"Why is our architecture not as diverse as our culture is progressive?" That's the question Toronto-based architect Alexander Josephson keeps asking. On this episode, he doesn't pull punches. Alex is the co-founder and creative director of PARTISANS, the studio behind the Grotto Sauna, the masterplan to resurrect Toronto's gargantuan Hearn power plant into a cultural district, and The Orbit, a radial reinvention of the Garden City for a transit-oriented future. He's also founder and CEO of Cumulus, an immersive digital memorialisation platform born from his father's brush with death during COVID. Across two decades, Alex has staked out a position that's part critique, part call to arms: that the condo towers crashing into Toronto's skyline are "spreadsheets in the sky", that greenwashed sustainability mandates have made architects pawns of capital, and that buildings should be "thousand-year worthy". In this conversation we trace Alex's nonlinear journey into architecture (the University of Waterloo, Rome with Massimiliano Fuksas, the AA in London which he dropped out of), the founding of PARTISANS in a Toronto storage locker, his master's thesis redesigning Mecca around a singularity, the Grotto Sauna's pre-fabricated arrival by barge, the disco ball that helped ignite the Hearn's cultural revival, and what it takes to design a "complete community" amid Canada's worst real estate downturn in a century. We also wrestle with AI in design ("it's just a tool, like a pencil"), the case for interfaith architecture as a path to peace, and how personal grief gave rise to Cumulus, his "digital tomb" for the family memories trapped on our devices. A spirited, irreverent and sometimes uncomfortable episode for anyone who builds, designs, or simply lives among buildings.Chapters:0:00 Intro1:59 Guest Intro, Toronto & Tim Hortons3:59 "Spreadsheets in the Sky”9:40 A radical redesign of Mecca15:01 Interfaith architecture for peace17:59 Origins of the "Rebel Archtiect”31:49 PARTISANS - the "Apple" story of Architecture?37:25 The Grotto Sauna38:57 Urban Regeneration - The Hearn50:37 Building on the Garden City - The Orbit57:15 Receptivity to radical ideas from the client's side1:01:41 Real issues with 'sustainability' in architecture1:12:12 Reflecting back on the why of pursuing architecture1:19:43 The impact of AI in Architecture1:23:04 The story of Cumulus - digital memorialization1:43:00 Q&A Start1:43:22 What does innovation mean to you?1:44:24 Key event, book, person1:47:19 Time Management1:49:55 Favourite childhood memory1:50:47 Biggest challenge to date1:53:33 Advice for young professionals1:55:19 What would you most like to be remembered for?1:57:03 Where can people find you?1:58:32 Final message1:58:45 OutroDetailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from. Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on: X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach Instagram: @petermbach87 Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/