Latest

190: ‘ AI + KM = Smarter AEC Firms’, with Christopher Parsons

A conversation with Christopher Parsons about exploring the evolution of knowledge management in the AEC industry, highlighting the impact of AI, and emphasizing cultural and operational shifts necessary for successful KM 3.0 implementation.

Leadership Edge: TRXL 187

189: ‘The Rise of the Balkan Architect’, with Milos Temerinski

A conversation with Milos Temerinski about exploring his journey in AEC as he transforms his Balkan Architect YouTube channel into a thriving training platform, emphasizing the power of video for architectural education and the importance of technical creativity.

Leadership Edge: TRXL 186

Rethinking architecture’s value chain: exploring tool specificity over monoliths, the real obstacles in AEC, and why capturing design intent, not just drawings, is key to thriving in the age of AI and automation.

188: ‘Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable’, with Gavin Crump

A conversation with Gavin Crump about exploring personal evolution in AEC, embracing programming as creativity, and building a public brand through generosity, while highlighting the importance of retaining talent within the industry.

Leadership Edge: TRXL 185

Radical transparency in architecture firms: exploring real-time data benchmarks, financial literacy as a design skill, and how open operations create team alignment and sustainable business models for better project outcomes.

187: ‘It’s Just Poly’s on a Map’, with Rob Asher and James Blackwood

A conversation with Rob Asher and James Blackwood about exploring the integration of design and data, the challenges of traditional architectural tools, and how Giraffe empowers architects to leverage technology for better decision-making and streamlined workflows in urban planning.

Leadership Edge: TRXL 184

A conversation with Stephan Sieber and Bill Allen about exploring the merger between Chaos and EvolveLAB, leveraging AI tools for enhanced design processes, and emphasizing the need for architects to adapt to rapidly changing technology to stay relevant in the industry.

186: ‘Bringing a Bazooka to a Banana Fight’, with Clifton Harness

A conversation with Clifton Harness about exploring the future of architectural technology, challenging industry norms, and the importance of innovation in architecture. Clifton Harness discusses how professionals must adapt to thrive in a changing AEC landscape.

Leadership Edge: TRXL 183

Rethinking architecture through AI, knowledge management, and sustainable innovation—Natalia Bakaeva shares her journey from architect to tech founder, offering insights into transforming workflows and retaining talent in the AEC industry.

185: ‘Radical Transparency’, with Robert Yuen

A conversation with Robert Yuen about exploring radical transparency in architecture, understanding financial metrics, and fostering a culture of accountability and growth, while addressing the need for informed decision-making in the AEC industry.

Leadership Edge: TRXL 182

Championing innovation through AI adoption, generational collaboration, and protected R&D teams—Dan Chuparkoff lays out a practical roadmap for navigating rapid change, unlocking creativity, and redefining leadership in the AEC industry.

184: ‘Chaos Evolves’, with Stephan Sieber and Bill Allen

A conversation with Stephan Sieber and Bill Allen about exploring the merger between Chaos and EvolveLAB, leveraging AI tools for enhanced design processes, and emphasizing the need for architects to adapt to rapidly changing technology to stay relevant in the industry.

Leadership Edge: TRXL 181

Transforming AEC collaboration with browser-based tools, real-time 3D sketching, and board-based workflows—Motif bridges design silos, preserves design intent, and reimagines how teams engage across tools like Revit and Rhino.

183: ‘An Appetite for Transformation’, with Natalia Bakaeva

A conversation with Natalia Bakaeva about exploring the intersection of architecture and AI, addressing talent loss due to redundant work, and emphasizing the need for innovation in the industry to create more efficient workflows and enhance creative potential.

Leadership Edge Special Edition: A SHoP Architects Case Study

SHoP Architects pioneers a transformative approach to architectural practice, blending advanced digital tools with human-centered design to redefine how buildings are conceived, delivered, and operated in the modern era.

SHoP Architects: Using Lightweight Models as a Foundational Framework

SHoP Architects revolutionizes architectural practice with their lightweight modeling approach, allowing multiple stakeholders to collaborate in real-time while maintaining design flexibility and reducing technical debt.

182: ‘Imagining Where We Want to Go’, with Dan Chuparkoff

A conversation with Dan Chuparkoff about navigating technological change requires proactive leadership. Change agents must embrace innovation, foster a growth mindset, and empower teams to adapt to rapid advancements in AI and how it transforms workflows and communication.

Leadership Edge: TRXL 180

The Dynamo Story: Creating tools out of necessity, empowering architects as coders, open-sourcing Dynamo, and transforming AEC workflows through community-driven innovation and visual programming.

181: ‘Densities of Information’, with Matt Jezyk

A conversation with Matt Jezyk about exploring the evolution of design collaboration tools, embracing real-time feedback for enhanced architectural workflows, and addressing the challenges of integrating new technologies in the AEC industry for better outcomes.

Confluence podcast S2E10

Join John Cerone of SHoP Architects as we explore how technology and innovation shape modern architectural practice. From digital twins to data-driven design, discover how one of architecture's most forward-thinking firms is revolutionizing the way buildings are designed, built, and operated.

Leadership Edge: TRXL 179

Harnessing data to optimize AEC workflows, cut inefficiencies, and drive smart decisions. From reducing software costs to targeted training, this episode brief reveals insights that transform digital practice—because you can’t improve what you don’t measure.

180: Campfire Series - ‘The Dynamo Story’, with Ian Keough

A conversation with Ian Keough about exploring the origin and evolution of Dynamo, uncovering its impact on computational design, its transition to Autodesk, and how it transformed careers and architectural workflows.

179: ‘Analyzing AEC’, with Matt Wash and Konrad Sobon

A conversation with Matt Wash and Konrad Sobon about exploring digital transformation in AEC, enhancing productivity through data insights, and addressing challenges in communication and accountability within firms for improved business performance.

Why TRXL+ Membership Matters: Supporting the Future of AEC

Want to shape the future of AEC? Join TRXL+ today and support independent analysis that drives industry evolution. Your membership enables deeper insights, richer conversations, and transformative content. Be part of the change—become a member now.

Leadership Edge: TRXL 178

Unlocking firm efficiency through tailored software, leveraging AI for strategic decision-making, and replacing outdated tools to enhance data accuracy and reduce operational blind spots in architectural practice management.

Confluence podcast S2E9

Innovating with AI in Civil Engineering Rob Sinclair of Wade Trim joins Randall Stevens and me to talk about how their innovative AI initiatives and their strategic partnership with Yegatech has evolved their business. Rob shares insights on the firm's AI journey, from establishing an AI task force

178: ‘Empowering Strategic Thinking’, with Matt Cooper

A conversation with Matt Cooper.

Leadership Edge: TRXL 177

Exploring AI as a strategic partner in architecture, fostering future literacy for proactive innovation, and streamlining workflows to unlock more creative potential. Balancing tech adoption with data security for a resilient, forward-thinking practice.

Confluence podcast S2E8

Audacity, Antiquity, and AI In this episode of the Confluence Podcast, hosts Randall Stephens and Evan Troxel are joined by special guest Christy Chapman from the University of Kentucky to discuss how AI has unlocked antiquity. Watch this episode on YouTube Subscribe to the podcast on YouTube The discussion focuses

Leadership Edge: TRXL 176

The origins of Rhino, its rise in AEC, and the impact of Grasshopper on computational design. Plus, how Rhino.Inside redefines interoperability and why McNeel stays committed to perpetual licensing in a subscription-driven industry.

177: ‘The Digital Futures of Architectural Practice’, with Kristen Forward

A conversation with Kristen Forward.

Leadership Edge: TRXL 175

Real-time decision-making in AEC, adaptive generative design for healthcare, and architects reclaiming their role as master orchestrators. SLAM & Hypar redefine workflows, bridging concept to fabrication with precision, efficiency, and reduced waste.

Leadership Edge: TRXL 174

The Bluebeam Story: Enhancing collaboration, streamlining workflows for efficiency, and leveraging digital tools to bridge the gap between design and construction for seamless project execution.

176: Campfire Series - ‘The Rhinoceros Story’, with Scott Davidson

A conversation with Scott Davidson.

Leadership Edge Bonus Edition - Confluence Podcast S2E7

Harnessing AI for engineering knowledge transfer, integrating computational design for seamless collaboration, and driving innovation through R&D and hackathons to future-proof structural workflows in the AEC industry.

Confluence podcast S2E7

The Evolution of Computational Design and AI in Structural Engineering Join Randall and me as we welcome Rob Otani to the podcast and go behind the scenes at TT. In this episode we hear about the evolution of computational design and AI in structural engineering. Rob shares insights from his

Leadership Edge: TRXL 173

Building a culture of digital literacy, integrating technology training into practice, and bridging the gap between education and real-world application to future-proof architectural firms.

175: ‘Realtime Decision Making’, with Ian Keough and Keith Fine

A conversation with Ian Keough and Keith Fine.

Confluence podcast S2E6

Data Governance and the Cloud in AEC Join Randall Stevens and me in this episode with special guest Aaron Vorwerk from Egnyte. Aaron tells us about Egnyte's role in AI and machine learning within the AEC industry. He shares his background, discusses data governance, the evolution of cloud

174: Campfire Series - ‘The Bluebeam Story’, with Don Jacob

A conversation with Don Jacob.

173: ‘Raising Digital Literacy’, with Cody Winchester

A conversation with Cody Winchester.

Leadership Edge: TRXL 172

Leveraging AI for creative collaboration, developing client personas for enhanced communication, and rethinking architectural documentation workflows for simplicity and efficiency.

TRXL Podcast 2024: A Year of Transformative AEC Conversations

A year in review.

Confluence podcast S2E5

The Evolution of 3D Visualization In this episode of the Confluence podcast, Randall Stevens and I sit down with Phillip Miller from Chaos Group. The discussion navigates through Phil's extensive background in the 3D technology and AEC industry, highlighting his contributions to Autodesk, Adobe, and NVIDIA. Phil introduces

Leadership Edge: TRXL 171

Linking design intent directly to fabrication through web-based platforms, innovations addressing skilled labor shortages in the trades, and streamlining workflows.

172: ‘Architects in Airports Talking AI and AEC’, with Phil Read

A conversation with Phil Read.

Reflections on AEC Tech, Podcasting, and Collaboration: My Interview with Mayur Mistry

Recently, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Mayur Mistry for his YouTube channel. Over the course of an hour, we covered everything from my approach to podcasting on TRXL to broader trends and challenges within the AEC industry. For those who couldn’t tune in live, I wanted

171: ‘From Model to Machine’, with Brian Nickel and Brett Settles

A conversation with Brian Nickel and Brett Settles.

Leadership Edge: TRXL 170

Leveraging mental health technology for enhanced workplace performance.

TRXL Named Among the Best AEC Creators of 2024!

🎉 I'm thrilled to announce that TRXL has been recognized as one of the Best AEC Creators of 2024 by Arcol! Being included on this prestigious list validates the countless hours of hard work, creativity, and passion that go into every conversation shared with you. TRXL has always been

Leadership Edge: TRXL 169

🎉🥳 It's my birthday today (the big 5-oh)! And to celebrate, I’m launching the first post in a new series offering insights from TRXL podcast episodes, designed to give AEC leaders a competitive edge.

170: ‘Navigating People, Creativity, and Professional Challenges’, with Jared Anderson

A conversation with Jared Anderson.

169: ‘Shaping an Innovation Culture’, with Matthew Krissel

A conversation with Matthew Krissel, FAIA.

168: ‘The Challenges of Under-Digitization in AEC’, with César Flores Rodríguez

A conversation with César Flores Rodríguez.

167: ‘The Battle Over Building Codes Continues’, with Scott Reynolds

A conversation with Scott Reynolds.

Confluence podcast S2E4

Bringing Newforma to the Cloud Carl Veillette of Newforma joins Randall and me on the show to talk about the transformation and integration of BIM Track with Newforma to revolutionize project management in the AEC industry, while bringing it all to the cloud for collaboration. In this episode, Carl shares

The Now and Future of Generative Design

I recently hosted a live webinar with Britton Langdon, Chief Strategy Officer at Snaptrude, and Clifton Harness, CEO of TestFit. The discussion covers recent advancements in—and possibly the re-emergence of—useful generative design tools, focusing on early-stage concept design, land use, feasibility, and evolving digital workflows in architectural practice.

166: ‘Dirty Little Secrets’, with Parley Burnett and Chris Shafer

A conversation with Parley Burnet and Chris Shafer.

165: ‘Transitioning to Leading People in AEC Tech’, with Phil Read and Adam Thomas

A conversation with Phil Read and Adam Thomas.

164: ‘The Technology in Architecture Practice (TAP) Knowledge Community’, with Ryan Cameron

A conversation with Ryan Cameron.

Confluence podcast S2E3

AI in Architectural Practice Charles Portelli of Perkins&Will joins the show to talk about the themes presented in his talk at the Confluence event in Brooklyn, New York, focusing on the application of AI and machine learning in architectural practice. Key discussion points include strategies for handling unstructured

163: ‘Confusing Evolution With Innovation’, with Nirva Fereshetian

A conversation with Nirva Fereshetian.

162: Campfire Series - ‘BLDGBLOG Turns 20’, with Geoff Manaugh

A conversation with Geoff Manaugh.

161: ‘Project Phoenix, Part 3: Innovating with Mycelium’, with David Benjamin and Thomas van Haren

A conversation with David Benjamin and Thomas van Haren.

Yours truly on the Brand Groupies Podcast

Ep 66: The Journey and Impact of Evan Troxel in AEC Podcasting I was recently invited to be interviewed on Brand Groupies' AEC Buzzmakers series about my podcasting work. It was a great opportunity to share stories and revisit how my shows came to be. 🎙️Carey Balogh, the host

160: ‘Project Phoenix, Part 2: Prefab Modular’, with David Benjamin and Andrew Meagher

A conversation with David Benjamin and Andrew Meagher.

159: ‘Project Phoenix, Part 1: Design’, with David Benjamin and Ryan McNulty

A conversation with David Benjamin and Ryan McNulty.

Yours truly at BAC Talks

BAC Talks 2024: Future Digital Technologies in Architecture: AI, Immersive, and BIM 2.0 BAC Talks 2024: Future Digital Technologies in Architecture: AI, Immersive, and BIM 2.0In this session moderated by Anthony Frausto-Robledo, B.Arch′96, AIA, LEED AP, Founder and Publisher, Architosh.com, and Evan Troxel, NCARB, Founder

Confluence podcast S2E2

AR for Construction with Sitelink Jesse Vander Does and Adrian Hatch of Sitelink join the Confluence podcast to talk about their work in the construction tech industry. Sitelink is developing a location-aware augmented reality (AR) BIM viewer for iOS devices. This tool helps general contractors and field workers access and

Yours truly on the Repurpose Your Purpose podcast

Ep 10: Evan Troxel on Architecture Host Aurora Meneghello and I talked about what it's like to work in architecture, how common it is to embark on a professional journey and then to find out it's different from what we expected, his embrace of technology, and

Yours truly on the Business of Architecture Podcast

Ep 543: The Value of an Architect with Cormac Phalen & Evan Troxel of Archispeak In a thought-provoking podcast episode, Enoch Sears delves into the intricacies of running a successful firm with Cormac Phalen & Evan Troxel of Archispeak. They touch upon the importance of setting boundaries and shifting mindsets,

158: ‘AEC is an Adhocracy’, with Andy Robert and Mercedes Carriquiry

A conversation with Andy Robert and Mercedes Carricuiry.

Confluence podcast S2E1

Bringing AI to the Synthesis Intranet Platform The first episode of Season 2 of the Confluence podcast is now live! Chris Parsons of Knowledge Architecture comes back on the Confluence podcast to discuss bringing AI to their Synthesis intranet platform. He takes us behind the scenes showing various functionalities including

157: ‘Aligning and Orchestrating the Process’, with Krzysztof Jędrzejewski

A conversation with Krzysztof Jędrzejewski.

156: ‘Why Are We Doing This in the First Place?’, with Shane Burger

A conversation with Shane Burger.

Confluence podcast S1E12

The Evolution of TonicDM Reg Prentice, founder of TonicDM, joins Randall Stevens to discuss the development and evolution of Tonic. Tonic is a cloud-based solution for smart, simple project information management (PIM). Reg shares his journey from working with Frank Gehry and dabbling in amateur coding, to developing a project

155: ‘Shortening the Feedback Loop’, with AJ Lightheart and Jon Matalucci

A conversation with AJ Lightheart and Jon Matalucci.

154: ‘Construction is Sick’, with Jim Walker

A conversation with Jim Walker.

Archispeak podcast #332: ‘Navigating Internships and Early Career Steps’, with Michael Ermann

In this episode of Archispeak, my friend Michael Ermann of Amber Book and Virginia Tech joins Cormac and me as we tackle the topic of architectural internships – both for those seeking and for the firms providing them.

153: ‘Emotional Archaeology’, with Susan Young

A conversation with Susan Young.

152: ‘Left to My Own Devices’, with Kean Walmsley

A conversation with Kean Walmsley.

151: ‘The Zoo That’s in the Room’, with Roderick Bates and Kam Star

A conversation with Roderick Bates and Kam Star.

Confluence podcast S1E11

Veras, the AI-Powered Rendering Tool Benjamin Guler of EvolveLab joins the Confluence podcast to talk about Veras, the AI rendering tool for Revit, Rhino, SketchUp, Vectorworks, and most recently Autodesk Forma that is used for creating stunning architectural diffusion-based visualizations. Ben takes us behind the scenes to give us a

150: ‘Embracing Change’, with Timothy Halvorson

A conversation with Timothy Halvorson.

Confluence podcast S1E10

Democratizing 3d Content with Fovea Corey Rubadue of ArchVision joins the show to talk about Fovea, a tool that simplifies the process of translating and sharing 3d content across different 3d platforms and 3d file formats. In other words, it allows users to import data from various sources, process it,

149: ‘The Power of Curiosity and Continuous Learning’, with Mary Elizabeth Yarbrough

A conversation with Mary Elizabeth Yarbrough.

Confluence podcast S1E9

Building IMEG’s AI-Assistant Steve Germano of IMEG joins the show to talk about developing an in-house AI assistant named Meg, which functions as a conversational chatbot and search engine for company data running within Microsoft Teams. We talk about the goals and capabilities of the first release and how

148: ‘Universal Language’, with Petr Mitev

A conversation with Petr Mitev.

Yours truly on the EntreArchitect Podcast

Ep 547: Architects and Change: How to Develop an Innovation Plan for Your Architecture Firm Join Mark and Evan as they explore the evolving landscape of the architectural profession in the face of technological advancements. In this enlightening conversation, Evan draws from his extensive experience in both practice and education

Archispeak podcast #324: Archispeak Turns 12

I don't post all of my other podcast episodes here, but this one covers some AEC tech. 🎉 In this episode we start off by acknowledging the 12th birthday of the Archispeak podcast. Our first episode titled “That Ah-ha Moment” was published on February 3, 2013 and we don’

147: ‘The Era of Spatial Computing’, with John Manoochehri

A conversation with John Manoochehri.

146: ‘The Gordian Knot, Part 2’, with Phil Read

A second conversation with Phil Read.

🗞️ AEC/tech Newsletter #27

👋🏼 Hi there! This AEC Tech newsletter supplements my TRXL Podcast to fill in the details of what’s happening in the AEC Tech landscape. Happy reading.

Enscape for Mac now works with Rhino v8

Some updates have worked their way through the development cycle and Enscape for Mac (in their latest “preview” release—link below) now works with Rhino v8 for Mac. Both companies had some work to do to make this happen and a lot of users have been in the forums patiently

The Future of AEC Software, Part 2

Access Across Use Cases, Personas and Locations In part 2 of his series, Aaron Perry lays out why AEC demands a different, modern framework for design collaboration to deliver increasingly complex projects. After setting the stage by providing a brief history of how professionals have accomplished their work over the

145: ‘The Gordian Knot, Part 1’, with Phil Read

A conversation with Phil Read.

The Future of AEC Software, Part 1

A Framework for Data A well written, easy to understand primer about the Future AEC Software Specification has been posted on LinkedIn by Aaron Perry. He was recently on the podcast, along with Andy Watts, to expand upon this subject. The premise: The premise is simple: every time we import

144: Campfire Series - ‘The SketchUp Story’, with Brad Schell

A conversation with Brad Schell.

143: ‘The Future AEC Software Specification’, with Andy Watts and Aaron Perry

A conversation with Andy Watts and Aaron Perry.

Confluence podcast S1E7

Christopher Parsons of Knowledge Architecture joins Randall and me to talk about the major overhaul of their Synthesis intranet platform that’s been recently released for AEC firms. Chris talks us through the transition from building previous versions on top of Microsoft’s SharePoint platform to building their own platform,

Archispeak podcast #319: Goodbye and Good Riddance

In the last episode of the Archispeak podcast for 2023, we discuss the final printed edition of Architect Magazine and this installment also includes an AI workshop led by yours truly. I show some examples of what’s currently on offer for image generation, text generation, and deep-fake audio. This

142: ‘Reverse Engineering’, with Emil Poulsen

A conversation with Emil Poulsen.

🗞️ AEC/tech Newsletter #26

👋🏼 Hi there! The AEC/tech Newsletter supplements the TRXL Podcast to fill in the details of what’s happening in the AEC/tech landscape. Happy reading.

Skema's open beta: revolutionizing architectural design with a BIM knowledge reuse engine

In the realm of architectural design and construction, innovation is the catalyst that propels the industry forward. Skema, an emerging software platform co-founded by industry veteran Marty Rozmanith, stands at the forefront of this evolution. Marty recently joined me for a conversation on the TRXL podcast and we met up

Confluence podcast S1E6

In this episode, Samaneh Zolfagharian, Ph.D. joins Randall Stevens and me in a comprehensive overview of AI governance and ethics in the AEC industry. Sam is the CTO at YegaTech and is an AEC Data & AI Strategy Consultant. Today we explore various aspects of AI governance and ethics

Yours truly on BIM Pure Live

I had the pleasure of being on Nicolas Catellier's BIM Pure Live YouTube show. We talked about my experience implementing a digital practice in a large architecture firm, AEC tech and industry leaders on the TRXL podcast, my other podcasts, and thoughts about trends (like AI of course)

141: ‘AI is Not Your Strategy’, with Mehdi Nourbakhsh and Scott Thompson

A conversation with Mehdi Nourbakhsh, Ph.D. and Scott Thompson.

🗞️ AEC/tech Newsletter #25

👋🏼 Hi there! The AEC/tech Newsletter supplements the TRXL Podcast to fill in the details of what’s happening in the AEC/tech landscape. Happy reading.

AU 2023: What Happened in Vegas

Recently, I had the privilege of attending Autodesk University (AU), a gathering that goes beyond a mere conference. It's a convergence point for professionals passionate about the intersection of technology and AEC, and much more.

TRXL and Confluence podcast guest photos from Autodesk University 2023

A photo chronicle of /almost/ everyone I caught up with at AU this year who has been on my podcasts.

Here’s to the crazy ones

Celebrating the TRXL podcast's distinguished guests over the past 140 episodes and 3 1/2 years, this post highlights the diverse range of expertise and insights shared on the show.

140: ‘You Had Me at Anger’, with Håvard Vasshaug

A conversation with Håvard Vasshaug.

🗞️ AEC/tech Newsletter #24

👋🏼 Hi there! The AEC/tech Newsletter supplements the TRXL Podcast to fill in the details of what’s happening in the AEC/tech landscape. Happy reading.

Qonic begins open beta

Qonic is an interesting name for a product and I bet there’s a good story there... And you might be wondering: what is it? Qonic is a next-gen, Mac and Windows native app and browser-based high-performance BIM modeling platform for AEC collaboration in the cloud. Like we’ve been

Confluence podcast S1E5

Adam Chernick of Amazon Web Services (AWS) joins the Confluence podcast to talk about the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in AEC. Exciting developments include Luma Labs' scanning application for 3D Gaussian Splatting (G-splats), XR headsets including the Apple Vision Pro, and the use of LLMs (large language models)

139: ‘The Importance of Knowledge Sharing’, with Nicolas Catellier

A conversation with Nicolas Catellier.

139: ‘The Importance of Knowledge Sharing’, with Nicolas Catellier

A conversation with Nicolas Catellier.

138: ‘The Opposite of Garbage-In, Garbage-Out’, with Marty Rozmanith

A conversation with Marty Rozmanith.

🗞️ AEC/tech Newsletter #23

👋🏼 Hi there! The AEC/tech Newsletter supplements the TRXL Podcast to fill in the details of what’s happening in the AEC/tech landscape. Happy reading.

What's new with Hypar

The folks at Hypar launched a new section on their site in September that tracks improvements to the platform, new features, and more. It looks like it gets updated monthly and is probably worth keeping an eye on as Hypar progresses. Some notable recent updates include improvements to their space

Autodesk Workshop XR: Stepping into the Future of Design Collaboration and AEC Knowledge Transfer

As we enter a new era of spatial computing, the boundaries between the physical and digital realms continue to blur. Autodesk’s latest innovation, Workshop XR, is not just a step into the world of Extended Reality (XR), but a significant leap for design collaboration.

137: ‘Accelerating Tech in AEC’, with German Aparicio, Jr.

A conversation with German Aparicio.

Rhino 8 is out

Confluence podcast S1E4

Joel Pennington of VIM joins the show to talk about the use of PowerBI as the front end for VIM to enable real-time, interactive analytics of BIM data. Watch this episode on YouTube Confluence S1E4 - VIM’s PowerBI DashboardsJoel Pennington of VIM joins the show to talk about the

136: ‘Rhino.Inside.TRXL’, with Japhy Walton

A conversation with Japhy Walton.

Confluence podcast S1E3

In this episode, Paul Aubin and Harlan Brumm join Randall Stevens and Evan Troxel to share their experiences and insights into the creation of a new, long awaited sample project for Revit 2024. The conversation revolves around the backstory and development process of the project, as well as the goals

135: ‘Realizing the Potential’, with Nathan Miller

A conversation with Nathan Miller.

🗞️ AEC/tech Newsletter #22

👋🏼 Hi there! The AEC/tech Newsletter supplements the TRXL Podcast to fill in the details of what’s happening in the AEC/tech landscape. Happy reading.

Thoughts and Observations on This Year's Confluence Event

Remember blog posts? No? I do. Here’s one for old-time’s sake.

Enscape for Macintosh

Enscape for Mac (running Apple Silicon chips) is out and currently works with Archicad, SketchUp, and Vectorworks. Rhino support is still forthcoming. This being the first release there’s still a lot to do, but I see it as a great sign for us (often forgotten-in-AEC) Mac users. Learn more

Confluence podcast S1E2

Randall Stevens of AVAIL joins yours truly in this episode to discuss the development process behind AVAIL’s new channel groups feature, including its evolution and the tools used behind the scenes for team communication and project management. Watch this episode on YouTube Confluence S1E2 - Designing AVAIL’s Channel

Morpholio’s Trace app updated with RoomPlan

Morpholio has updated its Trace app for iPad to integrate with Apple’s RoomPlan, allowing designers to start a new project with a RoomPlan scan and sketch ideas directly on the digital model. Archpaper: “This is the fastest ‘scan to plan’ experience ever made available,” said Mark Collins, a cofounder

134: ‘The (Chaotic) State of the AEC Tech Industry, Part 2’, with Martyn Day

Part 2 of a conversation with Martyn Day.

Confluence podcast S1E1

What is the Confluence podcast all about? Why does it exist? In this short episode, Randall Stevens and I will answer that question. Watch this episode on YouTube Confluence S1E1 - What is the Confluence Podcast?What is the Confluence podcast all about? In this episode we’ll answer that

133: ‘The (Chaotic) State of the AEC Tech Industry, Part 1’, with Martyn Day

Part 1 of a conversation with Martyn Day.

TestFit's upcoming webinar on AI in real estate and architecture

Join TestFit in their upcoming webinar where you can learn more about the role of AI in real estate, AI in industrial real estate, see some of TestFit’s future roadmap, and ask questions yourself during the Q&A session. The webinar is happening on October 26th at 12pm

132: ‘Breaking All The Rules’, with Clifton Harness

A conversation with Clifton Harness.

131: ‘It’s Prompting Us’, with Benjamin Guler

A conversation with Benjamin Guler.

🗞️ AEC/tech Newsletter #21

👋🏼 Hi there! The AEC/tech Newsletter supplements the TRXL Podcast to fill in the details of what’s happening in the AEC/tech landscape. Happy reading.

ChatGPT gets an image generator

OpenAI previewed a new version of their AI image generator DALL·E (v3) this week, and they also made a change in how users access it. When comparing DALL·E to Midjourney or Stable Diffusion, there are 3 main things that make it different (at least for now): 1. DALL·

Introducing the Confluence podcast

I've started a new collaboration with Randall Stevens of AVAIL on a new video-only podcast called Confluence. Before this goes into wide release, I'm telling you about it here first.

Rhino 8 beta now available

The forthcoming version of Rhino is in its final phase before being officially released for everyone willing to pay for an upgrade or grab a new license*. No longer a work-in-progress (WIP), Rhino 8 is now in beta on both Mac and Windows. My version says it expires on October

130: ‘Design Tools and the Circular Economy’, with Lance Amato

A conversation with Lance Amato.

🗞️ AEC/tech Newsletter #20

👋🏼 Hi there! The AEC/tech Newsletter supplements the TRXL Podcast to fill in the details of what’s happening in the AEC/tech landscape. Happy reading.

