Peopleverse

In a time when technology, data, and information are overly abundant, the Peopleverse podcast cuts below the surface to illuminate the people and the stories that make up the wisdom of the building industry. Join architect, industry veteran, and host Evan Troxel as we build the Peopleverse for the building industry. Learn more at https://peopleverse.fm.

027 - Tim Yeiser of Dricrete 07/26/2023

026 - Mehmet Zenginler of Tantimber 07/19/2023

025 - Patricia Yulkowski and Candace Kitchen of Total Door Systems 07/12/2023

024 - Cherise Lakeside of RDH Building Science 06/30/2023

023 - Mike Kunard of Hidden Step Marketing 06/21/2023

022 - David Corle of HMI Glass 05/24/2023

021 - Todd Miller of Isaiah Industries 04/27/2023

020 - Ian Merker, AIA, LEED AP live from the Tect booth at AIACon22 11/30/2022

019 - Dena Prastos, AIA 11/07/2022

019 - Dena Prastos, AIA Dena Prastos, AIA of Indigo River joins the podcast to talk about her multidisciplinary background and approach to a career in architecture. The bulk of this conversation is about how architects can and should differentiate their practice using examples from her waterfront-focused work and about the value of architects through specialization during changing times, among many other important topics listed in the notes below. About Dena: As Founder and CEO of Indigo River, Dena Prastos, AIA, is the first "waterfront architect," trailblazing a new category in the industry. Indigo River is a women-owned transdisciplinary design firm focused on progressive waterfront architecture, resiliency, and climate adaptation. A leading authority in New York Harbor and beyond, the firm specializes in climate adaptation through waterfront solutions that seamlessly transcend boundaries - guiding and executing projects from ideation through final construction and operations. Waterfront architect, civil engineer, futurist, climate adaptation expert, entrepreneur, and creative original, Dena is driven to transform the built world at the water's edge. With transdisciplinary and progressive views, she is fueled by the overlapping of design, technology, and nature. Dena is a licensed architect with a graduate degree in civil engineering. Born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, she deeply appreciates nature and humankind's ability to design, build, and create infrastructure in some of the world's harshest conditions. Dena is an experienced leader of innovative leading projects around the world, directing infrastructure construction, marine engineering, and the design of waterfront architecture. This experience has given her the tools to navigate the firm's diverse client work with her unique vision and competency in construction, engineering, and waterfront architecture. As a one-stop shop for solutions at the water’s edge, Indigo River works on notable projects around New York Harbor including East Side Coastal Resiliency in Manhattan, Robert De Niro's Wildflower Studios in Astoria, River Ring in Williamsburg, and the Harlem River Greenway in East Harlem. Before starting Indigo River, Dena worked at DCAK MSA Architecture and Engineering as the Director of Project Management and Business Development, McLaren Engineering Group as a senior project manager and The Conti Group. Dena earned her Bachelor of Architecture at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), where she subsequently completed a graduate degree in Civil Engineering. At NJIT, she was a Division 1 soccer player. After gaining valuable experience in the industry, she went to Harvard Business School’s “Leading Professional Service Firms” Executive Education program. She serves on the National Council of Architectural Registration Board’s (NCARB) Future’s Collaborative. In 2021, she joined the AIA Resilience and adaptation Advisory Group, and in 2022 she was asked to join AIA’s YAF Summit 30: Mission 2130; the Summit seeks to respond to critical issues present in the profession, namely, to address challenges the architecture profession will face in the next century, focusing on architecture, society, and our planet. She also serves on her local Planning Board in historic Grand View-on-Hudson, New York. About Indigo River: Indigo River is a women-owned transdisciplinary design firm focused on progressive waterfront architecture, resiliency, and climate adaptation. A leading authority in New York Harbor and beyond, the firm specializes in climate adaptation through waterfront solutions that seamlessly transcend boundaries - guiding and executing projects from ideation through final construction and operations. In this episode we discuss: her journey that began growing up in Alaska to practicing architecture in NYC through architecture school, civil engineering, construction, the marine team, getting her architecture license the definition of what an architecture license is actually for her specialization in the waterfront and how it interfaces with the built environment, resiliency, climate adaptation, while protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the public an in-depth discussion about the value of an architect for solving problems and protecting the public in the built environment the disproportionate and unsustainable nature of the architect’s standard business model in relation to fees and liability for services and outcomes over the lifetime of a project recreating the architects’ role in society for the future of the profession by reasserting the agency of design professionals who are licensed to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public what Dena is doing to differentiate her practice to protect against commoditizing the value of her services a discussion about the opportunity for specialization within the architectural profession to differentiate and provide more value observations why architecture is lagging behind the evolution of societal behavior and expectations which furthers the devaluing of architects the gap between innovation and adoption regarding technology artificial intelligence as a possible shortcut to addressing larger issues by architects instead of being considered a threat to the profession the large range of projects Dena and Indigo River are working on including piers and docks for residences, marinas, ports, bulkheads, keys, wharfs, and natural shorelines the constantly shifting nature of the edge condition where land meets water and the amount of regulation involved in that area of practice the regulatory expertise needed to practice on dynamic waterfront projects the potent combination of a diverse background with a focused geographical typology of waterfront projects that has led to the success of Indigo River since launching in 2018 what the day-to-day life of a waterfront architect is like and how it’s different than other areas of practice what some of the more exciting opportunities while working on waterfront projects using prefabrication and logistics what she experienced as a woman working early on in a male-dominated field her favorite part of being an architect (and more) the problems with merely reaching for sustainability in the built environment Episode links: /episode/index/show/peopleverse/id/24933021

