Practice Disrupted by Practice of Architecture
The evolution of architectural practice has been relatively slow towards change, yet modern shifts in business and design management have prompted today's leading architects to rethink how they work. On Practice Disrupted, Evelyn Lee, FAIA, NOMA, an architect, angel investor, fractional COO, and Founder of Practice of Architecture, sets out to illuminate the future of the profession to help architects remain relevant and valuable in a changing world. She will explore how technology, cultural shifts, and emerging best practices are prompting firm owners to reassess their business models and adjust their studios. Each episode features an industry leader who explores...
10
250: Architecture, And: From the Design Studio to the Operations Seat
<p>How can architects leverage their lateral thinking beyond traditional design practice to drive value in construction technology, entrepreneurship, and business leadership?</p><p>In this episode of Practice Disrupted, host Evelyn Lee explores the power of alternative career paths in the AEC industry and how architectural training prepares designers for executive leadership outside traditional practice. Evelyn sits down with Daron Pardine, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Primera Works, a technology company focused on asset intelligence for the physical world, combining reality capture, data processing, and digital intelligence to create verified records of physical assets. Its services include LiDAR...
249: Someone Else's Clock: Mayra Arntz on Where the Money Goes and Why
<p>Why does venture capital flow heavily into construction and development, and what will it take for architectural firms to capture real value?</p><p>This week on Practice Disrupted, host Evelyn Lee explores architecture's business model from the other side of the table. Evelyn sits down with Mayra Arntz, Principal at Building Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in technology for the built environment. Having built a unique career spanning field construction at open-pit mines, startup product development, and corporate strategy, Mayra brings a candid, grounded perspective on where money actually flows in AEC, and why so little...
248: Unruly Practices: Navigating Non-Traditional Careers in Design and Social Impact Real Estate
<p>How can an architectural education prepare you to break away from traditional practice and tackle complex systems like social impact housing, community advocacy, and non-traditional careers?</p><p>In this episode of Practice Disrupted, host Evelyn Lee sits down with Sarai Williams, Vice President of Housing Strategy and Partnerships at BDP Impact Real Estate. A thread that keeps surfacing this season is what happens to the people who receive an architectural education and then choose not to practice traditionally. Sarai’s multi-disciplinary journey, spanning a Bachelor of Architecture from Howard University, a dual Master’s in City & Regional Planning and...
247: Architecture’s Memory Problem | The Profession That Keeps Forgetting
<p>How can architects leverage AI and data to eliminate inefficiencies and reclaim their time for design?</p><p>In this episode of Practice Disrupted, host Evelyn Lee sits down with Natalia Bakaeva, a registered architect in Ontario who transitioned from running her own multidisciplinary practice to becoming the co-founder and CEO of ARKI. This season continues to highlight architects who stopped waiting for the profession to change and built something themselves. Natalia’s journey traces a unique path from beginning architecture school at sixteen in the Russian Far East, to studying in Moscow and London, and eventually establishing her ca...
246: Getting Chosen: How Storytelling Changes the Way Firms Win Work
<p>How can architects leverage storytelling to differentiate their practice, build authentic client connections, and communicate the true value of design?</p><p>In this episode of Practice Disrupted, host Evelyn Lee sits down with Lee Schneider, founder of Red Cup Agency and adjunct assistant professor at the USC School of Architecture. With a rich background spanning screenwriting, network news production at Dateline NBC, and over a decade teaching media making to architecture students, Lee brings a unique outside perspective to the profession. Together, they explore how narrative carries weight in business development, firm positioning, and project selection.</p><p>...
245: The Intelligent Designer: Navigating the Realities of AI Adoption
<p>Why are the youngest designers often the most resistant to adopting AI, and how can firms effectively navigate this technological shift?</p><p>In this episode of Practice Disrupted, host Evelyn Lee sits down with Stacy Thorwart, former global AI strategist for Steelcase and founder of The Intelligent Designer. Stacy shares her unique journey from running a small residential interior design firm to leading enterprise-level AI strategy, and eventually launching an educational platform full-time to teach other designers</p><p>The conversation challenges common assumptions about AI in the AEC industry. Stacy reveals that the lowest adoption rates she...
244: Architecture, And: From Mass Timber to Behavioral Health, with Michael Caton
<p>How can architectural thinking, technology, and a shift from outputs to outcomes empower designers to solve complex human challenges beyond the built environment?</p><p>In this episode of Practice Disrupted, host Evelyn Lee sits down with Michael Caton, a Pratt-trained architect whose non-traditional career trajectory spans international mega-projects, technology-driven practice, mass timber housing, and pediatric behavioral health. Michael shares how graduating into the 2008 financial crisis launched a global journey, from construction administration on an Abu Dhabi hotel spanning a Formula One track to civic leadership in Brooklyn, that fundamentally reshaped how he views the architect's role in the...
243: Stop Waiting in Line: Lisa Sauve on Owning the Risk
<p>How can architects move away from billable hours, trade traditional fees for equity, and step into the role of initiators rather than waiting for client calls?</p><p>In this episode of Practice Disrupted, host Evelyn Lee speaks with Lisa Sauve, co-founder of Synecdoche, a design-make practice based in Detroit. Lisa’s entrance into practice bypassed traditional firm hierarchies entirely. Her firm’s first project came off Craigslist before she finished undergrad, a 110-square-foot office interior for $1,500 that she skipped graduation to build, which ultimately won Architizer and Inc. Magazine's World's Coolest Offices in 2009.</p><p>As a 22-year-old sing...
242: Architecture, And: Killing the Profession's Ego with George Valdes
<p>How can killing the profession’s collective ego unlock new business models, elevate client experience, and modernize business development across the AEC industry?</p><p>In this episode of Practice Disrupted, host Evelyn Lee welcomes back George Valdes, co-founder of ToolBlocks and marketing and design lead at companies such as Monograph, IrisVR, Paperspace, and WeWork. Five years after his initial appearance on the podcast, George returns to reflect on his non-linear trajectory, from studying landscape architecture at FIU and earning an M.Arch at Columbia GSAPP to navigating the tech startup ecosystem without a traditional coding background. George unpacks ho...
241: Unboring Architecture Business, Live Events, and AI-Driven Operations
<p>How can architecture leaders navigate economic uncertainty, build authentic brand voices, and transform practice operations through live connection and practical AI tools?</p><p>In the Season 13 premiere of Practice Disrupted, host Evelyn Lee opens the season with a dynamic roundtable featuring Aya Shlachter and Nikita Morell. Aya is the founder and CEO of MGS Global Group, the production partner behind more than 500 architecture firms worldwide, and host of the AI for Architects and Architect My Business podcasts. Nikita is an architecture messaging strategist and the founder of Dirt, a brand messaging agency for AEC tech and construction companies...