Proving Ground launches new weekly workflow blog series

The folks at Proving Ground, makers of essential tools like LunchBox for Grasshopper (and many others), have kicked-off a Weekly Workflow blog series. If I still used an RSS feed reader I’d definitely subscribe to this, but alas I merely “follow” Proving Ground on LinkedIn nowadays. Proving Ground: There&

New tool converts images to 3d models

Polilayer is a new tool in development aimed at architectural workflows. It uses AI to convert images into 3D models by extracting and creating clean CAD layers to make the translation from 2d to 3d easier. See an early output from an AI-generated image in this LinkedIn post from the

Veras AI rendering app updated

EvolveLab has released an update to Veras, their AI rendering app, that allows designers to render (or re-render) a region of their image. So if you’ve already gotten something acceptable for the majority of your image, this is a useful and time-saving technique for only affecting a smaller portion

129: ‘What We Do in the Shadows’, with Jeff Echols

A conversation with Jeff Echols.

TAP Grant program

Here’s a cool opportunity: The TAP Grant Program, sponsored by the Technology in Architectural Practice (TAP) knowledge community of the American Institute of Architects, aims to fund proposals up to $10,000 that leverage emergent AEC technology to solve challenges faced by architects and contribute to firm prosperity. The

Procreating a Dream-scape

There is no better drawing app on iPad than Procreate, and now they are taking to the next level. And they say this is only the beginning of their next chapter. Enter Procreate Dreams, available for $20 on November 22nd. Procreate Dreams is an all-new animation app packed with powerful

128: ‘Space Architecture’, with Daniel Inocente

A conversation with Daniel Inocente.

🗞️ AEC/tech Newsletter #19

👋🏼 Hi there! The AEC/tech Newsletter supplements the TRXL Podcast to fill in the details of what’s happening in the AEC/tech landscape. Happy reading.

3d Modeling in Rhino on an iPad

If you have an iPad and you’re interested in testing some modeling capabilities using McNeel's free iRhino3D app, you’re in luck. In this video you can see what the team is working on in the TestFlight version (read: not the App Store version) of iRhino3D, the

Snaptrude shows v2 features

Snaptrude has posted an image of curvy balconies with the tagline "curves are beautiful" showing off those and other new features in the upcoming v2 release of the collaborative BIM software. It looks like a solid improvement to a tool that is developing very quickly. See the teaser

AI in architectural education and practice

In an article at Parametric Architecture, Architect Carlos Banon discusses the potential of AI in architecture, both from an educational standpoint and as it relates to the future of the profession. From what I've heard, AI image generation is being used a lot in school. Banon: “In the

127: ‘Accelerating Offsite Construction’, with Radu Gidei

A conversation with Radu Gidei.

AVAIL releases Project Navigator for Revit

AVAIL: Introducing Project Navigator, a powerful new feature of AVAIL for Revit that extends Revit’s native project browser to help you navigate the dense information you are forced to endure as your projects grow. Don’t wait for Revit 2024 to take advantage of advanced search capabilities! Project Navigator

126: ‘Be the Rock Star of Your Industry’, with Carey Balogh and Lauren Genest

A conversation with Carey Balogh and Lauren Genest of Brand Groupies.

🗞️ AEC/tech Newsletter #18

👋🏼 Hi there! The AEC/tech Newsletter supplements the TRXL Podcast to fill in the details of what’s happening in the AEC/tech landscape. Happy reading.

Architects' Institutes express concern around the use of AI in design

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and the Australian Institute of Architects have each released guidance and policy requests to their respective governments emphasizing the need for caution and ethical considerations when using artificial intelligence (AI) in architecture according to a recent article

Arcol Preview Release available for one week only

Arcol is a cloud-based, browser-accessed design workflow tool, so you can skip the step of installing software because there is no software to install. Read this post to find out more and then head over to Arcol to create a free account and give it a spin. They aim to

ICON launches 3d-printed affordable housing competition

As teased near the end of TRXL podcast episode 110 with Melodie Yashar of ICON, a competition called Initiative 99 was recently announced in partnership with Dezeen that invites architects and designers to submit home designs that can be built for under $99,000... using 3d-printing of course. More than

The New York Times on AI in AEC

The New York Times has published an article on how AI can help address challenges the AEC industry. You may recognize some of the featured people and companies from their appearances on the TRXL podcast. Read to the end for related episodes. While I don't think any of

125: ‘Disrupting the Narrative’, with Maria Yablonina

A conversation with Maria Yablinona.

124: ‘Interoperability is a Trap’, with Dimitrie Stefanescu and Matteo Cominetti

A conversation with Dimitrie Stefanescu and Matteo Cominetti of Speckle.

Concert's new productivity features

Concert has highlighted several new team productivity features on their platform. Broadly they include improved collaboration and task management, new visualization tools, and a new intuitive and easy-to-use interface. More specifically the features are aimed at file distribution, decision making via collaboration, delivering real-time insights, permissions and role-based functions, and

🗞️ AEC/tech Newsletter #17

👋🏼 Hi there! The AEC/tech Newsletter supplements the TRXL Podcast to fill in the details of what’s happening in the AEC/tech landscape. Happy reading.

OpenUSD Standard Alliance takes shape

NVIDIA has helped form the OpenUSD Alliance, a group dedicated to establishing and promoting the Open Universal Scene Description (USD) as a standard for 3D graphics. The alliance includes several notable companies in the entertainment and technology industries, including Pixar (who originated the technology in 2012), Apple, Adobe, and Autodesk.

AI-based reverse image search in SketchUp's 3D Warehouse

The new 3D Warehouse Image Search feature was shown to me during a personal demo session at the SketchUp booth at the AIA Conference on Architecture in June. This kind of workflow just makes so much sense. Simply drag an image of an item you want in your model (you

Chatting with your BIM

123: ‘Bringing AI to the Building Code’, with Scott Reynolds

A conversation with Scott Reynolds.

Creating video from still images with the help of AI

Do you have some old renderings of projects in your archives? That was rhetorical. Want to see if they can be even more compelling as video? While your images may be worth 1,000 words, videos are often a more rich means of communicating an idea. Runway aims to do

122: ‘Mergers and Acquisitions’, with Boris Rapoport and Alex Osenenko

A conversation with Boris Rapoport and Alex Osenenko.

Unity launches beta program for visionOS

Unity: Unity, the world’s leading platform for creating and growing real-time 3D (RT3D) content, announced today the launch of its beta program for visionOS that includes access to Unity PolySpatial. Featuring integration with the Unity editor, creators can build experiences that run in visionOS, and leverage the amazing features

More ShapeDiver updates

Welcome news for us Mac users: ShapeDiver recently announced they added support for the Mac version of Rhino 7. Are you interested in building your own online configurator, including a 3d model and changeable parameters? Look no further. ShapeDiver lets you upload and display your Grasshopper models online in a

Arcol hosting 'Retooling AEC' meetup

Arcol is hosting an event on August 15th dubbed "a discussion on the future of digital design tools". It looks like it will be a fantastic event to attend if you're in the NYC area based on the subject and the speakers. Alas, I am on

121: ‘The Value of Curiosity’, with Mollie Claypool

A conversation with Mollie Claypool.

Building the next-gen AEC pipeline

Building on my last post about being able to watch the NXT BLD & DEV presentations on demand, the Future AEC Software Specification is one of the more impressive outcomes of the recent NXT DEV conference, which was specifically addressed in the presentation provided by Aaron Perry of AHMM. Here’

Watch most NXT BLD and NXT DEV presentations on-demand

Martyn Day writing at LinkedIn: […] with firms sensing that there was a new market for innovation in AEC, there has been a swelling in the number of start-ups, together with willing VCs to fund them. We brought all of these pieces together in an event called NXT DEV, which ran

Eight tools for generative space design

Enrique Tovar at ArchDaily: Undoubtedly, the integration of computational tools offers vast possibilities and applications for generative design. These tools enable us to work with greater precision and awareness, optimizing resources and emphasizing critical decision-making. Therefore, we have curated a selection of tools and platforms that demonstrate the potential of

LookX: an idea generator for architecture

Tim Fu of Zaha Hadid Architects recently posted about LookX: We architects have been yearning for a dedicated AI platform for refined control and industry-oriented outputs. I can finally say, the first contender to the scene is here: LookX According to Fu, it’s been trained on architectural data as

TRXL episode 120 - Project Hillside

The link for this episode has moved here.

120: ‘Project Hillside’, with Ryan Cohen and Matt Clarey

A conversation with Ryan Cohen and Matt Clarey.

119: ‘Nothing Ever Goes as Planned’, with Stefana Parascho

A conversation with Stefana Parascho.

118: ‘The Development of Autodesk Forma’, with Carl Christensen

A conversation with Carl Christensen.

🗞️ AEC/tech Newsletter #14

👋🏼 Hi there! The AEC/tech Newsletter supplements the TRXL Podcast to fill in the details of what’s happening in the AEC/tech landscape. Happy reading.

Feeling digital fatigue?

Jeff Echols of Shadow Partners recently invited me to join him on the Shadow Shorts show to talk about a problem that needs to be addressed in the AEC industry. Are you feeling like you're drowning in data? Another app... really? These are some of the things I

117: ‘Every Day Counts’, with Tessa Lau

A conversation with Dr. Tessa Lau.

Podcasts on YouTube Music

YouTube has finally gotten serious about podcasts. If you're a YT junkie like me, please check out my shows at the links below and add them to your listenting library: * Archispeak * TRXL * Peopleverse And of course like and subscribe and hit the notificaiton bell and all that.

🗞️ AEC/tech Newsletter #13

👋🏼 Hi there! The AEC/tech Newsletter supplements the TRXL Podcast to fill in the details of what’s happening in the AEC/tech landscape. Happy reading.

116: ‘Teaching New Dogs Old Tricks’, with Bob Habian

A conversation with Bob Habian, AIA.

🗞️ AEC/tech Newsletter #12

The News * TestFit generates parking in Autodesk Forma * Scan to model with McNeel's iRhino 3d app * ShapeDiver puts Grasshopper definitions into Autodesk Forma * Phil Bernstein talks about the wicked problems of machine learning in architecture * Google is playing catch-up so they announced a bunch of new tech at

115: ‘The First Level of Engagement’, with Campbell Yule

A conversation with Campbell Yule.

🗞️ AEC/tech Newsletter #11

The News * Early impressions of just-released Autodesk Forma * Zillow jumps on the ChatGPT bandwagon * New Grasshopper 2 tools look fantastic * Sitescape mobile scanning tool acquired by an industry leader * Veras AI renderer now available for SketchUp on the Mac The latest TRXL podcast episode 114: ‘Technological Telekinesis’, with Dr. Madeline

Autodesk Forma released

The first offering of Autodesk Forma launches with the goal of helping customers extend the BIM process into planning and early-stage design.

114: ‘Technological Telekinesis’, with Dr. Madeline Gannon

A conversation with Dr. Madeline Gannon.

🗞️ AEC/tech Newsletter #10

The News * Tect's people-first platform for A/E now on Wefunder * Polycam: generate floor plans with your phone's camera * Autodesk releases “2023 State of Design & Make” report * Veras AI rendering for SketchUp now available * The inside story of ChatGPT's astonishing potential at TED

113: ‘Surprises Are Not Good’, with Robert Yuen

A conversation with Robert Yuen.

112: ‘Start With a Better Framework’, with Christine Williamson

A conversation with Christine Williamson, AIA.

🗞️ AEC/tech Newsletter #9

The News * Enscape for Mac updated for SketchUp '23 * Autodesk University opens call for proposals * Rhino 8 WIP has gone full metal * ZipNeRF: Create 3d models from video shot on your phone The latest TRXL podcast episode 111: ‘Seeing What Sticks’, with Mark Thorley and David FlynnA conversation with

TRXL featured on Architosh

In my last newsletter (and if you're not yet a subscriber I would love it if you'd consider doing so) I mentioned that I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed on the well known Architosh website by my friend Anthony Frausto-Robledo. In it I shared

TRXL & Archispeak podcasts now streaming on YouTube

The first step toward moving beyond audio-only podcasts is now in place. Just getting the new episodes on YouTube has been a big hurdle to overcome during production and editing, but with the new show seasons launching I'm happy to finally make this happen. There's more

111: ‘Seeing What Sticks’, with Mark Thorley and David Flynn

A conversation with Mark Thorley and David Flynn.

🗞️ AEC/tech Newsletter #8

The News * Yours truly featured at Architosh * Top Revit '24 features * Autodesk Forma launch date announced * Someone figured out how ChatGPT can make Siri way better * Will Generative AI change everything? * McNeel shows off linetype enhancements for Rhino 8 The latest TRXL podcast episode 110: ‘Throwing a Stone into

🗞️ AEC/tech Newsletter #7

The News * The TRXL and Archispeak podcasts are now on YouTube * ChatGPT takes the Architect Registration Exam * Epic facial recognition animation tools * Adobe Firefly brings AI image generation to it's suite of tools * Togal is a new AI tool for construction estimating, but why? * Unreal's next-gen

110: ‘Throwing a Stone into the Future’, with Melodie Yashar

A conversation with Melodie Yashar.

🗞️ AEC/tech Newsletter #6

Programming note: the TRXL podcast is back. In case you missed it, there's a link to the latest episode with Roger Krulak, CEO and Founder of FullStack Modular just above the fold. In other news at TRXL HQ, there's been a rebranding, a new site, and

✱ Thoughts on Microsoft bringing AI to Office

This isn't your grandma's Clippy.

🚀 Announcing TRXL+

I'm thrilled today to announce what’s next with TRXL. Don't miss the special, limited-time launch offer further down the page 👇 🌐 New website for TRXL * Self explanatory... As they say, you are here. * Things will fill out as we settle in, and some old links might

109: ‘Parametrically Achievable’, with Roger Krulak

A conversation with Roger Krulak.

🗞️ AEC/tech Newsletter #5

The TRXL podcast is returning next week along with some other fun announcements. Until then, here’s what’s happening in our real-time watch of the co-evolution of architecture, tech, and adjacent areas. * Kia automaker embraces ‘design ethos’ with the debut of their new EV * GPT-4 can turn a picture

🗞️ AEC/tech Newsletter #4

The AI headlines won’t stop any time soon—and this week was no exception—but there are some other useful things worth knowing about as we track the co-evolution of architecture, tech, and adjacent fields. * Wonder Studio is a new, mind-blowing, AI-based animation app * Thinking through what it would

🗞️ AEC/tech Newsletter #3

There are so many great items to share that I think a weekly release of this newsletter is the right cadence. This past week has been no exception. Here are the headlines: * NCARB Eliminates the ARE Rolling Clock Policy * The chatbot agenda * Architecture school is broken * Rhino 8 WIP features

✱ Animation just changed forever

Drop everything. Stop whatever you’re doing and watch this video by Corridor Crew on their YouTube channel. I can’t imagine you’ll be disappointed. We are witnessing the future of filmmaking happening in public. RIP animators. The remarkable thing to me—beyond the workflow design and final output—

🗞️ AEC/tech Newsletter #2

Big week. Huge week. AI, cities of the future, 3d printed residential, software teses and updates, and measuring amorphous objects with an iPhone are all topics in this edition. * Bing Chat: Call me Sydney * A Line in the Sand * Parametric Monkey teases MetricMonkey features ahead of release * Video of ICON’

🗞️ AEC/tech Newsletter #1

Here’s a January and early February news roundup of interesting things going on in the AEC/tech landscape. Maybe this will turn into a newsletter? I’m playing with the idea of creating this to fill out the more evergreen AEC/tech conversations I publish on the TRXL podcast.

Replay – ‘A Growth Mindset’, with Ellen Bensky

A conversation with Ellen Bensky.

Replay – ‘Outcomes and Outputs’, with John Turner

A conversation with John Turner.

Replay – ‘What Other Dials Do You Have to Turn’, with Phil Bernstein

A conversation with Phil Bernstein, FAIA.

Archispeak featured in The Architect's Newspaper

I somehow missed this. Back in November, the editors at The Architect’s Newspaper published Architecture podcasts you should binge while traveling for—or escaping from—your holidays and Archispeak made the list. There are of course many great podcasts also featured, so you’ve got your work cut out

Replay – ‘Punctuated Equilibrium’, with Anthony Hauck

A conversation with Anthony Hauck.

Replay – ‘A Healthy Dose of Skepticism’, with Nathan Miller

A conversation with Nathan Miller.

Replay – ‘That Perfect Kind of Venn Diagram’, with Dane Stokes

A conversation with Dane Stokes.

Replay – ‘Creating Opportunities for Collisions’, with Eric Reinholdt

A conversation with Eric Reinholdt.

108: ‘Systematization Before Automation’, with Oliver David (OD) Krieg

A conversation with OD Krieg.

😳 Getting shown up by my latest guest

Anthony Frausto-Robledo was my guest on episode 107 of the TRXL podcast and he just published an article on Architosh to help spread the word. But he didn’t simply mention the episode… Anthony is definitely the first guest to do what appears like more work than I did on

107: ‘Quasi-Irreversible Investment’, with Anthony Frausto-Robledo

A conversation with Anthony Frausto-Robledo.

106: ‘Aligning Ambitious Ideas’, with Gabe Paez

A conversation with Gabe Paez.

105: ‘Pick Your Niche’, with Ian Janicki

A conversation with Ian Janicki.

104: ‘Going Deeper Than the Surface We’re Scratching’, with Michael Ermann

A Conversation with Michael Ermann.

103: ‘Through the Abstraction Ladder’, with Kyle Bernhardt

A conversation with Kyle Bernhardt.

102: ‘There’s So Much to Do’, with Doris Sung

A conversation with Doris Sung.

101: ‘Finding Better Ways’, with Jordan Rogove and Wayne Norbeck

A conversation with Jordan Rogrove and Wayne Norbeck.

100: ‘Negative Compound Interest’, with Paul Wintour

A conversation with Paul Wintour.

099: ‘Permission for a New Paradigm’, with Adam Wilbrecht

A conversation with Adam Wilbrecht.

098: ‘Democratizing Design Freedom’, with Platt Boyd

A conversation with Platt Boyd.

097: ‘Compounding Effects’, with Nat MacDonald

A conversation with Nat MacDonald.

096: ‘Carapace Pavilion’, with Douglas Noble

A conversation with Douglas Noble.

Peopleverse 014 – Mohammed Atif Shehzad live from the Tect booth at AIACon22

Episode Link Mohammed Atif Shehzad of Atriade joins the Peopleverse podcast live from the Tect booth in the expo hall at the American Institute of Architects National Conference on Architecture which took place on June 23-25 in Chicago, Illinois. In this episode we discuss the value of leveraging relationships between

095: ‘Super Janky’, with John Pierson

A conversation with John Pierson.

✱ Archispeak 274 – Tyranny of the Green Light

EPISODE LINK What does the little green status light next to your name signal? In this episode we get into expectations and conditioning, time management, discipline, and saying yes versus no in the always-on work environment.

Peopleverse 013 – David Corle

Episode Link Glass aficionado David Corle joins me on the Peopleverse podcast to talk about the benefits of engaging a product expert early in the life of a project and to share his knowledge and passion for glass.

✱ Archispeak 273 – Know Anyone Interested?

EPISODE LINK A conversation about the current state of the architectural job market, a critique of the lackluster listings firms use to “attract talent”, and more.

094: ‘Reinventing the Wheel’, with Johan Hanegraaf

A conversation with Johan Hanegraaf.

093: ‘Continuous Improvement Culture’, with Matt Wash

A conversation with Matt Wash.

092: ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’, with Roderick Bates

A conversation with Roderick Bates.

✱ Archispeak 272 – Play the Game

EPISODE LINK We answer questions from an incoming architecture student about, well, all kinds of things. What should one do before beginning an architectural education? In addition to “everything”, what should one pay extra attention to in school? What should one study on their own time? What is the process

Peopleverse 012 – Mike Kunard

Episode Link Mike Kunard of Hidden Step Marketing joins the podcast live from the Tect booth in the expo hall at the American Institute of Architects National Conference on Architecture which took place on June 23-25 in Chicago, Illinois. In this episode we discuss Mike's role working with

091: ‘We’re Not Serious Enough’, with Mostapha Roudsari

A conversation with Mostapha Roudsari.

✱ Archispeak 271 – The Upstairs Boat

EPISODE LINK We discuss some recent adventures in home ownership and compare notes on a list of places we have and haven’t been from an architectural perspective.

Peopleverse 011 – Gina Almaguer

Episode Link Gina Almaguer of Ortal Fireplaces joins me in the Peopleverse recording studio live from the Tect booth in the expo hall at the American Institute of Architects National Conference on Architecture which took place on June 23-25 in Chicago, Illinois. In this episode Gina and I discuss how

090: ‘Seeing the Patterns’, with Roman Gorshkov

A conversation with Roman Gorshkov.

Peopleverse 010 – Alex Housten

Episode Link Alex Housten of dormakaba Americas joins me in the Peopleverse recording studio live from the Tect booth in the expo hall at the American Institute of Architects National Conference on Architecture which took place on June 23-25 in Chicago, Illinois. We discuss how the team at dormakaba is

✱ Archispeak 270 – Exhaustion Brought A Friend

EPISODE LINK We do a debrief on the AIA National Conference on Architecture in Chicago both as an a attendee and as an exhibitor, what it was like being in the presence of our people again, thoughts about cities and their intersection with “the conference”, health outcomes from the conference

Peopleverse 009 – Michele Hottel & Djana Venolia

Episode Link Michele Hottel and Djana Venolia join me in the Peopleverse to talk about the tangible benefits of trusted relationships between supply and demand professionals in the building industry. While for many these kinds of relationships are elusive, Michele and Djana prove that not only are they possible, but

089: ‘Pick Your Battles’, with Altaf Ganihar

A conversation with Altaf Ganihar.

088: ‘It All Dies on the Same Hill’, with Jason Gardner

A conversation with Jason Gardner.

087: ‘The Drumbeat of Change’, with Robert DeMillo and Jilbert El-Zmetr

A conversation with Robert DeMillo and Jilbert El-Zmetr.

✱ Archispeak 269 – Architecture is Hard

EPISODE LINK What lies beneath the surface of a seemingly simple project, that once built, doesn’t perform as required? We also get into the common request for projects to be “future proofed” by clients because why not? These are just some of the things that are part of the

✱ Archispeak 268 – Hollow Words

EPISODE LINK A conversation about architects, school design, funding, symptoms versus sources of problems, and gun policy in America.

Peopleverse 008 – Lynda Thompson

Episode Link Lynda Thompson joins from the United Kingdom to talk about her role as an independent research and customer insight consultant in the building industry. We discuss her work and how it is helping to bridge the gap between building product manufacturers and the product specifiers on the architectural

✱ Archispeak 267 – Global Repository of Nonexistent Information

EPISODE LINK Topics: SpaceX’s Starlink roaming internet service for the ability to truly work from anywhere and we dig into a listener email about mentoring in the adjacent industry of environmental design in game development.

086: ‘Here to Do the Hard Thing’, with Robert Yuen

A conversation with Robert Yuen.

085: ‘The Rigor of Information’, with Wassim Jabi

A conversation with Wassim Jabi.

✱ Archispeak 266 – Places for Making

EPISODE LINK We discuss Cormac’s big news 🎉 and the various type of places we as architects have for making including sketchbooks, apps, coding, and physical workshops. What are your favorite places for making? Let us know on Twitter or in the comments for this episode.

084: ‘There’s No One to Blame’, with Eitan Tsarfati

A conversation with Eitan Tsarfati.

Peopleverse 007 – John Crosby of the American Institute of Architects

Episode Link John Crosby joins me in the Peopleverse to discuss how the American Institute of Architects (AIA) is working to break down the barriers between supply-side manufacturers and the AIA’s 94,000 members of architectural professionals and to talk about the upcoming AIA Conference on Architecture which is

✱ Archispeak 265 – The Pontiac Aztek of Architecture

EPISODE LINK What do concept cars, skateboarding, and architecture have in common? It’s all about ‘the process’, finding new ways to suffer, expertise vs generalization, all the pieces of the puzzle, and thinking about how we evolve the built environment.

083: ‘The First Slap in the Face’, with Paul Petrunia

A conversation with Paul Petrunia.

Peopleverse 006 – Jeffrey Potter of Deltek

Episode Link In this episode I welcome Jeffrey Potter to the show. Jeffrey and I worked together and I got to know him and watch him grow into a leadership role as a specifier. He’s now working on a technology platform at Deltek. We talked about the issues that

✱ Archispeak 264 – Gamer Mentality

EPISODE LINK Music producer & YouTuber Rick Beato had some observations about Gen Z in a recent video on his channel. In this episode we compare his theory to our experiences raising kids, and then draw parallels to architecture. We also throw down about the ‘data versus wisdom’ tug-of-war that’

Peopleverse 005 – Alex Gore of F9 Productions

Episode Link In this episode I welcome Alex Gore to the show. He thinks I look like Stephen Colbert. Alex is an architect, Principal and co-owner of the firm F9 Productions and the build firm F14 Productions. He also co-hosts the Inside the Firm podcast, is the author of the

✱ Archispeak 263 – Park All Hope at the Front Door

EPISODE LINK We get a house-hunting update from Cormac, share some of our experiences designing science buildings, and also touch on project delivery methods, quality contractors, and change orders.

082: ‘Everything Going According to Plan’, with Reid Senescu

A conversation with Reid Senescu.

✱ Archispeak 262 – Silence is Acceptance

EPISODE LINK We get an update on Cormac’s house hunting saga and follow-up on our recent conversation regarding the SCI-Arc Basecamp panel discussion and the apparent lack of conversation within the architectural community about the cultural factors that were surfaced which need to be widely addressed.

081: ‘Give Me the Tools I Need’, with Josh Weiss

A conversation with Josh Weiss.

✱ Archispeak 261 – The Adventure Continues

EPISODE LINK Heavy sigh; deep breath. Cormac’s house hunting adventure continues. We also observe the architectural profession’s identity crisis in which the problem of it lacking a communicable, easily understandable value proposition to the market is ever apparent.

080: ‘All of the Clouds’, with Randall Stevens

A conversation with Randall Stevens.

✱ Archispeak 260 – How (not) to be in an Office

EPISODE LINK We discuss the recent controversies surrounding and following a live event (and corresponding live stream on YouTube) in SCI-Arc’s Basecamp lecture series entitled “How to be in an Office” on March 25, 2022 featuring panelists Tom Oyler (Oyler Wu), Marikka Trotter (Tom Wiscombe Architecture), and Margaret Griffin

079: ‘Changing the Relationship’, with Greg Schleusner

A conversation with Greg Schleusner.

Peopleverse 004 – Cherise Lakeside of RDH Building Science

Episode Link In this episode I'm joined by Cherise Lakeside, FCSI who is a Senior Specification Writer at RDH Building Science. In this wide-ranging episode we discuss too many things for me to list here, so check the show notes for my full write-up. You’ll learn a

✱ Archispeak 259 – Marshmallow Sectional

EPISODE LINK Cormac is very busy house shopping and therefore taking multiple road trips to the new location, so naturally he has some stories about the current housing market landscape. We also discuss the state of truthiness (or lack-thereof) in online real estate listings, both written and photographically.

✱ Archispeak 258 – Timeless Design

EPISODE LINK We discuss the recent death of Christopher Alexander, his infamous book A Pattern Language, the newly released The Adam Project movie and architecture as a character, Cormac’s big news, and more.

078: ‘Bringing the Magic Back’, with Paul O’Carroll

A conversation with Paul O'Carroll.

077: ‘Be a Beginner Again’, with Keith Huser

A conversation with Keith Huser.

✱ Archispeak 257 – Ripping Off the Bandaids

EPISODE LINK I stage an intervention because of Cormac’s fountain pen hoarding and then we open the story book on past projects where teammates took too much liberty in the decision-making process.

076: ‘The Answer’s Always Yes’, with René Morkos

A conversation with René Morkos.

Peopleverse 003 – Bill Dawson of the Concrete Products Group

Episode Link Special guest Bill Dawson is Executive Director of Concrete Products Group LLC, a national US network of concrete masonry producers. The CPG consists of regional market leaders in the concrete products industry, and is organized to provide consistent, top-quality products to regional and national customers. In this episode,

✱ Archispeak 256 – Stop the Work

EPISODE LINK Topics: Stopping the work; firing bad clients; abusive clients, the promise of future projects, and their effect on morale in the studio; rationalizing crappy project work; digging holes of risk; communicating design; and more.

✱ Archispeak 255 – I Still Have a Scar

EPISODE LINK Books. Libraries. Personal architectural book libraries... We did some organizing of the bookshelves and it gave us a reason to slow down & crack open some old friends, which led to talking about some first-year arch school projects.

075: ‘Architecture as a Hobby’, with Thom Chuparkoff

A conversation with Thom Chuparkoff.

Peopleverse 002 – Laying the Groundwork

Episode Link In case you missed it, I’ve started yet another podcast, and this one has a YouTube show as well. See below👇 In this episode, Special guest Bob Habian, AIA joins me to help introduce and explain the idea of the Peopleverse. Find out why we started the

074: ‘Priorities Shift’, with Rita Saikali Carter

A conversation with Rita Saikali Carter.

Peopleverse 001 – What is the Peopleverse?

Episode Link I’ve started yet another podcast, and this one has a YouTube show as well. Watch the teaser below👇 What’s it all about? Well, in this teaser episode I am staying a bit vague on purpose. You may have heard of the metaverse. This is different. This

Advice for the Next Generation of AEC Professionals

What insights do these AEC superstars have to share with students and early career professionals? Let us know what resonates with you in the comments and what advice you have to continue the conversation. Join the Peopleverse at https://peopleverse.fm

Students: Join the Peopleverse and Start Building Your Network

This presentation was given at the AIAS FORUM | CONVERGE 2022 conference by architects Bob Habian, AIA and myself on January 8, 2022. We know students are the future of our profession, and we are here to help jumpstart their careers and realize their vision for the profession we all love.

✱ Archispeak 254 – Two Turntables and a Microphone

EPISODE LINK We compare and contrast our recent getaways to New York City and Death Valley National Park, and archi-nerd-out on performing arts theater design.