018 - Kyle Morck live from the Tect booth at AIACon22 10/25/2022

017 - Shannon DeFranza, AIAS, Assoc. AIA, NOMA 10/10/2022

017 - Shannon DeFranza, AIAS, Assoc. AIA, NOMA Special guest Shannon DeFranza joins the Peopleverse after serving her term as National Vice President of the American Institute of Architecture Students to discuss her perspective of the architectural profession and the larger building industry as a recent graduate and emerging professional. About Shannon: Shannon DeFranza, AIAS, Assoc. AIA, NOMA, has dedicated her life to the service of others and bettering the world. With a background studying international relations, human rights, and climate disasters, Shannon graduated from the Honors Program of Roger Williams University, with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture in 2021. For the last year Shannon has served as the 2021-2022 National Vice President of The American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS), Student Director for the ACSA, and previously served as the Northeast Quad Director for AIAS. Through public speaking, mentorship, and advocacy, Shannon works to change design education and the profession, to properly equip and empower the next generation so that we may address widespread climate change through an equity lens, universally use sustainable building practices, and better our mental health protections. Believing that architecture is just one small piece to better our society, outside of architecture, Shannon has worked on behalf the Non-Profit, Scholars at Risk, to advocate for the release of wrongfully imprisoned scholars. In this episode we cover: Shannon’s unconventional path to architecture by way of studying natural disasters how she found the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) while studying architecture at the Roger Williams University School of Architecture why she got involved in leadership at AIAS the biggest problem about architecture from an emerging professional’s point of view the misalignment between education, practice, the world, and time the biggest problem we face as a profession why the profession should take students and emerging professionals more seriously her takeaways about the profession from experiencing the National Conference on Architecture in Chicago as a recent graduate her thoughts on loneliness and stagnation in the profession her experience of participating in studio on campus versus doing everything online during her last year at University issues of mentorship, pride, and empathy (or lack-thereof) in the profession in regards to emerging professionals coming up through the ranks in architecture firms her thoughts on how architecture firms can thrive by engaging and immersing emerging professionals into their practices her best experiences of being National Vice President at AIAS and what she is proud of leaving for the next leadership team for years to come her megaphone message for the building industry where she sees herself in the future Episode links by Ambassador Richard N. Swett, FAIA with Colleen M. Thornton (Amazon) /episode/index/show/peopleverse/id/24646503

