Practice Disrupted by Practice of Architecture

How can real-time cost data, web-based massing tools, and early contractor collaboration eliminate traditional value engineering and elevate architectural judgment? In this episode of Practice Disrupted, host Evelyn Lee explores what happens when architects, contractors, and owners can see the real-time financial implications of design decisions long before a formal drawing set is created. Evelyn sits down with Andy Wise, Design Phase Manager with the i4 & Innovation team at Mortenson Construction, to discuss the gap between design intent and pre-construction reality, and how tightening the feedback loop around cost can fundamentally change how projects are delivered. Andy reflects on his transition to the builder's side after nearly two decades working in architecture and product design. He details the work of Mortenson’s i4 Innovation team, a dedicated research and development group focused on the "fourth industrial revolution" and viewing buildings as manufactured products. Andy discusses why traditional design intuition struggles to predict second- and third-order cost consequences, pointing to the industry's broken status quo: waiting six to eight weeks for a 70-page cost spreadsheet while dozens of subsequent design choices have already been made. The conversation dives into how web-based design platforms like Arcol are changing early-stage feasibility by putting live cost, area, and program data directly into massing models. Andy outlines three critical problems Arcol addresses: connecting financial consequences directly to model adjustments, demising floor plans to analyze granular program mix, and eliminating slow presentation updates by syncing live model data with presentation boards. He explains how multiplayer access creates "directional confidence" and radical transparency, shifting early team dynamics away from painful, late-stage Value Engineering (VE) towards proactive trade-off conversations. Evelyn and Andy also tackle the broader business and contractual shifts the AEC industry needs. As AI and automation accelerate the commoditization of production drafting and paperwork, Andy urges architects to stop defining their worth by billable hours or document output. Instead, he advocates for leveraging human judgment, spatial reasoning, and strategic problem-solving to deliver value early when decisions have the greatest impact. "Architectural work is going to be more based on human decisions and human judgment and understanding the value of the design. We're gonna be designers again. We're not gonna be the person doing paperwork for eight hours a day." - Andy Wise. This episode is a powerful reminder that bringing cost transparency into early design doesn't restrict creativity; it protects it. By closing the feedback loop early and embracing multi-disciplinary collaboration on day one, architects can eliminate friction, align project goals, and reclaim their role as strategic leaders in the built environment. Guest: Andy Wise is a Design Phase Manager within the i4 & Innovation group at Mortenson Construction, an ENR top-ten contractor. With a background in product design and nearly two decades of experience in traditional architectural practice, Andy sits at the intersection of design, construction, and emerging technology. Within Mortenson's internal R&D arm, he works on early feasibility studies, design exploration, pursuits, and evaluating new technology tools to shorten the distance between ideas and field implementation. This episode is especially for you if: ✅ You are an architect or AEC professional interested in how early-stage cost transparency can improve design outcomes and client trust. ✅ You want to understand how web-based massing tools like Arcol connect live cost, area, and program data to 3D design models. ✅ You are curious about how contractors evaluate early feasibility and how "directional confidence" replaces traditional Value Engineering (VE). ✅ You want to explore how changing business models and automation are shifting architectural value from drafting output to human judgment and strategic leadership. ✅ You believe that early, transparent collaboration between architects, owners, and builders is essential for the future of project delivery. What have you done to take action lately? Share your reflections with us on social and join the conversation. 📍 Show Links: Connect with Andy on LinkedIn Learn more about Mortenson Construction Learn more about Arcol 📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social: Instagram | LinkedIn | Youtube Check out our past episodes Be a part of our community — join the conversation

How can architects leverage their lateral thinking beyond traditional design practice to drive value in construction technology, entrepreneurship, and business leadership? In this episode of Practice Disrupted, host Evelyn Lee explores the power of alternative career paths in the AEC industry and how architectural training prepares designers for executive leadership outside traditional practice. Evelyn sits down with Daron Pardine, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Primera Works, a technology company focused on asset intelligence for the physical world, combining reality capture, data processing, and digital intelligence to create verified records of physical assets. Its services include LiDAR documentation, BIM models, CAD drawings, digital twins, and 360° visual records for owners and enterprises. Daron shares his journey from an architectural engineering background to leading operations