exporting dwg backgrounds and duplication of consultant work in the 3D BIM model. K&A added inhouse MEP engineering in 2014, but our volume of architectural work requires the additional use of outside consultants for both MEP & Structural engineering. To further facilitate our goals for service, quality, and profitability, we embarked on working with constants that could work alongside us in a single BIM model. This approach saves all the professionals time in importing exporting backgrounds, replicating the other disciplines’ work in each model and allows for real-time collaboration as the design moves forward.

JT: Our firm adopted the use of ArchiCAD as our only BIM/ modeling/drafting software with our firm’s inception in 2011 by our founding principal, Patrick Bird. The decision was simple when we saw the power of working together in the same live, virtual 3D model, in real time with our clients. We could watch walls move and windows shift without the hassle of background document exchange. For our clients, they could see the same. The structural model would develop in their model, and they would see the structural systems develop in real time as the project progressed. As footings moved in the structural model, their sections would automatically update to see the new footing locations. Coordination efforts quickly diminished.

The time it took to review conflicts or coordinate issues was drastically cut, and we’ve never looked back.

DB: For us, we knew that we wanted to enhance our BIM capabilities. Before ArchiCAD was adopted by our firm, the majority of our production was primarily 2D-based as BIM and 3D modeling had yet to really take off in our industry (meaning MEP). We noticed the trends of the architectural industry and the move towards more and more 3D modeling and BIM. At first, we had one dedicated BIM station and one dedicated BIM team, which needed to change quickly due to the demands of projects/clients. We decided on ArchiCAD to be our primary BIM platform; however, we maintain copies of Revit, as well, and train our staff to be proficient on both platforms. Holding licenses of both Revit and ArchiCAD affords us the ability to seamlessly transfer files back to our clients in the format they utilize, while ensuring there is no latency or loss in translation of files.

BP: What did ArchiCAD as a tool mean for collaboration on the project design process? Were there any notable strengths and/or challenges?

JO: I am not aware of any other program that currently has the tools needed by all of the respective disciplines to design and produce a set of construction documents in one file from concept to close out. This tool allowed our project team to identify conflicts during the design phase which allowed us to address them before permits were issued. Having everyone “live” in one model helped streamline things immensely, but it did not allow the project to go on “auto-pilot.” The team still needed to have actual conversations and talk through different aspects of the project.

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JT: Communication is always the biggest challenge. It’s easy to get lost in the 3D/collaborative environment and forget that you have eight to 10, maybe 15, other professionals working in the model with you at the same time. The design and documentation process is so streamlined, it’s important to not lose track of the importance of communicating changes or revisions. The ArchiCAD BIM server chat function allows us to all communicate fluidly in the model, review issues, and discuss solutions live in the model.

DB: A really exciting feature of the software to our firm is working in the same model live with clients also using ArchiCAD. The coordination process has been simplified and expedited through the implementation of BIM but is further realized through the sharing of one live model. Being able to see changes in real time without relying on transfer of updated files on, say, a weekly basis allows our team to tackle coordination issues head on—quickly and effectively. Setting the ground rules early in the project with our clients is important. Commonly, the most notable rule, aside from adopting and merging of standards, is: “If you create it, you can edit it, if not … ask first.” Setting this ground rule makes certain that your work will not be adjusted without your knowledge, even accidentally.

BP: What business case do you see for “one team, one model”/integrated project files?

JO: In a world where everyone wants things done yesterday, anything a design team can do to cut out dead time and provide deliverables to clients quicker is a benefit. Having each discipline in the same model with everyone designing and modeling their respective building elements to size in 3D helps the entire design team work more efficiently and more accurately. We no longer need to wait several hours or days for PDFs to be published and emailed, then reviewed and returned, since everyone is seeing the building come to life in real time. Shorter collaboration time for the design team means the design phase can be completed faster. Identifying coordination conflicts during the design phase results in less coordination issues in the field and a smoother construction process.

JT: From a business standpoint, the advantages are immense.

Most notably, the reduced cost of timely back-and-forth communication and document exchange is huge. It seems small,

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but it adds up quickly. We save so much working in our client’s model, loading up the BIM server file, doing our work and leaving. We’ve been able to cut out a huge amount of time and budget to our projects that we instead can use to focus on 3D collaboration.

DB: Some of the above also applies here. Comparing 2D workflow to a 3D/BIM integrated file workflow, it is clearly a vast improvement. Furthermore, the ability to be in a file with the architect and structural engineer at the same time and being able to message them directly and have them pull open the exact view you are looking at cuts down greatly on coordination-effort timeframes. No longer necessary is the sharing of multi-page documents on a weekly (or worse) basis, where plans have been progressed before you’ve even received and integrated them into your 2D software.

BP: What are some educational benefits you see with the “one team, one model”/integrative design projects?

