Architectette Caitlin Brady

Happy Pride Month!

On this week’s episode of Architectette we feature an interview with Tracy J Passarella.

Tracy is a Senior Project Manager at Gilbane Building Company and a member of the New York Chapter of the Build Out Alliance which promotes and advocates for the LGBTQIA community within the building design and construction industry.



We talk about:

- Her early experiences in the construction industry and how her gender in a male-majority industry played a role in her career development and opportunities for advancement. 

- We next talk about her transition to Gilbane: how the company led with examples of inclusive leadership and fostered a work environment where Tracy felt she could be her whole self.

- We talk about the energy that goes into concealing a portion of yourself that may not be accepted in a construction work environment and how it wears on you over time, impacting your ability to thrive at work.

- Tracy shares some stories from her work in construction: how she uses her leadership to create a respectful work environment and finds connections with her construction teams regardless of their personal differences.

- Tracy reflects on the impact of motherhood, emphasizing how her outlook on her professional and personal life has shifted after welcoming a baby with her wife. 

- We chat about Tracy’s involvement in the Build Out Alliance, the community she has built, and her experience coordinating the 2023 Pride Parade and Float. 

- We end the episode with Tracy’s sage advice for emerging leaders in the construction industry.



Links:

Connect with Tracy on LinkedIn

Build Out Alliance

Architectette Podcast Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.architectette.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AlexGrohl⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.


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On today’s episode of Architectette we welcome a dynamic duo! Aya Shlachter and Jing Lauengco are two outstanding women who connected over their mutual tenacity for entrepreneurship, design, and storytelling. Both women are business owners, entrepreneurs, and podcasters. 



Aya Shlachter is the CEO and founder of MGS Global Group, a company that accelerates growth for architecture and design firms worldwide by providing architectural support and staffing services internationally. Her team provides Revit, ArchiCAD, AutoCAD, and 3D Visualization services to architects and interior designers. Aya is a keynote speaker and the host of the Architect My Business Podcast – a business growth podcast for architects.



Jing Lauengco is an award-winning Brand and Business Strategist and Producer and Host of NEXT THING WITH JING, a podcast exploring next chapters in the new now. Jing teaches modern entrepreneurs how to connect, convert, and engage using signature storytelling and brand building to drive growth.


We talk about: 

- How Aya and Jing came to be friends and collaborators through their local entrepreneur community and how it has impacted their personal and professional lives.

- We talk about the challenges, uncertainties, and pivots of being serial founders and how each woman has built their own architecture and design industry businesses and have grown through each success, failure, or experiment.

- The power of storytelling: how understanding your story and being able to convey it to others can enrich your ability to connect, market, and grow.

- We also talk about their experiences as podcast hosts: favorite topics, guests, rebranding, and community building.



Links:

Aya on LinkedIn

MGS Global Group

Architect My Life Podcast

Aya on Instagram



Jing on LinkedIn

Consulting- Jing Inc

Other Brown Girl

Next Thing with Jing Podcast

Jing on Instagram





Architectette Podcast Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.architectette.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with the pod on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Instagram (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@architectette⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠), and TikTok (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@architectette⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

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Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AlexGrohl⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.


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Welcome to a very special Part 2 Episode of Architectette! We continue our conversation with Denise Scott Brown.

Denise Scott Brown is an architect; planner & urban designer; and a theorist, writer and educator whose projects, research, and writing have influenced designers and architects since the 1960s. Her writings have changed the practice of architecture as we know it and her built work spans several continents. Some of her notable writings include Learning from Las Vegas, Having Words, and Architecture as Signs and Systems. She was a long-standing principal of the firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates.

Many of the topics we cover are influenced from the recently published book, ⁠Denise Scott Brown in Other Eyes: Portraits of an Architect⁠ edited by Frida Grahn.  



Check out our social media @architectette on Instagram, the Architectette Podcast Page on LinkedIn, and our newsletter at architectette.com for behind the scenes exclusives and clips from the recording. 



We talk about:

- The challenges of balancing community and developer needs for Philadelphia’s South Street and how racial politics influenced the process. 