across mega-construction projects and emerging technology companies. Daron reflects on growing up in West Virginia in a family of makers, combining an early aptitude for math, science, and art into an architectural engineering degree at Fairmont State before earning his Master of Architecture at Virginia Tech. Graduating into the Great Recession, he began his career at Spectrum Design and Studios Architecture before a deep curiosity about industry economics, specifically where project money comes from, led him to New York City and the real estate development side. Daron then spent nine years at Turner Construction, managing Virtual Design and Construction (VDC), BIM, and field operations on projects exceeding $2.1 billion, followed by a role at Hexagon, the Swedish software and sensors conglomerate. The conversation dives into what it takes to transition from design to business execution, highlighting the critical shift from endless design iteration to firm, decisive action. Daron unpacks the operational realities of co-founding a startup, managing the heavy cognitive load of entrepreneurship, and addressing the massive data gaps that building owners face regarding their existing facilities. He advocates for architects to recognize their immense, undervalued skill set in lateral problem-solving, urging more practitioners to take seats at the business table while keeping humanistic values at the center of technological advancement. "Architects are by large extremely undervalued and much, much more capable than they give themselves credit for. The profession gives you a skill set and a versatility in the broader market that you should start applying." - Daron Pardine This episode serves as a powerful reminder that an architectural education equips professionals with an exceptional toolkit for adaptive problem-solving across the broader built environment. By embracing curiosity, taking risks, and applying spatial thinking to business challenges, designers can redefine their value and expand their influence far beyond the drafting board. Guest: Daron Pardine is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Primera Works, a multidisciplinary reality capture firm that utilizes advanced scanning tools, software, and VDC workflows to deliver BIM models, drawings, and spatial analytics for architects, owners, and constructors. Born and raised in West Virginia, Daron earned his Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering from Fairmont State University and his Master of Architecture from Virginia Tech. Over his career, he has managed VDC, MEP operations, and field supervision for Turner Construction on $2B+ mega-projects, served as a consultant for Hexagon, and led operations across construction tech and startup ventures. This episode is especially for you if: ✅ You are an architect or AEC professional curious about exploring alternative career paths in construction technology, real estate, or tech leadership. ✅ You want to understand how skills developed in studio, like lateral thinking and complex synthesis, translate directly to business operations and entrepreneurship. ✅ You are interested in reality capture, BIM modeling, and how "digital alchemy" solves critical data gaps for building owners and design teams. ✅ You want practical advice on overcoming the fear of risk, stepping out of traditional practice, and managing the cognitive load of founding a startup. ✅ You believe architects need to better communicate their value, step into business roles, and help shape the future of tech integration in AEC. What have you done to take action lately? Share your reflections with us on social and join the conversation. 📍 Show Links: Connect with Daron on LinkedIn Learn more about Primera Works Learn more about Primera Works Xchange Learn more about Virginia Tech School of Architecture Learn more about Umbau School Learn more about Fairmont University Architecture Program 📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social: Instagram | LinkedIn | Youtube Check out our past episodes Be a part of our community — join the conversation

Why does venture capital flow heavily into construction and development, and what will it take for architectural firms to capture real value? This week on Practice Disrupted, host Evelyn Lee explores architecture's business model from the other side of the table. Evelyn sits down with Mayra Arntz, Principal at Building Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in technology for the built environment. Having built a unique career spanning field construction at open-pit mines, startup product development, and corporate strategy, Mayra brings a candid, grounded perspective on where money actually flows in AEC, and why so little of it reaches architectural design. Mayra shares her upbringing in Peru, where watching her father build roads and bridges sparked an early fascination with how physical infrastructure drives community and commerce. After studying civil engineering and voluntarily working on-site at remote mining projects to gain field experience, she moved to San Francisco for an MBA. After discovering the gap between Silicon Valley's rapid software innovation and construction's reliance on legacy systems, Mayra joined HoloBuilder as its first construction expert, eventually rising to Head of Product before overseeing venture investments and acquisitions at Stanley Black & Decker. The conversation dives deep into the realities of venture capital and technology adoption across the built environment. Mayra explains why VCs focus heavily on ConTech and PropTech