JO: As designers, we are generally all visual people. Seeing a structural engineer’s framing solution for a complex area in situ and in 3D leaves little room for misinterpreting 2D lines in a plan or in a sketch. This has enormous benefits to less experienced designers and those working with a new building type or new MEP systems for the first time. Seeing the ductwork with insulation or pipes routed from each plumbing fixture helps the architectural team locate walls, ceilings, and chases appropriately to evoke the desired feeling of each room and space.

JT: Many engineers coming out of school have a basic foundation of a building and its aspects, but very few actually start with a working knowledge of building design, detailing, or especially construction. By always living and breathing in the 3D environment, we can get our new engineers a better working understanding of a building structure through the 3D environment. Many new engineers will begin by focusing on the 3D-modeling aspect of what we do. This practice gives good experience to the inner workings of 3D modeling and ArchiCAD, but also how a building goes together. By understanding how the building will be built in a 3D model, we can improve the engineers’ skills and the way they might attack a certain problem.

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Above: Model Animation 1 DB: So much of what MEP engineers need to focus on is things not seen in the 3D model. There is heavy importance in the in-depth calculations, code research and interpretation, utility coordination, preliminary coordination of large MEP equipment, routing of large ductwork, conduit and piping, and much more that is not visually seen in either the 3D model or in the finished product. These items are essential to set the stage for success of the project; however, the value of a 3D model is not forgotten. Using the 3D model as a tool for specifically the newer learning employees as seeing the 3D model allows them to more easily grasp the confines and constraints of a building.

Being able to virtually look above the ceiling and see how much space there is below steel helps identify potential conflicts or indicates the need for lowering portions of ceilings. Being able to place a rooftop unit or condensing unit/heat pump on a roof in the model and see how it affects the aesthetics of the building helps us blend our needs with an architect’s vision more cleanly.

Above: Model Animation 2 JT: My vision for the future of this process is virtual reality.

The next logical step in this workflow to me, is being able to design and document in full three-dimensional, virtual space.

Coordinating with clients’ and contractors’ structural systems together in a virtual environment could revolutionize the way we see buildings. Standing in the virtual building as a designer before the building goes into the ground would change the way we approach everything.

DB: I’d like to imagine that one day there will be a shared language where we can more seamlessly view Revit files directly in ArchiCAD and vice versa. There are a lot of hurdles to making that seamless, but that would be ideal. The more projects that can be completed on an interdisciplinary basis in an integrated file workflow-type system the better. The importance of time being saved and coordination efforts being improved by this type of workflow is immeasurable

BP: How do you see this tool evolving and impacting the future of the practice?

JO: Graphisoft, the parent company of ArchiCAD, continuously uses feedback from the software users to improve the functionality for each discipline. This allows the platform to inform evolving practice standards. As technology becomes even more integrated with our daily lives, we are on track for virtual reality and augmented reality becoming standard deliverables within all size offices.

Beresford Pratt, AIA, NOMA

Pratt is a design manager and architect with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He co-leads multiple J.E.D.I based architecture pipeline initiatives with Baltimore, Maryland K-12 students. He is the AIA Young Architects Forum communications director.

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Practice Innovation Lab: AIA Kentucky/AIA Indiana The AIA Kentucky/AIA Indiana Practice Innovation Lab was a hybrid event that brought participants together both virtually and in person to focus on practice models to help the profession move forward after experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic. The half-day workshop took place on Sept. 23 as part of the AIA Kentucky/AIA Indiana Convention in Louisville. This workshop continued into a convention session where the two participating teams presented their concepts and led an open discussion on how other firms have adapted over the past two years. This Practice Innovation Lab workshop was a continuation of the 2017 YAF Summit, where the first PIL focused on developing concepts for innovative future business models for the profession of architecture.

The AIA Kentucky/AIA Indiana PIL was originally to have three teams of five participants each. These teams had a mix of students, associates, architects, firm owners, and fellows. Each team had access to a Miro Board and Google Drive folder prior to the event to start brainstorming and to make introductions.

However, on the day of the workshop six participants were not able to attend, so two teams formed with a total of nine participants instead.

Above: Keynote presentation from Gensler’s strategy director, David Craig. (Photo provided by Dream Crew Productions)

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The workshop began with opening remarks to thank all the sponsors of the event and a keynote presentation from Gensler’s strategy director, David Craig. He presented to the teams via Zoom about Gensler’s Workplace Survey and how people have adapted to a hybrid work schedule in response to the pandemic.

Following the keynote presentation, the teams started working to answer the initial PIL question: With so much of the world in flux, through changes as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, how will architects adapt ways of practicing that will advance the profession? Teams spread out around the office in different conference rooms to work through concepts on how the architectural profession could evolve. The original idea was to prepare slides for the team pitches and convention session, but the use of Miro Boards, Post-it notes, and whiteboards proved to be more successful to present ideas and have a discussion.