016 - Michael Chambers, FAIA live from the Tect booth at AIACon22 09/28/2022

015 - William Mandara Jr., AIA 09/13/2022

015 - William Mandara Jr., AIA Special guest William Mandara Jr, AIA of Mancini Duffy joins the Peopleverse to talk about a project that is sure to become an icon. It’s called TSX Broadway and it’s located at Times Square in New York City. Listen in as we go behind the scenes from the very beginning of the feasibility studies all the way through construction with some fantastic stories along the way of this project that’s part historic Broadway theater, part high-rise hotel, part multi-event venue, and part performance backdrop situated at the “Crossroads of the World”. About Bill: William Mandara Jr., AIA, is the chief executive officer and co-owner of Mancini Duffy, a national design firm with a 100+-year-old history and tech-forward approach based in New York City. Bill comes from a family in the business: his father and grandfather were general contractors. He got the most thankless tasks during his teenage summers at his father’s job sites. In retrospect, it was a great way to instill understanding and respect for the profession. It was also a not-so-subtle hint from his father that he should be thinking about architecture school instead. In this episode we discuss: Bill’s journey of becoming an architect after working within a family lineage of construction workers Why Bill chose architecture even though his passion for music was so strong The story of TSX Broadway which includes: navigating the challenges including the physical logistics and sequencing of such a project demolishing an existing hotel that stood above the historic theater digging 2 basement levels below the historic theater to install caissons why they decided to lift the iconic Palace Theater box 30 feet building a new 3-story pre-function lobby to create opportunities for new audience experiences building a new hotel building the world’s largest LED-covered operable doors that reveal an elevated stage above Times Square stories of collaboration and coordination of the complexity of the project between various stakeholders how various stakeholders can add value to projects to make them extraordinary if they think outside “normal” boundaries what working on “an iconic, kick-ass project” can do to people over the extended project time line an idea of the sheer number of building products in the project the value of immersive software and physical mock-ups during the design process teams of people with the daunting task of dealing with the thousands of building products on the project and their interface with other parts in assemblies what Times Square was like when the COVID-19 lockdowns happened Bill’s favorite part of the architecture & construction process Bill’s answer for why someone should consider becoming an architect Bill’s answer for why someone may want to consider becoming a leader of a firm Bill’s insight into why someone may *not* want to consider becoming a leader of a firm Bill’s megaphone message for the building industry to *stop beating the crap out of each other* Episode links: Bill Mandara on & System Kid (Evan’s band) on & website (YouTube) /episode/index/show/peopleverse/id/24366735

014 - Mohammed Atif Shehzad live from the Tect booth at AIACon22 08/31/2022

013 - David Corle 08/16/2022

013 - David Corle Glass aficionado David Corle joins the Peopleverse 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. About David: David is a third generation glazier who spent the first fifteen years of his career gaining hands-on experience in the glass industry. Armed with that knowledge, in 2015 he joined HMI Glass (which is one of the nations largest manufacturers of custom shower enclosures) as the New England Regional Sales Rep. In 2018 he accepted the position of East Regional Sales Manager following the acquisition of a competitor and in 2020 was promoted to Director of Architecture and Design (A+D) Relations, guiding HMI's hospitality and multi-family division by developing A+D-facing education and outreach initiatives. David carries his passion and experience with glass into every conversation and hopes to educate, inspire and start conversations with you around the subjects of design, hospitality and the glass and construction industries. In this episode we discuss: David’s history in the glass manufacturing industry David’s early experience working in the field and how it was invaluable to his role today the glass product category (more specifically the hospitality and multi-family shower enclosures) his role serving design professionals David’s biggest pet peeve in commercial projects as a glass enthusiast how inviting a rep like David to your project early to gain his insights could not only save money for your clients but also help you design better projects in regards to maintenance, damage, durability, and more an explanation of what design professionals should be aware of when specifying shower glass the concept of replacing hard to source materials with glass because of innovations in digital printing what aesthetics are available when printing on glass (including replacing the need for applied films) the characteristics of glass that affect aesthetics the one thing all design professionals should be certain to specify when putting glass shower panels in a project answers to the questions: does it matter where the glass comes from for a project? is all glass created equal? how can design professionals deliver the best value for their client’s money? glass coatings for cleaning and overall lower maintenance over the life of the project the one thing design professionals can specify to insure glass will look beautiful over the long term what building product reps should be—and shouldn’t be—doing when visiting architectural offices the latest news on fluted glass options for the design community the kind of projects designers should be looking at for inspiring uses of glass David’s three-part megaphone message is for the industry Episode Links: /episode/index/show/peopleverse/id/24077415

