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Bob Borson, FAIA | Sep 5, 2023Bob Borson, FAIA, and Andrew Hawkins, AIA, answer listeners' burning questions in episode 133 of the Life of an Architect podcast.
Andrew Hawkins, AIA | Aug 21, 2023
You have made the decision where to study architecture. You’ve chosen the architecture school and your degree path. So now what? How much work is this going to be?
Andrew Hawkins, AIA | Aug 7, 2023
So you are thinking about starting architecture school or looking to study architecture. What are your options for schools? Are you just weeks away from starting your first semester of college architecture school? What’s it going to be like? How hard is it? What am I going to do? What’s with all these acronyms? Well, no matter your situation we’ve got you covered today with all the introductory info in Episode 131: Starting Architecture School Part 1.
Bob Borson, FAIA | Jul 27, 2023
Performance appraisal, performance review – call them what you will, but we all know what they are. Most likely you have received them. Chances are that you might even have given one before. What sort of role do employee evaluations play? Are they helpful? Do you dread receiving yours?
Bob Borson, FAIA | Jul 10, 2023
The Pantheon, 125 A.D. The Tower of Hercules, 117 A.D. Nanchan Temple, 782 A.D. The Hagia Sofia, 537 A.D. All of these structures were built centuries ago but still stand in use today. Do modern-era buildings get created in such a way that allows for them to last for this long? Of course not. But why is that? What can we do to improve the longevity of our buildings?
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Jun 26, 2023
When you hear the word “focus” what comes to mind? Is it the ability to see clearly? Maybe you think of the ability to pay particular attention to the task at hand. Possibly the Ariana Grande song from 2015. Well, it’s definitely not that. What are we talking about again? Oh yeah, Welcome to EP 128: Focus.
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Jun 12, 2023
The architectural theory of contextual architecture—often referred to as “contextualism”—asserts that built items should be in response to the literal and abstract components in the environment in which it is built. In 1988, Architect Philip Johnson and Mark Wigley denounced this philosophy, stating “contextualism has been used as an excuse for mediocrity, for a dumb servility to the familiar”, whereas Rem Koolhaas was more to the point and simply said, “F*!k context”. Sound exciting? Welcome to episode 127: Context and Design.
Bob Borson, FAIA | May 29, 2023
It has been a long time since a bucket list was brought up on this show, but today’s the day. Almost four years to the day and 100 episodes later, Andrew and I are going to go through an architectural bucket list of people, places, and things. I don’t know what Andrew has in mind, but I’m feeling that my list will inspire you and change your life--or at the very least, get you to go look something up on the Internet. Welcome to episode 126: Architectural Bucket List Take 2.
Andrew Hawkins, AIA
| Apr 17, 2023
You’re about to graduate from architecture school, or maybe you already have a job, and you’re just simply looking for a change. Going through the interviews in an architecture firm is just part of a sequence of activities toward getting a new job. There are some things that are worth knowing before you step into the room. Welcome to Life of an Architect Episode 123: Interviews Just Aren’t that Hard.
Andrew Hawkins, AIA | Apr 3, 2023
Even though artificial intelligence can conceptually trace its roots back to the 1950s, the reality is AI and machine learning went mainstream not too long ago. As recently as November 2022, anyone with a computer and Internet access can dip their toes in the AI waters for not much more than the time needed to understand how to make it work. Unless you’ve had your head in the sand, you probably know this is a big deal. But what does this mean to the profession of architecture? Are we all going to be replaced? Are there any ethical considerations that we should start thinking about? Welcome to Life of an Architect episode 122: Architecture and Artificial Intelligence
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Mar 20, 2023
When you think of a building – whatever scale or project type – the items that go into creating that building are most frequently associated with the materials that are selected that define the appearance of the building. Brick, glass, wood, and metal are all great choices. But the decision on what to clad your project in goes a long way toward deciding things beyond the appearance.
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Mar 6, 2023
What are the top three deficiencies of the architectural profession? What is your best non-architecture source for creative inspiration? How does an architect deal with burnout? These questions (and more!) answered by Life of an Architect co-hosts Bob Borson, FAIA, and Andrew Hawkins, AIA, in Episode 120: Ask the Show – Spring 2023 Edition.
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Feb 21, 2023
We are pulling the curtain back a bit and essentially letting you in on a 2023 planning meeting for Life of an Architect while we bring you up to date on the things that have already happened. Welcome to episode 119: Architectural Defrag.
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Feb 6, 2023
It’s time to get your architectural sea legs under you and get a job in the office of an architect? How does this happen? Why would you do this? What can you expect? Welcome to Life of an Architect episode 118: Architectural interns.
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Jan 23, 2023
Architects still communicate their designs through the use of graphics – and there are a lot of different formats, mediums, and techniques that are up for consideration. Architectural graphics is always a hot topic, and if I have learned anything over the last 12 years of writing articles for Life of an Architect, it’s that sketching and architectural visualization are the hottest of topics.
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Jan 9, 2023
Architects work a lot, right? I mean, that’s what most people think, and it’s what you would expect to hear if you straight up asked an architect, “Do you work a lot?” Maybe it simply means that architects just like working all the time.
BOB BORSON, FAIA
| Dec 14, 2022
Architecture is not a trade, it’s a craft. And it normally takes years of practice before you start to routinely exist in the delicate balance between programming requirements and artistic expression. Since this suggests that time and evolution are a consideration to development, it also suggests that architects don’t always get it right.
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Nov 28, 2022
Now in its 13th consecutive year, Life of an Architect is putting out the increasingly difficult yet still definitive gift guide for architects, just so you don’t have to figure these things out for yourself. Welcome to Episode 114: Holiday gift guide for architects for 2022.
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Nov 28, 2022
Let’s be honest, there is an expectation that the offices that architects work out of should be interesting and expertly designed environments–full of moments that demonstrate just how clever they are while enticing potential clients to hire them or get potential employees to want to be hired. Or at least that’s what I think.
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Nov 2, 2022
It’s the end of the semester, you’ve exhausted all of your ideas, and you are totally worn out running off minimal sleep and too much caffeine. Your work is pinned up on the wall and it’s time to give your last presentation in front of the final jury. In the grand scheme of things, does this moment even matter? Welcome to episode 112 of Life of an Architect: Final Presentations in Architecture School.
Andrew Hawkins, AIA
| Oct 17, 2022
What is it like to work for an architecture firm that routinely wins design awards and arguably falls into the category of "design superstar." Answers to these questions and more from our guest, Kevin Rice, Principal, Diller Scofidio + Renfro.