The discussion from the team pitches carried over to the convention session attended primarily by firm owners. We found the audience had all taken different approaches last year

Above: Team pitches to the workshop participants and employees of Luckett & Farley. (Photo provided by Dream Crew Productions)

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during the start of the pandemic; some firms chose to close the physical office and work from home, and some continued in the office as if nothing had changed. All the participants in this convention session shared the lessons they learned and what they believed worked successfully for their practice and employees.

As a result of the event, other attendees of the convention have reached out to learn how their firms can take these ideas and apply them to their own hybrid work schedules. This has also led to Axis Architecture + Interiors creating its own workplace strategy to determine whether the office environment is working for or against the hybrid schedule and what improvements should be considered.

Findings of Each Team Team #1 developed a wellness-based business model to focus on: personal wellness, environmental wellness, and professional wellness. It was recognized that the pandemic has adjusted people’s work habits and should continue to provide flexibility in the working environment. Their pitch is “to create an employee-focused firm based on personal and professional

wellness that creates a culture of freedom and autonomy while enabling a collaborative work environment.”

Team #2 explored how firms can begin collaborating virtually to form partnerships across geographic boundaries. Virtual and hybrid practices can provide greater accessibility and flexibility but do face challenges to build a trusted network and provide equitable access to information. Firms who begin to form partnerships across the country can help expand the project market, experience, and knowledge.

A huge thank you to the AIA College of Fellows, Luckett & Farley, Ketchum & Walton, Dream Crew, and the AIA Kentucky/ AIA Indiana Convention for making it possible for this Practice Innovation Lab to happen.

Above: Team #2 practice model to help firms collaborate across geographic boundaries.

Above:Team #1 discussions about the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of employees. (Photo provided by Dream Crew Productions)

Ashley Thornberry, AIA, NCARB

Thornberry is a project architect at Axis Architecture + Interiors in Indianapolis. She serves as the chair of YAF Indy and is the 2022-2023 Indiana young architect representative.

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Mission 2130: code red charrettes

Help shape the future of our global society to ensure it is a prosperous place for all who will live here!

What will the world look like in 100 years? How will the profession of architecture evolve to meet the demands of our future communities and climate? What technology needs to be invented to support these efforts?

Join the Young Architects Forum for a robust virtual conversation about the future of our planet as we crowdsource risks and opportunities related to the built environment’s connection to planetary and human health.

MISSION 2130 | CODE RED CHARRETTES March 29-31 2022 | Enrollment begins late February 2022 YAF SUMMIT 30 | MISSION 2130 EVENT Late Q3 2022 | Applications open late May 2022 WANT MORE INFORMATION? Contact your state / regional Young Architect Representative or email yaf@aia.org

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Vol. 19, Issue 04 2021

Connection and chill

Cocktails and streaming content for the casual consumer Each quarter, the YAF Knowledge Focus Group curates streaming video content and a cocktail recipe to salute each Connection issue theme. In Q4, we celebrate practice innovation through provocative shows and drinks.

Cocktail Recipe: “Mindblown” When real innovation occurs, minds are blown. This take on a highball is loosely based on the popular “mindblown” emoji, using coconut flakes and fire. Innovation often takes on various forms, and this drink is flexible in its composition. Either way, this drink aims to inspire creative ideas to arrive at an innovative outcome.

Ingredients 1 oz Irish whiskey or vodka 1 oz white vermouth ½ oz passion fruit puree (can substitute with lemon juice) ½ oz simple syrup Ginger ale (if using vodka) or club soda (if using whiskey) Crushed coconut flakes Dried fruit slice (pear, lemon, blood orange, etc.)

High-proof alcohol, such as 151 or Everclear Instructions Wet top third of highball glass and dust rim with coconut flakes. Fill the cup with ice to the very top. Combine whiskey or vodka, vermouth, fruit juice, and simple syrup and pour into a highball cup. Top with ginger ale or soda.

For the garnish, soak dried fruit in high-proof alcohol, then place directly on top of the drink. Using a match or lighter, light fruit carefully to ignite alcohol. Fruit will caramelize until alcohol is burnt away.

Enjoy!

Above: Mindblown cocktail, based on the popular emoji, with flame garnish

Streaming Recommendations (available on Netflix):

The following ranges from fictional series to documentaries, each exploring possibilities of the mind, of human kind, and of the future.

Black Mirror (2011-2019) Human: The World Within (2021) Inside Bill’s Brain: Decoding Bill Gates (2019) Print the Legend (2014)

AIA YAF Knowledge Focus Group (Allie Ditzel, AIA; Ashley Hartshorn, AIA, NCARB; Kiara Luers, AIA; Caitlin Osepchuk, AIA; Jason Takeuchi, AIA, NCARB, NOMA)

The YAF Knowledge Focus Group is dedicated to identifying important issues of recently licensed architects and the creation of knowledge resources to enable young architects to advance their careers.

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