073 - ‘Design, Equity, and Data’, with Nick Cameron

A conversation with Nick Cameron.

✱ Archispeak 253 – Darker Than Dark

EPISODE LINK It’s time to plan another road trip to a National Park, dark skies, astrophotography, and I tell about my experience speaking with a Professional Practice class at a local architecture school.

072: ‘One Model to Rule Them All’, with Theodoros Galanos

A conversation with Theodoros Galanos.

✱ Archispeak 252 – Wandering Down a Path

EPISODE LINK We’re celebrating a couple of birthdays, iPhone photo memories that lead to a conversation about amazing architectural chapels, and more.

071: ‘Trust But Verify’, with Roderick Bates

A conversation with Roderick Bates.

✱ Archispeak 251 – Revisiting Rural Studio

EPISODE LINK A conversation about a recent lecture by Andrew Freear and Rusty Smith of Rural Studio at The Architectural League.

070 : ‘Finding Better Analogies’, with Jose Cruz, Jr

A conversation with Jose Cruz, Jr.

✱ Archispeak 250 – Outside the Vacuum

EPISODE LINK Cormac and I discuss how the grass is always greener wherever someone looks like they are loving their career, ping pong ball shooters and old-timey drum brakes, formative TV shows and books on making things, problem solving including the interpretation of the building code, and more.

069: ‘Always Step Up to the Plate’, with Christian Giordano

A conversation with Christian Giordano.

✱ Archispeak 249 – The Benefits of Hindsight

EPISODE LINK A follow-up conversation (with the occasional digression) to a recent presentation at the AIAS FORUM | CONVERGE 2022 conference for architecture students.

068: ‘A Wealth of Abandoned Ideas’, with Shane Burger

A conversation with Shane Burger.

✱ Archispeak 248 – Fresh Perspectives

EPISODE LINK It’s 2022 and we didn’t even notice, Cormac doesn’t like “resolutions”, work ethics and work habits, attracting and retaining talent, the profession’s struggle with profit and devalued labor to create it, scheduling quality productive time, and setting boundaries with Focus modes.

067: ‘Ignoring the Warning Signs’, with Samuel Schneider

A conversation with Samuel Schneider.

Getting Uncomfortable, 2022 Edition

So much happened in 2021. What a year. Lots of both the good and of course the bad. That’s life. I’ve often felt like when I have an uncomfortable feeling about something I should jump in and do it. From a personal growth perspective, it’s how one

✱ TRXL MTB – You have to be a Jedi on Wildhorse Trail

Join me on a fantastic ride down Wildhorse trail in Big Bear, CA. This is a new trail (to me) that makes the Santa Ana River Trail (SART) even better than I thought it could be. If you like this kind of creative output from me, please let me know

✱ Archispeak 247 – Bondo Artistry

EPISODE LINK In this conversation, we talk about the fluff and non-fluff in architectural drawings, the Disney-esque nature of Cormac's project, the architect's avoidance of "means and methods", the benefits of bringing other parties in to collaborate early on projects, and finally, Dale Carnegie&

066: ‘Pushing Against A Cotton Ball’, with Atif Qadir

A conversation with Atif Qadir.

✱ Archispeak 246 – Burnout 2021

EPISODE LINK Burnout is real. We discuss a recent report on the subject within the architectural profession over the past year with some shocking results, our observations and experiences on the matter, and more.

065: ‘Designing the Designer‘, with Andreea Cojocaru

A conversation with Andreea Cojocaru.

✱ Archispeak 245 – Code Minimum Architect

EPISODE LINK We discuss impostor syndrome, NCARB's IPAL Programs and different paths to becoming an architect, ego and ability, a call to action for the profession, doing theory vs grunt work, and window whopping at auto auctions.

064: ‘You Need to Let Go‘, with Jason Addy

A conversation with Jason Addy.

✱ Archispeak 244 – Experiencing Galaxy's Edge

EPISODE LINK Topics: A visit to Disneyland, exploring various layers of an example of the ultimate architectural experience at Galaxy's Edge, and more.

✱ Archispeak 243 – Crappy Game of Telephone

EPISODE LINK Topics: The downsides of hyperrealism during design presentations, when it's time to stop designing, emotional experiences in architecture, and a mini-review of the masterpiece that is Dune.

063: ‘The Thicc Middle‘, with Daniel Davis

A conversation with Daniel Davis.

‘Out of Sight, Out of Mind‘, with Boris Rapoport and Alex Osenenko; Sponsored by ArchIT

A conversation with Boris Rapoport and Alex Osenenko.

062: ‘Complexity and Opportunity‘

In this episode of the podcast, Evan Troxel describes his observation of the building industry at a critical tipping point, leaving us with the choice to see it as an opportunity to design our profession toward a better future together, or to do nothing and allow it to further slip

✱ Archispeak 242 – Aloha and As-salam alaykom

EPISODE LINK Coming to you from remote locations on opposite sides the world (no, it's not flat—but it does have "sides" 🤣), we have a discussion about the true value of in-person meetings after a year and a half of virtual calls.

✱ TRXL MTB – This is One BEAUTIFUL Trail

In this video, I take you down Exploration Trail in the San Bernardino mountains of Southern California. It's a beautiful aesthetic of Easter Sierra pines and Joshua Tree granite all rolled into one. The fall colors were just beginning to pop and it was the perfect time to

✱ Archispeak 241 – Future-proofing Architecture

EPISODE LINK Architectural representation and its roles in cinema, world-building, alternative realities, the Metaverse, the concept of "future-proofing" space, and more.

061: ‘Scratch Your Own Itch‘, with Adam Chernick

A conversation with Adam Chernick.

✱ Archispeak 240 – The Process

EPISODE LINK How does the architectural design process work? Is it linear—or is it something else entirely—and why?

✱ Archispeak 239 – Reality to Virtual

EPISODE LINK Do you ever feel like you're being watched—or experimented on—when shopping online? A/B testing is a standard practice companies use not only for marketing purposes, but in user interface design and user experience as well. Adjustments are then made over time to suit

060: ‘Verify in Field’, with Kelly Cone

A conversation with Kelly Cone.

Construction Disruption Podcast Appearance

I was recently asked to be a guest on the Construction Disruption podcast and YouTube show. After getting through my origin story, we had a fantastic conversation about the current and future state of the building industry. EPISODE SUMMARY The relationship between contractors, manufacturers, and architects is complicated and misunderstood.

✱ Archispeak 238 – Wax the Carpets

EPISODE LINK Post-justified puns, green roof details, not knowing what we don't know, continuing education and building product selection, educating (and selling!) design concepts and building products to clients with the right information for them to make informed decisions, bad alliances and throwing teammates under the bus, and

059: ‘Fundamentally Changing the Equation‘, with Brian Ringley

A conversation with Brian Ringley.

✱ Archispeak 237 – Unspoken-spoken Rule

EPISODE LINK In this episode, we’re talking about corporate-sponsored productivity-enhancing drugs. Cormac jumps back on the wagon after an 8-month hiatus so we discuss our favorite morning ritual.

058: ‘Another Level of Abstraction’, with Mayur Mistry

A conversation with Mayur Mistry.

✱ TRXL MTB – First time down Joplin and The Luge in OC

This is a 25-mile Harding Truck/Joplin/Santiago Truck/Luge loop with almost a mile of vertical climbing that starts and ends at Cook's Corner in Trabuco Canyon. It's a fantastic half-day adventure on an eMTB. The double-black-rated Joplin trail is amazing when it's

✱ Archispeak 236 – Flanking the Camel Crowd

EPISODE LINK We discuss Cormac's recent trip to Saudi Arabia and the extraordinary humbling feeling he experienced during his adventure.

057: ‘Semiconscious Skills’, with Brian Potter

A conversation with Brian Potter.

✱ Archispeak 235 – Zigzag Patterns of Thought

EPISODE LINK This conversation is a continuation of our previous episode topic regarding documenting knowledge and includes some deeper theoretical discussion inspired by a recent article found on Substack.

‘Reflection in Action’, with Belinda Ercan and Anthony Cortez; Sponsored by Twinmotion

A conversation with Belinda Ercan.

✱ TRXL MTB – PCE in the Snow - Part 2 of 2 - Art Johnson Trail

This… is the double black diamond-rated Art Johnson trail. It's my preferred exit route for the overall Palm Canyon Epic. It's got it all... flow, steeps, techy chunk, and lots of exposure. Please consider subscribing to the channel!

✱ Archispeak 234 – Moving Past Your Past

EPISODE LINK We discuss leadership acting as roadblocks and the need for capturing knowledge, teaching, and learning within our practices so we can all participate in leveling up the profession.

056: ‘More Faster is Less Good’, with Tyler Goss

A conversation with Tyler Goss.

✱ TRXL MTB – Palm Canyon Epic in the Snow - Part 1 of 2

This… is the Palm Canyon Epic trail. And it starts in the snow!!! What an amazing experience. This trail is one of my absolute favorites and in this video you’ll see why. I know what you’re thinking… There’s no snow in Palm Springs in September. This was

055: ‘Crossing the Streams’, with Je’Nen Chastain and Evelyn Lee

A conversation with Je'Nen Chastain and Evelyn Lee.

✱ Archispeak 233 – Snout House

EPISODE LINK A conversation about architects designing automobiles and some future-casting about the built environment where cars drive themselves. Will we (architects) be a part of it?

✱ TRXL MTB – SkyPark's hidden gem

This is a really fun warm-up trail at SkyPark in Southern California and it's a long one when linking Sleighride to Playground to Dark Forest. There are some flowy, fast sections along the way. I hope you like the video and give Dark Forest a try the next

✱ Archispeak 232 – More Holes than SpongeBob

EPISODE LINK Don't let 'good' get in the way of 'great': a story about a slow process of perfectionism versus the instant gratification of ‘good enough’.

✱ Archispeak 231 – A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow

EPISODE LINK If a tree falls in a rainstorm and rips the electrical connection from your house but you don't see it happen, does it still make a sound? Disaster strikes in Cormac's neighborhood, leading to another sidetrack conversation.

054: ‘Magical Moments’, with Tom Kluyskens

A conversation with Tom Kluyskens.

✱ Archispeak 230 – Mr. Troxel Goes to Washington

EPISODE LINK I talk about my recent trip to Washington DC and Cormac foreshadows his retirement plan.

053: ‘A Growth Mindset’, with Ellen Bensky

A conversation with Ellen Bensky.

052: ‘Means to an End’, with Robert Yori

A conversation with Robert Yori.

✱ Archispeak 229 – Nailed It!

EPISODE LINK I give an update on my adventures in construction, we talk about the disconnect between architects and contractors informed through my experiences doing design-build, we reminisce about learning how to build by watching This Old House, and more.

051: ‘A Closet Full of Hats’, with Randall Stevens

A conversation with Randall Stevens.

✱ Archispeak 228 – Architectural Loyalty

EPISODE LINK Cormac tries to help me understand sports team loyalties. The topic then leads to the question of whether architectural loyalties (to an architect or office, for example) make sense.

050: ‘Diving Deep’, with Joann Lui and George Valdes

A conversation with Joann Lui and George Valdes.

✱ Archispeak 227 – Hugging Architecture

EPISODE LINK We discuss my recent visit (and Cormac’s past visits) to an architectural icon including observations only architects would enjoy and understand.

049: ‘Everything Floats’, with Federico Negro

A conversation with Federico Negro.

✱ Archispeak 226 – Hulk Hand

EPISODE LINK In an attempt to do anything except talk about architecture this episode, we discuss Cormac's sufferfest on the Appalachian Trail (AT), his discovery of the IT Band, tools for hikers, how I recently joined him to hike in Great Falls Park, and a 'type-2 fun&

Adapt As An Architect: A Mid-Career Companion

My friend Randy Deutsch has recently published his latest book which “aims to support, nurture and promote the growth of architects in the developing stages of their careers.” The book’s chapters are modeled on the conversations you might have over coffee at your regular haunt with 50 of your

048: ‘How it Started; How it’s Going’, with Ian Keough and Clifton Harness

A conversation with Ian Keough and Clifton Harness.

✱ Archispeak 225 – Hotdogs and Hummus

EPISODE LINK We discuss what's for breakfast, going back to the office, the intangible tangibles of the office environment and corporate culture, and how many professions are experiencing the "Great Resignation".

047: ‘A Much Bigger Asterisk’, with Aaron Maller

A conversation with Aaron Maller.

✱ TRXL MTB – New Bike Day – First eMTB ride!

This is my first ride and initial impressions of the Rocky Mountain Instinct Powerplay BC Edition. How fast can I go up Monroe Truck Trail in Glendora? And what's it like to ride it back down this fast flowy singletrack??? Please consider subscribing to the channel!

✱ Archispeak 224 – Ninja Skills

EPISODE LINK We discuss what styles (aka flair) architects can be identified by, Zoom-lash, your ninja skills and how they will play into the future of work, and what Cormac did when he got bored in the desert.

046: ‘The Moment’, with Ian Janicki

A conversation with Ian Janicki.

✱ Archispeak 223 – Sweat Equity Pants

EPISODE LINK We discuss the current auto fuel shortage, sweat (equity and pants), modeling things no one wants, and the HighArc website.

✱ TRXL MTB – BE THE BIKE

Let's go ride a few trails at SkyPark and overcome an OBSTACLE OF FEAR. Please consider subscribing to the channel!

045: ‘Squirrel Mentality’, with Dr. Upali Nanda

A conversation with Dr. Upali Nanda.

044: ‘The Sky's the Limit’, with Brad Feinknopf and Lawrence Anderson

A conversation with Brad Feinknopf and Lawrence Anderson.

✱ Archispeak 222 – This Can't End Well

EPISODE LINK We discuss all nighters, staffing projects in the context of the current economy, the psychology around the two things that architects hate, and change management.

✱ TRXL MTB – New Wheel Build and Trail Ride at SkyPark! (Carbonfan Review) - Part 2

In part 2 of this mini-series, I go through the additional parts I chose for the wheelset, build the wheels, and then take them for a first test ride at SkyPark bike park in Southern California. Stoke alert! Please consider subscribing to the channel!

✱ Archispeak 221 – The Indiana Jones Warehouse of Wooden Crates

EPISODE LINK We discuss our profession's continuing challenge of making meaningful progress within the very real constraints of selling time for money, how we willingly accept workflows the software industry has determined we use, the choice to stay in the trenches or to lead, and more.

✱ TRXL MTB – It's New Wheel Day! (Carbonfan Review) - Part 1

In part 1 of this mini-series, I'm ordering a new set of #carbonfan 29 inch wheels for my Enduro. In this episode I go through the ordering process, the options I chose, and the unboxing. Spoiler alert: Carbonfan was fantastic to order from and the wheels are amazing.

043: ‘This Could Get Pretty Big’, with Dion Moult

A conversation with Dion Moult.

✱ Archispeak 220 – PSA: We're All in This Together

EPISODE LINK We discuss the need for members of our community (that's you!) to support the content creators who are putting their creativity and time into the betterment of the profession. Rate, review, be positive and constructive with your feedback, and share with your friends and colleagues!

✱ TRXL MTB – Southern California MTB: Rocky Descent at Bonelli (full-pull)

At the end of last year I sent the fastest time down the Rocky Descent trail at Bonelli Regional Park on Strava. It took three tries that day (a new rear wheel from a previous bad go) to get a clean run, but it was worth it (I think!?). Please

042: ‘When You Zoom Out’, with Randy Deutsch

A conversation with Randy Deutsch.

✱ Archispeak 219 – They Became Dinosaurs

EPISODE LINK We discuss the stronghold of the architectural profession's traditional apprenticeship model and how it has decreased innovation potential.

✱ TRXL MTB – Southern California MTB: Arrow Trail at SkyPark (full-pull)

I'm field testing some new MTB equipment for a forthcoming video, and I just couldn't wait to put this run down SkyPark's Arrow trail on the channel as a separate video! This has a bit of background on my progression as a rider and

041: ‘Stay Curious’, with Dror Poleg

A conversation with Dror Poleg.

✱ Archispeak 218 – Glen-Gery Brick FOLIO Launch

EPISODE LINK We talk with Tim Leese, the Director of Marketing at Glen-Gery Brick, about the launch of FOLIO — a new print publication that showcases inspirational design with the fundamental modular building material we all know as brick.

✱ TRXL MTB – Going FAST for Bragging Rights in 2020

At the very end of 2020 I started a mountain biking YouTube channel and this was my first video. It all started with an idea... to try to set the fastest time on Strava for a rocky downhill segment on a local trail – both as a personal record (PR) and

040: ‘Constant Hit of Dopamine’, with Petr Mitev

A conversation with Petr Mitev.

✱ Archispeak 217 – Architecture's Marketing Problem

EPISODE LINK We discuss the topic of trusted brands, loyalty, quality, and how these ideas both do and do not apply to the practice of architecture.

039: ‘It's All Edge Cases’, with Rob Asher

A conversation with Rob Asher.

✱ Archispeak 216 – The Two Things Architects Hate

EPISODE LINK We discuss various comments that have been made about moving to a new job and how some of the fundamental problems in our industry aren't attractive but still need to be solved.

✱ Archispeak 215 – A Forced Release

EPISODE LINK Cormac and I discuss a bit of nostalgia and how it can shape the future of our architectural workplace.

038: ‘It's Not a New Thing’, with Timon Hazell

A conversation with Timon Hazell.

✱ Archispeak 214 – It Was At A Zoo

EPISODE LINK We reminisce about the first concerts we attended and link those experiences back to architecture, space, and how they have the ability to affect people.

Podcast guest appearance: LAST METER TALKS #9

Episode Link I had the absolute pleasure of joining John and Luke for a meta conversation on podcasting—I mean broadcasting. We’re taking it back. From the show notes: A Last Meter® talk on Architecture, Cities and Podcasts - Who, What, Why in a Changing Media Landscape with John

037: ‘The Space Doesn‘t Care’, with Lance Amato

A conversation with Lance Amato.

✱ Archispeak 213 – Ch-Ch-Changes

EPISODE LINK Special guest Bob Habian joins Cormac and me in this marathon episode to talk about a new venture poised as a fantastic solution for the AEC industry, and reveal my latest career update.

✱ Archispeak 212 – Detail Suppository

EPISODE LINK We discuss consultant coordination issues, some benefits and trappings of BIM, and raise the question of who is going to get us out of our own purgatory.

036: ‘The Answers Are There’, with Cormac Phalen and Bob Habian

A conversation with Cormac Phalen and Bob Habian.

✱ Archispeak 211 – The Way You're Wired

EPISODE LINK We discuss my new mountain biking YouTube channel TRXL MTB and why having something creative to do that’s non-architectural in your life is important. Everyone go subscribe to the channel and follow along on my adventures!

✱ Archispeak 210 – ‘Architect to Builder‘ with Lance Cayko and Alex Gore

EPISODE LINK The founders of F9 Productions and the Inside the Firm podcast join Archispeak to talk about their practice in Colorado, transitioning to developer/builders, and their new online course offered to help architects make the transition. You can also watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.

✱ Archispeak 209 – ”Changes” ”Happened”

EPISODE LINK We discuss what happened between the original and actual submittal dates for Cormac's project, how to more successfully communicate design intent with owners in VR versus 2d drawings, and the correct number of design options to show clients.

035: ‘There‘s Not Much More to Extract’, with Daniel Davis

A conversation with Daniel Davis.

Appearance: Context and Clarity LIVE – Technology Driving Architecture

I recently was a guest on the new Context and Clarity LIVE show hosted by Jeff Echols and Katharine Macphail. We talked about how technology in architecture is changing (and in some cases driving) how we practice, and who is then driving technology development within architecture. We also took some

✱ Archispeak 208 – Reinventing the Wheel

EPISODE LINK We compare the size, scope, and purpose of a set of modern drawings to historical examples, how architects are seemingly happy reinventing the wheel, and who is to blame when something goes wrong.

✱ Archispeak 207 – I Had A NordicTrack

EPISODE LINK We discuss the newly released renderings of Amazon's proposed headquarters in Virginia and the resemblance to certain emoji, Tatlin's tower, that we should be paying attention to architects in the middle of the US (not just the coasts), and a McSweeney's article

034: ‘Outcomes and Outputs’, with John Turner

A conversation with John Turner.

✱ Archispeak 206 – It's Not You, It's Me

EPISODE LINK We discuss the relationships and emotional connections between humans and animals, and draw a connection to architects and their projects; and how most people don't understand the latter.

✱ Archispeak 205 – Potential Levels of Dysfunction

EPISODE LINK We discuss the distinction between comments and communications, what to do with staff during project down-time, the problem with data silos, and there's a little more to add to Cormac's Zoom shenanigans.

033: ‘What Other Dials Do You Have to Turn’, with Phil Bernstein

A conversation with Phil Bernstein.

✱ Archispeak 204 – Cooking with Cormac

EPISODE LINK We discuss Cormac's open Zoom room and somehow the timing worked out just right to prank a teammate while recording the episode.

✱ Archispeak 203 – Fingers Crossed

EPISODE LINK We discuss the architecture reality show we'd want to watch, some buildings by architect William Pereira, and some hopefulness on inauguration day for 46.

032: ‘Punctuated Equilibrium’, with Anthony Hauck

A conversation with Anthony Hauck.

✱ Archispeak 202 – Surviving 2021

EPISODE LINK Forget goals and resolutions... in this episode, we share how we plan on just staying alive. And there's some new pretty exciting collaboration software we're looking at too, so check the link in the show notes.

031: ‘Various Types of Flow’, with Kat Dovjenko

A conversation with Kat Dovjenko.

✱ Archispeak 201 – More Potent, More Purposeful

EPISODE LINK We discuss the two things that architects hate, and about intentionally (re)setting boundaries in our day-to-day to increase our potency.

030: ‘Focus On Outcomes, Not Objects’, with Violet Whitney

A conversation with Violet Whitney.

029: ‘Everyone Works for Themselves’, with Dave Fano

A conversation with Dave Fano.

028: ‘A (Robotic) Holiday Spectacular’, with Brian Ringley

A conversation with Brian Ringley.

027: ‘Turning Validation into Actuation’, with Adam Wilbrecht

A conversation with Adam Wilbrecht.

✱ Archispeak 200 – The Dumpster Fire Episode

EPISODE LINK 2 architects. 20 minutes (MAYBE). 200 episodes. 2020: The Dumpster Fire. Join us in this podcasting milestone episode—the last one of the year—as we discuss what 8 years of podcasting has been like.

✱ Archispeak 199 – A 'Problem' Problem

EPISODE LINK We discuss promotions, wicked and tame design problems, shell games, and what happens in the sub-sub basement of Cormac's project.

026: ‘File Formats Are Terrible’, with Scott Davidson

A conversation with Scott Davidson.

✱ Archispeak 198 – Gifts for Architects 2020

EPISODE LINK (podcast audio) Looking to find a gift for your favorite architect? Look no further. Here are Archispeak’s top architectural gift picks for the 2020 holiday giving season. This year, there’s also a video version of this episode. Why? Because we wanted to show you what we

✱ Archispeak 197 – Mis-reading it Wrong

EPISODE LINK We discuss expectations and boundaries around our always-on communication options, and how fragmented and difficult to manage this has all become due to the multitude of options.

025: ‘Copyrighting the Building Code’, with Scott Reynolds

A conversation with Scott Reynolds.

✱ Archispeak 196 – Foot In Mouth Disease

EPISODE LINK What delightful information comes to light when a project team member — hypothetically — thinks they've hung up from a call, but they actually haven't*? *not a hypothetical

✱ Replay: Architectural Live Stream Happy Hour

Four architects walk into a bar… It sounds like the start of a joke but it’s real. Well, sort of. Sadly there was no bar, but at least there were adult beverages and good company. I hosted a live stream event between the Life of an Architect podcasters (Bob

024: ‘A Healthy Dose of Skepticism’, with Nathan Miller

A conversation with Nathan Miller.

✱ Archispeak 195 – Wordsmithing the Process

EPISODE LINK We discuss war stories from the trenches... both from Cormac's time serving in the Army and from architectural practice. Oh, and don't forget the off-the-shelf, range-extending missile parts.

✱ Archispeak 194 – Ad Nauseam

EPISODE LINK We discuss current 2d project delivery challenges and opportunities, how application templates aren't one-size-fits-all, reincorporating lessons learned on projects into standards, and how architects are really damn good at dealing with levels of abstraction.

023: ‘One More Thing’, with Anthony Frausto-Robledo

A conversation with Anthony Frausto-Robledo.

✱ Archispeak 193 – Extra Helping of Cheddar

EPISODE LINK We discuss how brick and mortar-based architecture firms are dealing with the changing landscape of remote work due to COVID-19 and all the nuance that comes along with it. And Cormac breaks the news that Sean Connery died, so we talk about Bond movies, of course.

✱ Archispeak 192 – Awards Season

EPISODE LINK Following the last episode's topic of professional 'conference season' we transition into the topic of architectural 'awards season' to discuss the positives and also how they could be so much better.

022: ‘Turbo Boost Mood’, with Anthony Frausto-Robledo

A conversation with Anthony Frausto-Robledo.

✱ Archispeak 191 – Looking Beyond Property Lines

EPISODE LINK We discuss the October architectural conference flurry and recap architect Jeanne Gang's keynote presentation at the 2020 Architectural Record Innovation Conference.

✱ Archispeak 190 – Understanding The Grimaces

EPISODE LINK We discuss the new world of communication and physical barriers that many people are adapting to, and many who are not.

✱ Archispeak 189 – Pull The Motor

EPISODE LINK We follow-up on Cormac's double-jointed, shade tree mechanic adventure, and wax nostalgic on Haynes manuals. And then, somehow, bring it back to architecture.

✱ Archispeak 188 – We Keep Forgetting That's An Option

EPISODE LINK We discuss taking ideas from other industries — like auto manufacturing — and applying them to architecture.

021: ‘Standing on the Shoulders of Giants’, with Scott Reynolds

A conversation with Scott Reynolds.

✱ Archispeak 187 – V.E. is Neither

EPISODE LINK We discuss ways to deal with last-minute changes on projects, which is something that never really happens.

✱ Archispeak 186 – Why I'm Likely Leaving

EPISODE LINK We discuss a recent Twitter thread about structural engineering career angst and parallel issues we have observed in the architectural profession.

✱ Archispeak 185 - Architectural Levels of Pain

EPISODE LINK Cormac tells us a story of superstitious happenings, and we discuss the true meaning of three seemingly innocuous words that show up on so many drawing sets: Protect In Place.

020: ‘The Hard Part’, with Shane Scranton

A conversation with Shane Scranton.

019: ‘A Super Narrow Window Towards Obsolescence’, with Alvin Huang

A conversation with Alvin Huang.

✱ Archispeak 184 – Are You A Worker?

EPISODE LINK We discuss the sentiments in the recently posted 'Letter to a Young Architect' by critic Kate Wager in Architecture Review.

✱ Archispeak 183 – How To Take Notes

EPISODE LINK In this episode we talk about having too many digital display devices to maintain clarity while working.

018: ‘That Perfect Kind of Venn Diagram’, with Dane Stokes

Special guest Dane Stokes joins the podcast to talk about his journey into architecture, being a 'computer person', design computation and automation, the importance of making things and working with your hands, custom fabrication, one-button buildings, having kids and failure, and much more. Links * YourDesk University with Dane

✱ Archispeak 182 – I Saw People Sketching

EPISODE LINK Cormac and I discuss the new format for Archispeak, and Cormac pays a visit to the office.

017: ‘Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable’, with Rosa Sheng

A conversation with Rosa Sheng.

✱ Archispeak 181 – I Don't Know if This is Depressing

EPISODE LINK Cormac and I talk about the effort that is required to design the future of our beloved profession of architecture. It's time to take responsibility fellow architects!

016: ‘Tenuous Territory’, with Reg Prentice

A conversation with Reg Prentice.

015: ‘Grossly Inefficient’, with Cherise Lakeside

A conversation with Cherise Lakeside.

✱ Archispeak 180 – We Chose Witches

EPISODE LINK Cormac and I start the episode all over the place but eventually bring it back to architecture, work/life juggling, and the evolving work schedules and behaviors we've found now that school is starting up in households around the world.

✱ Archispeak 179 – Guerrilla Architecture Redux

EPISODE LINK Summer break is here, and this is a redux of a previous episode where we discussed the movie Citizen Architect with a very special guest, architect Steve Hoffman.

014: 'A Degree of Nuclear', with Andrew Heumann

A conversation with Andrew Heumann.

013: 'Designs are Hypothesis', with Donna Sink

A conversation with Donna Sink.

012: 'Force Multipliers', with Anthony Frausto-Robledo

A conversation with Anthony Frausto-Robledo.

011: 'I Did This on a Lark', with George Valdes

A conversation with George Valdes.

010: 'Trajectories', with Lucas Reames

A conversation with Lucas Reames.

✱ Archispeak 178 – Putting the Guidelines Aside

EPISODE LINK Cormac and I talk about the consequences of breaking the BIM when deadlines are looming, how the design process is time travel, and the need for a vacation.

009: 'Creating Opportunities for Collisions', with Eric Reinholdt

A conversation with Eric Reinholdt.

008: 'This Reminds Me of That', with Geoff Manaugh

A conversation with Geoff Manaugh.

✱ Archispeak 177 – A Boat-Shaped Cubicle

EPISODE LINK Cormac and I talk about what we are doing instead of vacationing this summer, the importance of architects knowing how things go actually together, some of our favorite construction tools, conducting Zoom calls while on the water, and more.

007: 'Reinventing the Wheel', with Konrad Sobon

A conversation with Konrad Sobon.

006: 'Doomed to Fail', with Bill Allen

A conversation with Bill Allen.