012 - Mike Kunard live from the Tect booth at AIACon22 08/09/2022

011 - Gina Almaguer live from the Tect booth at AIACon22 08/01/2022

010 - Alex Housten live from the Tect booth at AIACon22 07/20/2022

009 - Michele Hottel & Djana Venolia 07/04/2022

009 - Michele Hottel & Djana Venolia Michele Hottel and Djana Venolia join 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 that both sides find success when done right. Michele Hottel has been practicing architecture with her own firm, Michele Grace Hottel, Architect since 1994 after working as a consultant with other architecture and engineering firms in the Los Angeles and San Diego area. She attended Cal Poly, Pomona and the University of Copenhagen (DIS) for Architecture. Michele is on the AIA CRAN National Advisory Group, the Chair of her local CRAN chapter, a Commissioner and Subject Matter Expert for the California Architects Board. and a past City of La Mesa Planning Commissioner. She's also the host of the "I've Never Met a Woman Architect Before" podcast. Djana Venolia is a licensed architect and urban designer in Brazil who also has a certificate in interior design for, the new school of architecture in San Diego. She has worked with architectural services, interior and landscape design, and media services for residential, commercial and hospitality projects in Africa, Europe, U.S., and Brazil for over 20 years. After moving to the United States, Djana has engaged in various projects supporting her community. She volunteers at her church, local YMCA and she has collaborated with other non-profits teaching art, architecture, and robotics to name a few. Djana joined the Western Lighting and Energy Controls family in 2019 and has dove into the LED world through the lens of a designer as well as the sustainability aspect of energy savings. In this episode we discuss: why architects should build relationships with product experts what value product reps bring to the conversation about design and product selection examples of the benefits of collaborating on projects early in design and how it has beneficial impacts through all phases of design how the owner benefits when there is early collaboration between supply and demand how the owner benefits from direct interactions with a trusted product expert what tools product experts can provide to help design professionals lead owners and other team members through the decision-making process for better project outcomes insight from a product expert on the questions architects should be asking when doing product research the importance of ballpark cost information during the design process in order to make good decisions how social media plays a role in the connections between architects and sales reps today the benefits of building trusted relationships between supply and demand Episode links: Michele's podcast: website /episode/index/show/peopleverse/id/23627129

008 - Lynda Thompson 05/30/2022

008 - Lynda Thompson 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 design team. About Lynda: Lynda’s worked in the areas of customer liaison, software training and development, and qualitative market and social research over the last 30 years. Understanding customers motivations and their needs is at the forefront of what she does. She’s driven by the desire to facilitate communication and collaboration across the many disciplines in construction, and to improve understanding of the jargon and acronyms used in the industry. She’s worn many customer engagement hats over the years, mostly working in the built environment, architecture and construction sectors (much of that time for , the UK National Building Specification). Previous roles included software training, customer support, user experience research, market research and a very long time ago box office manager roles at the London Philharmonic and Aberdeen Box Office. Now Lynda works as an independent research and customer insight consultant and works for clients like product manufacturers, industry membership bodies (like Constructing Excellence and the RIBA - Royal Institute of British Architects) and more recently in the UK energy sector with the She likes nothing better than using various research techniques to find meaning in qualitative data and provide independent and actionable findings to decision-makers. She identifies research questions and decides on the best methods (focus groups and interviews are her favorites) to use to help organizations that yearn for a better understanding of their markets and customers. In this episode we discuss: How her mother noticed at a young age she was a people person and how that plays into her role today how Lynda’s distance from both sides of the table (she has no formal training in building product manufacturing nor specifying) has helped her research and facilitation in the building industry in regards to impartial research an explanation of her approach to the process: to talk to people—but more importantly to listen—and to give people an opportunity to have a voice and to speak; to dig deeper beneath the surface of what people say in order to get to the real meaning how she learned her listening skills in previous roles by immersion her experiences working with the National Building Specification (NBS) in the United Kingdom teaching people how to use the specification software and gathering feedback on the product development team how Lynda helps bridge the gap between building product manufacturers and architects examples of universal themes heard across many BPM’s and specifiers that identify the existing gap including: dealing with jargon; specifiers inability to keep up with the overload of constantly changing information; the opportunity and importance of BPM’s educating specifiers; the importance of the proper timing of communications in the design process; the difficulties of access to specifiers (gatekeepers, timing, etc.) the opportunity for real relationships between BPM’s and specifiers to help solve these issues a look behind the scenes of a facilitated focus group and what kind of feedback could be surfaced from one what specifiers actually want when looking at products the importance of BPM’s understanding specifiers to truly be able to serve their needs the current state of BPM’s websites and how specifiers are using them (or not) the importance of confidentiality and anonymity in moderated information gathering sessions for qualitative feedback on products what the most difficult part of facilitating groups is why BPM’s need to understand the context a specifier is operating within when embarking on product selection what options Lynda offers to those who don’t know what they want to know, don’t know who to ask, or don’t know how to go about it the benefits of early inclusion and participation in design phases for BPM’s how different project delivery methods lead to different levels of participation from BPM’s and how small changes in that approach could make major positive impacts for specifiers Lynda’s message for the building industry Episode links: Join the Peopleverse at /episode/index/show/peopleverse/id/23263472

