Life of an Architect

Епизоде

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  Ep 209: Understanding Residential Contracts 07.09.2026 1ч 12мин

  Ep 209: Understanding Residential Contracts breaks down five ways architects charge for residential work, along with the tradeoffs of each.
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  Ep 208: Ask Better Questions 23.08.2026 1ч

  Most people treat asking good questions as something you either have a knack for or you don't. Bob makes the case that it's actually a trainable habit, one built on slowing down long enough to catch a guess before it disguises itself as a real question. Along the way, he and Andrew revisit an old closing segment from the show's early days, the one where negotiating the question mattered more than answering it, and connect that memory back to the discipline architects rely on every time technical requirements and design instincts have to share the same decision.
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  Ep 207: Forward Beats Perfect 09.08.2026 58мин

  Most of us have learned to treat more thinking as the responsible move, right up until it isn't. This episode is about the moment careful preparation quietly turns into avoidance, and why waiting for certainty is usually just a slower way of losing. Bob and Andrew talk through what it actually takes to commit before you feel ready, evaluate the results honestly instead of defending them, and keep adjusting without ever expecting to get it perfect.
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  Ep 206: Work to Your Own Standard 26.07.2026 1ч 1мин

  What started as a simple commitment to sketch more became an unexpected lesson in accountability, criticism, and staying true to the reasons we begin creative work in the first place. Bob shares how a personal sketching exercise evolved into a broader reflection on discipline, public feedback, and the importance of measuring your progress against your own standards rather than someone else's expectations. Whether you're an architect, a creative professional, or simply trying to build a better habit, this conversation explores what it really means to keep a promise to yourself.
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  Ep 205: How to Start Designing Your House 12.07.2026 59мин

  Designing a house does not begin with floor plans, exterior styles, or deciding where the kitchen island should go. It begins with understanding the people who will live there and translating their habits, priorities, routines, and expectations into a useful design framework. In this episode, Bob and Andrew examine the residential programming process and the role a well-constructed client workbook can play before design begins. They discuss why traditional questionnaires tend to focus too heavily on what a client wants while failing to explore why those spaces matter, how they will be used, and what problems the house needs to solve. The conversation also looks at when programming should occur, how clients should complete the process, and why architects need to interpret the answers rather than simply collect them. From daily routines and entertaining preferences to storage, privacy, budget, and future flexibility, the goal is to uncover the information that actually shapes a thoughtful home. A good house begins long before anyone starts drawing. It begins with better questions, honest priorities, and a clearer understanding of the people the architecture is meant to serve.
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  Ep 204: Character Development Revisited 28.06.2026 1ч

  In episode 204, “Character Development - Revisited,” we go back to the beginning and revisit the very first Life of an Architect podcast episode. Episode 001 was mostly an introduction: who we were, why the podcast existed, and what we thought it might become. At the time, the website had grown beyond the casual creative outlet it was intended to be, and the podcast seemed like a way to return to the original idea - talking honestly about architecture, practice, and the profession in a more immediate way. More than 200 episodes later, that first conversation feels different. The show has changed, the co-host dynamic has changed, and we have changed. What started as an experiment has become a long-running record of how our thinking has evolved over time. In this episode, we talk about what the podcast was trying to do at the beginning, what Andrew thought the show was before he joined, what changed once the conversation became the two of us, and what we misunderstood about podcasting, audience, editing, preparation, rhythm, and chemistry. We also look at why the podcast still feels worth recording after all this time. The title still fits, probably better now than it did then. Character is not established in the introduction. It gets revealed through the work.
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  Ep 203: Ten Museums to Visit Before You Die 14.06.2026 1ч 1мин

  Episode 203 explores ten museums worth seeing not for the collections alone, but for the buildings themselves. From quiet rooms shaped by light to dramatic structures carved from old industrial spaces, this episode looks at museums where architecture changes the way we move, look, and remember the visit.
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  Ep 202: From Practice to Professor 31.05.2026 55мин

  So you are thinking about teaching architecture. You’ve got some years of experience under your belt and you want to share your knowledge with the next generation. Or you’ve always felt a calling to teach the next generation of the profession? Maybe you just want to try something different and it seems like an easy transition? Well today Bob and I are breaking this topic wide open and revealing some of the elements involved in going from working in a firm to teaching in academia.
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  Ep 201: The Middle of Middle Management 17.05.2026 1ч 4мин

  Middle management is not usually the part of a career anyone dreams about, which is probably fair since most dreams do not involve inheriting more responsibility while time and authority stand nearby pretending they were not invited. Still, there is something important that happens in that space if you are paying attention. You start to see how decisions move through a firm, how unclear expectations become someone else’s burden, and how much leadership depends on remembering what pressure felt like before you had the ability to pass it along.
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  Ep 200: Hate to Love You 03.05.2026 1ч 6мин

  Ep 200: Hate to Love You looks back at favorite episodes, hard lessons, great guests, and the conversations that made this podcast worth your time from day one.
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  Episode 199: Conflict Resolution 19.04.2026 1ч 5мин

  Ep 199: Conflict Resolution explores how architects manage tension, stay useful under pressure, and move hard conversations toward better outcomes.
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  Ep 198: The Creative Process 05.04.2026 1ч

  Ep 198: The Creative Process | Why creativity in architecture depends on process, judgment, and knowing which ideas are worth pursuing
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  Episode 197: The Knowledge Gap 22.03.2026 1ч 1мин

  Ep197: The Knowledge Gap: As veteran architects retire, the profession risks losing hard-won knowledge, mentorship, and judgment no handbook can replace.
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  Ep 196: Do Architects Retire 08.03.2026 58мин

  Ep 196: Do Architects Retire explores why architects work longer, what comes next, identity shifts, and how money choices that shape retirement options.
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  Ep 195: Designing Your Own House 22.02.2026 1ч 3мин

  Designing Your Own House explores why architects hesitate to design their own homes: pressure, endless choices, ego vs livability, money, and what it reveals.
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  Ep 194: Being Your Own Boss 08.02.2026 59мин

  Being your own boss isn’t about starting a firm. It’s about control, momentum, money, and owning the tradeoffs shaping your career long before you noticed.
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  Ep 193: The Client Experience 25.01.2026 1ч 6мин

  Ep 193: The Client Experience, looks at why client relationships feel adversarial and why architects have more control than they think.
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  Ep 192: Have a Plan 11.01.2026 1ч 3мин

  Have a Plan is a reflective conversation about why pausing to think matters and how intention can help you move off square one this year.
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  Ep 191: Ask the Show Fall 2025 21.12.2025 1ч 10мин

  Architects ask the questions they actually want answered as Bob and Andrew dig into careers, practice, and the occasional absurdity.
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  Ep 190: The Truth about Titles 07.12.2025 59мин

  The Truth about Titles explores why architectural titles matter, why they don’t, and how their meaning shifts over the course of a career.