✱ Archispeak 176 – Field Observation Report – June 2020

EPISODE LINK Cormac and I continue to nerd-out and do a deep dive into three buildings. Come along on the journey of experiencing capital "A" architecture during a time when it's practically impossible to do so.

005: 'BIM is a T-Rex', with Clifton Harness

A conversation with Clifton Harness.

004: 'What Else You Got', with Randy Deutsch

A conversation with Randy Deutsch.

✱ Archispeak 175 – Hoarding at the Highest Level

EPISODE LINK Cormac and I continue to nerd-out and do a deep dive into three buildings. Come along on the journey of experiencing capital "A" architecture during a time when it's practically impossible to do so.

✱ ARCAST 2020

Cormac and I recently got together with the hosts of three other architectural podcasts for the second annual ARCAST live event. Mark LePage of the EntreArchitect podcast, Lance Cayko and Alex Gore of Inside the Firm podcast, and Dimitrius Lynch of Spaces podcast reconvened with Archispeak to continue what we

✱ Announcing my new podcast

I’m thrilled to be starting another podcast (in addition to Archispeak). Here’s a short promo video I made to tell you more about it: Subscribe to TRXL on: * Apple Podcasts * Google Podcasts * Spotify * Stitcher The first official episode turned out great, and I can’t wait for you

003: 'A Local Maxima', with Ian Keough

A conversation with Ian Keough.

002: 'Getting Out of the Echo Chamber', with Mark LePage

A conversation with Mark LePage.

001: TRXL Podcast Teaser

The very first episode.

✱ Archispeak 174 – Nerding-Out on Architecture

EPISODE LINK Cormac and I nerd-out and go through a laundry list of great architecture that we’ve visited, hoping to narrow it down to do a deep dive into one building each in the next episode. Come along on the journey of experiencing capital "A" architecture during

✱ Archispeak 173 – #blackouttuesday

EPISODE LINK We ask you to listen to the entire 20 minutes and 20 seconds to help make a difference. #blackouttuesday

✱ Quarantech Ep. 007 – Next Level Visual

Chris Grant, Creative Director at HMC Architects, is on this episode of #quarantech to talk about the work he and our colleagues are doing to take all-things-visual to the next level. This was a really fun conversation and Chris is leading the creation of some amazing work.

✱ Archispeak 172 – The Design of Art

EPISODE LINK In this podcast episode, we discuss an episode of Netflix's docuseries Abstract: The Art of Design that focused on Olafur Eliasson's philosophy, process, and work, and relate that to what we do in architecture. This was a great conversation about an inspiring individual. And

✱ Quarantech Ep. 006 – Beautiful Data

In this episode of Quarantech, Cody Winchester and Evan Troxel talk about HMC's Digital Academy and go behind the scenes to share how it works.

✱ Archispeak 171 – Resting Architect Face

EPISODE LINK Picking up from some cues in the last episode, we talk about the Eames' movie The Powers of Ten, a design studio Cormac is participating in at Auburn, good communication skills, the power of the diagram, putting construction on display, and the work of architect Craig Ellwood.

✱ Quarantech Ep. 005 – Visual Foundations

We're always looking for better ways to communicate our designs. In this episode, I have a conversation about our new common material library—for all of our 3d design platforms—with HMC's senior visualization artist Francisco Penaloza.

✱ Archispeak 170 - Guerilla Architecture

EPISODE LINK In this episode, we follow up on the homework assignment and watch the Citizen Architect movie... because what else do you have to do? We also welcome a special guest, Cormac's longtime-friend from architecture school Steven Hoffman, who was not only in the movie about the

✱ Quarantech Ep 004 – Revity Goodness

In this episode of #quarantech I talk with Greg McDowell who is the Phoenix office BIM Manager that joined HMC's digital practice team earlier this year. We chat about his self-professed Revit-nerdery and what he's doing to help HMC work smarter. He's basically a

✱ Archispeak 169 - Quality Quarantine Content

Episode link As the world continues to quarantine, Archispeak continues their conversation about the "new normal" of working from home (WfH) and tries to devise ways of finding positivity in a sea of negative news. Plus, there will be homework.

✱ Quarantech Ep. 003 – Information Technology & WFH

In this episode of #quarantech, we check in with HMC's IT Director Jason Meeks. We chat about how the IT and intranet teams had been moving to the cloud proactively before COVID-19, and what systems were put in place to ensure a successful transition to #WFH. We also

✱Quarantech Ep. 002 – Operation Face Shield

In this episode of #quarantech, we go behind the scenes and find out how the team at HMC Architects is making #operationfaceshield happen.

✱ Archispeak 168: Quarantennials

Episode link Sheltering-in-(work)place, WFH, technology, weird occurrences as people get used to online conference calls, virtual happy hour, cooking, grocery stores, entertainment, and more.

✱ Video: Evolve or Dissolve

One year ago today, I delivered this 20-minute talk at Accelerate AEC to an audience of professionals in New York City who are passionate about architecture and technology. My goal was to openly share how we are digitally transforming HMC’s 80-year-old practice. I had the opportunity to tell some

✱ Quarantech Ep. 001 – Digital Practice Update – April 2020

Welcome to the inaugural episode of #quarantech — a new show about what's going on with technology at HMC Architects while we shelter in place during COVID-19. This episode is about some of the things our digital practice is doing to enable everyone to successfully WFH.

✱ OK Computer Lecture Series: Disruption

This is the third talk in my ongoing lecture series on the impact overarching, emerging technologies are having on the AEC industries (and a bit more specifically on the architectural profession). The topic this time is disruption. This lecture was delivered on Feb 19, 2019 at HMC Architects, Ontario CA.

✱ OK Computer Lecture Series: Autonomous Vehicles

This is the second talk in my ongoing lecture series on the impact overarching, emerging technologies are having on the AEC industries (and a bit more specifically on the architectural profession). The topic this time is autonomous vehicles, aka AV's. This lecture was delivered on Dec 3rd, 2019

✱ EntreArchitect Podcast – The Digital Practice with Architect Futurist Evan Troxel

I was recently (pre-covid-19) interviewed by Mark LePage on the EntreArchitect Podcast where we talked about the future of architecture and how to get ready for it by building a digital practice now. It was a great conversation and I hope you’ll take some time to give it a

✱ Speeding into 2020

HMC's digital practice is going full speed into 2020!

✱ OK Computer Lecture Series: UAV Drones

This is the first talk in a monthly lecture series on the impact overarching, emerging technologies are having on the AEC industries and the architectural profession at large. The topic this time is drones, aka unmanned aerial vehicles. This lecture was delivered on Nov 5th, 2019 at HMC Architects, Ontario

✱ Let's Design the Future Together!

Digital practice at HMC Architects is taking on more than ever before, and we need to grow our team with the best talent. This video talks about what we're doing and who we're looking for as we build our team to design the future.

✱ My upcoming 'OK Computer' lecture series explained

I mentioned my new lecture series in my last video, but here's a more in-depth look at WHY I'm doing these emerging technology talks. Evolve or dissolve!

✱ Change is ESSENTIAL! (…and difficult)

As we continue down the path of our digital transformation, we must be ready and acknowledge it will be difficult. Often when things get difficult we abandon ship! If we don’t persist, old habits will prevail and we’ll never evolve. Let’s talk about it now and get

✱ Paper Deliverables Need to Die! (Digital Built Week Seattle 2019)

Once again I had the opportunity to attend the Design Technology Summit before BILT North America, this year in Seattle. Digital Built Week is a combination of events that is truly a great resource for architecture and technology super users. In this video, I give a summary of my experience,

✱ Evolve or Dissolve!

It's time for the July 2019 Digital Practice update! This vlog includes the 5-minute version of a talk I gave recently to inspire architects, engineers, and contractors to help our profession move forward into the digital transformation together at USC. There's also some behind-the-scenes of our

HMC Digital Practice Tech Talk - Live Model Workflow

This is an overview of a recent workflow our HMC Digital Practice team has developed for moving project geometry between Rhino, Revit, and Unreal. What's different now is that the geometry is live the whole time, while continuing to be native to each application. Because we all know

✱ Yosemite in the Fall

Last fall my family went on a trip to Yosemite National Park, Tuolumne Meadows, and Devil's Postpone National Monument. I had to share this edit of the beauty we experienced there!

✱ April 2019 Digital Practice Update

The Foundation is getting built! We've got a BIM Director, gone through an extensive Revit peer review process, and participated in our first hackathon event hosted by Thornton Tomasetti in Seattle last month. Links: * HMC Architects Welcomes New BIM Director * Parallax Team * AEC Tech Hackathon photos * Project Eagle

✱ Digital Practice Update - March 2019

Take a peek of what’s been developing at HMC’s digital practice. There is so much to talk about in this video, and there’s more coming soon! For this one: live model workflow r+d; new tools for our Architect’s Toolbox grasshopper definitions; launching in-house Rhino and

✱ Putting the pieces in place to level up

A lot has happened since HMC’s digital practice officially started in April 2018, so I wanted to kick off 2019 with an update on some of the things we've been working on.

My guest appearance on the Spaces Podcast

Spaces Podcast: In part 2 of our 3-part miniseries, Dimitrius sits down with Evan Troxel of Archispeak Podcast & HMC Architects and Anthony Laney of Laney LA to continue the conversation on the evolution of architecture. We define what an architect does, discuss education, explore architectural software, highlight the evolution

✱ The most dramatic sip of coffee after a FIVE DAY FAST

✱ iPad Pro Day is Here! (Unboxing & Initial Thoughts)

✱ We spoke at the CONSTRUCT show

The hosts of the Archispeak Podcast were invited to speak at the Young Professional's luncheon at CONSTRUCT in Long Beach, CA. * Archispeak podcast * Life of an Architect Podcast * Cherise Lakeside's Twitter: @cheriselakeside * Please take a second to subscribe to my YouTube channel.

✱ One Year of Running!

✱ Architectural tech, practice, and education in Charleston!

✱ HMC Digital Practice September Update

✱ Getting Caught in a Downpour in St. Louis

15 things not said aloud regarding doing projects around the house

I will now list the things that are well known about doing projects around the house but are not said aloud. 1. You will do projects around the house to learn what you’ll never do again. 2. You will have to measure it more than once. 3. You will

✱ Scandinavian Exploration

Last year my wife and I went on an amazing trip to Scandinavia. We were afforded this opportunity because I won a travel fellowship competition called Xref that’s awarded annually by HMC Architects where I work. Recently I gave the following presentation of my epic trip to my colleagues.

✱ Archispeak Featured on ArchDaily – One of the 7 Best Podcasts for Architects

I'm pretty thrilled about Archispeak being named one of ArchDaily's best architecture podcasts in the post "The 7 Best Podcasts Hosted by Architects, for Architects". As always, we're in great company. Brandon Hubbard of The Architect's Guide was the author

✱ iPhone X: Why "The Notch" Exists

For all the complaints I've heard about "the notch" at the top of the iPhone X screen, I have a thought about why it exists. And yes, there are many ways my premise could have been handled, no doubt. But I think it was an intentional

✱ Landon Matthew Troxel

Today is a good day. While my brother has been an uncle for 15 years already, I'm now one myself. Landon Matthew Troxel was born at 3:37am August 31, 2017. The family is doing great. Landon, this part's for you: you have some great parents

✱ FLW 150

Frank Lloyd Wright would be 150 years old today, and thinking of him immediately took me back to my childhood. At around 8 or 9 years old, I replicated his floor plans on grid paper of my own. I would beg my parents to buy me plan books or find

✱ Joshua Tree Climbing – May 2017

A few different trips to Joshua Tree National Park are part of this video compilation of mostly time lapse footage. Take a second to subscribe to my YouTube channel. It's my goal to make more of these short films, and by subscribing you'll be the first

✱ Joshua Tree Bouldering!

It was a gorgeous, windy day of bouldering in Joshua Tree National Park during the Spring bloom where I had the opportunity to intentionally slow down, enjoy my surroundings, and tear the skin off my finger tips! Take a second to subscribe to my YouTube channel. It's my

✱ Street Luge Rivalry

The kids and I were inspired to make a short film about two rival street lugers, and we're excited to show it to you! Not bad for a few hours of fun.

✱ How Do You Do?

By far, the question I get asked the most is, “How do you do so much?” Another version I hear a lot is, “I don’t know how you do everything you do.” I get the same question/comment weekly if not more often. I’m going to put some

✱ Inside the Firm Podcast

I was recently asked to answer a couple of questions for a new podcast called Inside The Firm about working within the profession of architecture. The questions come from Alex Gore and Lance Cayko of the prestigious firm F9 Productions in Longmont, Colorado. Here are their questions: Listen in to

✱ FormZ Fundamentals Video Course Preview

Next week I'm launching a new video course on the Method website. I've been working on it for the last 3 months and am happy it's almost here! Leading up to the launch, I'll be previewing a small video section of the

✱ Granman

Today has been emotional. My dad called me this morning to tell me that my grandfather—his father—is gone. He was 96, and he was the last of my grandparents to grace our presence. As I tearily sit here and reminisce my experiences with him, I am left most

✱ Subtitled

In 2014 I had the opportunity to collaborate on a design project that was something out of the ordinary, and I recently went looking to see if I could find it online. Youtube to the rescue! Working with my friend and colleague Mark Schoeman, we were given full leeway to

✱ On the Other End of the Microphone

I've been sharing on a couple of other podcasts lately. First, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Enoch Sears who is an architect and the publisher and founder of the Business of Architecture website and podcast. We talked about the Archispeak podcast, ARE Hacks, and lots

✱ Make 2017 Your Year to Become an Architect

My book, ARE Hacks, is all about choosing yourself: you have to decide to get your license for you; to make yourself more valuable; to finish what you started; to make our profession better in the future. Within the chapters of the book I give practical strategies, advice, tips and

ARE Hacks live: Save the date – Nov 10th at AIA Orange County

My first talk since publishing ARE Hacks is happening in Southern California on November 10, 2016 at the AIA Orange County office from 7pm – 9pm. I'll be talking tips, tricks, strategies, and hacks so you can conquer the Architect Registration Exam and help make our profession better. Head

✱ Why I made a paper version of my book

I originally didn't plan on writing a paper version of my book, but I ended up doing it. I started with the idea that I wanted my book to embody the spirit of how I studied for the Architect Registration Exam myself, meaning, whenever possible. I wanted the

✱ How Does it Feel?

I can't even begin to tell you how cathartic it is to hold my book in my own hands. I set on a journey at the end of 2015 to write what I thought was going to be a series of blog posts but found out along the

✱ ARE Hacks – The Winners!

Without further ado, here is the announcement of the winners of my ARE Hacks giveaway! Why not make a video announcement? That's exactly what I was thinking. Congratulations! You will each receive your choice of either a paperback or eBook version of ARE Hacks: Learn to Pass the

✱ ARE Hacks – Book Launch and Giveaway!

It is with great pride (and relief!) I can finally announce both the paperback and Kindle versions of ARE Hacks is now available. I've held it in my hands, and it's wonderful. The feeling of having made something that I hope can help people get licensed

✱ ARE Hacks – Kindle Preorder NOW!

ARE Hacks: Learn How to Pass the Architect Registration Exam  Buy on Amazon   The "final" files for the physical version of my book are in the hands of the printer and now I'm waiting for my proof copy to ensure everything is set correctly for printing.

ARE Hacks on the EntreArchitect Podcast

I had the pleasure of being on Mark R. LePage's EntreArchitect Podcast to talk about my book ARE Hacks, my origin story, and many other things. Mark is so great to talk to, and I truly appreciate his hospitality and thank him for allowing me to talk to

✱ I think I see the finish line

It's just around the corner, right? In my last update, I said that I didn't plan on visiting the text of my book again for a long time. Well, that didn't last. I re-read the entire book (it's a fast read) and

✱ Are we there yet?

It's the question all parents hate because it usually comes up within the first five minutes of the trip. Within the context of writing (and finishing) my book, I keep hearing myself ask the question. Honestly, I had an idea it was going to be like this because

✱ Finishing ARE Hacks (my book)...

Finishing my book has been one of the more difficult things I've done lately. The to-do list only seems to get longer, but my excitement is very alive for this project. I've heard that the last ten percent of a project is another ninety percent. So

✱ I've been writing a book

For the last seven months, I have been working on project that's been taking up a majority of my early morning project time and other down-time. I've been writing a book, and it's been much more work than I initially thought, but entirely worth

✱ Lake Powell

Welcome to ArchiTalks 20. What is ArchiTalks, you ask? For those of you who don't know, it's a group of architects all posting their interpretation of the same topic at the same time to their blogs. You can read theirs by following the links at the

Link: Why you should care about VR (as an architect)

I wrote an article over at Method about some very cool stuff going on with Virtual Reality (VR) in the architectural profession. Bonus: you get to experience my latest project that I've been working on for the last year and a half – a new math and science building

Prince

My awareness of Prince started when I was in the 5th grade and heard Little Red Corvette and Raspberry Beret for the first time on a cassette. Then I vividly remember seeing his Purple Rain album pressed on purple vinyl, of course. In more recent years it was all about

✱ Climbing in Joshua Tree

Going rock climbing in Joshua Tree National Park is one of those activities that I don't get enough of anymore. Luckily a friend of mine at work set up a trip far enough in advance that I could actually make it happen. The three of us left before

✱ Dear Future Architects

It’s been a long time since I participated in the #ArchiTalks series. It just so happens that the Archispeak Podcast and ArchiTalks are always scheduled to get posted on the same day, and since I am deeply involved in the podcast it always takes precedence. I decided this time

✱ Trailer Update February 2016

My last post was all about focusing my efforts on a small number of projects. The second one on the list is a camping trailer I'm designing and planning on building in the near future. Last October I did an hour long interview that gives a good overview

✱ Now

I’ve created a Now page here on my web site. What’s a Now page? Great question. It’s a page where I’ve publicly stated the stuff I’m focusing on; therefore only the stuff I’m focusing on. As my priorities change, I’ll update it to

Makerbase

I created a page on Makerbase which is a neat new site for people who make things on the internet: Makerbase is a reference for anyone who's interested in apps and web sites and the people behind them. It's particularly valuable for makers and aspiring makers,

Tommy Caldwell: What are you up against?

Inside Eero Saarinen's Abandoned TWA Terminal at JFK

I've talked about architecture that has affected me before, and this is one of those places I have a feeling would do the same. I've never been to it, but these images are making me want to figure out how I can go spend hours in

✱ Words Architects Use

Our words matter. I keep seeing this one thing that is killing our chances of truly connecting with our clients over and over again. It's spreading like a virus through our profession, and it's probably going unnoticed by the people propagating it. It's your

Link: Archispeak Episodes of Late

The blog here has been a bit stagnant but it's not because I haven't been doing anything. Here are the last 6(!) episodes that we've recorded over at the podcast that I haven't posted here. Three of them were done on location

✱ What Architecture Means to Me

A friend of mine was beginning to teach a new architecture class at one of the local universities and he wanted to get the new kids thinking about architecture and what it could mean to them. They were new architecture students and were probably the type of people who didn&

✱ My Favorite Place

The latest ArchiTalks post idea was to write about our favorite place. That could be taken so many ways. Favorite architectural place? Favorite place for a certain activity/non-activity? A favorite place that I've only been to once? Maybe it's my favorite place I've

✱ Architecture is for People

I recently took to Twitter and shared a story about a visit to an architectural project I worked on with a photographer who will be shooting the project when it's complete. It was a great experience and I though I'd try a new way of sharing

Video: Brené Brown on Why Your Critics Aren't the Ones Who Count

Brené Brown talks at the 99u Conference about showing up and doing the work. She also has some strong words about whom we should listen to when it comes to feedback on our projects. I absolutely love how this talk applies to architecture and designers in particular who have the

Link: Archispeak 57: SQUIRREL!

You can listen to us share stories about daily interruptions and distractions while working in the architectural profession on the latest podcast. We also share the news about what we're doing at the upcoming AIA National Convention. Good luck trying to get any work done.

Link: LoaA Annual Playhouse Competition 2015

It's on! My friend Bob over at the Life of an Architect blog is holding his fourth annual playhouse design competition. You can see the winners from last year (and the previous years as well) and read the rules for entry. Here's the short list: This

Link: My Take on Being a Well-Rounded Designer

I was honored to answer a few questions for the Philadelphia University School of Architecture blog which is a great resource for architecture students. There you can read my thoughts about the importance of being a well-rounded designer and architect. You'll also learn quite a bit more about

Link: Archispeak 54 - This Episode is Rejected

The latest episode of Archispeak is all about rejection and how it can ultimately be a good thing for your professional development if you recognize and use it in a positive way. It all started with a post I wrote here back in January. Now Cormac, Neal and I talk

An Architecture of Survival

Frei Otto has been awarded the Pritzker Prize. Here's a short video about the man and his amazing work.

We Don't Like Your House Either

This documentary is about some of Architect Bruce Goff's work and he talks openly about his relationships with his clients and about the work itself. The label 'genius' comes up a lot, and to be truthful I've never been interested in his work but

Link: Archispeak 54 - Agent of Change

Getting stuck in a rut. Pigeonholed. Marginalized. Don't let it happen to you. These things occur in architecture just like any other profession. We talk about what you can do about it so that you can make the most of your journey and have the career and experience

Link: Archispeak 53 - How Did We Get Here

And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack… in another part of the world… behind the wheel of a large automobile… in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife… And you may ask yourself… Well... How did I get here? In episode 53, Archispeak takes a trip through

✱ Like a Chef

My friend Lee Calisti posted on his blog recently about the stereotype (and reality) of architects wearing black, which then started a great conversation over on LinkedIn. He followed it up today with another insightful post. It's a great thread that led into other tangents about the value

Link: Archispeak Podcast Named One of the Best Architecture and Design Podcasts by Architectural Digest

Archispeak has been featured on the Architectural Digest website alongside some other great architecture and design podcasts as one of the best. We are thrilled to be in such great company and to be recognized by Elizabeth over at AD. I wasn't aware of a couple of the

✱ My Favorite Things

This is yet another post in the ArchiTalks series, and this time Bob Borson from Life of an Architect has asked us to talk about our favorite things. There will be links to everyone else's posts at the bottom so you can find out what has captured all

Link: Architecture and Math

I have a small cameo appearance over at Life of an Architect where the post is talking about an often-asked question by those thinking about getting into the architectural profession: Does one need to be good at math to become an architect? Bob Borson: If you ever thought about being

Link: Archispeak 50 & 51

The final episode of 2014 (old news, probably) was a year in review of the podcast. It was nice to close out the year and talk about the things that mattered to us. I hope it rekindled some nice memories for our listeners. 50 episodes! Golden. Episode 51 has been

✱ Rejection is Good for You

Rejection is something every person working in a creative field has to learn to deal with if they want to get better at what they do. It's an essential tool that must be learned and put to use, as scary as it is. There are lots of people

✱ Peeling Back the Onion

To start off the new year, I made this poster for you. It's based on some very wise words by Seth Godin that I've put into graphic form that you can print out and put on your wall. I don't believe in New Year&

✱ The Best of 2014

The year is winding down and I’m sifting through 5,000 photos getting ready to make the 2014 Troxelmar Family Slideshow. It’s a tradition that I’ve done the last 3 years and this will be the fourth installment. I already have over 300 images earmarked and I

✱ Neurosciences Institute

This is the second post in a 2-part series. You can read my first installment on the Salk Institute here. I don't really know how to express it. This place is amazing. The Neurosciences Institute (NSI) in was completed in 1995 by Tod Williams Billie Tsein Architects (TWBTA)

✱ C34892

Two years ago I made a goal to get my architecture license by the end of 2014 and finish what I started when I went to Cal Poly Pomona to begin my degree in 1992. The nagging in the back of my head had to stop, so I decided to

Link: Archispeak 48 & 49

I'm playing a little bit of catch-up here because of end-of-the-year craziness. Archispeak has been on a roll lately and both episodes 48 and 49 are live on the website and in iTunes. We'll hit episode 50 before the end of the year. Episode 48 -

Link: Archispeak 47 - Equity by Design

Gender equity in the architectural profession is not. We had special guest Rosa Sheng on the podcast to discuss the recent Equity by Design Symposium held in San Francisco. She shared her insights into the missing 32% of female architecture graduates that don't get licensed and move out

✱ A Day in My Life

Today on #ArchiTalks we’re talking about a typical day in our lives. I’m just as busy as the next person which doesn’t make me unique, so I’ll try to give a flavor of what I think makes my day a little different from my esteemed colleagues

Link: Archispeak 46 - 98 Percent

Catch up on the tabloids of architecture with us as we discuss Frank Owen Gehry and his middle finger in Episode 46 of Archispeak. The comments on the page are great too, so don't miss them. According to Frank Gehry, "In this world we are living in,

Link: Sprout by HP - a new computer for artists

Now this is interesting. I think this would be an amazing tool to use in the initial conceptual phases of architectural design. I'm excited to see where HP takes this. Also of note, but not shown, is a new 3d printer that HP that developed that they say

✱ Requirements for Creative Thinking

Isaac Asimov Asks, “How Do People Get New Ideas?” Read this article first. It takes about 10 minutes, and is completely worth your time if you do any kind of creative work. This is an insightful article that has an amazing comment section which really adds to the original. It&

✱ The Watchman

This is a short time-lapse shot from Watchman Campground in Zion National Park of the sun setting on Watchman Peak. Watch it in HD here. I made the mistake of shooting jpeg only so I couldn't pull as much out of the images as I had hoped, especially

Link: Archispeak 44 - Preservation Pants

For Episode #44, Archispeak does some followup on several listener calls and comments from prior episodes. We then spend the remainder of the show on another listener suggested topic (see, we do listen so keep calling in) and put on our "Preservation Pants" and tackle the Louis Cherry

Archispeak named one of the 8 best architecture podcasts by NCARB

File this one under something I never thought would happen: NCARB put up a blog post listing their 8 best podcasts for architects. Archispeak made it! We're humbled to be on a list with such great friends and people who genuinely care about making the profession a better

✱ It's Their Story

This is my third post in the ArchiTalks (search #architalks on twitter) series where a bunch of internet friends in the online architecture world write an article and post about the same topic on the same day. We most definitely don’t write about the same things however. We’re

Video: Danny Macaskill: The Ridge

Thank goodness for GoPro's, drones, places like this, and Danny Macaskill (riding on a full suspension bike this time no less).

✱ The Salk

This is the first post in a 2-part series. Click here for the 2nd installment on TWBTA's Neurosciences Institute. My wife and I went down to La Jolla a few weeks ago and did a small architecture tour while on our getaway. I brought my camera and made

✱ Happiness

Here's a video showing our adventures from this past weekend. We had such a great time that I decided to make a video about it. Besides the main content of the video, our kids, I had a great time filming them and capturing many great moments on the

Link: Archispeak 42 - Architects' Websites

The latest episode of the architecture industry's favorite podcast is about the architect's website. Who's it for? What should be on it? What shouldn't be on it? Tune in to find out.

Link: Create a Realtime Walkthrough of your Revit Project with Autodesk Showcase

I recently made a tutorial over on the Novedge blog on how to take your slow, chunky architectural Revit model and get it smooth and beautiful for a realtime presentation in Autodesk Showcase that'll make your client ooh and ahh. What's Showcase? Check out the tutorial

Link: Archispeak 41 - Collaboration and Consultants

The architectural "C" word and the other architectural "C" word. A listener recently asked to hear our thoughts on working with engineers and other consultants. So, for Episode 41, Archispeak accepts the challenge and dispenses some wisdom on what it is like to try and herd

Video: You Are Not A Storyteller

I have some issues with this but it's another way to look at the "storytelling" as it pertains to designers and architecture. I think it's undeniable that a lot of our clients want to be part of a story that we can help create

Link: Upcoming Equity by Design Symposium

The American Institute of Architects San Francisco and The Missing 32% Project has announced their third annual symposium. This year's is titled Equity By Design: Knowledge, Discussion, Action! which will be happening downtown at the San Francisco Art Institute on October 18, 2014. I love that they ended

Link: The Ride

A very good friend of mine and I ride mountain bikes together. At least we did until I started studying again this year to pass my Architect Registration Exams. He has not only continued to ride bikes without me, but now he's leveling-up and riding for a cause,

Link: Archispeak 40 - Hobbies

Come get to know the Archispeak hosts a bit better as we talk about what we do when we're not doing architecture. Work life integration, or balance, or whatever you call it is a good thing.

✱ This is Exciting... Because It's Real

This is the second post in the ArchiTalks series where a bunch of internet-friends (no, we did not meet on match.com) post on the same topic that has to do with our chosen profession - architecture. Bob Borson over at Life of an Architect started this whole thing last

Link: Archispeak 39 - Srsly Millennials?

As the comments and conversations continue online after an article about Why the Millennial Architect Won't Be Your CAD Monkey and our episode talking about the article, I'm still refining my thinking on this issue. There are things that stand out to me now that I

✱ 5ives 019

1. NATO'S UNDERGROUND ROMAN SUPER-QUARRY "The complex was on average 50 meters below ground covering an area of approximately 6750 acres with eight miles of corridors, 400 branches and 399 individual offices," SubBrit explains. There were escape tunnels, as well, "one going out to the

Link: Archispeak 38 - Interviewing

After a five year drought the market for architects is once again picking up. For this episode, Archispeak takes on the dreaded interview process. We discuss what architectural graduates or licensed architects should present (i.e. drawings, photos), wear and ask in an interview. Listen and subscribe in iTunes.