007 - John Crosby 05/17/2022

007 - John Crosby John Crosby joins 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 happening June 22-25 at McCormick Place in Chicago. About John: John leads AIA engagement with the building products industry and the technology/service sector of construction. His goal is to close the knowledge gap between architects and suppliers to yield a better built environment for all. To support this goal, John and his team have grown AIA’s insights, consulting, and market activation practice to build strategic relationships with industry leaders. Throughout his career, John has developed a passion for fostering commercial engagement between non-profit communities and their suppliers. He has more than 10 years of experience in design and construction, including work as a marketing leader with Hanley Wood Media. John earned his Master’s in Business Administration from Quantic School of Business and Technology in 2021. He holds dual Bachelor’s Degrees in Government and History from The College of William and Mary. He and his wife, Sue, live in Ashburn, Virginia and have three children. In this episode we discuss: the struggle John noticed professionals were having during his tenure working in associations and non profit communities for the bulk of his career how he helped building product manufacturer sales and marketing teams better understand architects and design professionals his observation of the challenges and pain points that exist between supply and demand his observation of the knowledge gap that exists in the design and specification process between the design team and the products they specify how The Architect’s Journey to Specification research project began at AIA, and what the main outcomes of the report are what’s keeping design professionals from innovating in the specification process in regards to choosing building products and materials what the AIA means to architecture and also the construction industry in regards to bridging the gap between architects and building products manufacturers explanation of the architect type profiles identified in the report that help the supply side better understand their potential audience identification of the main thing architects want to have with multiple building product manufacturer reps how the supply side has responded to the research findings presented by the AIA what’s missing from the supply side in order to make meaningful change happen at scale to help bridge the gap what supply side manufacturers are good at and need to improve in their approach to reaching architects identification of successful tactics that supply side manufacturers can use when it comes to bridging the gap at what point during a project architects are ready to be considered a ‘sales lead’ to a product sales rep what architects are thinking about when considering a product for inclusion in a design why architects copy & paste building product specifications rather than looking for new and/or innovative products how sales reps can have a positive impact in the early stages of the design process how trade shows—and more specifically the upcoming AIA Conference on Architecture in Chicago—fits into the strategy of bridging the gap how the AIA Conference has changed for ’22 to better connect architects and manufacturers in meaningful ways the challenges of connecting at trade shows what staff manufacturers should populate their booths with to fully understand the needs of architects and specifiers how the pandemic led to an existential moment in reconsidering the purpose of a trade show how the AIA went about evolving the upcoming conference in Chicago so attendees and exhibitors leave feeling more satisfied why attendees to the Conference on Architecture this year should be excited to visit the expo hall how the conference has the potential for architects to find the next big things to help them in their practice how the “new AIA” is throwing open the doors to find new opportunities for manufacturers to be more successful in connecting with architects how the AIA and Tect are working together on ways to enable exhibitors to get beyond their spaces on the show floor Episode Links: The report (‘A22) website website Join the Peopleverse at /episode/index/show/peopleverse/id/23145689

006 - Jeffrey Potter 05/03/2022

006 - Jeffrey Potter Jeffrey Potter graduated from North Dakota State University in 2013 and started his specifications career in 2015 at HMC Architects. It didn't take long for Jeff to fall in love with specifications and the world of architecture, ultimately becoming the head specifier at HMC Architects in 2020. Jeff is currently working at Deltek as a Specifications Solutions Product Manager helping shift the industry towards a revolutionary approach to specifications. In this episode we discuss: Jeff’s unique path to becoming head specifier in an architecture firm Jeff’s story about how came to love spec writing after starting in the industry with no experience whether or not the specification process has changed over the past few decades the challenges and outcomes of updating the tools and specifications process in architecture firms today the problem Jeff is helping to solve in regards to specifications in his new role whether or not the current specifications process is ‘broken’ how data analysis and data-driven decisions could help in the specification process what traits make for a good specifier in a firm how specifiers can help everyone in an office understand what is in a spec a discussion about the path to wider adoption of ownership of the specification by the team building the BIM model insight into the day-to-day of being a specifier at a large firm how integrating specification writers into the project team earlier in the design process drives better project outcomes examples of challenges involved in updating a spec process some lessons learned from Jeff’s implementation of ‘scope of work meetings’ and ‘level of expectation meetings’ as a specifier Jeff’s personal addition of a fifth ‘C’ to the four C’s of CSI some issues Jeff has observed with public bid projects (design-bid-build) from a specifier’s point of view the superpowers that building product experts can use in the design process to deliver value to the design team the importance of specifiers and product reps understanding that the design team, in many cases, is thinking in terms of assemblies rather than individual products and what Jeff calls an ‘assembly mindset’ the idea of a specification and data-driven recommendation engine for building products the importance of mentorship, knowledge capture, and knowledge transference from experienced spec writers to emerging professionals why Jeff recently chose to transition his career from being a specifier at an architectural firm to a specifications solutions product manager why someone should consider becoming a specifier how technology can help obtain more efficiency, productivity, and accuracy in specifications Jeff’s vision of the future of specifications Jeff's message for the building industry Episode Links: Jeff's blog: Join the Peopleverse at /episode/index/show/peopleverse/id/22997930

