commARCH PODCASTS (Commercial Architecture)

In this episode, commARCH has a dialogue with Michael Jansen, Founder and CEO of CityZenith, to discuss the burgeoning landscape of Digital Twin technologies. Areas covered include: a introduction to digital twin technology, including highlighted use cases; a case study in understanding digital twin through CityZenith’s Smart World Pro; and a forecast for the future of the digital twin space.Michael Jansen is Founder and CEO at CityZenith. An impassioned architect, urbanist, and entrepreneur, Michael has founded and led high-growth companies in the US and Asia for more than two decades. In 2004, Michael founded a major CAD/BIM services company in India backed by Sequoia Capital, which grew to over 500 employees in just four years, disrupting the global architecture profession. Featured on a range of news networks and publications worldwide, Michael has received several awards for his work, including the “40 Under 40” accolade from Building Design + Construction.---For a transcript of this conversation, full digital issues of the commARCH magazine, and much more, please visit the commARCH website at www.commarch.com .

In this episode, commARCH has a dialogue with Jason Pelski, of Johnson Controls, Robert Bray, of Autodesk, and Dan Isaacs, of the Digital Twin Consortium, to discuss the possibilities offered by new digital twin technologies to enhance the full pipeline of AEC projects.Areas covered include:  the challenges – and solutions – to implementing digital twin frameworks; developing cohesive ecosystems of interlocking digital threads to drive data-driven decision-making; and operational considerations for adopting digital twin technologies across a wide range of use cases.Jason Pelski is Digital Platform Product Management Director at Johnson Controls, managing data-driven platforms like Johnson Controls’ OpenBlue. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Pelski previously served in product roles with companies like Motorola, Tyco Security, and Microsoft. Robert Bray is General Manager of Autodesk Tandem, incubating a new business initiative within Autodesk with a mission to transform the built asset lifecycle with Digital Twin technology and solutions. In his 23 years at Autodesk, Bob has served in several critical product development roles and has led the product development of BIM360 Design and Autodesk InfraWorks. Bob holds a BS in Computer Science from the University of Missouri.Dan Isaacs is CTO at Digital Twin Consortium, where he is responsible for setting the technical direction, liaison partnerships and support for new memberships. Previously, Dan was Director of Strategic Marketing and Business Development at Xilinx and represented Xilinx for the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC). He has more than 25 years of experience working in automotive, mil/aero and consumer-based companies including Ford, NEC, LSI Logic and Hughes Aircraft.---For a transcript of this conversation, full digital issues of the commARCH magazine, and much more, please visit the commARCH website at www.commarch.com .

In this episode, commARCH has a dialogue with Devin Bowman, General Manager at TGP, to discuss the complex problems presented by health and safety concerns in education building design. Areas covered include: developing comprehensive solutions to life safety requirements like fire-ratings and resistance to forced entry; marrying the needs for safety and health to design questions regarding occupant experience like high visibility glass, and addressing TGP’s long-standing approach to providing offerings that meet a wide range of standards and use cases.Devin Bowman is General Manager of TGP and AD Systems at Allegion. Bowman has been with TGP for nearly 20 years,through a variety of roles which have given him perspective into numerous aspects of both TGP’s own business and of the industry at large. A graduate of the University of Washington, Bowman has also served as International Sales Manager and Vice President of Sales at TGP.---For a transcript of this conversation, full digital issues of the commARCH magazine, and much more, please visit the commARCH website at www.commarch.com .

In this episode, commARCH has a dialogue with Lauri Goodman Lampson, President and CEO at PDR, and Larry Lander, Principal at PDR, to discuss PDR’s focus on deep client relationships and their aims for the future of architecture. Lauri Goodman Lampson is President and CEO at PDR. Lauri is a business visionary who challenges founders and executives to rethink their approach to work and place. As PDR’s President and CEO, she is the mastermind behind the firm’s innovative business model and integrated approach to consulting, design and brand services.Larry Lander is a Principal at PDR. An architect and a pragmatic futurist, he has an innate ability to vividly portray possible futures that are rooted firmly in the present. As a Principal and PDR’s Director of Programming, he guides business leaders to ask more of their workplaces — to consider what is, what if, and why change?---For a transcript of this conversation, full digital issues of the commARCH magazine, and much more, please visit the commARCH website at www.commarch.com .

In this episode of the commARCH Weekly Podcast Series commARCH speaks with Dr. Leo Mazow, curator of American art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, to discuss the history and oeuvre of Edward Hopper in the context of a VMFA exhibition on his work.Dr. Leo Mazow, Louise B. and J. Harwood Cochrane Curator of American Art, has been at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts since 2016. A specialist in nineteenth- and twentieth-century American painting and cultural history, he received his PhD at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. From 2010 through 2016 he was an associate professor of art history at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. From 2002 through 2010 he was curator of American art at the Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State University.