over architectural design software, pointing directly to firm wallet sizes, price elasticity, and the high-growth expectations of venture returns. She also unpacks the friction of changing status-quo mindsets on job sites, offers candid advice on alternative funding paths like bootstrapping and corporate venture capital, and encourages more women to step into male-dominated leadership roles across construction, software, and venture capital. "Take the spotlight, take the risks if you want to do it. Worst thing that could happen is that it doesn't work. And then you do something else." - Mayra Arntz This episode serves as a powerful reminder that shifting the business model of architecture requires understanding the broader economic forces driving the AEC industry. By looking beyond traditional design practice and understanding how capital, technology, and risk intersect, AEC professionals can better position themselves to drive innovation and capture long-term value. Guest: Mayra Arntz is a Principal at Building Ventures, an early-stage firm investing in technology for the built environment across ConTech and PropTech. Born and raised in Peru, she earned her degree in Civil Engineering before working in project controls on complex open-pit mining developments. After earning her MBA, Mayra transitioned into construction technology as Head of Product at HoloBuilder (acquired by FARO Technologies) and later led strategy, M&A, and investments within Stanley Black & Decker's corporate venture group (Stanley X) before joining Building Ventures. This episode is especially for you if: ✅ You are curious about how venture capital works in the AEC space and what drives investment decisions in ConTech and PropTech. ✅ You want to understand why architectural software faces unique challenges in scaling and securing venture funding compared to construction tools. ✅ You want strategies for overcoming tech adoption friction and changing status-quo mindsets on job sites and in offices. ✅ You are an entrepreneur evaluating different funding models, including bootstrapping, corporate venture capital, and traditional VC. ✅ You are looking for inspiration on breaking into male-dominated spaces like venture capital, construction, and tech leadership. What have you done to take action lately? Share your reflections with us on social and join the conversation. 📍 Show Links: Connect with Mayra on LinkedIn Learn more about Building Ventures Learn about VC: Secrets of Sandhill Road Are you raising? Here is a list of investors Listen to the episode with Jesse Devitte 📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social: Instagram | LinkedIn | Youtube Check out our past episodes Be a part of our community — join the conversation

How can an architectural education prepare you to break away from traditional practice and tackle complex systems like social impact housing, community advocacy, and non-traditional careers? In this episode of Practice Disrupted, host Evelyn Lee sits down with Sarai Williams, Vice President of Housing Strategy and Partnerships at BDP Impact Real Estate. A thread that keeps surfacing this season is what happens to the people who receive an architectural education and then choose not to practice traditionally. Sarai’s multi-disciplinary journey, spanning a Bachelor of Architecture from Howard University, a dual Master’s in City & Regional Planning and Landscape Architecture from Penn, and years in architectural consulting and landscape design, offers a compelling look at how design thinking extends far beyond the drafting board. Sarai reflects on realizing early in her education that she was better suited as an editor and advocate than a traditional "starchitect". From performing forensic architecture in consulting firms to leading housing initiatives that keep people successfully housed across a national portfolio, she shares how systems thinking from architecture applies directly to real estate development and homelessness mitigation. She also dives into the art of the informational interview, a critical tool that shaped her career, and how asking candid questions opens doors to unconventional opportunities. The conversation also explores Unruly Practices, a graduate elective Sarai co-taught at the University of Pennsylvania. Designed around unprepared guest panelists who answer unfiltered student questions, the course helped students channel career anxiety into actionable strategies for grant writing, entrepreneurship, and alternative paths. Sarai and Evelyn close on the future of housing, emphasizing the need for architects to strip away ego, become better listeners, and build multi-disciplinary teams with professionals outside design. "The future of housing relies on architects stripping away ego, becoming better listeners, and building multi-disciplinary teams with professionals outside design." - Sarai Williams This episode serves as a powerful reminder that an architecture degree is a versatile toolkit for systems thinking, problem-solvingv, and advocacy. By stepping outside traditional boundaries and collaborating across disciplines, architects can drive meaningful social impact where it is needed most. Guest: Sarai Williams is Vice President of Housing Strategy and Partnerships at BDP Impact Real Estate, where she works at the intersection of social impact real estate development and homelessness response. She earned her Bachelor of Architecture from Howard University and a dual Master's in City & Regional Planning and Landscape Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. With past experience