✱ 5ives 018

#018 on the 18th. Nice. 1. The Food Lab: Maximize Flavor by Ultra-Smashing Your Burger By now we all know that the old piece of burger wisdom, "never press on your burger!," is either patently false or, at the very least, wildly inaccurate. Heck, there's an

✱ Fireworks

It's always nice to get a little distraction from daily life. It's a great time to hang out with the family. I also like to use the Fourth as a time to get back into getting better at photography. This year we had a great fireworks

Link: My Thoughts on Realtime Rendering

I've been working on an article about the current state of realtime rendering and how it pertains to architectural visualization, and I finally finished it and posted it to the Method blog. If you model and render your projects, it's probably worth reading. I’m sure

✱ 5ives 017

1. Have We Been Interpreting Quantum Mechanics Wrong This Whole Time? For nearly a century, “reality” has been a murky concept. The laws of quantum physics seem to suggest that particles spend much of their time in a ghostly state, lacking even basic properties such as a definite location and

✱ Eleven questions about a career in architecture

The following Q & A is my take on 11 questions that are commonly asked of us in the field of architecture. This is a fun and informative post, and the charge came from Bob Borson over at Life of an Architect (thanks Bob!). Lots of other bloggers are answering

Link: Archispeak 37 - #aiacon14 "Architecture is the Shit!"

This episode: We talked with many friends of the show in Chicago as they were in attendance of the American Institute of Architects National Convention. They talked about their experiences there and we heard some great insight on how it has inspired their practices and daily routines.

✱ 5ives 016

1. Visualizing Algorithms ...algorithms are also a reminder that visualization is more than a tool for finding patterns in data. Visualization leverages the human visual system to augment human intellect: we can use it to better understand these important abstract processes, and perhaps other things, too. 2. PHOTO FINISH When

Video: John Cleese on Creativity

I've watched this video twice now, and I'll probably watch it again. I keep picking up on new things each time. I have to say, this is the most succinct presentation on how to get in the creative mode I've ever seen. And it

Link: The 2014 AIA Foresight Report

I'm humbled and excited to see my name and a lot of my colleagues mentioned in this year's AIA Foresight Report. It seems some people actually listen to our podcast! The report is a very well done state of the union as it pertains the architectural

✱ We need great, licensed architects. We need you.

I was driving in the car today and Hey Jude by the Beatles came on the radio. My car is old so it only has a radio, so please give me a break! I had a big grin on my face as my kids and I sang along to the

✱ 5ives 015

After taking a couple of weeks off for a much needed vacation, 5ives is back. 1. Digital photos way back from the year 2000 (Game Boy edition) And speaking of Nintendo (bonus linkage) 2. D-day landings scenes in 1944 and now – interactive Peter Macdiarmid has taken photographs of locations in

Link: Archispeak 36 - A New Path to Licensure?

NCARB set off a firestorm recently by announcing their "endorsement of the concept of an additional, structured path that leads to licensure.” For Episode 36 of the Archispeak Podcast we are joined by special guest host Lee Calisti to discuss what this means to the profession and architectural education.

Link: Archispeak 35 - Comments and sh!t

For Episode 35 of the podcast, we discuss some recent feedback and then take a detour to talk about everyone's favorite subject, the Architectural Registration Exam. During the discussion we suggest strategies and resources for studying, so you too can pass and call yourself an Architect.

✱ 5ives 014

1. Why You Hate Work For most of us, in short, work is a depleting, dispiriting experience, and in some obvious ways, it’s getting worse. We often ask senior leaders a simple question: If your employees feel more energized, valued, focused and purposeful, do they perform better? Not surprisingly,

Link: 25 Architects You Should Follow on Twitter

I'm honored to be included on my friend Mark LePage's list of 25 architects to follow on Twitter. For those of you not in the know, Mark started Entrepreneur Architect and his mission is to help architects build better businesses. He and I (and another Mark)

✱ 5ives 013

1. Breathing City - Manhattan's at Work and Home Population by Hour Inspired by John Nelson’s breathing earth and Conveyal’s aggregate-disser post, I wondered if I could make a breathing city. Manhattan looks somewhat lung-like, so it seemed natural. Should be a fun, quick project. How

Link: Archispeak 34 - Summer Vacation

Vacations (or lack-thereof per the architectural profession standard) are what we're talking about this week on Archispeak. We also talk about why it's so hard to get away and what you can do about it to actually get out and recharge your batteries.

✱ 5ives 012

1. How to get the best out of photo apps on your smartphone Dan Rubin, editor-at-large of the Photographic Journal and an early Instagram adopter, takes a tour of London to test some of the best smartphone photography apps. [...] – and offers some cool tips and tricks of what you can

✱ 5ives 011

1. Incredible Bird's Eye View of Famous Cities Architecture is amazing. It's larger than life. It's a treat to the eyes. But as years pass we tend to overlook this beauty. It becomes a part of everyday scenario that you only focus on utility

Link: Archispeak 33 - Inspiration

Where and how do you find inspiration? Is it even necessary? In this episode, we were proud to be joined by special guest host Marica McKeel to discuss things like "designer's block," finding inspiration when you have to, and what to do with it once you

Video: The Illusion of Life

I used to do a lot of animation and I wish I had studied this kind of stuff a lot more. The artists that use these subtleties and are able to put them into their own work have infinitely better results than the brute force-style I was employing. It'

✱ 5ives 010

1. 42 Hours of Buckminster Fuller’s Visionary Lectures Think of the name Buckminster Fuller, and you may think of a few oddities of mid-twentieth-century design for living: the Dymaxion House, the Dymaxion Car, the geodesic dome...But these artifacts represent only a small fragment of Fuller’s life and

✱ 5ives 009

1. Ancient Egyptians transported pyramid stones over wet sand 2. The Forgotten Concept Cars of the 60's - Part 1 - Part 2 3. Boyhood Richard Linklater's BOYHOOD -- a fictional drama made with the same group of actors over a 12-year period from 2002-2013 --

Stop Motion Animation with 3d Printing and Laser Cutting

Here are a couple of examples of stop motion animation that use laser cut wood and 3d printed objects. FUN. WOODOO by Andre Maat: BEARS ON STAIRS by DBLG:

Making Cricket Balls (1956)

I love things that are made by hand.

Link: Archispeak 32 - Premature Renderation

Grab a drink and join us at the bar for a casual conversation about BIM & Technology on Episode 32 of Archispeak. You might actually want two drinks for this one. And you should definitely sign up to have the show notes delivered directly to your email the day new

✱ 5ives 008

1. Magnetically Actuated Micro-Robots for Advanced Manipulation Applications The exactness, overall output, and speed are amazing. But whenever I see something like this what I really want to know is how much time/effort went into creating the instructions for the robots to follow. It's like a car,

✱ 5ives 007

I've been following this thread on Quora for over a year now (thank you, email notifications) and I recommend browsing through it. There are lots of goodies like this parable that was just recently added. If you're not on Quora, you should be. It's

A Day in the Life of an Architect

A Day in the Life of an Architect 12 Nations, 50 architects, one day. While I didn't have the time to contribute to the video, I am very happy to have been able to contribute the soundtrack to this great video by my friend Enoch Sears from The

✱ Blood Moon

I made this video from my backyard with my Olympus OM-D through a 6" Orion telescope. I don't have a tracking motor on the telescope, and this sequence shows just how fast things move when viewing our solar system. The dark area on the right side of

✱ 5ives 006

1. Storms "Landscapes are living eco systems and environments. They have existed well before, and will hopefully be here way beyond the time we are here. When taking photographs, time and space seem hard for me to measure. Whenever I shoot a ‘quality’ image, I know it. At those

Link: Archispeak 31 - Architecture Will Kill You

How are you celebrating Architecture Week? Listen to the latest episode of Archispeak where we talk about dead architects and about how architecture has almost killed or maimed us. Yes, you too can learn something new about architecture and impress your friends with your newfound knowledge!

✱ 5ives 005

1. Bird by Bird: Anne Lamott’s Timeless Advice on Writing and Why Perfectionism Kills Creativity Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life. 2. Mark Wagner - Money is Material "Money and currency don&

Link: Archispeak 30 - Do it for Free

Clients: can’t live with them, can’t live without them. In Episode 30, the Archispeak Podcast takes on a particular scenario and discusses how a savvy client can take advantage of an architect. Along the way we suggest possible responses so that you don’t end up “doing it

✱ 5ives 004

1. The Virtual Genius of Oculus Rift Like flying cars and robot butlers, VR is one of those revolutions that went from wow to lame without ever actually materializing in between. Two years later, the Oculus Rift—the dorky name is a point of nerd pride—still doesn’t look

Link: Entrepreneur Architect Business Trends Survey

My friend Mark LePage is collecting input for his survey on the architectural profession and he could really use your help if you work in the field. He's trying to get as many people as he can to give their opinions and is giving away a copy of

✱ 5ives 003

1. The Trippy ’60s, Courtesy of a Master On a recent morning in a townhouse office on East 32nd Street in Manhattan, reality was treading closely, and somewhat strangely, in fiction’s footsteps. The client sitting in the conference room, waiting for his real-life ad man, was the show’s

Link: Archispeak 29 - PLANS “Я” US

The latest episode of Archispeak starts the conversation about the selling of pre-made house plans that cut architects out of the picture, unless architects are the ones selling the plans. The real impetus behind this episode is the video that Hanley Wood put online that says to just buy their

Happy Pi Day

There's no better an example of Pi in architecture on Pi Day than my by favorite architect John Lautner. Here's an image of the Elrod house in Palm Springs.

✱ 5ives 002

1. Particle Fever 2. First Kiss 3. Eerie Photos of Buildings That Have Been Digitally Reduced to Just Their Facades 4. Inside the Pixar Braintrust - An excerpt from Ed Catmull's book Creativity, Inc. 5. Why Volkswagens Are The Only Cars That Can Drive Faster Than 280 MPH

✱ Introducing My 5ives

I recently signed up for a newsletter that delivers 5 links to me each week. Just five. And I love it. (Thanks Kerry!) I have thought about doing something VERY similar for a while now, and this has tipped me over the edge as a way to share things that

The What-If's of Architecture - Some Things Never Change

There are some great renderings and photos in this equally great article about the so-called what-if's of Palm Springs. I just wish I could have been at the “Never Built Palm Springs” panel to hear the discussion. “” — Greg Goldin, architectural curator and critic Like I said in the

Link: "Everything I know about business in one minute."

Here is some great advice for business and for life. It's a quick summary from a one minute long presentation by Bill Drenttel, but you should go to Michael Bierut's site and read the story behind the message because he has some great observations about the

Link: FormZ for Architects Webinar

I've been doing a ton of 3d modeling and rendering work in FormZ since 1994, but especially in the last few years starting again with the beta testing of version 7. It's by far my favorite 3d tool. I'm happy to announce that I&

Link: Archispeak 28 - No Sympathy

We coined a new term "extra overtime" and I give examples of how not to give bonuses that are 1/4 your billable rate (or less) after working 4 days straight without sleep. You have to love this profession. You can listen to the latest episode here.

✱ Sabotage

I can't believe this hasn't been taken down (because I'm pretty sure it was at one point), but this is by far the best video I've ever made. 2001 vintage? Thanks to my friends Paul, Eric, Kevin, Sam, Pete and Kyle. Those

Link: So You Wanna Call Yourself an Architect?

I was honored to be a guest panelist on David Doucette's ARE Podcast and the topic of discussion was, once again, centered around the use of the word "Architect" (of which I am legally not, but if you work in the software industry go ahead and

✱ My New Website

Designers gotta design. This has been months in the making (and it's still not done). But here it is; I had to flip the switch. I'm very proud of the new site and I think it's much more inline with showing you who I

✱ You Substantially Complete Me

Last year Jody over at Coffee With an Architect was posting some fun Valentines Day architectural verbiage on Twitter and I threw this one into the mix. He seemed to like it, and this year asked if he could include it in his #architectvalentines graphic cards. Of course I said

Link: Archispeak 27 - Habits for Success

Season 2 kicks off with a new intro (no more peeking under the kimono), a new outro (by far the most-loved System Kid song - iTunes link) and our very first guest co-host. We cover some sound advice on habits for being successful in the field of architecture, and probably

Video: Alex Honnold - Free Soloing El Sendero Luminoso

There's no going back.

Link: Empower Your Brand, Building Code Differences and Cleaning Scans

I'm happy to be featured alongside my friends Mark LePage and Lee Calisti on Novedge's Vectorworking Blog with a few things that will make both you and your architecture practice worth more. My contribution is a tutorial from my other site, Method, where I show you

Video: Six Iconic Images in One Continuous Shot

I love continuous single-sequence videos. They take an immense amount of planning and timing for everyone on the crew. Do you recognize all 6 iconic images? Head over to ICONS to see more behind the scenes. (via PetaPixel)

✱ Two Rings

✱ Digital Landscapes

This is small collection of digitally designed landscapes that I've made. So far, all of these were rendered completely in 3d with FormZ and Maxwell Render, and I've written more about them here, here, and here. Post processing/compositing (yes, always) was done in Photoshop and

Link: Archispeak 26 - Architectural Determinism

Can design solutions change behavior in a predictable and positive way? In the last episode of the first season of the Archispeak podcast we talked about that and more.

Video: Blood & Oil

Cale Glendening wants you to wake up, get off your seat, be more creative, and live. That's the inspiration and message of this wonderfully shot short film, Blood & Oil. Cale: Blood & Oil is a short film I have wanted to shoot for some time. It speaks

✱ Burning Man 2013

Here are some of my favorite photos that I made at Burning Man 2013. The creativity on display is indescribable, so I chose to show you instead. You, you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. You can see even more on

✱ Happy 30th Birthday Mac - Here's My Story

Today is the day that the Mac turns 30, and it has changed my life. There's a chance it might sound lame to you, or pretentious or whatever, but It really doesn't matter. It's my story. I am and have always been a computer

Link: 5 Best Punctuation Marks in Literature

Speaking of spelling, today I found myself grinning reading this short post on Vulture by Kathryn Schulz. Words have meaning, written language is important, and even punctuation can be fun. (via Daring Fireball)

Link: Archispeak 25 - No Exceptions My Ass!

This episode is all about something a lot of architects suck at (except for me!) - spelling and grammar. The topic came about from a listener email and it was a great conversation. Steve Hall: Not sure if you guys are looking for topics, but I'l suggest spelling

✱ Endeavor

Shuttle Endeavor at the California Science Center.

Link: Archispeak 24 - The Year in Review

We recorded and posted the final Archispeak episode for 2013 last week. Thanks to everyone who follows along and eavesdrops our conversations at the architectural water cooler. 2014 is going to be great. The final episode of 2013 wraps up year one of the Archispeak Podcast. We reminisce about what&

Just a few days left for Archispeak T-Shirts

Feel good times two. Get something for yourself, and help support our podcast. Just three more days until they're gone. Order here.

✱ How to Succeed in Architecture: Project Architects Best Practices

If you missed the Novedge Google Hangout about Project Architect's Best Practices from the other day, here's the video. It was a fun hangout and it was great hearing what other people in the profession find is effective for managing projects when working in larger teams,

✱ New Archispeak T-Shirts

Now you can look good while supporting Archispeak. Right brain or left brain? You no longer have to choose. Archispeak knows that architects use both. Artwork for the new shirt designs was done by me. I have to say I was very easy to work with. Both Neal and Cormac

Link: Archispeak 23 - Favorite Things

This was a fun one. The latest episode of our podcast is all about our favorite things - a guide for those struggling with finding gifts for architects and designers this season. We know we're hard to shop for so we made it easy. Here's what

Video: Hydro-Fold

Hydro-Fold by Christophe Guberan from ECAL Simply amazing. (thx Walter)

Link: I'll be on the Novedge Google Hangout Next Week Talking About Architect's Best Practices

Next Tuesday I'll be presenting on a Google+ Hangout hosted by Novedge called "How to Succeed in Architecture: Project Architects' Best Practices." The event page can be found here, and it starts at 11am PDT on the 17th. If you have a chance to participate,

✱ My Maxwell Grass Preset Pack is now available for SketchUp

I am SO proud to announce that my grass presets are now available for SketchUp users who render with Maxwell! This is something that you'll only find on Method, and I'm excited to be offering it up for you architects and designers to make your life

PSA: If you're buying electronics this month

Be sure to check out Monoprice. This is more of a public service announcement than anything else because I've had great success buying from them. The prices are great and the gear is solid. I first heard about them a few years back when I needed some HDMI

✱ My kids and I made a film trailer

We made a video the other day when the kids were off before Thanksgiving and it's called EXTREME SK8RS. Make stuff with your kids.

Link: Archispeak 22 - Sketch Book Mechanics

Lefty or righty, we've got you covered in the latest episode of the Archispeak podcast where we go deep into the nerdy world of the tools we use while sketching. These analog devices (and some digital ones too) partially define us (or in Cormac's case wholly

Link: Cote Renard Architecture is Thankful for Archispeak!

This is a great Thanksgiving post that includes lots of architectural-related stuff worthy of checking out from Nick over at Cote Renard Architecture. Just reading his intro has me wondering what we're pushing: “” — Nick Renard

What will you create to make the world more awesome?

This kid is busy being awesome and changing the world.

✱ Architectural Rendering in Artlantis

Howdy architects and designers! I have a couple of softball questions for you this fine morning :) 1. Are you still "rendering" using the default imagery SketchUp and Revit exports? 2. Do you want to take your rendering skills and imagery to the next level? I sure hope you

Link: Archispeak 21 - The Title of "Architect"

Who the hell gets to call themselves an Architect? Just about anyone who wants to, unless you're actually in the profession of architecture but not licensed by your governing state. Not me, that's for sure. Not yet. Just to illustrate how screwed up it is, John

✱ Have You Been Watching FiftyThree?

FiftyThree is an amazing company to follow and study. Their message is clear and it has been fun to watch what appears to be something so simple (yet I'm sure it's not at all simple behind the scenes) come together methodically over the last couple of

Link: Archispeak Podcast Profiled on A/E Graphics Blog

Tom Taubenheim over at the A/E Graphics blog asks, "The construction industry is competitive, are you taking advantage of the free help and information available on the internet?" Audio shows or podcasts can help you stay informed while you workout or drive to the jobsite. Audio podcasts

Link: Behind the Scenes of my Fields of Gold Image

I posted a video on Method that shows you exactly how to make an image just like Fields of Gold. I hope you check it out.

Coin - This is the Future of Your Wallet

This looks amazing. I pre-ordered it. Bleeding edge and all that. Coin is a connected device that can hold and behave like the cards you already carry. Coin works with your debit cards, credit cards, gift cards, loyalty cards and membership cards. Instead of carrying several cards you carry one

✱ Launching My First Product

OK so this has been a huge undertaking over the last year that I'm sure I'll write more about in the future. But now it's on! I'm so excited to release my very first product! I originally made this for me but

Ze Frank on Getting Started

If you watch one thing today, let it be this. “” — Ze Frank

✱ Archispeak 20 - The Beauty Pageant

Do architects care about the building after it has been photographed? Tune in to our latest podcast find out.

✱ Lone Tree + Breakdown

(Click for full screen image) Lately I've been having fun creating images from nothing. I've had a lot of experience working with visual effects and compositing (skills from a former life) and it's been a nice distraction for me while working on a new

✱ Happy Halloween 2013

A forest elf (with pointy ears and a hand-made bow), a grey werewolf, a red werewolf, and a mannequin.

Link: Archispeak 19 - Addendum

We accidentally left the tape rolling and recorded some extra goodness at the end of episode 18 - so here it is. We also had our first caller - Jes Stafford of my favorite Google+ group Big Time Small Firm. I had some fun editing this one because Neal'

✱ Here's an old logo I made

I was digging through some old backups and found this image of a logo I did in 2004 or 2005. It was modeled in Electric Image Modeler and rendered in Electric Image Animation System. It still looks pretty good.

✱ Fields of Gold

✱ Architectural Presentation Techniques

I was part of a panel discussion on architectural presentation techniques hosted by Novedge. We had a great turnout and lots of questions were asked afterward. There was a small hiccup in the middle so it's split into 2 parts, but other than that I have to say

Link: Archispeak #18 - The Traditional Way

The latest episode of architecture's favorite podcast is up on the Archispeak site and we're going old school. We talk about the importance of sketching and why it shouldn't die with the adoption of BIM in our business.

✱ There's a Difference Between Design and Art

I pulled this quote out of a great interview of Stefan Sagmeister.

Join me on a Google+ Hangout on Architectural Presentations

Novedge is hosting a Google+ Hangout on Wednesday, October 9th at 11am as part of their "How to Succeed in Architecture" series and I'll be one of the people presenting. You can RSVP on this page and join us. The whole thing will be streamed live

Link: Top 5 Blogs to Follow to Learn What Being an Architect is Like

Ryan over at Architecture Career Guide posted an article pointing people who want to study and work in the field of architecture in the right direction when it comes to learning what it's really like. Ryan: I have chosen these 5 out of all of the sites out

Architectural History: Le Corbusier

Take 5 minutes (less actually) and learn all about Corbu, one of the pioneers of modern architecture in these two very nicely done motion design projects. Once you're done, you'll know enough of the major points to impress random strangers at a cocktail party with the

Link: Archispeak #17 - Experience Architecture

The latest episode of the Archispeak podcast is out and it's been billed as our "Best podcast yet!" by our friend of the show, Tim Barber. In this episode, we start to broach the subject of what architecture really is. You can walk up to the

Video: Sagrada Familia's Future

Watch this video showing what's in store for the future construction phases of Antoni Gaudí's immense vision for the Sagrada Família church in Barcelona. One word: layers. I also recommend watching the CBS special on Gaudí that I posted back in March. It's an

Link: Architectural Sketches

There's a great post on LoaA today on architectural sketches. I totally agree with Bob, and I think this particular type of communication is starting to fade away as computers are taking over. It seems to me though that sketches can convey ideas so quickly that people forget

The future of performance art is architectural; includes robots and video projection

Or perhaps the title of this post should be: The future of architecture is performance art. See this video by Bot & Dolly for a glimpse into a space where the entire environment is a known quantity - the stage, the room, the performers and the viewer. The intriguing thing

✱ Winter Desolation

Here's one of the images for my Desolation Series that didn't make the cut.  It was made with Cinema4d, Bonzai3d and Maxwell Render.

Link: Methodcast Quickie #12

I made a quick tutorial video for adding decals to 3d objects in formZ. Sometimes we need to be able to stack textures on top of each other. For instance, when we have the side of a building that's brick, and we want to add a logo to

Inside Pixar’s Leadership

Ed Catmull on a managers self-destructive tendencies for creative work: This is a great article full of excellent points. As I was taught by one of my mentors, a manager's job is to get out of the way and trust the people they've hired to do

Bob Burnquist's "Dreamland"

Inspiration alert: I am fairly certain Bob Burnquist doesn't have opposable thumbs on his feet, but damn, the things he does on a skateboard make me excited for where he's taking the sport.  Stick with the video - it's a slow start but worth

Link: By Architects for Architects: Novedge's 10 Favorite Online Resources

Both this blog (the one you're reading right now) and another project of mine, the Archispeak podcast were featured in Novedge's latest blog post as a couple of their favorite online resources. I am honored to be in such great company. There were some new ones

Must Watch: Chipotle's New Ad

This amazing ad features beautiful visuals by Moonbot Studios coupled with Fiona Apple covering "Pure Imagination" from the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. It's being called "the most beautiful, haunting infomercial you'll ever see" for good reason. Our family

Link: Archispeak 16 - Procrastination and Getting Things Done

In the latest episode of Archispeak, the architectural industry's favorite podcast, we talk about the thing we don't like to be reminded of - how much we procrastinate, and why. In a profession that is ruled by deadlines, we always seem to find a way to

✱ Some Inspiration for Project Undercurrent

I'm working on the final details of Project Undercurrent's first community project which will be landing on this blog soon. In the meantime, I present to you the lyrics to Architects by Rise Against. The message is clear: we need to become the masters of our

Steve Jobs on How to Succeed

This YouTube video of Steve Jobs is making the rounds again and for good reason. It's less than two minutes long and it encapsulates one of the best bits of advice Steve Jobs ever offered on how to succeed. This fits perfectly with what Ashton Kutcher said in

Link: Adam Savage on Why He's a Maker

The Mythbuster has 10 rules for success, and I was nodding along with every one of them. ∞

Link: Archispeak 15 - Constraints

This new episode is all about constraints: why we need them, if we should use them to tell stories about architecture, and if it is possible to design without them. I want to personally give a huge thanks to all of our new Friends of the Show who donated to

Link: Methodcast Quickie #11

I made a new video tutorial on Method for architectural designers using formZ and Maxwell Render, and this time it has to do with rendering a material ID layer to make post production color adjustments way easier. Spend a few minutes watching this now and save yourself hours of time

✱ Project Undercurrent - What's Next

Last week I wrote a blog post that stirred things up a bit in the architectural community. Everyone is now wondering what's next. First, a little backstory. It originally started out as a short blog entry where I was going to simply vent about leadership because I have

✱ A Leader's Job - Launching Project Undercurrent

Chris Luebkeman writing for the Boston Society of Architects At Issue (Fall 2013) magazine on having lunch with 20-year-olds that are working in his engineering firm Arup in a short article entitled Getting Out of Tomorrow's Way: I get inspired by their thoughtful concern about the change they

Sam Westphalen on Guitar

This is amazing. It's worth watching the whole thing because around 1:20 it gets pretty nuts. (via Devour)

Todd Sanders and His Art

Todd Sanders is a vintage neon sign artist. The story he tells here is so great: If you're living your life where you scare yourself a lot, that's really living. You know, a lot of people live like if they play the safe bank and don&

✱ Weekly Photograph #24

This is an Alaskan caterpillar found up near Denali.

This is a great, short speech. Watch it.

Everything around us that we call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you... So build a life. Don't live one. I'm working on this myself and with my kids. Are you?

✱ Link: Archispeak 14 - "Normal" Business Hours

The latest episode of the Archispeak podcast is live on iTunes and the Archispeak website. After thanking our new Friends of the Show, we talked about the virtual leash that comes along with being hyper-connected to our profession. The truth is that we have to be diligent and set our

✱ Weekly Photograph #23

The Art of Flight

Link: How and Why to Be a Leader (Not a Wannabe)

Umair Haque (Twitter link) at the Harvard Business Review blog: Wannabes are something like metric-maximizing robots. Given a set of numbers they must "hit," they beaver away trying to hit them. The leader knows their job is very different: not merely to maximize existing metrics, which are often

Link: My 2d CAD software of choice

I wrote an article on Method that talks about what tool I've chosen for my 2d CAD work when doing architecture projects. I pretty much hate CAD, but it's a necessary evil. ∞

Link: Archispeak 13 - Missed Opportunities

In this episode: Archispeak celebrates its 6-month anniversary! We reflect on the past 12 episodes and acknowledge Apple’s 1-billionth podcast subscription milestone. We then discuss why “good enough is the enemy of great” and explore why architects might design compromises into the project before it goes out of the

✱ Weekly Photograph #22

Rosie's at Calico Ghost Town.

Novedge Interviewed Me

Novedge is an online reseller and resource for digital designers that specialize in tools for designing the future. I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Aurora Meneghello for their blog. I talked about what I do in my profession, my photography, my videos on my digital training website, why

Link: Methodcast Quickie #10

I put up a video tutorial that shows how I set up my favorite 3d modeling application, formZ, for building models efficiently. It's a quick video but these are definitely some things you should look at doing if you're interested in using the software out of

✱ Today's Desktop

Here's what I'm up to today: translating this lobby stair design study model into a Revit model for construction documents on the Performing Arts building I've been working on. I think this is the third iteration of these stairs.

Link: Methodcast Quickie #9

Part 3 of my video tutorial series on using geometry as emitter lights in Maxwell Render and formZ is up on the Method visitor's blog. This one covers the following techniques: * set up and adjust incandescent lights * set up neon lights * apply emitter materials to objects * use Maxwell

✱ one

It's been a great year.

✱ Weekly Photograph #21

Calico Ghost Town. I wonder what the wire between the water container and the leaning shack is for.

✱ Are you listening to podcasts yet?

I never thought podcasting was a big deal until I gave up on radio and started listening to them almost all of the time I spend in a car alone. I got tired of hearing local talk radio sensationalism and then there's those crazy-bad commercials... I needed a

Link: Archispeak #12 - Permanence in Architecture

In this episode of the Archispeak Podcast, Cormac takes a wild ride and ends up at Fallingwater, which leads into a discussion of the permanence in architecture and how we design and specify materials. Are we designing obsolescence into our buildings? Is all architecture meant to be permanent? Join us

✱ Weekly Photograph #20

Link: Archispeak makes an appearance on the Business of Architecture Podcast

This is part one of the Archispeak crew on the Business of Architecture Podcast.  Part two will be out in the near future. Enoch Sears: In this episode I talk with the creators of the wildly successful podcast that “dares to peek under the architectural kimono” and tell us what

✱ Weekly Photograph #19

Another Alaskan wild mushroom. Here is the first.

Link: Methodcast Quickie #8

The second piece of my 3 part series on emitter lights in Maxwell Render is up on the visitor's blog at Method. It's 8 minutes of video that shows you how to control interior lighting in your 3d environments in a different way than placing normal

✱ Weekly Photograph #18

Looking Up Frank Gehry's work is polarizing. This image was made the first time I visited the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA. His is an architecture of possibility. I don't know about you, but I couldn't stop looking. Looking in every direction.

Link: Archispeak #11 - The Studio Environment

This was a fun episode, and is all about the studio environment, which is the architectural bedroom. It's where the magic happens.

✱ Architectural Independence Day

Bubbles are starting to form, and the water is beginning to boil. I see it happening all over the internet. Architects are not happy with where the profession is, and they are certainly not happy with where it seems to be going. Even with the recent Repositioning article posted online

Adrift

Be sure to watch it full screen. "Adrift" is a love letter to the fog of the San Francisco Bay Area. I chased it for over two years to capture the magical interaction between the soft mist, the ridges of the California coast and the iconic Golden Gate

✱ Weekly Photograph #17

Camping in Joshua Tree with these cool kids. At least they think they're cool.