005 - Alex Gore 04/19/2022

005 - Alex Gore Alex Gore 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 Creativity Code, and teaches at CU Boulder in the Architectural Engineering department. In this episode, we discuss: Alex’s origin story and what led to him becoming an architect how F9 Productions began during the 2009 recession and what baggage they left behind when starting his own firm F9’s beginnings and figuring out how to find work F9’s foray into design/build and construction F9’s 9 principles how F9 has grown over the last few years why F9 pivoted the firm after developing their own projects the idea of a feedback loop informing one’s trajectory what Alex’s main role at F9 is today the definition of leadership how Alex created a culture of permission through mentorship why Alex said, “The most I know is about architecture and construction, and I’m finding out I know less and less about that every day.” what to do when you don’t know what you don’t know what exists between what architects draw (design intent) and making the building into reality the importance of real world experience in design and construction what’s missing from almost all technology solutions in AEC why architects can’t prescribe means and methods for contractors Alex’s advice for the best way to get the information you need when you need it how to communicate to your team for the best outcomes during an iterative process why human-to-human connections are underrated how technology can help the most in AEC by mimicking reality what kind of lunch and learns bring the most value to architectural firms Alex’s message to the building industry regarding government bureaucracy that affects an architects ability to offer their services a peek into the life of an architect to help building product reps understand their day-to-day Episode Links: website Podcast Evan’s episodes as a guest on the Inside the Firm podcast ( | ) by Alex Gore CU Boulder’s blog by Tim Urban (connecting the dots) (YouTube) (YouTube) Join the Peopleverse https://peopleverse.fm /episode/index/show/peopleverse/id/22835438

004 - Cherise Lakeside 04/05/2022

004 - Cherise Lakeside Cherise Lakeside, FCSI, CDT is a Senior Specification Writer at RDH Building Science in Portland, Oregon and has experience with many facets of the project team in the built environment. She has worked mostly in architecture with stints in construction, MEP Engineering, and now building science during her career. In this wide-ranging episode we discuss: Cherise’s journey to Senior Specification Writer at RDH being heard in a traditionally male-dominated profession creating processes for successful specifications on projects that encourage the team to start project specifications sooner the scarcity of the role of a trained Specifier the current state of specifications in the industry the actual role versus the perception of a Specifier how Specifiers bridge the gap between supply and demand the current challenges our industry is facing in the gap the importance of relationships between supply and demand the problems that the lack of understanding of other roles on a project lead to the issues of blindly copying & pasting risk into a firm’s project specification what the supply side needs to understand about design professionals to be more effective the importance of a properly written specification why it’s a problem to put warranty requirements in part 3 of the specification, and where they actually belong the problem of dictating means and methods in specifications correct locating information in the contract documents versus simply throwing everything in the spec with “CYA language” the importance for the supply side to understand the project context a design professional is operating within the problem of ill-timed information delivered at lunch n’ learns insight into the specification writing process during design the one thing that drives design professionals and specifiers insane about manufacturer’s websites the thing product manufacturers know better than anybody and why they are an undeniable resource how product manufacturers can make valuable connections inside architectural firms under current circumstances (offices reopening) what certification product reps can use to get in the door faster than those without what attributes define a quality specification for design professionals the opportunities and benefits of designing a modern specifications workflow within a firm the necessity of creating a feedback loop via lessons learned throughout construction to increase the efficacy, reliability, and quality of office standard documents and other topics Episode Links (YouTube) (Amazon) /episode/index/show/peopleverse/id/22693847

003 - Bill Dawson 03/19/2022

002 - Laying the Groundwork 03/09/2022

001 - What is the Peopleverse? 12/30/2021

Peopleverse

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