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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.
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Dec 9, 2019
Consider this the “Director’s Cut” of hypothetical questions. We decided to dig back through all of 2019 and pull out our three most favorite questions and present them here in all their full-length unedited glory.
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Nov 25, 2019
It’s that holiday time of the year. If you are lucky enough to have an architect in your life, and you are wondering what to get this special someone for Christmas, you’ve come to the right place.
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Nov 11, 2019
What music do you listen to? What’s your design process? What is your favorite building and why? What do you eat for breakfast? All this and more as Andrew and I answer your burning questions where almost nothing is off-limits. Episode sponsor: The Forge Prize 2020
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Oct 28, 2019
Architecture and skilled craft go hand in hand, but you may not be aware that the number of skilled individuals that are required to bring an architect’s ideas to reality. In today’s episode, Andrew and I are talking about the state of skilled labor in the construction industry. This is not a subject that receives a ton of attention, but one that can have a big impact on the work of an architect. Episode sponsor: CONSTRUCT
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Oct 14, 2019
If you ever thought about being an architect but thought you couldn’t handle the math, you aren’t alone. At parties across the land, as soon as someone finds out there is an architect in the crowd, there is a story being told about how they wanted to be an architect but since they couldn’t draw or weren’t very good at math they decided to do something else. Episode sponsor: CENTRIA
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Sep 30, 2019
Architectural models are clearly within the architect’s domain, but are you within the “physical models are better” or “digital models are better” camp? That’s the subject matter today as we discuss architectural models and their role in the creative process in a modern architectural office. Episode sponsor: Petersen Aluminum
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Sep 16, 2019
Since Andrew and I completed our architectural registration exams in a previous decade than the one we are currently in, we brought in someone a bit younger to assist us with today’s topic, someone who has just recently gone through the process of taking the ARE. Welcome back to the show, my former podcast co-conspirator, Landon Williams. Episode sponsor: Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Sep 3, 2019
The projects that architects-in-training work on while in school are rarely about solving practical problems and issues—the real objectives are almost always lurking just below the surface. Your projects from architecture school are silly, but for good reasons. Episode sponsor: CONSTRUCT
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Aug 19, 2019
Do architects have obsessive personalities? I tend to think so, and only partially based on my own behavior. I should throw out the caveat that I don’t think you should have to explain why you obsess over something. Isn’t that the nature of any obsession—that there is some level of irrationality associated behind it? Episode sponsor: NUDURA
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Aug 5, 2019
Is it the dream of every architect to have their own firm one day? I can recall hours and hours of conversations that I’ve had with other architects throughout my career where this topic was front and center of our discussions. Episode sponsor: Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Jul 21, 2019
If I have one regret during my college education is that I never worked on a construction site. Once I graduated from college, I went straight to work in an architectural office, drawing up all sorts of stuff that I had literally never seen before in my life. I managed to get along, but I was acutely aware of my lack of practical knowledge and I have been trying to make up for it over the last 20+ years. Episode sponsor: Huber Engineered Woods
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Jul 8, 2019
The thing with social media is that there are a lot of people out there that hold themselves out as experts, and if I am being forthright, a lot of those people drive me crazy. There is a big difference between knowing what you should do and then actually being able to do it. Just because I know how to deadlift 400 lbs doesn’t mean that I can actually do it [for the record, I can’t], or that you should be listening to somebody just because they hold themselves out as an expert. Episode sponsor: CENTRIA
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Jun 24, 2019
How much time have you spent thinking about the legal side of architecture? If you are like most architects, you probably haven’t spent enough time thinking about it. While it may not be the sexiest part of the architectural profession, it is something that every licensed architect must consider on every single project. Episode sponsor: AIA Contract Documents
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Jun 9, 2019
Pretty simple and straightforward sentence: “Your first architectural job is important.” Let me clarify that I’m not talking about summer jobs or internships. Those don’t really count because they have a known shelf-life associated with them. What I’m talking about is the first real job a person takes once they’ve graduated from college–the job that signals the beginning of their professional career and more times than not is a predictor for the path your career will follow. Episode sponsor: Kingspan
Bob Borson, FAIA
| May 27, 2019
Today we are talking about Architectural Bucket lists. Everyone knows what a bucket list is – things you want to do or achieve in your life. For an architect, this could be visiting Therme Vals in Switzerland by Peter Zumthor, or if this was prior to 1969, maybe it would be smoking cigars with Mies van der Rohe.
Bob Borson, FAIA
| May 14, 2019
Unlike most professions, architects are fairly accustomed to standing up in front of a group of people and speaking … but that doesn’t mean they like it (or even worse) – that they are any good at doing it. The concern going through almost everyone’s head before they get up in front of a group is that they will look stupid, sound stupid, or generally come across as someone who shouldn’t be talking about whatever it is they are talking about. If that’s you, the good news is that you are not alone. Episode sponsor: PAC-CLAD by Petersen Aluminum
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Apr 18, 2019
Sometimes bad things happen, and it impacts you in a way that you weren’t anticipating – takes you out of your normal head space. Since I don’t like feeling bad, we’re going to do something about it. Welcome to “The Fun Show.”
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Apr 15, 2019
In the beginning, when you are starting to plan your budget for building a new house, residential construction costs are not that complicated unless you really want to make them that way. There are some general broad stroke pieces of information that if you know them, you will not be surprised when it comes time to plan your budget.
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Apr 1, 2019
There isn’t an architect walking the planet that hasn’t questioned if they were making the right decision when they decided to become an architect—at least not if they’re being honest with themselves—which leads us to today’s topic of “Making an Architect.”
Bob Borson, FAIA
| Mar 17, 2019
Every client wants to know what their project is going to cost and who’s going to build it. That means sending the drawings out and getting contractors involved … Let’s get ready to rumble because “The Construction Bid Process ” is today’s topic. Episode sponsor: Pella Architectural Solutions