In this episode of the Weekly Podcast Series, commARCH has a dialogue with Mark Dorsey, the CEO of Construction Specifications Institute, or CSI, to discuss the past, present, and future of construction standards and information technology.Mark Dorsey describes himself as being dedicated to understanding marketing and strategy issues, finding solutions, and getting results. The only thing that excites him more than solving long-standing, intractable problems is building a commitment to excellence in the people around him.Prior to CSI, Dorsey was CEO of the Professional Ski Instructors of America & American Association of Snowboard Instructors, owned a consumer research company, and bought and sold media in Seattle, WA, and Anchorage, AK. He served as Interim Executive Director, and later Chair, of Medical Education Collaborative, a non-profit continuing medical education corporation.

In this episode, commARCH has a dialogue with Lisa Conway, Vice President of Sustainability at Interface, to discuss the ever-more-important need for businesses to engage in sustainable practices and how Interface pursues its sustainability mission.We spoke with Lisa about Interface's mission to achieve sustainable operations and improve the planet, her deep personal commitments to building a more sustainable world, and what it means to achieve all of this while operating a business in the flooring space.Lisa Conway serves as VP of Sustainability at Interface – the global flooring manufacturer that is leading the industry to “love the world.” She and her team are responsible for regional activation of the company’s mission: Climate Take Back. Lisa is passionate about bringing awareness to the interconnectedness of environmental sustainability and human health. To drive understanding around the impact of carbon on human health, Lisa and her team provide educational programming on the need for transparency and prioritization of embodied carbon in specifications within the building industry. Lisa co-founded the materials Carbon Action Network (materialsCAN) in 2018 to mobilize this effort. She also serves on the Sustainable Advisory Board for Penn State University’s Smeal College of Business and was named to “CoreNet’s 36 Under 36” in 2015.

Over the past year, architects and facilities have been contending with evolving expectations and new health and wellness considerations for a post-COVID world. According to new Bobrick research, both architects and facility management professionals see the restroom as a critical focus area moving forward — they also agree that reducing touchpoints is of the utmost importance. However, the research also suggests the two groups aren’t always on the same page when it comes to providing solutions. In this episode of the commARCH Weekly Podcast Series, David Leigh,  Vice President of Marketing, and Alan Gettelman, Vice President of External Affairs,  review Bobrick’s latest survey, as well as discuss emerging standards for health and wellness in commercial buildings and best-practice solutions for restrooms. 

In an ever-evolving market, fresh and innovative solutions are ever-more-needed to meet the needs of building projects. From architects to owners and developers, today’s buildings require a massive suite of materials and the support required to implement them. commARCH’s Dean Horowitz sits down with Georgia-Pacific Building Products’ John Chamberlin for a conversation about building relationships with clients and the constant process of matching product solutions to the myriad needs of projects. John Chamberlin is a Director of Product Management for Georgia-Pacific Building Products.  Mr. Chamberlin has worked in the construction products industry for his entire career with most of his work focusing on new product development for disruptive technologies in the building envelope space.  Mr. Chamberlin is actively involved in the building industry, serving as a director for the board of the Air Barrier Association of America and member of multiple committees and an active participant of his local Building Enclosure Council.  Mr. Chamberlin is a frequent speaker on the subjects of:  New innovations in construction materials, quality and continuity of the building envelope, and new construction processes such as offsite construction.  Numerous articles by Mr. Chamberlin have been published in The Construction Specifier, Interface, and Walls & Ceilings magazine as well as other trade publications.Mr. Chamberlin graduated from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and later received his M.B.A. from Emory University.

In recent years, photovoltaic glass has emerged as a next-generation sustainability solution for commercial buildings. Building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) glass modules not only generate clean energy but also seamlessly integrate into the building structure—and even can be used with low-e coated glass products. These capabilities mean BIPV modules unveil new possibilities for designers, combining aesthetics, CO2-free power generation and protection from the elements, all while reducing air conditioning costs and replacing cladding materials.In this episode of the commARCH Weekly Podcast Series, Emily Losego, MSVD Product Manager at Vitro Architectural Glass, discusses the design and sustainability possibilities of BIPV glass modules and other innovative glass solutions.

Angela Whitaker-Williams, AIA, LEED AP. Angela is Principal of K-12 Education at Perkins and Will in Austin. When she was young, Whitaker-Williams derived personal joy from making things. As an architect, she still has that joy, but it also comes from building relationships with her clients and delivering an experience for them.

In this episode, commARCH talks to an architect and two engineers about the satisfaction they get from their work, and the impact they make on the community. 

In this preview episode, hosts Dean Horowitz and Chris Thiede talk about the new podcast, who it's for, and what's to come.We hope you enjoy it!