The Blog RSS Feed

If you're using Google Reader or some other app that syncs with GR to read this site, you're going to want to make sure you copy the RSS link and add it to your replacement service before Google pulls the plug July 1st. I downloaded all

A new Big Time Small Firm hangout is on YouTube

Last week I had the pleasure of being in a Google+ Hangout with Jes Stafford (@modarchitect on twitter) as the National AIA Convention kicked off in Denver. It was a great conversation, and I'm looking forward to more. We talked about the AIA and it's new

✱ Weekly Photograph #16

We hiked up to San Antonio Falls in Mt. Baldy, and after we all went under the icy waterfall, the kids laid on the big rocks to warm up and dry off.

Link: Archispeak #10 - Safety Through Architecture

Have you ever wondered what determines the size of the access panel to certain building functions? Bubba knows. Here's the latest episode of Archispeak. In this episode Archispeak discusses how architecture can create safer buildings. We examine how schools are designed and retrofitted using technology to make them

Twitter's User's Tweets Visualized

Say that five times fast. This is just beautiful. (via Daring Fireball) ∞

Link: Repositioning - The AIA Needs to Change

Mickey Jacob, FAIA, 2013 President: If we fail to act on our own dissatisfaction with the status quo, if we accept business as usual, if we say there are too few of us to make a difference, we will not simply slide toward irrelevance, but we will move there at

✱ Weekly Photograph #15

The new Mac Pro

1976-2013. Apple doesn't design for today. They are designing the future. Phil Schiller at Apple's WWDC: Can't innovate anymore my ass!

Archiculture

About the film: Archiculture One of the directors, Ian Harris, is going to be on the next Entrepreneur Architect Podcast and I can't wait to hear about it. With names like Shigeru Ban, David Byrne, Thom Mayne and others, there is bound to be some revealing snips of

✱ Weekly Photograph #14

Totem Bight State Park, Ketchikan, Alaska.

Archispeak #9 - Everything is Digital

The latest show is a good one: In this episode Archispeak discusses the all things digital. Evan explains the design and 3D printing process for what has become our logo. We also explore how to be a better architect / designer and the tools available to do it. There's

Link: Methodcast Quickie #6

HDRI BACKGROUNDS AND REFLECTIONS IN FORMZ AND MAXWELL RENDER I've posted a new video tutorial on Method that shows how to use High Dynamic Range Images (HDRI) for backgrounds and reflections in the Maxwell Render plugin for formZ, my current favorite combo for 3d modeling and rendering.

✱ Weekly Photograph #13

✱ The Architecture of John Lautner

One of the benefits of living in Los Angeles is that there is great architecture to experience if you are willing to go out and visit it. I had the opportunity in late July 2011 to visit four homes by the late John Lautner who would be turning 100 years

Kahn's Exeter Library - A Short Film by Alex Roman

This is so great I had to share this beautifully told story about one of the best pieces of architecture I've never been to (yet). I guess what I like about it is that it shows how architecture can be so much more than what we typically accept

Leadership is Overglorified - You Need to be the First Follower

This is one of the best lessons about leadership that I've ever seen. Take notice fellow architects. Derek Sivers: If you've learned a lot about leadership and making a movement, then let's watch a movement happen, start to finish, in under 3 minutes, and

✱ Weekly Photograph #12

I miss autumn. It's starting to get hot, and one of the nice things about living in the City of Trees and PhD's is when the leaves turn.

Archispeak was on a Webinar

Webinar is not a sexy word. Anyway. I was a guest on this month's Internet Marketing for Architects show and you can now watch it for free. It was a fun conversation with Eric Bobrow (the owner of Internet Marketing for Architects) and Neal Pann (from Archispeak). Unfortunately,

✱ Leighton's New Grind Bar

Leighton has really been getting into scootering, and in between the trips to the skate park, he wanted a grind bar to practice some tricks in the front yard. We talked about it, planned it out, and then made one on Saturday morning with some steel I had in the

✱ Weekly Photograph #11

I absolutely love subtle, desolate landscapes. This one, again, was made in Alaska.

Archispeak #8 - Architects and Egos

In this episode of America's favorite podcast, Archispeak discusses the difference between confidence and ego, then examines simple and effective ways to establish camaraderie in an architectural office. ∞

This is Powerful

This is Water The Glossary: In 2005, author David Foster Wallace was asked to give the commencement address to the 2005 graduating class of Kenyon College. However, the resulting speech didn't become widely known until 3 years later, after his tragic death. It is, without a doubt, some

✱ Weekly Photograph #10

Messing around with shutter speed, aperture, and focal length led to a happy accident when I made this image. It's a macro shot of some dew on a grassy leaf somewhere near Denali in Alaska. I just love how the dew looks like a collection of sparkly jewels.

You Don't Have to Pander

It was difficult picking something to quote in this blog post because the whole thing is so damn good. Seth Godin: Merely giving the people what they want is a shortcut to banality, mediocrity and invisibility. Take five minutes and go read it.

Methodcast Quickie #5 - Cleaning Up Dirty Scans in Photoshop

My latest video tutorial is up on Method, and in it I show you how to remove extra crap like dust, scratches, paper texture, and just generally how to clean up a scanned image to make it look better using a few tools in Photoshop. I can almost guarantee there&

✱ New York & Philadelphia

I recently went on a business trip to the east coast with my friend and colleague Mark and had a few chances to get out and make some photos. In NYC I had my first opportunity to visit the High Line on a perfect day with my architecturally-savvy friend Mark

Archispeak #7 - We Kill Your Memories

A new episode of the Archispeak podcast is online and you can listen to it on the website or on iTunes. This one was the most fun yet to record. I hope you like it as much as I did. “”

✱ Weekly Photograph #9

Margerie Glacier is accessible only via boat. It's in Glacier Bay in Alaska and it glows blue on cloudy days. Seven feet of solid ice calve off every day - that's how fast it moves. It was raining when I made this image from the deck

The new $100 bill

Yet another example of the race to the bottom. I bet Ben Franklin is embarrassed to be on there. Where are the designers? (via Gruber) ∞

✱ Weekly Photograph #8

I made this image during a family hike on New Year's Day. We were hiking Evey Canyon in the local mountains and got caught in a hail storm. If you look closely you can see some ice in the image. These mushrooms were growing on a steep slope

Methodcast Quickie #4 - Straighten Skewed Images in Photoshop

I've posted a new, quick video tutorial to Method for a rather unknown tool in Photoshop that'll get your images properly straightened out if they are even slightly off-kilter. We'll get all those images aligned, even if it takes us the rest of our

✱ Study Model

✱ Weekly Photograph #7

We recently went on a trip out to Shoshone, Death Valley, and one of the reasons I love to visit is there's a natural, warm spring swimming pool where 85 degree water endlessly runs right out of the ground into a concrete containment unit - a swimming pool.

Archispeak #6 - And Then I'm Very Sad

The latest episode of the Archispeak Podcast is up on our site and on iTunes. Neal (who has a new website - check it out) shows his manly vulnerability as we talk about the gap between the professional and educational counterparts in our beloved field of architecture. Listen in on

Algae-powered apartment complex blooms in Hamburg

During the summer, however, when the sun is out in full-force, BIQ will no doubt go into full “bloom” mode. As Curbed notes, the panels, acting as “massive, algae-driving transition lenses,” will grow noticeably darker when filled with elevated levels of algae. In turn, the interior of the building will

✱ Weekly Photograph #6

Last year we travelled to Denali National Park in Alaska, and this Alaskan Cotton Grass caught my attention. I spent the next 15 minutes focusing on a few different specimens trying to get the subtle white variations and the shallow depth of field to look right as they bounced around

Hyperlapse

Timelapse has been freed from its shackles. From the folks over at Colossal: Teehan+Lax Stunning. I could watch this all day. Be sure to check out their site - it's magic. (via @cgrant3d) ∞

What's Really Inside That Taco Bell Crunchy Beef Taco?

This pretty much sums it up, but the whole thing is completely fake food:. Livestrong: The “real” in “real cheddar cheese” might as well stand for “really processed.” Know what you eat. ∞

✱ Design Everything

Seth Godin has a great post up today regarding our opportunities as designers: Everyone takes a shower without their glasses, and yet the little, indistinguishable bottles in the shower often have 12 point type describing what's inside. No, I'm not going to wear reading glasses in

Methodcast Quickie #3 - Depth of Field

My love of learning new (to me) photographic techniques has blended into my 3d rendering and visualization endeavors. I've posted another short video tutorial showing how to get nice, creamy depth-of-field in your renders using Maxwell and FormZ over on Method. If you're using Maxwell, it

✱ Datsun Resto-mod Project Update

You can check the progress of my 1969 Datsun Roadster project on my Flickr page. It should be getting paint next week (that's what he's been telling me for the last 8 weeks), and the wheels came in today.

✱ Weekly Photograph #5

I haven't figured out how to take a good picture of a hummingbird in flight, so here's the next best thing. My mom has a knack for attracting these little guys, and I was lucky enough to make this picture when we were visiting them last

✱ Paying Homage to James Turrell, Who Turns Light Into Art

If you have a chance to visit a Turrell Skyspace, do it. There's one in my town and I've enjoyed it many times. The New York Times has an article highlighting some exhibitions that might be within your travel range so you can experience it yourself.

✱ Today's Desktop Screenshot

Here's a peek at what I'm working on today...

✱ Desolation

I've posted a series of images I made into a gallery here on the site. These wall hangings were ultimately printed 10 feet long, so it was a technical challenge to render so large. I used Maxwell Render to get the final output because it will just keep

Archispeak #5 - It's Communication Stupid!

Our latest podcast is up on iTunes and the Archispeak website. We talk about work/life balance (as if there were such a thing to aspire to in the field of architecture). Take off you shoes, roll up your pant legs and take a long walk on the beach with

✱ 4th Generation

Four generations of Troxel men converged on a small town on the edge of Death Valley over the weekend. It was great to see my grandfather Bennie. I love this photo.

✱ Weekly Photograph #4

Jack

✱ Today's Desktop Screenshot

I'm working on modeling and designing the interior of a performing arts theater. Here's a view from underneath. What are you working on?

There Goes My Hero. He's Ordinary.

There's an amazing SXSW Keynote speech by Dave Grohl on NPR. You should definitely watch it, unless you don't want to get fired up and do something meaningful with your life. Watch it.

Growing Grass in 3d Using Maxwell Render and FormZ

I've posted a quick video tutorial I made over on Method that shows you how to setup the very powerful Maxwell Grass extension in FormZ. Check it out - it's really fun to play with. ∞

✱ Weekly Photograph #3

I'm heading out to Death Valley this weekend, and hoping to make more photos like this. Most people think the desert is boring. It's one of my favorite places to go. The scenery is amazing.

✱ Endeavor

The Space Shuttle is amazing (and enormous)! We took the kids on a surprise field trip today down to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. If you have a chance, go see it. It's free to get into the Center, and it's $2 per person

Archispeak #4 - Eat, Sleep and Breathe It

The fourth episode of the podcast I do is up on the Archispeak website and iTunes. We talk about the latest architectural Jobs Report, the importance of practical experience before graduating with a degree in architecture, what kinds of resumés and portfolios companies look for, and I continue to reveal

The New Porsche 911 GT3

A beautifully edited video introduction for a car that has been under iterative development since 1963. I love it in white... just like my 1987 Targa. I miss that car.

✱ Weekly Photograph #2

I love it when it seems like the photographer wasn't even there. This is like cinema to me. This is a shot of my son navigating the Virgin River on our wedding reception (aka the hike up the Narrows in Zion Canyon) last summer. Somehow the composition on

God's Architect: Antoni Gaudí's glorious vision - CBS News

I've been to Sagrada Familia in 1998 when the main space was full of scaffolding, and I can tell you it was one of the most moving experiences of my life, even being full of construction equipment. To say the least, Gaudi was way ahead of his time.

HMC Receives Three C.A.S.H. Design Awards

I worked on two of these projects with some great teams and friends - Middle College High School and Elementary School #9, both for LAUSD. I learned so much working on them. Congratulations to both teams for all of your hard work and for making more decent learning environments and

Methodcast Quickie #1

I've (finally) posted a new video tutorial on Method. If you're someone who's making 3d architectural models, give it a look. ∞

Ron Finley: A guerilla gardener in South Central LA

Ron Finley is a guerrilla gardener - a local activist in South Central LA. This is his inspiring TED Talk. We need more people like him. Less talk, more action. If kids grow kale, kids eat kale. If they grow tomatoes, they eat tomatoes. But when none of this is

✱ My Boys and Me

I've been meaning to start posting some photography once a week, so here we go. This is a shot of me and my boys on the tram going to my wedding in Zion National Park last year. It was a perfect day.

✱ Eleven

As of today, my oldest son has made eleven trips around the sun. I picked him up from school just before his lunch to go out and eat together. The two of us ate at a local pizza place which we haven't been to in over a year.

✱ My #architectslibrary

Here is some of my #architectslibrary, which is what we're talking about on the latest episode of the Archispeak Podcast.

Archispeak #3 - An Architect's Library

A new episode of Archispeak, that podcast I do, is now up on the website and iTunes. It was a fun show, and I'm happy with our three-show streak. I'm a fan of not merely saying yes to things - it's either hell yeah!

Amanda Palmer: The Art of Asking

This is an inspiring video from the TED website that reinforces my thoughts regarding making art = the best way to live. I love how confident Amanda is. This is a big lesson for me as I struggle through trying new things with my Method website as I try to help

Life of an Architect Playhouse Competition 2013

Speaking of competitions, It's on! Head over to Life of an Architect and get your pencils sharpened for this year's Playhouse Competition. It's for a great cause, it's free to enter, and you can go toe-to-toe with me, because I've

The Competition

This trailer gives a sense of what it's like to be fully engaged in an architectural competition, but at the highest level. I'm looking forward to seeing it (and the absurdity in which some of us participate). Jean Nouvel, to the documentary filmmaker: I hope you

BMW's Design Lead Talks... Design

This video makes me think about my red '73 BMW 2002 roundie that I sold a few years ago to buy an '87 911 Targa. Beyond the reminiscing, this is a very nicely done video of Karim Habib, the chief of design at BMW, telling us about his

Archispeak #2: Architect as Juggler

In the latest episode of our casual conversation about the realities of working in architecture: We discuss the current state of being an architect versus the old days of the master builder, how architects can educate clients, the importance of sleep in our manic profession, and we begin to tackle

✱ Introducing the Archispeak Podcast

I've been pretty busy studying for my licensing exams but was able to carve out some time to start a new thing with a couple of other friends from Twitter. It's called Archispeak, and it's a podcast about architecture. No, we don't

✱ Modern Architecture in Minecraft

My son is way into Minecraft. He loves building things and that's his main motivation. We spent some time together the other day and worked on building a piece of architecture in it. We decided to build right over a waterfall and have glass floors. It's

Architecture is Personal

I loved this quote from Roman Mars on the 99% Invisible Podcast, #67 - Broken Window Architecture is personal. The strangest part of our interaction with the built environment is what can be so evocative and meaningful for you can mean absolutely nothing to someone else. If you have 11

✱ My Grandma

My grandmother died this morning. Here's my small tribute to her. Grandma

Letters of Note: Best of 2012

Have you visited Letters of Note lately? It's one of the best. Don't miss their Best of 2012 letters. Letters of Note is an attempt to gather and sort fascinating letters, postcards, telegrams, faxes, and memos. Scans/photos where possible. Fakes will be sneered at. Updated

✱ Moving from Aperture to Lightroom

Today I'm starting to go through all of my thousands of photos (seriously - around 10,000 photos from this year alone) from 2012 for our annual year-in-review family slideshow video. Unfortunately, this needs to be done by tomorrow! This year also marks the year that I switched

✱ The Top 10 Flickr for iPhone Tips, My Flickr Photos

If you're looking for a great place to share your photos, take a(nother) look at Flickr. I'm going to try using it solely for the forseeable future due to the whole Facebook/Instagram brouhaha. Here's a blog post on the Flickr site regarding

early apple computer and tablet designs

There are some amazing stories coming out of Apple these days, and there are some beautiful early designs (as well as some turds) to see in a new book by Hartmut Esslinger, a past designer at Apple who also founded frog design. It's really interested to see that

Apple has named 'Paper' iPad App of the Year

Apple has named Paper iPad App of the Year. We’re incredibly honored (and a few of us on the team are still scraping our jaws off the floor). We’re lucky to spend our days working on something we love and believe in, and to see creators around the

Apple's Attention to Detail

Dan Pallotta: When you are willing to pay this level attention to detail you can be as great as Apple, and not a moment sooner. When I worked in our local Apple store for two years I soaked as much of this kind of thing up as I could. It

Eddie Van Halen deconstructs his collaboration on 'Beat It'

Add this one to your trivia. Who knew? ∞

The Case for Drinking as Much Coffee as You Like

Dr. Peter Martin, director of the Institute for Coffee Studies at Vanderbilt University: What I tell patients is, if you like coffee, go ahead and drink as much as you want and can. Another win for architects. Let's see. That makes coffee good for fighting against: sleep, type

Anticipation vs. Anxiety

Seth Godin: If we define anxiety as experiencing failure in advance, we can also understand its antonym, anticipation. This is a great way to approach taking control of your life. ∞

✱ New Project Parti Diagram

I thought I'd share a parti diagram (this link is great by the way) for a new project I'm working on. We'll use this as a guide for future design decisions - it's basically the 'big idea'. As we start

I Heart Squarespace

Q: "What'd you do yesterday?" A: "Oh, I trucked gallons of fuel up a highrise building by hand most of the day." Here's just one more (huge) reason why I support Squarespace to host my website. They went way above and way

The Best

I completely agree with this piece by Dustin Curtis. If you’re an unreasonable person, trust me: the time it takes to find the best of something is completely worth it. It’s better to have a few fantastic things designed for you than to have many untrustworthy things poorly

Instagram Profiles

I love sharing through photography. I love Instagram. I even have a page here dedicated to it that updates automatically. But now we finally have a place to see our Instagram photos as the creators of the service think they should be displayed. Please check out my gallery that just

The best way to get unstuck

The way to get unstuck is to start down the wrong path, right now. This is exactly what I needed to hear right now. I'm starting on a new project and it's so overwhelming I had that deer-in-headlights feeling. Just get started. The end will come

There are no "regular results" on Google anymore

I've made a big effort to get off Google over the last few months because I'm not at all comfortable with what they are doing with my personal information. Now I mainly use Duck Duck Go for searching. This video does a good job of showing

✱ Future Me

I've been thinking about this quite a bit lately... as in almost every day. The following tweet just happened into my feed a few days ago and it re-sparked my desire to share exactly what I've been thinking, and more importantly, doing: Do something now that

Fall Is in the Air

I love this time of year, and here's why. ∞

More/Real Stylus Caps for iPad

These new stylus caps look great. I love a simple solution that seems obvious once its been done, and the graphic next to the Meticulously Crafted section showing the process of manufacturing is very cool. This is the kind of thing that would go in Objectified 2. Stylus Caps start

Stop Stealing Dreams

Seth nails it in this video regarding our broken education system. This really makes me even more pissed off about the ARE for architecture licensing. It's all about being processed.

Designing Bond's World

Sir Ken Adam: I had a chance to let myself go, because nobody was looking over my shoulder. What an amazing opportunity. I think he is also saying that he didn't have people looking over his shoulder telling him what he couldn't do, which is really

This Is the Coolest Bridge I Can Imagine

Another example of innovative design. In other words: "HERE'S FREAKING TRAMPOLINE BRIDGE, PEOPLE!" ∞

✱ Construction Update - Poly High School

Here is a construction photo I made today and the comparative rendering of a similar view of the entry to a new aquatic complex at Riverside Polytechnic High School in southern California. You can see how far along the project is so far. It's turning out beautifully.The

✱ High Desert Sunrise

California Gradient I made this image (as a passenger) shooting out the car window on a ride up to a construction site where a project of mine is being built in California's central valley. The sunrises up there are beautiful.

✱ Truckee Sunset

We stopped on the side of the road to make this picture on Saturday evening on the road trip to Truckee.

Remembering Steve

It's the anniversary of Steve Jobs' death today. If you watch only one video, make it this one in which Jony Ive reminds us who Steve was: Jonathan Ive - Tribute to Steve Jobs From Apple's Celebration of Steve on October 19, 2011. Jony on

More on Saving the Wright House

There's a new site with the latest information on the Wright House in Arizona that I wrote about last week. Thanks to @azarchitecture for the update. ∞

A Happy, Flourishing City With No Advertising

Billboards and signage advertising are way out of control and getting away with murder. Cities bend over backwards to allow this environmental junkyard, effectively making us live in visually chaotic spaces which lead to more stressful lives. Estimates say some Americans now look at upwards of 4,000 ads per

✱ Petition: Save the David and Gladys Wright House by Frank Lloyd Wright

This is a beautiful home, and an example of architecture that should be saved. I wish I could take a look at it this weekend since the property will be open to the public to view (the interior of the house itself will not be): A remarkable Frank Lloyd Wright

✱ Updated Imagery for Elementary School 9 is Now Up

I've updated the photography page for Elementary School 9. I have to say Lawrence Anderson and team were a true pleasure to work with. If you're looking for a great, LA-based architectural photographer, call him. All images are the copyright of their respective holders.

✱ Riverside Long Night of Arts and Innovation at RAM

I'll be giving three presentations at the Riverside Arts Museum (RAM) on the night of October 4th. Come say hi and maybe learn a thing or two: The goal of the City's Long Night of Arts and Innovation (LNAI) is to showcase the city's

Dear designers, please stand your ground by listening. OK?

Mike Monteiro: Your role is to be a problem-solver, not a people pleaser. The entire short article is pure gold. ∞

What's an architects day like?

It is pretty much exactly like Bob's write-up. The only difference for me is that I compress it a little bit so I can get to bed before 10pm. Sleep is underrated. And damn that scoreboard. My wife gets way more done than I do. Bob Borson: So

✱ Dreaming by Day

I dream by day, because I can't remember my dreams at night. It's rare that I ever remember my dreams I have when I sleep. I've been thinking about this lately, and have come to realize that I live a double life where there

iOS 6 Tips and Hidden Features - Advertising Privacy Setting

If you're like me, and have installed iOS 6, you'll want to turn on this switch immediately: Don’t want ads following around your every swipe? Go to Settings > General > About, then flick down to Advertising. Tap and then slide on “Limit Ad Tracking.

✱ New Panoramic Photos in iOS 6

Panoramic images are super fast and easy to make now. Here's a sample: I've used both 360Panorama (my preferred Pano app) and Photosynth in the past. Those both allow you to sweep up and down, and have gyroscopic modes as well for interactive viewing after the

MakerBot Announces the Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer

Badass. I am so rooting for these guys. I want one of these in my shop. At a live press conference held today, Bre Pettis of MakerBot Industries announced the MakerBot Replicator 2 (and 2X), their new sleek 3D desktop printer which features “a resolution capability of 100 microns and

iOS 6 and Every-Day Life

Shawn has a great write-up on the new stuff in iOS 6 that makes things better for everyday life using an iPhone. This is the stuff that people take for granted but I am so happy to have on my phone now. ∞

Where the Trail Ends - World Premier Mountain Bike Movie is Online

Darren Berrecloth This is the latest Red Bull Media House film that follows the world's top freedride mountain bikers around the world as they search for unridden terrain. I watched the premier last night over Airplay on my AppleTV so I could see it on the big screen.

iOS 6 - What's New

This is a comprehensive guide to what's new in the latest release of iOS, which is out today. The new Maps and updated Siri are great places to start. ∞

Apple named greatest brand of the last 50 years

Respect. The entire design team at Apple flew to London to receive awards for best brand and best design studio of the last 50 years. Let that sink in for minute. D&AD chief executive Tim Lindsay: The people, companies and brands celebrated tonight are the true visionaries of

The New Apple II User's Guide

Did you know you can get a brand new user manual for the Apple ][e published in 2012? I skimmed Chapter 3 : Beginning Basic (PDF). It brought back memories of my first go at making things on computers back in the fourth grade. David Finnigan has written a modern day

A Superb Tribute to 9/11

James Duncan Davidson made this video tribute to 9/11 last year called Tribute in Light. It's just beautiful.

The Design of the iPhone 5

Watch the video on how they made the iPhone 5. It's just amazing. It truly shows the lengths a team and company will go to for excellence. All in, is there another piece of technology that even comes close to this thing? Thanks for showing us a little

The New iPhone 5

I didn't think I would be buying this, but after seeing it I think I have to. As this tweet explains: I have and will continue to delay refreshing my Macs to be able to get the latest iPhone. It’s the most important computer I have.September

This Week in TSA Bumbling

Ben Brooks: TSA news is back, please hold your applause until the end. Ben has some great insight and (not-so) shocking news regarding our beloved TSA. I can't believe people put up with this stuff. I opt out of those body scans. First of all, who knows what

Magic cooling glove "better than steroids" for athletic performance improvement

This might be the ticket for rock climbing... let alone any other athletic activity. "Then in the next six weeks he went from doing 180 pull-ups total to over 620," said Heller. "That was a rate of physical performance improvement that was just unprecedented." Holy crap

Strategies For Dealing With Lazy People

Team Build: Design the path of least resistance. Make it easier for them to complete the task than to put up with you. Set up a regular schedule of phone calls, emails, courier pigeons, or your preferred method of communication. Become a consistent (but still polite) annoyance in their lives

Capturing the Boom of Skateboarding in the 1960s

These photographs are amazing. They capture the era and the moment perfectly. Photojournalist Bill Eppridge captures skateboarding's humble beginnings in the urban setting of New York City. While the concept of the sport and makeshift models of the skateboard were introduced sometime in the 40s or 50s, it

AirPlay Direct Could Be The Best Business And Classroom Presentation Tool Ever

I hope this is true... ever since I put 2 + 2 together with the newer Apple TV this is what I have wanted. It's magic. ∞

How to Buy a Present for an Architect

Matters of Taste: Ten things to give, or not to give, an architect Don't Give: Sports-related gifts and Do Give: Books on architects you have never heard of It's funny because it's true. ∞

Those Who Make

Those Who Make is a website that hosts a carefully curated collection of videos + interviews of, yes, you guessed it... Those Who Make. Uh oh. Now you have a decision to make. Which is it going to be? Are you going to watch these videos, or actually go out and

The Most Important Thing You Can Do

Ira Glass on Storytelling I have never experienced someone who can be so succinct, where every word they've strung together into one cohesive thought rolls off the top of their head so easily, and seemingly unrehearsed like Ira Glass. He is a true professional, and is giving some

Rands In Repose: You're Not Listening

Mr. Lopp: If they don’t trust you, they aren’t going to say shit. File this one under Getting Better. Once again I am reminded about the difference between leaders and managers. Leaders listen and inspire. Managers mostly worry about themselves and are trying to figure out how to

Jack White on Inspiration

Spoiler alert: it's all about constraints. This is the honest truth. I love how he talks about the idea of constriction to force himself to create. “” ∞

✱ Breaking News - LOAA Rocks my World

It's official. I've made it. Do I have a product that's being pitched on a Billy Mays (RIP, Billy) infomercial? No, I'm on Life of an Architect's list of... drum roll please... The Top Architectural Websites in the World evantroxel.

✱ Evolution of a Design

Evolution of a Design See the design of a fire station change over a relatively short period of time as I take it through the design process. Sometimes the evolution of a particular design seems to have a mind of its own. Here is a recent example of a project

Neil Armstrong, First Man on Moon, Dies at 82

This is saddening news. I was just gazing at the moon tonight actually. To be that man and risk everything. Neil Armstrong, who made the “giant leap for mankind” as the first human to set foot on the moon, died on Saturday. He was 82. “And when Neil stepped foot

""Insert Meaningful Design Story Here""

I think they left the "Meaningful Design Story" slide in by mistake, or maybe they're just trying to convince us/the courts that they really have one. Certain colleagues in design school used to talk like this all the time. We have a running joke in

12% of IKEA Catalog Pages are 3d Renderings?

I had no idea. This makes me sad. Not that they are rendered, but that I couldn't figure it out. I've been doing 3d renderings for a long time and I this just shows how good these artists are. It's kinda like watching the

✱ Hang Tight

Here's a picture I made yesterday. The dragonfly was hanging on tight for a few seconds in heavy wind, then flew off to find another twig to hang onto. This was captured with my Olympus OM-D and 40-150mm lens using manual focus.

The New Microsoft Logo

John Gruber: The four-pane thing used to be the Windows logo; now it’s the logo for the whole company. Windows, Windows, Windows, Windows. Microsoft is betting the company on Windows. This can't turn out well. ∞

The Pros & Cons of Betting the Company on a Single Product

This is a fascinating read. There are so many things I want to do... I just have to convince myself that the worst thing that could happen is failure. And failure isn't that big of a deal. But if that thing actually takes off, it could change the

A Typeface For Creating Simple Graphs

FF Chartwell looks like an amazing tool for infographics and data visualization. Who thinks up this stuff? Well I'm glad they do. Using OpenType features, simple strings of numbers are automatically transformed into charts. The visualized data remains editable, allowing for hassle-free updates and styling. The site details

'Raiders of the Lost Ark' to Get IMAX Rerelease

September 7! Can't wait. ∞

Why Glengarry Glen Ross’ Alec Baldwin scene is so unusual

“Forget about the novel—I haven’t read the novel—my main strength is that I haven’t read the novel—the novel is killing you.” First great read of the day. Now I need to see the movie which, I'm embarrassed to say, I haven't.

✱ Mt. McKinley Princess Lodge

Here's the view.