in architectural consulting, forensic design, and landscape architecture at Olin, Sarai also spent four years co-teaching Unruly Practices, an elective at Penn dedicated to helping students navigate non-traditional design careers and systems-level advocacy. This episode is especially for you if: ✅ You are curious about how to leverage an architectural education in non-traditional fields like social impact real estate, urban planning, and advocacy. ✅ You want to master the art of informational interviews to discover new career paths and build authentic professional networks. ✅ You are seeking strategies to manage career burnout, set healthy boundaries, and transition from traditional design practice. ✅ You want to understand how systems thinking from design school can be applied to complex social challenges like veteran homelessness and affordable housing retention. ✅ You believe that the future of architecture relies on cross-disciplinary collaboration, active listening, and community-centered problem solving. What have you done to take action lately? Share your reflections with us on social and join the conversation. 📍 Show Links: Connect with Sarai on LinkedIn Learn more about Community Solutions Learn more about BDP Impact Real Estate 📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social: Instagram | LinkedIn | Youtube Check out our past episodes Be a part of our community — join the conversation

How can architects leverage AI and data to eliminate inefficiencies and reclaim their time for design? In this episode of Practice Disrupted, host Evelyn Lee sits down with Natalia Bakaeva, a registered architect in Ontario who transitioned from running her own multidisciplinary practice to becoming the co-founder and CEO of ARKI. This season continues to highlight architects who stopped waiting for the profession to change and built something themselves. Natalia’s journey traces a unique path from beginning architecture school at sixteen in the Russian Far East, to studying in Moscow and London, and eventually establishing her career and practice in Toronto. The conversation delves into the deep frustrations Natalia experienced with the lack of innovation, scaling limitations, and heavy administrative burdens inherent in traditional practice. Recognizing that architectural services are difficult to productize and that firms often base decisions on guesswork rather than historical project data, she pivoted to the tech industry. Together with her co-founder, Mehdi, she developed ARKI, an AI "memory layer" or "second brain" that categorizes and stores a firm's construction details, layouts, and drawings to make them easily searchable and reusable. Natalia and Evelyn also unpack the cultural resistance within the AEC industry toward adopting new technologies and the necessity of backing up software solutions with hard ROI data. Natalia emphasizes the importance of architects taking the driver's seat in the AI transformation rather than being at the mercy of outside developers. She closes with profound advice for anyone feeling unfulfilled in their current role, encouraging professionals to follow their intuition and find their ikigai - the intersection of what they love, what they are good at, what the world needs, and what they can get paid for. "I'm starting now to think about artificial intelligence and all this tech journey is more of coming back to the craft. My ideal scenario is, we automate the processes that can be automated so we can spend more time on things that we actually like to do, on creativity, on the parts that are maybe related to materials or what users experience every day, something that is tangible, something that makes a real impact." - Natalia Bakaeva This episode serves as a powerful reminder that while the tools of the profession are rapidly evolving, the core goal remains the same: designing better spaces. By embracing technology and better data management, architects can automate redundancies and return to the true craft of architecture. Guest: Natalia Bakaeva is a registered architect in Ontario who ran her own practice in Toronto, working across residential, commercial, healthcare, education, and public art. With a rich background that includes an early start in architectural education in Russia and a bilingual master's program between Moscow and London, she transitioned into the tech sector after experiencing the inefficiencies of traditional practice. She is now the co-founder and CEO of ARKI, full-time, building an AI system of record that operates on a firm's internal project data. This episode is especially for you if: ✅ You want to understand how AI can transform dormant firm data into a searchable "wisdom hub" or "second brain." ✅ You are curious about the journey from running a traditional architecture practice to founding an AEC tech startup. ✅ You want to explore the concept of productizing architectural services and overcoming industry inefficiencies. ✅ You are looking for inspiration to follow your intuition and find your ikigai within or outside the profession. ✅ You believe architects need to be proactive in shaping the tools and technologies that will define the future of practice. What have you done to take action lately? Share your reflections with us on social and join the conversation. 📍 Show Links: Learn more about ARKI Connect with Natalia on LinkedIn Learn more about Natalia on her Website 📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social: Instagram | LinkedIn | Youtube Check out our past episodes Be a part of our community — join the conversation