Life of an Architect

Ep 191: Ask the Show Fall 2025

Listeners have spent the last few days sending in their questions, which means this episode is either an act of generosity or a poor choice on my part. Ask the Show always feels a little like opening the door and letting the entire internet wander through my business, but I suppose that’s kind of the point to this episode. The topics jump from the serious to the unhinged with the kind of enthusiasm only architects and design nerds can muster. The questions remind me that the profession is still alive, still curious, still trying to make sense of itself. End of the year is good for this sort of episode because people get reflective, work gets strange, and everyone seems just tired enough to ask the questions they actually want answered. That is what we are doing today. All this and more on today’s episode as Andrew and I answer your burning questions … Welcome to EP 191: Ask The Show Fall 2025 Edition [Note: If you are reading this via email, click here to access the on-site audio player] Question 1 jump to 3:31 What will the future of the profession look like since we are not a professional degree now? Bob The short answer is that nothing happens. Not in the real world where buildings get built and drawings have to be correct or gravity will cause problems for you. Presidential proclamations do not rewrite state licensing laws, NAAB accreditation, NCARB standards, or the quiet machinery that actually defines what makes someone an architect. The profession might feel fragile some days, but it is not so flimsy that a political stunt can knock it over. The longer answer is that architects are in the middle of an identity problem they did not choose. People outside the profession already struggle to understand what we do, and this kind of noise only deepens the confusion. The future of the profession will look like what it has always looked like: a slow, stubborn march toward better buildings, better processes, and better ways of explaining to the public why our work matters. The degree still qualifies you to sit for licensure. The work still requires competence, judgment, and a working relationship with building codes that borders on dysfunctional romance. None of that changes. It is irritating to have the word “architect” treated like a decorative label instead of a regulated title, but irritation has never stopped architects from doing what they do. If anything, it will push us to advocate harder, teach clearer, and remind people that you cannot simply wish a profession out of existence because the optics are convenient. The future looks the same as it did last week: plenty of problems to solve, plenty of responsibilities no one else wants, and a profession still standing because its foundation is built on law, education, and practice - not on declarations. Andrew This is a tough one. At the moment, I do not know. I am not even certain it will change. This entire notion really revolves around the availability of educational loan amounts. So, at most, it limits the people who can attend architecture school. But it is also not “finalized” yet and may still change. I think it is good that we are talking about it and people are wilding out over it, but at the moment it is, in my opinion, too soon to tell what impact this could have. I mean, we can go down a terribly deep rabbit hole of tragedies, but it’s just so uncertain. As this could potentially impact my current occupation of professor, I have been keeping an eye on this and have read multiple viewpoints on the issue. Some even see this as a possible positive impact to the education process. I am not sure if that is the case, but it has definitely shaken both the profession and academia into a seeking a new sense of awareness with themselves. But I will end this again by saying, I think it is too early and no matter what the decision, it may take a decade to truly comprehend. Question 2 jump to 7:47 Does being an architect make you a more attractive partner as a single person? Bob Maybe? I suppose based on your interests, this could either be a red or a green flag profession. But my attempt at a real answer is pretty direct. Being an architect probably helps in the way good posture helps. It doesn't do the work for you, but it changes how people read the room when you walk in. The job carries signals that matter to some people - creativity, competence, and the ability to finish something that takes years and still argue about it calmly. None of that guarantees attraction, but it does suggest you can commit, problem-solve, and survive long stretches of uncertainty. For reasons that have nothing to do with looks, those traits tend to age well. Things tend to get dicey because most people tend to think architects get paid extremely well and there could be some disappointment when the reality comes to light. Andrew Yes, but only from the point of view that I think, we as architects have a good sense of style. Of course not every architect does, but in general I like to think we do. Also we can be very observant and attentive. For some partners that is a positive, for others a negative. Now on the flipside, No, if they know anything about how much you work or how technical your job actually is. How much we can be ruled by deadlines and how much we tend to pour ourselves into projects and often “neglect” other aspects of our lives. It may not be necessarily about the hours of work, but the hours of pre-occupation with that work, whether we are in the office or not. But it does usually sound damn cool to say you are an Architect. Question 3 jump to 10:31 What is your best piece of advice for preparing BBQ? Bob The best advice I can give about barbecue is to cook the meat you actually want to eat, not the version the internet says is more “authentic.” Baby back ribs beat St. Louis every time if the goal is pleasure instead of dental resistance, and brisket does not need to be wrapped to be respected. What matters is patience and follow-through, especially the rest, which is where most people get lazy and then blame the cook. A twelve-hour rest at 140 degrees fixes more sins than any rub ever will. ... and don't use rub on your brisket - kosher salt and 18-mesh black pepper is all you need. Andrew Low slow and build a good bark. But I tend to prefer to eat it and not cook it. I like variation of styles and flavors and the like to get into cooking it. I would rather explore the craft of BBQ from as many points of view as possible. I understand how the cooking process works and have a high regard for the craft, but my joy comes from the tasting of it all. Question 4 jump to 14:10 Going to Sea Ranch soon? Bob No plans at the moment. Sea Ranch is architecturally significant in a way that only works because the buildings know when to defer to the landscape. The success is not about iconic forms or moments, but about how carefully the architecture fits into the natural environment instead of competing with it. The result is a place that feels calm, restrained, and oddly instructive. You leave with a clearer sense of how much architecture can do by doing less. It also helps when you fly into San Francisco, drive up Highway One through wine country, and load up on wine that makes sitting in a hot tub looking at the night sky even more rewarding. Andrew Nope. I have never been to Sea Ranch. I would like to go one day. I enjoy that part of the country Question 5 jump to 16:08 If you could live anywhere and practice architecture, where would that be? Bob Living somewhere and practicing architecture are still separate ideas, but climate would shape both experiences. After living most of my life in Dallas, the appeal of four real seasons is less about escape and more about range (although I am getting tired of 100°+ degree summers that seem to last 7 months of the year). Seasonal change affects how you live day to day, but it also opens up design opportunities that simply do not exist in a mostly one-note climate. Buildings can respond to light, temperature, and weather in more nuanced ways when the environment actually changes. That kind of variation has a way of improving both your personal rhythms and your architectural thinking. Andrew Europe. Spain maybe? But most likely I would choose an island location as it seems like it could be good for me. While it might not be the best for business and costs, the allowances that type of climate affords you as a designer is intriguing and appealing. It can provide a real opportunity to blend and blur the interior and exterior on projects which is pleasing to me. So that would be the main reason for this choice. Another reason, I must admit, is that my days off would be nice. So even if business was slow, I would still enjoy myself. Question 6 jump to 19:10 What is the most iconic James Bond villain's lair, and why? Bob Every Bond villain has a lair that looks like it was designed by an architect who finally snapped from too many OAC meetings and decided that budgets don't exist. There is one that stands above the rest, mostly because it set the template for every overwrought supervillain hideout that came after it: Stromberg’s oceanic monstrosity, Atlantis, from The Spy Who Loved Me. The thing rises out of the water like a Futurist seashell built by someone who hated budgets and feared right angles. It takes the whole “master of the world” posture and translates it into architecture: isolated, gigantic, impractical, and completely divorced from any known building code. The place is a structural engineer’s night terror. It is also visually unforgettable. The silhouette alone feels like it belongs on the cover of a paperback that swears it will change your life if you read it on a plane. There is something honest about Atlantis. It does not bother pretending to be anything but a monument to ego. The villain wants to rebuild civilization underwater,