- Denise's design process for the Provincial Capitol Building in Toulouse. She explains her inspiration for the building’s iconic diagonal and other aesthetic elements.

- Inspiration for her article: Sexism and the Star System which talks about gender and architecture. We hear from her first hand what it was like to be seen as a lesser partner to Robert Venturi and how she dealt with being overlooked, rejected from the Pritzker Prize, or not acknowledged for her significant contributions. 

- In addition to her illustrious career, Denise was a mom! She shares about her son, Jimmy, and the realities of balancing career and parenthood.

- How Denise became interested in photography to document and study urban conditions and she shares the influences and experience behind that ICONIC photo of her and Bob (Venturi) with the Las Vegas Strip in the background.

- We end with the National Gallery- sign the petition to save the building!



I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed interviewing Denise. (Denise, Emma, and Nyma - THANK YOU!)



Links:

⁠Studio Architecture's Gift to Academe⁠

⁠Denise Scott Brown in Other Eyes: Portraits of an Architect⁠

⁠Venturi Scott Brown Website⁠

⁠Learning from Las Vegas⁠ (article summary)

Aperture Article (Photos of Denise's Home)

⁠Stop Current Sainsbury Wing Renovation⁠

Photo: Denise Scott Brown, 2023, photograph by Nyamsuren Erdenebayar 



Architectette Podcast Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.architectette.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with the pod on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Instagram (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@architectette⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠), and TikTok (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@architectette⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Exclusive Content on our Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.architectette.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠



Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AlexGrohl⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.


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We have a very special guest on today’s episode of Architectette, Denise Scott Brown.

Denise Scott Brown is an architect; planner & urban designer; and a theorist, writer and educator whose projects, research, and writing have influenced designers and architects since the 1960s. Her writings have changed the practice of architecture as we know it and her built work spans several continents. Some of her notable writings include Learning from Las Vegas, Having Words, and Architecture as Signs and Systems. She was a long-standing principal of the firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates.

Many of the topics we cover are influenced from the recently published book, Denise Scott Brown in Other Eyes: Portraits of an Architect edited by Frida Grahn.  

I had the pleasure of chatting with Denise for two and a half hours (please remember, Denise is in her 90s!) - so this conversation will be divided into two episodes.



In part 1 we talk about: 

- We start with the iconic theory: Duck vs Decorated Shed. How did Denise come up with the idea? Why a duck? And did she anticipate her theories’ on academia? 

- We next explore Denise’s early teaching days. She shares stories from Penn, UCLA, and Berkeley and we walk about late-night crits and ‘Functions of a Table’. 

- We dive into the origin story of Learning from Las Vegas and then hear some stories you might not read in your history books: how Denise met Robert Venturi and started working with him and I also ask where she got her bold, graphic wedding dress (see an image in Grahn's book!)

- Next, we cover the political and social complexities of growing up as a Jewish immigrant in Africa and draw parallels to her teaching during the free speech movement and more recent eras of social reform.

- Denise expresses the importance of creativity in childhood and she shares her earliest memory- from age two!

- If you’re listening closely, you’ll also hear a few shoutouts to the Drexel Community- Paul Hirshorn and John Fry and more unexpectedly, Denise draws a few parallels to Trevor Noah. 



I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed interviewing Denise. (Denise, Emma, and Nyma - THANK YOU!)



Please join us for next week’s Part 2 episode where we will discuss Sexism and the Star System, Philadelphia’s South Street, the Provincial Capitol Building in Toulouse, and more!



Links:

Studio Architecture's Gift to Academe

Denise Scott Brown in Other Eyes: Portraits of an Architect

Venturi Scott Brown Website

Learning from Las Vegas (article summary)

Stop Current Sainsbury Wing Renovation

Photo: Denise Scott Brown, 2023, photograph by Nyamsuren Erdenebayar 



Architectette Podcast Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.architectette.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with the pod on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Instagram (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@architectette⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠), and TikTok (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@architectette⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Exclusive Content on our Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.architectette.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠



Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AlexGrohl⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.


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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/architectette/support

On today’s episode of Architectette we’re traveling to the Metaverse with Fatemeh Monfared.