✱ Zion Sunset Time Lapse

Here's my first attempt at a time lapse sunset. This one is untouched so far - no editing or color correction... just beautiful Zion Canyon. It's comprised of 325 photos shot on my Olympus OM-D over an hour or so using a cool little gadget &

Apple confirms: OS X Mountain Lion available tomorrow on the Mac App Store for $19.99

Mañana baby. Better do a backup. ∞

Gymkhana FIVE - An Urban Assault on San Francisco

If you haven't seen this yet, and it doesn't get your heart rate up, I don't know what would. To be a passenger in that car...

My Mac Pro and Cinema Display are for sale

This is a great system. I just need to downsize. ∞

How to prepare for Google's acquisition of Sparrow

It's funny because it's true. ∞

Today's Software and Talent Aquisitions

Marco has a quick post today regarding the application and team acquisitions that happened today at Facebook and Google. I think it sucks that Sparrow is going away because it will probably become solely a gmail client for iOS, and I'm no longer interested in letting Google index

✱ Elementary School #9 Photo Shoot

I was hanging out with a bunch of kids, colleagues and friends at the photo shoot for our newly finished elementary school project I have been involved in since it began in 2008 for LAUSD. We were working with photographer Lawrence Anderson to capture the project. He was great to

American Pie - a story behind the song

American Pie is one of the best songs ever written in my opinion. Have you ever wondered what it's about? Here's some background on it from Don McLean. (via The Loop) ∞

Introducing Squarespace 6

This is a huge update for SqSp. I've been using Squarespace for a few years now on my Method site, and I've been beta testing the new version (this site runs on the new v6 platform) and it's a joy to use. If you&

The Passion Debate

More like this please. Oscia Wilson: But the real truth is more subtle. The truth is that following your passion is a long and winding road with many twists. ∞

Stadiums of the Olympiads

A visual timeline of the stadiums of the Olympic Games over the decades. 28 amazing structures and counting. Check out the plaza level in the foreground of Luzhniki Stadium, not to mention the slight twisting motion of the structural frames holding up the roof. Wow. Via The Loop ∞

How to clean install OS X Mountain Lion

I'm really looking forward to this. It's definitely time for a completely clean install of OS X. I've been piling on the latest versions over and over and over for the last five or six years and I'm definitely feeling the toll.

Have you heard what Amazon is going to do next?

Since they've agreed to collect state sales taxes, they are giving us another reason to continue to shop with them.

Petition the U.S. Government to Force the TSA to Follow the Law

Read about what needs to be done here. Then create a Whitehouse.gov login and sign this petition. I did.

Samsung wins court case against Apple because it's not as cool

"They do not have the same understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design. They are not as cool," he said. "The overall impression produced is different." - Judge Colin Birss LOL

How to Play Whackbat

There is so much to love about this: Basically, there’s three grabbers, three taggers, five twig runners, and a player at Whackbat. Center tagger lights a pine cone and chucks it over the basket and the whack-batter tries to hit the cedar stick off the cross rock. Then the

Pininfarina Dies at 85

This man had a gift. Sergio Pininfarina's designs were the icons of my youth when I first fell in love with them. I can't tell you how many times I drew the Testarossa on yellow grid paper when I was a kid. I think I still

Don't Work for Free

The last line nails it. (via Chris Grant)

The Best Way to Name Your Files

I wrote an article on Method talking about file naming for those of us that make a ton of files. It's a good way to get and stay organized.

Floating Cyclists

Floating Cyclists. I wish I could do this to buildings and cars on freeways. (via Kottke)

Tips For Making Black & White Photographs

I stumbled on 5 good tips for shooting black and white today and wanted to pass them on. My thanks to Scott Bourne for posting these. I love the info he shares. It's worth keeping an eye on the RSS feed of his blog. I've been

Physical vs. Digital

Do you feel the same way I do about how much more rewarding it is to physically work with your hands (blue collar) rather than sitting behind a desk in a cubicle (white collar)? Then you would enjoy reading the book Shop Class as Soul Craft (Amazon link). It'

Vintage Vehicle Logotypes

Gorgeous. They certainly don't do it like they used to.

Library Project Process Images

Here are some process images from my HMC library project that some twitter folks were asking for. I was able to find various diagrams and renderings that were created during the process of design. This is a remodel/reuse of an existing building. We didn't add any square

The unedited Q&A: Apple retail employees respond to NYT’s profile, share life from inside the Apple Store

Apple Retail Employees Respond to NYT's Profile I've added this to my Instapaper archive for later reading. It'll be interesting to compare this to my own experience. I would say if you are considering working for Apple retail, it is a worthwhile experience. They

The Most Amazing Tall Buildings of 2012

Architects And Engineers Say These Are The Most Amazing Tall Buildings Of The Year Business Insider has a good write-up on this years picks (by architects and engineers) for the best tall buildings. There are some nice ones I hadn't seen before with large pictures, so check them

Why Skateboarding Matters to Architecture

There's an interesting article at Huffington Post about how skateboarders are invested in spaces much like architects are. A skater, unlike your typical pedestrian, experiences space just as intensely and consciously as an architect himself, albeit in a different way. He/she is alive to the possibility of

Slow Mo Skateboarding

If you've ever wanted to see the amazing skill involved in flatland skateboard tricks, watch this. Thank you whoever invented slow motion. (via ze frank)

Obligatory Rebar Photo

Here's a pic of the underground work going on in Riverside for a new aquatic complex I designed. This stuff is pretty fascinating. The agency that governs school construction... how do I say this... goes a little overboard with their structural requirements. Needless to say you want to

Form liner for the wavy wall (Taken with

Stepped footing (Taken with Instagram at Poly

Idyllwild Library, another project I was part of,

Idyllwild Library, another project I was part of, is under construction.

laughingsquid : Love is all you need

One of the projects I worked on is almost done.

One of the projects I worked on is almost done. ES9 in South Gate, CA.

Dad and me. No filter needed. (Taken with

Up to the swing and back (Taken with Instagram )

Jack’s birthday bike. 7 years today! (Taken

Plates (Taken with Instagram at Noteworthy

Asterisk marks the spot (Taken with Instagram

Garden update (Taken with Instagram )

Nevada Falls

Nevada Falls from the top.

Time to RTFM (Taken with Instagram )

Long exposure of Vernal Falls using SlowShutter

Vernal Falls from the Mist trail (Taken with

The interlocking structure of a cabin corner

Amongst giants (Taken with instagram )

Half of a dome (Taken with instagram )

World class rock. Half Dome. (Taken with

Jackson Skywalker in the pod racer (Taken with

Ink on trace. #lifeofanarchitect (Taken with

Eclipse shaped shadows (Taken with instagram )

Here it is closer. #solareclipse (Taken with

This is a partial solar eclipse. Look at the lens

@tonyhawk, Eddie El Gato Elguera, Steve

@tonyhawk airing over Mike McGill skating doubles

@tonyhawk and Stan Hoffman, the founder of the

Mike McGill has a long shadow. Have fun with that

Alba on the extension 50/50 style (Taken with

Hi, my name’s Lance freakin’

@tonyhawk has style. Laid back rock n roll.

Cab’s got flow (Taken with Instagram at

Mr. Alba (Taken with instagram )

YGTBFKM (Taken with Instagram at Upland

Mickey Alba (Taken with Instagram at Upland

Off the wall (Taken with Instagram at Upland

Caballero and Alba (Taken with Instagram at

The pipe (Taken with Instagram at Upland

Steve Alba signed Pipeline card (Taken with

Jackson’s insides. (Taken with instagram )

laughingsquid : Tennis Racket Mountain Range

hotvvheels : 918 Hybrid Stealth

coolerthanbefore : Mercedes Benz 300SL Gullwing

laughingsquid : US Military Demonstrates

tgphipps : The ENESSERE Hercules

parislemon : theatlantic : The Internet

fabforgottennobility : shot by Miguel Angel

What are you looking at? tgphipps : Ludwig

hotvvheels : Alpine

A Show by Ze Frank is the most refreshing, funny thing I've seen in a long time. Start watching here.

A Show by Ze Frank is the most refreshing, funny thing I've seen in a long time. Start watching here.

Instructions for Designers

Instructions for Designers

Massing sequence for a new school I’m

Massing sequence for a new school I’m working on.

Great expectations (Taken with instagram )

Stay behind yellow line (Taken with instagram )

Surfacing (Taken with instagram )

Instagram inspiration (Taken with instagram )

1942 N-9m Flying Wing by Northrop. Only 4

Surveying future damage. (Taken with instagram )

Pipe organ pick up stix (Taken with Instagram

Ghery LA version (Taken with Instagram at Walt

Sabotage We made this video 11 years ago I

Sabotage We made this video 11 years ago I think… I share it today in remembrance of MCA. Rest in peace.

This is such a great outdoor space. (Taken with

Waffle slab at Cal Poly Architecture building

The Ralph Knowles lecture (Taken with Instagram

Color version of the clouds. (Taken with

Today’s after-work clouds. Whoa. (Taken

hellformotors : So Cal Streamliner

Trellis by Viñoli (Taken with Instagram at

Raphael Viñoli is a badass (Taken with Instagram

Bike racks at Claremont McKenna College by Forms

Marshall Canyon on Earth Day (Taken with

It was very Lord of the Rings on the trail today

Brutal ramp bro (Taken with Instagram at

California sunset (Taken with Instagram at

Water drop (Taken with instagram )

A Bug’s Life - Radish Town (Taken with

laughingsquid : Microscope Slide Business

architizer : Late to class? Take the slide !

architizer: Late to class? Take the slide! Students at Technical University of Munich enjoy a four-story slides on a daily basis. If only New York had a similar system for commuters.

Today’s ride forecast: muddy (Taken with

I threw in some kids for scale. #SnowPacMan

SnowPacMan (Taken with instagram )

SnowPacMan (Taken with instagram )

Another #vacantplaces pool, this time in Baldy

#vacantplaces (Taken with instagram )

Public Phone (Taken with Instagram at

Breakfast (Taken with Instagram at

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The answer to the ultimate question of life, the

(Untitled)

Pin up space. Where designers show vulnerability.

Frey’s manilever. (Taken with instagram )

Paper spheres (Taken with instagram )

Wexler. (Taken with instagram )

Frey. (Taken with Instagram at Palm Spring

subtilitas : Alvar Aalto - Experimental

subtilitas: Alvar Aalto - Experimental house, Muuratsalo island 1952. Via Nico Saieh & HassanBagheri.

Open mystery box. (Taken with instagram )

Mystery box (Taken with instagram )

The front porch (Taken with Instagram at Colony

Palo Verde flowers (Taken with instagram )

Structure (Taken with instagram )

The children’s garden (Taken with

The art of flight (Taken with instagram )

This is the smallest thing I’ve ever

Working on the Spitfire with Leighton (Taken with

Breakfast with my oldest. (Taken with Instagram

Storyboard - ES9 (Taken with instagram )

ES9 corners (Taken with Instagram at Elementary

Same perspective different day (Taken with

James is a modern day DaVinci (Taken with

ES9 is almost “done”. (Taken with

We melted chocolate and warmed marshmallows.

And then out team made a kick-ass example of one

Today at lunch I learned about solar radiation

Flowers on the table (Taken with instagram )

Organized long ones, short ones, metric ones,

On guard! (Taken with instagram )

Claremont Youth Orchestra at Little Bridges

Jump! (Taken with instagram )

It is on. (Taken with instagram )

The 4 step raised garden box process (Taken with

The best Chipotle yet (Taken with Instagram at

Innovation Is About Arguing, Not Brainstorming. Here's How To Argue Productively | Co.Design: business + innovation + design

(via Instapaper)

Innovation Is About Arguing, Not Brainstorming. Here's How To Argue Productively | Co.Design: business + innovation + design

(via Instapaper)

The saw has been squared! (Taken with instagram )

Power pole (Taken with instagram )

Electric light rail (Taken with Instagram at

Sprouts! (Taken with instagram )

Hitchcock’s Definition of Happiness. Lovely.

Hitchcock’s Definition of Happiness. Lovely.

hotvvheels : Honda Z

hellformotors : Porsche 917 at Le Mans 1970

I want this to be my new profile photo.

hotvvheels : Bus

Perfect timing. (Taken with instagram )

Second sunset at 10,000 feet. (Taken with

The 1052 (Taken with instagram )

Snow topped San Gabriels (Taken with instagram )

Snow line this morning (Taken with instagram )

Over-under

Little alligator teeth (Taken with instagram )

Broken concrete skies (Taken with Instagram at

Sir Jonathan Ive: The iMan cometh - London Life - Life & Style - Evening Standard

(via Instapaper)

Hacking is Important

(via Instapaper)

Hacking is Important

(via Instapaper)

Sir Jonathan Ive: The iMan cometh - London Life - Life & Style - Evening Standard

(via Instapaper)

Design Thinking : Realm Charter School

(via Instapaper)

About Entrepreneur Architect

(via Instapaper)

Design Thinking : Realm Charter School

(via Instapaper)

About Entrepreneur Architect

(via Instapaper)

The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time

(via Instapaper)

The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time

(via Instapaper)

Getting closer. (Taken with instagram )

LED snowboarding suit is awesomely beautiful.

LED snowboarding suit is awesomely beautiful.

Cholla garden (Taken with Instagram at Cholla

J Tree (Taken with instagram )

Family of explorers (Taken with Instagram at

Jack’s spot (Taken with instagram )

Birthday boy (Taken with instagram )

Leighton’s ten! (Taken with instagram )

Tonight’s full moon. (Taken with instagram

Claude Demers of GRAP lecturing @hmcarchitects

André Potvin of GRAP lecturing @hmcarchitects

André Potbin of GRAP lecturing @hmcarchitects

Catalina Island off in the distance. (Taken with

Today’s riding group on the San Juan trail.

Seedlings that are getting planted tomorrow.

Vertical rack for the tall stuff. (Taken with

3 of the 5 raised garden beds (Taken with

None of this was here before today. (Taken with

RRXing (Taken with instagram )

Sifting compost at the Scripps College Farm.

Give it Five Minutes

Jason has a great post here. He describes a lot of people I work with. The thing that really gets to me is that they expect you to do the same. If you ponder something, they just think you don’t have an opinion. They see it as weakness. I

Give it Five Minutes

Jason has a great post here. He describes a lot of people I work with. The thing that really gets to me is that they expect you to do the same. If you ponder something, they just think you don’t have an opinion. They see it as weakness. I

“ But lets think about this for a second

“ But lets think about this for a second and turn this around a little bit.What if I told the wine bar owner that I have a great band and we are going to play at my house. I need someone to provide and pour wine while we play. I

laughingsquid : Minimalist Bert and Ernie

Two great things that go great together. Apple +

This was my favorite car in Junior High. It still

looooong board.

One of my dream cars. hellformotors :

hellformotors : Porsche 550 at Le Mans 1956

Finished garden box corners. (Taken with

Just finished putting new brakes on my car. Pads

The fruits of my labor are drying. Steel raised

The tools on my bench. (Taken with instagram )

For sale. Specialized Enduro. Inquire within.

ES9 Corners (Taken with Instagram at Elementary

ES9 (Taken with instagram )

Badass machine bits. (Taken with instagram )

Stainless steel positive leftovers from the laser

Shavings from a lathe. (Taken with instagram )

laughingsquid : Teller Reveals His Secrets

coolerthanbefore : Porsche 356 Speedster

(Untitled)

My view. Amazing colors. (Taken with instagram )

Bridge to nowhere (Taken with Instagram at

Leighton lost his 10th tooth moments ago. (Taken

A selection of my tools. (Taken with instagram )

One Embarcadero Center (Taken with instagram )

I love this sculpture (Taken with instagram )

architizer : Ford’s Utopia: When car

architizer: Ford’s Utopia: When car companies started doing a better job at marketing architecture than architecture

Bay Bridge (Taken with instagram )

Ferry Building skylights (Taken with Instagram

Look up. (Taken with instagram )

Golden Gate (Taken with instagram )

Oakland BART Station (Taken with Instagram at

coolerthanbefore : The perfect collection, two

I’m getting pretty good at this. (Taken

The valley (Taken with instagram )

Same beacon, different day (Taken with instagram

Happy Valentine’s Day (Taken with

Make a wish. (Taken with instagram )

There are people scattered about, an escape row

Jessie made a Titanic cake for Marlin’s 6th

Steel corners in the making (Taken with

I’m happiest when I’m making things.

I’ve never seen anything like the way the

Shaffer House (Taken with instagram )

Fill the frame with Specialized (Taken with

This was a competition for a convention center

This was a competition for a convention center remodel and addition. And we lost because we’re losers!

A new community center. This one’s going to

A new community center. This one’s going to be great.

This is a façade replacement design for the

(Untitled)

Here’s another entry I did for the

Here’s another entry I did for the President’s Award design competition. I took a different approach with this one where an identical part is manipulated in 3d space creating a sweeping, fluid movement. The outcome is a 3d printable sculpture.

Here’s a design I did for my firm’s

Here’s a design I did for my firm’s President’s Award Design Competition. It’s a 3d printed cubic sculpture.

I’ve been working on learning

theblackworkshop : UTS Great Hall and

What have we done? (Taken with instagram )

Catalina (Taken with instagram )

My ride this morning over Catalina Island (Taken

This guy buzzes the shack every Sunday. (Taken

The force is strong in this one. (Taken with

Hiking with the kids (Taken with Instagram at

Movie night. (Taken with instagram )

Raspberry (Taken with instagram )

Fire (Taken with instagram )

Taken with instagram

Speck of light (Taken with Instagram at HMC

Farmers market (Taken with instagram )

Raising my game. (Taken with instagram )

Big softy. (Taken with instagram )

Texture (Taken with Instagram at Starbucks

Yellow Shades (Taken with Instagram at Ikea

coolerthanbefore : 1969 Porsche 917K

It’s getting there. (Taken with Instagram

I didn’t know the plane was there when I

You shall not pass! (Taken with instagram )

Ginsu plane. It cuts like a knife. (Taken with

They are watching us. (Taken with instagram )

Looking down on Potato Mountain from Sunset Ridge

Ice guitars. A present from my kids. (Taken with

Skinny jeans… Skinny body. (Taken with

This scene lasted for about 5 seconds. New

Jut got home to a completely thawed freezer! Ugh.

Jut got home to a completely thawed freezer! Ugh.

Amazing sunset through Cajon Pass (Taken with

Taken with instagram

Taken with instagram

Taken with instagram

Sunset (Taken with instagram )

Taken at 80mph in the passenger seat (Taken with

Old town Truckee (Taken with Instagram at

Magic hour. Magic girl. (Taken with instagram )

He shoots. He scores. (Taken with instagram )

We’re doing some lighting design today

Lung-shaped site. (Taken with Instagram at HMC

Topography model (Taken with Instagram at HMC

New iPads for Christmas from @hmcarchitects

All of my scars are emotional. (Taken with

(Untitled)

Workspace: Current projects.

Elves (Taken with instagram )

Decorating the tree! (Taken with instagram )

Taken with instagram

Rainbow (Taken with instagram )

Main stair at ES9 (Taken with Instagram at

hellformotors : Porsche 917 & Steve

Swimming with sharks (Taken with instagram )

Hot coil (Taken with instagram )

A heater in my house. (Taken with instagram )

One point perspective (Taken with Instagram at

Light boxes (Taken with Instagram at HMC

The Art of Pixar. A wonderful collection of art.

Bonelli Park trail (Taken with instagram )

Puddingstone Lake (Taken with instagram )

Fern and yucca symbiosis. (Taken with instagram )

We all made it. (Taken with instagram )

The kids on the hike up Evey Canyon. (Taken with

I got the best birthday present from Jess! (Taken

Portholes (Taken with Instagram at Elementary

Stair tower (Taken with Instagram at Elementary

Collision of technology, otherwise known as a

Natural light (Taken with Instagram at

At the top of Kill Hill.

A small chunk of the Death Star. (Taken with

A local Dharma Initiative dish installation.

Façade at the Hall of Records. Rigorous. (Taken

LA Union Station (Taken with Instagram at Los

This one is by Jackson.

This one is by Heather.

Today is kid’s art day for me, so I’m

My patio lights (Taken with instagram )

Needy cloud (Taken with instagram )

Yucca and Mt Baldy snow (Taken with instagram )

The view from the top of Potato Mountain (Taken

Lonely shoes (Taken with instagram )

architizer : The Basento Viaduct

architizer: The Basento Viaduct

coolerthanbefore : BMW 3.0 CSL (E9)

The sky is a doozy (Taken with instagram )

One panel of a steel mesh fence I’m

Herringbone driveway at the Gamble House.

The Gamble house by Greene & Greene (Taken

Jack speeding along. I took this today while

Epic Cucumber (Taken with instagram )

Group is all these things (Taken with instagram )

Microwave antenna. I found it on my bike ride

The motley crew. (Taken with instagram )

Tree mural (Taken with Instagram at Bua Thai)

Fern spores under the skyspace (Taken with

Sky is space (Taken with Instagram at The

Dragonfly xplanes : the the Riout 102T

No way! littlebigdetails : Apple - The

People Are Awesome 2011

People Are Awesome 2011

Sculpturiffic (Taken with Instagram at Panera

#OccupyJupiter

Here’s some free design.

laughingsquid : My Body Is Just a Filter

A pie chart of my work, as inspired by Aalto and

Leighton’s leaning to ride with no hands

Sunset (Taken with instagram )

Family bike ride (Taken with Instagram at

I love the look of heavy cream in iced coffee.

 (Taken with Instagram at Apple Store)

The natural daylight in the double height space

The new VG Apple Store rocks Futura for its

(Untitled)

(Untitled)

theimpossiblecool : Lennon & McCartney.

hotvvheels : European ?

What if it could float? OK, let’s make it

(Untitled)

coolerthanbefore : 1969 Holden Hurricane.

graffitilab : Simple Living in the Big City

(Untitled)

hellformotors : Porsche 804

The main stair tower. (Taken with instagram )

Scaffold (Taken with instagram )

Get me higher. (Taken with instagram )

Don’t worry. I got it Turbo. (Taken with

You know the saying. Measure seven times. Cut

Construction update for Elementary School 9 in

About the only thing you can’t do is ignore

About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward.

Deer on the grounds / in the air. (Taken with

Check out the view (Taken with Instagram at The

thecoolnews : The now iconic Apple-Jobs

“ Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits.

“ Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify

What I see in my engineers scale. Eustache!

Laser cuttings (Taken with instagram )

Chipotle ceiling discs (Taken with Instagram at

Lamb sandwich (Taken with instagram )

Kate Mantilini’s for lunch (Taken with

laughingsquid : Family Decals So true.

coolerthanbefore : 1953 Aston Martin DB2 4

coolerthanbefore: 1953 Aston Martin DB2 4 Bertone Spider

laughingsquid : World Trade Center Twin

Structural integrity: iffy at best.

Kids at the park

Acme Cleaners, Claremont CA

laughingsquid : The Encyclopedia of 9/11 by

It’s not if… but when. I love the new

Holy crap - 15 fwy right now.

This is probably my band’s best ballad we

This is probably my band’s best ballad we ever recorded.

chills Josie Charlwood - “Feel Good Inc”

chills Josie Charlwood - “Feel Good Inc” (Gorillaz Live Looped Cover) Josie on Facebook

want.

Edsel Ford’s 1934 Model 40 Speedster

coolerthanbefore : 1953 Moretti 750 Gran

coolerthanbefore : 1951 Fitch-Whitmore Le

nevver : Pretty Pictures Solve Everything

The Apple Logo

mrgan: The logo of Apple Inc. is among the best-known and best-designed in the world. It has lasted thirty-four years, and we have little reason to think it’ll be replaced any time soon. It wasn’t designed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Paul Rand, or Jonathan Ive. It was

The Apple Logo

mrgan: The logo of Apple Inc. is among the best-known and best-designed in the world. It has lasted thirty-four years, and we have little reason to think it’ll be replaced any time soon. It wasn’t designed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Paul Rand, or Jonathan Ive. It was

Kronish House

neutrainstitute: Many of you may have heard that the demolition of a classic Neutra house in Beverly Hills is planned to happen. It would be so sad to see a work of art destroyed without a fight. We are fighting by trying to raise $16 million, in hope to buy

Kronish House

neutrainstitute: Many of you may have heard that the demolition of a classic Neutra house in Beverly Hills is planned to happen. It would be so sad to see a work of art destroyed without a fight. We are fighting by trying to raise $16 million, in hope to buy

think | architect

(via Instapaper)

think | architect

(via Instapaper)

viafrank : I love these Google Earth finds by

viafrank: I love these Google Earth finds by Claes Källarsson. Seriously, is this real life? Abstract landscape

(Untitled)

Me: thank you guys for being so good today! Kid:

Me: thank you guys for being so good today! Kid: all we get is a thank you?

Kid: does P L A Z A spell plaza? Me: yes. Kid:

Kid: does P L A Z A spell plaza? Me: yes. Kid: what is a plaza? Me: it’s like a big patio for lots of people. Kid: you mean like the sky?

A Little Empty

A Little Empty

Portal (Taken with instagram )

Elementary school construction update (Taken with

badass.

coolerthanbefore : 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC

startupquote : Your work is going to fill a

null

null

laughingsquid : Beastie Boys Action Figures

Inspiration for today.

laughingsquid : Obey

“ I like concept 13… but what’s putting me

“I like concept 13… but what’s putting me off is that 13 is an unlucky number. We better go with 12.”

laughingsquid : Star Wars Legal Tender

coolerthanbefore : 1964 Porsche 904 GTS

(Untitled)

My first sculpt in Autodesk’s new 123d

My first sculpt in Autodesk’s new 123d Sculpt iPad app took just a few minutes. It reminded me of Amorphium. Very cool app!

heyamberrae : how to prioritize your life.

Pleased to meet you. (Taken with instagram )

We’re learning how to milk a cow. (Taken

architizer : High school kids: the world’s

architizer: High school kids: the world’s toughest architecture critics. High School 9 has a harsh critic.

Beasties

andrewromano : Gordie Duane, 1930-2011

(Untitled)

(Untitled)

hotvvheels : Bug

coolerthanbefore : Aston Martin DB5

startupquote : Most people are searching for a

coolerthanbefore : AC Cobra MK VI

Free beer tomorrow (Taken with Instagram at

Emerald Pools (Taken with instagram )

We had an epic mountain bike ride today down to

Squaw Valley cable car house (Taken with

Leighton’s first time on a slackline (Taken

Crystal clear water and snow capped peaks in the

Speed Boat Beach (Taken with Instagram at Speed

This band just did the beat cover of Pink

Leighton on the slippity slide. Check the

Raw materials (Taken with instagram )

Maloof Workshop tools (Taken with instagram )

Single tear. laughingsquid : Shuttle

architizer : Mind Blowing Section: LOOP -

You know when your squid is going to be out of

I love lamp. Nuke lamp.

ILM's computing power for Transformers: Dark of the Moon

ILM's computing power for Transformers: Dark of the Moon

(Untitled)

Cooler Than Before

I was reblogging several pictures posted on this site earlier… screw it. Just go visit and get lost in the images.

Cooler Than Before

I was reblogging several pictures posted on this site earlier… screw it. Just go visit and get lost in the images.

coolerthanbefore : Clint Eastwood and his

Gorgeous curves. coolerthanbefore :

coolerthanbefore : The Fabulous Hudson Hornet.

coolerthanbefore : BMW 328 Mille Miglia

coolerthanbefore : 1940 Tatra T87 Sedan

These are so amazing.

Fresh blackberries = blackberry martinis

Fresh blackberries (Taken with instagram )

This is architecture. I dream that someday more

“ faux = foe ”

“”

architizer : Spec’ing the Millennium Falcon.

laughingsquid : New Muppets Poster

I can’t wait to get back to Sagrada Familia

I love this kid. (Taken with instagram )

Tools

(Untitled)

Whoa.

Big Rainbow heirloom tomato on the left.

Out first heirloom tomato of the Mariana’s

Badass.

I know designers who fall back on the triangle

laughingsquid : Dean Martin Burgers

I wish he was still playing… one of the

alexa : Just imagine… (Taken with instagram )

laughingsquid : Zach Galifianakis’ High

laughingsquid : Optimus Prime or Darth Vader?

subtilitas : Andrew Geller - Elkin House,

(Untitled)

I want to ride one of these concrete slab

Knife plate. (Taken with instagram )

Whimsy. There, I said it. (Taken with instagram )

Eureka Burger! (Taken with Instagram at Eureka!

Simple slot/tab dish drying rack and wine rack.

Silver inlaid into the door of a side table.

FormLA’s block module planters are nice.

Modular chicken coops and modular homes. (Taken

Check out this solid timber outdoor furniture. My

This is the nicest shower drain I’ve ever

Assemble your own lamps into beautiful shapes.

I would love to have this rice bowl shaped bath

These Mod Fire outdoor fire places are great. I

The legend of Sam Maloof lives on @dwell (Taken

Lutron’s iPad controlled home automation

Jory Brigham’s awesome end tables. (Taken

Cerno’s awesome cube lamp. Inspired by

The all-inspiring keynote speaker Bill McDonough

I love these concrete tiles. (Taken with

Looking through a cloud at the molo booth at the

An order of eggrolls (Taken with Instagram at

Cardboard tradeshow booth by molo. (Taken with

Clouds at the molo booth (Taken with instagram )

At the @dwell conference (Taken with instagram )

I AM [actually] AN ARCHITECT: Big Announcement

oscia: It started with one question: If you had enough money to spend your days any way you liked, what would you do with your days? Of course I would exercise and read more, spend more time with my friends, etc. But regarding architecture, which is what this blog is

I AM [actually] AN ARCHITECT: Big Announcement

oscia: It started with one question: If you had enough money to spend your days any way you liked, what would you do with your days? Of course I would exercise and read more, spend more time with my friends, etc. But regarding architecture, which is what this blog is

theimpossiblecool : Newman & Eastwood.

architizer : The exterior of Zaha Hadid’s

laughingsquid : Quantum Table by Jason

Help me (Taken with instagram )

Reflections (Taken with instagram )

OH: Ribbit allows you to walk thru the building

OH: Ribbit allows you to walk thru the building virtually and look at every single squidget.