Ep 190: The Truth about Titles

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

Ep 189: Holiday Gift Guide for Architects

Discover the ultimate Holiday Gift Guide for Architects – curated picks, tools, and books that every designer will actually want to unwrap this season.

Ep 188: Changing Paths

At some point in every career, the path ahead stops looking like the one behind it. The work that once defined you begins to shift, not because it lost value but because you start to see yourself differently within it. For architects, that realization can be complicated because we build our identities around what we design, who we work with, and the roles we play in the process. Change has a way of testing all of that, forcing us to ask what parts of our career still fit and which ones need to evolve. Today, Andrew and I are talking about what happens when you change course, the challenges and rewards of starting fresh in familiar territory, and how to recognize when it is time to head in a new direction. Welcome to Episode 188: Changing Paths.  [Note: If you are reading this via email, click here to access the on-site audio player]  Change is something both Andrew and I have lived through, and in this episode we wanted to take a closer look at what that really means. Each of us has reached a point where our careers needed to evolve, and the decisions that came next reshaped how we think about design, leadership, and purpose. This conversation isn’t about following a formula or finding the perfect next step; it’s about the reality of letting go of what feels safe and learning from what comes after. We talk about the adjustments, the uncertainty, and the satisfaction that can come from realizing you are still capable of growing no matter how long you have been doing this. Our hope is that anyone listening who might be facing a similar decision can find something here that helps them recognize that change, when you allow it, can be the most constructive part of your career. When the Path Starts to Bend (Recognition) jump to 3:21 Bob's Perspective: There comes a point in most careers where the work you are doing and the person you are becoming start to drift just far enough apart that you can feel the gap forming. For me, it wasn’t about dissatisfaction or failure, but about balance. I began to recognize that not every professional decision I made was about me anymore. I had a family to provide for, and whether I liked it or not, that reality had to shape how I evaluated opportunity. The irony, of course, is that architecture doesn’t exactly offer financial guarantees no matter where you go, but I started to realize that what I was looking for had begun to shift. I wasn’t just thinking about projects anymore; I was thinking about impact. Much of that realization came through the writing I was doing for the blog. Storytelling forced me to look at the profession differently and to think about how architects explain what they do and why it matters. Over time, I began to see that my influence didn’t have to come solely from drawing lines. I still think of myself as an above-average designer, but I started to value other skills that had developed along the way: communication, teaching, and helping people think differently about architecture. Those areas began to feel like ways to make a broader difference, and that awareness started to change what I wanted from my career. When the opportunity came to move from a small, residentially focused practice to a larger commercial firm, the attraction wasn’t about leaving one thing behind for another; it was about growth. I wanted to see what would happen if I stepped into an environment that operated at a completely different scale. More people meant more challenges, more opportunities for leadership, and more potential to help shape culture. Change has never scared me. I have always seen it as a chance to redefine myself and fix a few flaws that I know I have. Every new chapter is an opportunity to rethink how I communicate, to see how others experience me, and to test whether I am living up to the expectations I set for myself. The conversation that started the transition wasn’t strategic, and it wasn’t planned. I asked Andrew Bennett, one of the owners at BOKA Powell,

Ep 187: Objects of Design

Architects explore the stories behind objects of design that remind us why design matters — revealing creativity, purpose, and meaning in everyday things.