Fatemeh started her journey with a degree in architecture, but soon established a specialty crafting virtual worlds and experiences. She is currently the Chief Metaverse Architect at her company, Spaces.

This is a great episode for folks in architecture and design who want to know a bit more about the metaverse without all the jargon and complexity.



We talk about:

- The opportunity that took Fatemeh’s career from a from a traditional path in architecture to focusing on creating metaverse environments.

- The limitations and creative freedoms within different metaverse platforms. Fatemeh touches on the architectural considerations, design processes, and tools required for creating immersive experiences.

- The technical aspects of her job- the software, coding, and how design elements like shopping experiences, teleportation, music, and education function in the metaverse.

- We also dive into entrepreneurship. Fatemeh shares how her focus on a niche has helped her to build a successful company and expertise.

- We end by chatting about Metaverse trends post-pandemic. We talk about the buzz about the metaverse, virtual and augmented reality, and how clients today express more genuine interest potential projects.



Links:

Connect with Fatemeh on LinkedIn

Connect with Fatemeh on Instagram

Spaces DAO

Spacial.io

Decentraland



Architectette Podcast Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.architectette.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with the pod on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Instagram (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@architectette⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠), and TikTok (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@architectette⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Exclusive Content on our Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.architectette.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠



Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AlexGrohl⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.


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On today’s episode of Architectette we welcome Hosts of the Open Plan Podcast- Maria Pastorelli and Emily Khalid.

Maria and Emily met during grad school at Georgia Tech and have continued their friendship and podcast collaboration despite working in Atlanta and Philadelphia respectively.

Emily is a Lead Architect and Project Manager at WSP, Maria is an architectural designer with a background in marketing. Their podcast conversationally bridges the gap between professional development, licensure, and lifestyle.



We talk about: 

- The origins of Maria and Emily’s friendship and how the podcast developed from their conversations about school, work, and exam prep. 

- We next chat about a huge focus of the podcast: the AREs. Emily talks about the highs and lows of her recent experience taking and passing all of the architecture registration examinations and Maria shares insights into her study process and exam strategy.

- Maria discusses her transition from architecture to marketing and the skills she developed along the way, emphasizing the value of exploring different career avenues within the field.

- Emily reflects on the challenges of teaching first year architecture students and how she encourages them to build creative problem-solving skills within an architectural toolkit.

- We end by reminiscing about the challenges of job hunting during the pandemic. Both guests share their experiences transitioning into the job market during uncertain times and how it impacted their career paths. 



A bit more about our guests:
Emily Khalid, AIA, NCARB is a Philadelphia-based architect, project manager, and educator with 9+ years of experience working with buildings that are old, new, and everything in between. She currently is a Lead Architect and Project Manager at WSP, where she specializes in transportation and civic architecture across the public and private sectors. She is co-host of the Open Plan Podcast, where she is passionate about creating accessible education, licensure, and career content for architecture professionals. She was selected for the Emerging Leaders in Transportation 2023-2024 cohort, is a mentor for the Women in Transportation Student Chapter, and has taught as an Adjunct Professor at Temple University, Tyler School of Art and Architecture.



Maria Pastorelli is an architectural designer who received both her B.S. in Architecture and Master of Architecture from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Originally from Brazil, she moved to Atlanta in 2014 to pursue her studies. Since then, she has been consistently involved in school leadership positions as a member of the Advisory Board and a Teaching Assistant.

Aside from her coursework, Maria was the Marketing Chair of student-led organization Equity in Architecture, while also completing internships in Atlanta. Her early experience has been in healthcare and community-driven initiatives. She graduated with her Masters in 2020 and has been working on various multi-family, educational, and commercial projects. Additionally, Maria has gained valuable experience in Marketing and currently consults with small architecture practices.


Links:

Open Plan Podcast

Connect with Maria on LinkedIn

Connect with Emily on LinkedIn

Open Plan Podcast on Spotify



Architectette Podcast Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.architectette.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with the pod on ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Instagram (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@architectette⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠), and TikTok (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@architectette⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Exclusive Content on our Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.architectette.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with host Caitlin Brady on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠.


Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AlexGrohl⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.


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