Today we had a 60 minute design charette in the

Today we had a 60 minute design charette in the office during lunch. The project was a treehouse for an artist. Since time was of the essence, we were given the project brief and started designing right away. We were given photos of a particular tree but were given a

nuuro : 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupé

the-point-of-view : Olivetti Valentine

(Untitled)

the-point-of-view : “Read Your Book Case”

“ I am troubled by the devaluing of the word

“I am troubled by the devaluing of the word ‘design’. I find myself now being somewhat embarrassed to be called a designer. In fact I prefer the German term, Gestalt-Ingenieur. Apple and Vitsoe are relatively lone voices treating the discipline of design seriously in all corners of their businesses. They

Cactus flowers (Taken with instagram )

Under the power pole (Taken with instagram )

On the trail (Taken with instagram )

The first sumer project is complete. Tree swing!

The first sumer project is complete. Tree swing!

Strawberry Shortcake

Superman holding Batman

After waiting for 2 years, our blackberries are

carpr0n : Full boost Starring: ‘64

laughingsquid : Cirrata - Octopus Lamp by

(Untitled)

blackklungs : This looks Calatrava-ish

My hands got all sweaty watching this. Holy crap.

My hands got all sweaty watching this. Holy crap.

laughingsquid : Glasswing Butterfly

Betteridge's Law of Headlines

bestofwikipedia: Betteridge’s Law of Headlines states that “any headline which ends in a question mark can be answered by the word ‘no’ “. (via factoringprimes)

Betteridge's Law of Headlines

bestofwikipedia: Betteridge’s Law of Headlines states that “any headline which ends in a question mark can be answered by the word ‘no’ “. (via factoringprimes)

Hardcore kid with Michael Jackson shirt on.

UFO (Taken with instagram )

Ceramic tiles (Taken with instagram )

(Untitled)

(Untitled)

architizer : julienfoulatier :

Wanted: Wurm

Wanted: Wurm

laughingsquid : Gummy Bearskin Rug

laughingsquid : Origami Compact Camera

Project update: Façade studies now including

Project update: Façade studies now including renderings

My latest video tutorial for working with

My latest video tutorial for working with materials in Bonzai3d for Maxwell Render. If you haven’t looked at Maxwell before, it’s the real deal. It’s easy to work with and produces some amazing images.

(Untitled)

Processing

hotvvheels : DS

(Untitled)

Iterate. Façade studies for a project I’m

(Untitled)

nuuro : dropanchors : Cooler than you.

(Untitled)

(Untitled)

(Untitled)

I wonder if there’s a way to hack this

Goodbye Sahara

Goodbye Sahara

Remember Micro Machines?

“ If for some reason you do not receive this

“If for some reason you do not receive this email, please let me know.”

Unicorns and rainbows (Taken with instagram )

1936 Steyr. One of six in the world. Pure

Face painting instruments (Taken with instagram )

Spiderjack (Taken with instagram )

Snakeface (Taken with instagram )

Serious Batman (Taken with instagram )

I’m learning that if something makes me

I’m learning that if something makes me uncomfortable or scared, I should probably do it.

hotvvheels : Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato

merlin : petervidani : (via

I still love this every time I see it.

Mullet lamp (Taken with instagram )

A scene from Goonies? (Taken with instagram )

Full Disclosure by Mitchell DeJarnett (Taken with

This door is very Khan (Taken with Instagram at

Did you ever see me & my friends Sabotage

Did you ever see me & my friends Sabotage video? Help get it to 100,000 plays! I starred in and edited the video on a G3 Blue & White PowerMac in Final Cut v1. The whole experience was awesome. Special thanks to Eric, Kev, Kyle, Sam, Pete and Paul.

"Velocity of Disappointment," Back to Work #14

Following is a short transcript from my favorite podcast - “Back to Work” (iTunes link) by Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin. The text sums up just how hard it is to really do something creative. I can directly apply this to my architectural design career. It’s easy to design.

"Velocity of Disappointment," Back to Work #14

Following is a short transcript from my favorite podcast - “Back to Work” (iTunes link) by Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin. The text sums up just how hard it is to really do something creative. I can directly apply this to my architectural design career. It’s easy to design.

Holy crap. These guys did whatever the hell they

Holy crap. These guys did whatever the hell they wanted.

subtilitas : Till Schweizer - Welcome

Ceiling (Taken with Instagram at West Covina

Waterfall (Taken with instagram )

laughingsquid : Photos of Tiny People Doing

AIA Award for the Fontana Superior Courthouse

Everyone should listen to this guy. Architects

Everyone should listen to this guy. Architects have screwed the profession by NOT doing this.

smartasshat : blanddiva11 : guillee :

smartasshat: blanddiva11: guillee: Animation of how NASA will land the Curiosity rover of the Mars Science Laboratory on Mars in 2012, complete with a new “sky crane” technology for descent. (Via Ariel Waldman.) This is soooo cool. It IS amazing. But I see so many things that could go wrong.

I need to go out into my garage and turn on my

I need to go out into my garage and turn on my computer… jaimegochez: In The Know: Should The Nation’s Unemployed Be Buying New Apple Computers?

hotvvheels : R8 History Awesome

laughingsquid : Waddler and Monsta iPhone 4

Egg designs

Smoking martini’s!

hotvvheels : Spring Break, Daytona Want.

laughingsquid : Loop Chaise Lounge

subtilitas : Emmanuelle Moureaux - Sugamo

“ Why are things that are funny to you guys

“” — Sh*t my kids say

laughingsquid : Test Pattern Library

Amazing. This video made my weekend.

Amazing. This video made my weekend.

Amazing animation. From Lux: except the

Amazing animation. From Lux: except the characters, everything was modeled in Modo, textured in 3D Coat, animation was done in Maya, rendering with Maxwell..

My latest tutorial on cove lighting / interior

My latest tutorial on cove lighting / interior rendering in Artlantis.

Antenna (Taken with Instagram at Frank G.

Mad Men meets Alvar Aalto

I love the style here. Over the top.

Mad Men meets Alvar Aalto

I love the style here. Over the top.

laughingsquid : James Bond Themed Cars 2

subtilitas : More of Le Corbusier’s Villa

(Untitled)

(Untitled)

“ You still need nine months, not nine

“You still need nine months, not nine weeks, to make a baby.”

(Untitled)

Lolz laughingsquid : Tech Innovation

Crazy smoke art

Crazy smoke art

Cactus (Taken with instagram )

hotvvheels : Lack of Charisma Can Be Fatal

Gary Chang’s transforming Hong Kong

Gary Chang’s transforming Hong Kong apartment. There are more than 22 configurations!

834 (Taken with instagram )

Brit pop boy (Taken with instagram )

heyamberrae : this is one of my most favorite

My latest… In this tutorial, I’ll

My latest… In this tutorial, I’ll show you the differences between Bonzai3d’s Clipping Planes and Section tools, and how to use them for modeling and for presentations. You can learn more at www.getmethod.com

Lift wheel (Taken with instagram )

Me and my oldest on the lift or a day of

Sullivan nod

I love this kind of stuff. bestofwikipedia: The Sullivan nod is a theoretical sales technique used to create a subconscious suggestion to a customer to purchase one particular item out of a list of like items. It is used most frequently by bartenders and waiters when reciting lists of items

Sullivan nod

I love this kind of stuff. bestofwikipedia: The Sullivan nod is a theoretical sales technique used to create a subconscious suggestion to a customer to purchase one particular item out of a list of like items. It is used most frequently by bartenders and waiters when reciting lists of items

These are dope. smartasshat : Oh, the

In this kind of meeting. (Taken with instagram )

Thank you Apple and Minority Report.

Thank you Apple and Minority Report.

hotvvheels : Cool is a Color

Newport Beach (Taken with instagram )

Spoiler alert: what you think is architecture

Spoiler alert: what you think is architecture probably isn’t.

Bunker (Taken with instagram )

(Untitled)

The boys (Taken with instagram )

Hailstorm at home (Taken with instagram )

Laguna Beach sunset

somethingtocrave : Miike Snow - Black and

somethingtocrave: Miike Snow - Black and Blue (via MiikeSnow)

What is there to be scared of?

What is there to be scared of?

hotvvheels : Beauty is She

Laguna Beach (Taken with instagram )

“ …As far as the logo goes, I’m just looking

“…As far as the logo goes, I’m just looking for the name in a circle with some fire shit around it.”

smokeandacoke : numnumsbylaura : omg

Palms (Taken with instagram )

The master plan (Taken with instagram )

Bagel bubbles (Taken with instagram )

They are watching you… I know some people

There is so much RIGHT with this picture.

Remiel: Groundhog Day 2

remiel: A sequel that should be made. (Bill Murray mandatory, of course.) Twenty years later, Phil the weatherman is divorced and unhappy again, and the universe decides he needs another dose of repetition to remind him that life is between the seams of the hours, not the hours themselves. I

Remiel: Groundhog Day 2

remiel: A sequel that should be made. (Bill Murray mandatory, of course.) Twenty years later, Phil the weatherman is divorced and unhappy again, and the universe decides he needs another dose of repetition to remind him that life is between the seams of the hours, not the hours themselves. I

“ “To really be not quite clear or

“ “To really be not quite clear or confident in any one area, except that area itself… that’s the headspace I want to be in; to really throw yourself into the fire; to really not play it safe and really put yourself out there, even if it’s humiliating. That’

Darth Vader

Darth Vader

Check out this mashup.

Check out this mashup.

Drive thru (the wall) (Taken with instagram )

Pants (Taken with instagram )

1969 Gibson Les Paul for sale

I know a guy who is selling this amazing guitar. If you are interested, let me know and I’ll forward you more info. Unique 1969 Les Paul Custom Black Beauty Late ’69, but with solid body and 1-piece neck! For the Player/Collector, we offer this 1969 LES PAUL

1969 Gibson Les Paul for sale

I know a guy who is selling this amazing guitar. If you are interested, let me know and I’ll forward you more info. Unique 1969 Les Paul Custom Black Beauty Late ’69, but with solid body and 1-piece neck! For the Player/Collector, we offer this 1969 LES PAUL

Lovely corner detail. Clean structure.

wow. architizer : Telefonica’s new tower

You must read this. So good. merlin :

What Your 16-Hour Workday Says About You!

jessiechar: * You’re a really hard worker * Your time is poorly managed * You don’t know what to do with your life * Your boss knows you’re gullible * At least 40% of your diet consists of pre-packaged food * You send out work emails at inappropriate hours * You have no perspective

What Your 16-Hour Workday Says About You!

jessiechar: * You’re a really hard worker * Your time is poorly managed * You don’t know what to do with your life * Your boss knows you’re gullible * At least 40% of your diet consists of pre-packaged food * You send out work emails at inappropriate hours * You have no perspective

curvedwhite : Slow Sofa designed by

architizer : The burly curtain wall ( 365

Your Shit, My Stuff, Goldilocks, and Making the Bed You Sleep In

Appropriatism. viafrank: Introduction A couple days ago a I wrote a lot about my digital setup. It went over well, and seemed to be useful for a whole set of folks. I’m thankful for that, but I felt compelled to take a bit of time to dictate a few

Your Shit, My Stuff, Goldilocks, and Making the Bed You Sleep In

Appropriatism. viafrank: Introduction A couple days ago a I wrote a lot about my digital setup. It went over well, and seemed to be useful for a whole set of folks. I’m thankful for that, but I felt compelled to take a bit of time to dictate a few

Craters (Taken with instagram )

Tonight’s 99% moon taken with my iPhone.

i love this poster. nevver : Fender

I just snapped this picture of them moon through

subtilitas : Tectoniques Architectes -

Today’s styling compliments of my

subtilitas : Arthur Erickson - Catton house

architizer : Sparks is an expandable modular

architizer : A Platonic cube with closed

Workmark.it

cameronmoll: Simple idea, great execution — preview any text using the fonts installed on your computer, with samples shown all at once. /via @behoff and @jasonsantamaria Awesome site. I usually already have a font installed that will work for what I need, and now there’s a way to find out

Workmark.it

cameronmoll: Simple idea, great execution — preview any text using the fonts installed on your computer, with samples shown all at once. /via @behoff and @jasonsantamaria Awesome site. I usually already have a font installed that will work for what I need, and now there’s a way to find out

naveen : DAFT PUNK. from hype machine’s

Panoramic view of Lake Tahoe from Homewood Ski

Whiteout.

The house has an extreme overbite.

Looky what I saw today. Donner Lake taken from

Sunset in the rain (Taken with instagram )

Iron giant (Taken with instagram )

Uh oh. (Taken with instagram )

Contemplating titles: “personal

Awesome infographic/artwork

Forgotten time (Taken with instagram )

The price has gone up. (Taken with instagram )

startupquote : You have no idea if your idea

New Blog

oscia: I’ve begun writing for a second blog called OpeningDesign. While I’ll continue to focus on the business side of architecture, including IPD, on my blog I AM [not] AN ARCHITECT, I will now also be writing about how to make the design process more open, inclusive, and

New Blog

oscia: I’ve begun writing for a second blog called OpeningDesign. While I’ll continue to focus on the business side of architecture, including IPD, on my blog I AM [not] AN ARCHITECT, I will now also be writing about how to make the design process more open, inclusive, and

Obelisk (Taken with instagram )

Tree is up, decorated, lights are up, I am beat.

The far range of mountains? Catalina Island.

nuts!

nuts!

nuts!

nuts!

I have to go to Helsinki… subtilitas :

Again with the orange. subtilitas :

More Roundy

I’ve heard this before too. clientsfromhell: Client: “Can you take the edges in and make it more roundy and less squarey.”

More Roundy

I’ve heard this before too. clientsfromhell: Client: “Can you take the edges in and make it more roundy and less squarey.”

Nice composition. I’m a sucker for

This looks pretty awesome. Augmented Reality +

This looks pretty awesome. Augmented Reality + Star Wars.

Floor (Taken with instagram )

Pies have been baked (Taken with instagram )

Potatoes have been peeled. (Taken with instagram

subtilitas : Gianni Botsford - Casa Kike,

tomoatmeal : When people ask me what my plans

LA from the air at night (Taken with instagram )

Black sand beach (Taken with instagram )

Bridge rail (Taken with instagram )

End of the road on Maui (Taken with instagram )

Sunset on the craziest road back from Hana.

Sunset before the luau (Taken with instagram at

13501 (Taken with instagram )

Iao Needle (Taken with instagram )

Today was one of the best days ever.

Curb (Taken with instagram )

Runway (Taken with instagram )

Oceanic flight 815 nonstop (hopefully) (Taken

LAX entry (Taken with instagram at LAX Terminal

Going going gone! (Taken with instagram at LAX

My birthday cherry pie from mom. (Taken with

Leighton (Taken with instagram )

Leighton thru the netting of the bounce house. He

Jack through the netting of a bounce house (Taken

Cracked and scratched (Taken with instagram )

Cracked and scratched (Taken with instagram )

Photo apps (Taken with instagram )

Fountain (Taken with instagram )

architizer : A new app called Beautiful

Tv (Taken with instagram )

curvedwhite : Batman Returns by Tom Whalen

mrmattspangler : Hangin the Earth out to dry.

WANT jaimegochez : AWESOME: JAMBOX Wireless

WANT jaimegochez: AWESOME: JAMBOX Wireless Speaker & Speakerphone

This is the funniest thing I've read all week

This is the funniest thing I've read all week

Sunrise (Taken with instagram )

startupquote : The way to get started is to

Vote!

This year, fewer than 40% of voting age Americans will actually vote. A serious glitch in self-marketing, I think. If you don’t vote because you’re trying to teach politicians a lesson, you’re tragically misguided in your strategy. The very politicians you’re trying to send a message

Vote!

This year, fewer than 40% of voting age Americans will actually vote. A serious glitch in self-marketing, I think. If you don’t vote because you’re trying to teach politicians a lesson, you’re tragically misguided in your strategy. The very politicians you’re trying to send a message

“ ‘That’s funny,” I said, “because ‘The

“‘That’s funny,” I said, “because ‘The Resistance’ is the actual name I’ve given to my testicles.”

Jack (Taken with instagram )

The Pickup. A quick little stop motion animation,

The Pickup. A quick little stop motion animation, directed by Leighton, after he built the ship from the Hoth scene in ESB.

We are so ready for tonight (Taken with

(Taken with instagram )

(Taken with instagram )

Hoth (Taken with instagram )

Footings (Taken with instagram )

Bushy (Taken with instagram )

HQ (Taken with instagram at HMC Architects)

My latest project. I got a metric shit-ton of

clientsfromhell : Client: “Why is the text

clientsfromhell: Client: “Why is the text slanty?” Me: “It is in italics.” Client: “No, it is slanty.” Me: “It’s called italics.” Client: “I don’t care what you call it, make it stop.”

subtilitas : Louis Kahn’s unbuilt Hurva

Sunrise (Taken with instagram at HMC Architects)

The view from my flat (Taken with instagram )

Epic Hotwheels track.

Epic Hotwheels track.

A project I’m designing (Taken with

Pin-up space (Taken with instagram at HMC

Whoa. subtilitas : Atelier Feichang

Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facility Wins AIA

Hope (Taken with instagram )

Marker (Taken with instagram )

Top of Potato Mountain (Taken with instagram at

Remember this? Ridiculous love for you.

Remember this? Ridiculous love for you.

This second video is how you do it. Youtube is

This second video is how you do it. Youtube is probably the best resource for learning how to do just about anything on a mountain bike.

I installed some of Stan’s NoTubes goods

I installed some of Stan’s NoTubes goods into my Easton Havocs tonight. This video shows exactly why you’d want to do the same.

BBQ in the rain (Taken with instagram )

Light fixture (Taken with instagram )

Me and my avocado soffit (Taken with instagram )

mind = blown

mind = blown

Forced perspective (Taken with instagram )

Structure (Taken with instagram )

Interpol at the Fox

Interpol (Taken with instagram at Fox Theater

(Taken with instagram at Fox Theater Pomona)

Pomona (Taken with instagram )

architizer : Our review of the documentary

Amazing craftsmanship. Make sure to check the

(Taken with instagram )

LA Zoo (Taken with instagram )

Transition (Taken with instagram at Claremont

The love shack (Taken with instagram at

Tarantula (Taken with instagram at Claremont

Some more build pics of my mtn bike.

Some more build pics of my mtn bike.

jaimegochez : I want to try this. Add a

A great film. merlin : retrogasm :

What’s on your radar? What are you working

What’s on your radar? What are you working on that’s new and interesting?

whoa. power, joy, emotion, talent, and some

whoa. power, joy, emotion, talent, and some really great crowd involvement.

I love this short film. Make the most of your

I love this short film. Make the most of your time.

curvedwhite : Breakfast of Champions

Olvera Street Vendor (Taken with instagram )

They make one of the best songs look so easy.

They make one of the best songs look so easy. True pros. merlin: Dire Straits - “Sultans Of Swing” (OGWT; Recorded: Jan. 1978; Broadcast: May ‘78) Gold. Taped two weeks before they started recording their first record—a full nine months before it was released. Featuring variations on not one,

Another great animation mapping video

Another great animation mapping video

Especially watch at 5:33. Wow.

Especially watch at 5:33. Wow.

(Untitled)

LA Zoo (Taken with instagram )

Lake Osakis (Taken with instagram )

Walt Disney Concert Hall (Taken with instagram )

LA High School for the Performing Arts (Taken

LA Zoo entry structure (Taken with instagram )

Just wow. Where can I buy prints?

Just wow. Where can I buy prints?

This says so much… startupquote :

Another one

Rainbow

Second floor interior

First floor interior.

Said project. Fontana Superior Courthouse

Holy schmokes!

Warning

Kids

mrgan : You must check out this completely

Up up and away!

Up up and away!

Ninja skills. or. The luckiest bastards alive.

Ninja skills. or. The luckiest bastards alive. via kottke.org

oh em gee Rally racing is the best kind of

oh em gee Rally racing is the best kind of racing, and it’s just plain better because of Ken Block.

Sesame Street on Tumblr

Sesame Street on Tumblr

Summed up perfectly. architizer :

CeeLo Green doing a great rendition of a great

CeeLo Green doing a great rendition of a great song by Band of Horses

fireland : You ever see a movie like infinity

fireland: You ever see a movie like infinity times but for whatever reason (TV edits, ADHD, THC) you never noticed the the finest line ever written? - - - SCENE: The family station wagon goes flying off a cliff and crashes in the desert. Ellen: I think I broke my

Soulcraft Project: Complete.

Soulcraft Project Update: the bike is stripped,

Those eyes! Holy crap he was cool.

Leighton and Jessie’s fig tart. Figs are

Last night. 30 degrees cooler than home, and

I cannot wait until September 28th for the new

I cannot wait until September 28th for the new album.

Between Bears by Eran Hilleli. Beautiful.

Between Bears by Eran Hilleli. Beautiful.

Emerson Doll House by Brinca Dada

112 today.

jonahray : Inception explained for Mac

stevenf : The “e” Is For Enhanced: Great

Soulcraft cruiser update: took apart all of the

Early morning last week on my ride to the office.

Leighton

It’s either hell yes, or no.

It’s either hell yes, or no.

After Things to look out for: Gas lines Truss

Before

Guess whats going into the attic?

“Close” enough.

Macadamia nut encrusted Mahi Mahi in a coconut

How’s that working out for you? Being

How’s that working out for you? Being clever?

The design process of Dieter Rams, the man behind

The design process of Dieter Rams, the man behind all of the amazing Braun designs. Live it.

Beautifully done video by Radiolab.

Beautifully done video by Radiolab.

Meet the new members of the family.

Just like Panera. You pick two.

Starting a new soulcraft project today. Stripping

Sounds good! jaimegochez : This is the trailer

Sounds good! jaimegochez: This is the trailer score from Inception. If this movie if half as epic as this piece, then it’s worth watching.

Someone make me an offer on this Apple Pro

Snap-tie

600

Yellow

mrgan : Apple of My Eye is a short movie

mrgan: Apple of My Eye is a short movie shot and edited entirely on an iPhone 4, using iMovie.

Dinner

Tonight I made my best tomato sauce yet!

8 1/2 hours. I haven’t decided if

This is the start of something cool.

Jackson’s 5 today. Happy birthday boy!

Leaf (c) Evan Troxel

Got a rear stand and took off the back wheel of

Succulent (c) Evan Troxel

jaimegochez : Magical.

Seriously Google?

curvedwhite : LOST posters designed by Ty

want. a see-thru bike.

want. a see-thru bike.

We made 5 double sided 4’x7’

curvedwhite : In response…

Clients From Hell: Actual email from a band

k so we want album work done,just a cover fpr a cd and of course a logo on it we are releasing an E.P that is we are pying about $2000 for and we want it to be superb.. we want it to be really super cool and

Clients From Hell: Actual email from a band

k so we want album work done,just a cover fpr a cd and of course a logo on it we are releasing an E.P that is we are pying about $2000 for and we want it to be superb.. we want it to be really super cool and

My Bonzai3d article is now online

The article I wrote for the latest newsletter from AutoDesSys, the makers of both Form•Z and Bonzai3d, is out now! Click here to read it, and make sure to leave a comment on what you think of it. I would really appreciate it.

My Bonzai3d article is now online

The article I wrote for the latest newsletter from AutoDesSys, the makers of both Form•Z and Bonzai3d, is out now! Click here to read it, and make sure to leave a comment on what you think of it. I would really appreciate it.

(via ffffound.com)

I want one. The garage, not the car.

curvedwhite : What if they had beards?

merlin : kellydeal : tehawesome :

An image for an upcoming article I recently

Another great iPad wallpaper. lonelysandwich :

iPad xray wallpaper Here’s an xray of the

Hardware

The new reeds are reading the Sunday paper.

jaimegochez : Leave your troubles behind, and

(c) Jared Anderson & Evan Troxel This is an

(c) Jared Anderson & Evan Troxel This is an older easy-listen from the archives. It was tentatively named Purple Spray while under construction and renamed Safety upon completion. I play guitar and bass, Jared is vocals and keys. It came together after I wrote the tune initially on guitar. Jared

curvedwhite : Evian packaging by Paul Smith

Loves me some tilt shift. Fontana Superior Court.

After the ride.

Update on the greenbean teepee.

One of my Easter egg designs

Library at Los Angeles High School for the Arts.

The Fontana Superior Courthouse is done!

Pixels

Totally fake. And awesome.

Pixels

Totally fake. And awesome.

curvedwhite : “ My Way ” illustrations by

Software picks for the week

iPhone: Saturation (iTunes link) - a color tool based on Adobe’s great Kuler site. Web: Zootool.com - image collection/aggregation/sharing site Drobo - data storage solutions. Super easy, super RELIABLE automated redundant backup for Mac and PC.

Software picks for the week

iPhone: Saturation (iTunes link) - a color tool based on Adobe’s great Kuler site. Web: Zootool.com - image collection/aggregation/sharing site Drobo - data storage solutions. Super easy, super RELIABLE automated redundant backup for Mac and PC.

Stacked Sticks © Evan Troxel

Exploded building model © Evan Troxel

Los Angeles High School for the Arts © Evan

This is where I found the boys eating lunch.

curvedwhite : “ Why You Should Buy Art ” by

The latest Hot Chip video. Most amazing.

The latest Hot Chip video. Most amazing.

Library in the Los Angeles High School for the

Another video with a Toyota and a stuck

Another video with a Toyota and a stuck accelerator pedal. But not.

Another inspiring short film from Cristobal Vila.

Another inspiring short film from Cristobal Vila. www.etereaestudios.com/. Make sure you go there to see how he did it.

Wires - modeled and rendered in Cinema4d

Wires - modeled and rendered in Cinema4d

My morning pick-me-ups.

I’m sitting in a Starbucks using free wifi

I’m sitting in a Starbucks using free wifi on my iPhone, and I just ordered a 32gb iPad. This is the future.

Software picks for the week (Mac)

Skitch - amazing little screen capture app. Love it. Harmony (web site) - drawing app. Inventive. Screenflow - I’m planning on trying this one out for my new venture. Announcement coming soon!

Software picks for the week (Mac)

Skitch - amazing little screen capture app. Love it. Harmony (web site) - drawing app. Inventive. Screenflow - I’m planning on trying this one out for my new venture. Announcement coming soon!

New Holographic Imaging from Zebra. Can’t

New Holographic Imaging from Zebra. Can’t wait to try it out.

big ass roof.

curvedwhite : Minimalist Movie Posters by

Good ideas glow in the dark.

Good ideas glow in the dark.

Leighton’s scrap wood house

Tongue twister

Sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick

Tongue twister

Sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick

drintelmann : A Millennium Falcon that

Timeline

Storyboard

Chair lift at Baldy

Baldy on Valentine’s Day

Gushi

Aperture 3 supports the Lumix LX3 RAW format. Finally!

Aperture 3 supports the Lumix LX3 RAW format. Finally!

Interactive map for fishing in California

All you anglers - czech it out. Plan a fishing trip online with this site!

Interactive map for fishing in California

All you anglers - czech it out. Plan a fishing trip online with this site!

Software picks for the week (Mac)

Aperture 3 (Mac) organize your photos, now with faces and places Siri (iPhone) your personal assistant Pollux (Mac & Windows) clean up your iTunes library

Software picks for the week (Mac)

Aperture 3 (Mac) organize your photos, now with faces and places Siri (iPhone) your personal assistant Pollux (Mac & Windows) clean up your iTunes library

Kindle : Millenium Falcon : iPad :

Kindle : Millenium Falcon : iPad : Queen Amidala’s ship

The courthouse is almost done.

Wayfarer’s Chapel, Exterior, by Lloyd

Wayfarer’s Chapel, Interior, by Lloyd

Wayfarer’s Chapel, by Lloyd Wright, Palos

I love the way the snow in the foreground looks

My boys

Icehouse Canyon trail at Mt. Baldy

Ladybug explosion season at Mt. Baldy

Mac for sale - hp mini netbook (yes, it's a Mac!)

Czech it out here: http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/sys/1581939759.html

Mac for sale - hp mini netbook (yes, it's a Mac!)

Czech it out here: http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/sys/1581939759.html

Divisible by three.

Assembly line.

Assembly line.

Here are some images of a design I worked on a

Entry Court

Western Approach

Southwest Birdseye

Northeast Birdseye

Northwest Birdseye

Hangar Side

Eastern Approach

Interior

Floor Plan

Aeronautics facility design meets nurbs modeling.

Chickenfoot!

icon 4x4

i love how these guys put everything into their creations. they love what they do, don’t compromise, and make great things and money along the way.

icon 4x4

i love how these guys put everything into their creations. they love what they do, don’t compromise, and make great things and money along the way.

unputdownable

unputdownable. that’s what i want to be. that’s what i want my stuff to be. a new word i learned from @kottke today.

unputdownable

unputdownable. that’s what i want to be. that’s what i want my stuff to be. a new word i learned from @kottke today.

It was that kind of day. A Loaf of Woe. 5 hour

ABSOLUT creativity

ABSOLUT creativity

Steve Martin, by Chris Buck .

merlin : tofuttibreak : juliasegal :

Stampede

I listened to the Stampede EP on the way into work today. It’s as if we just recorded it. I’m so damn proud of this set of songs.

First watch. Full screen. The Third and The

First watch. Full screen. The Third and The Seventh, by Alex Roman.

Loaf of Woe

Today’s meeting was so great, it was remarked afterward as “a morsel of good with a loaf of woe.”

Millenium Falcon Legos!

Mormon Rocks on the SV-1000

V

I swear to God these kids are going to be as weird as me

Jack vs. Jack

Jack vs. Jack

Jackson, Christmas 2009

Christmas bouncing

Croix de Lorraine

Christmas jumping