The RunDiffusion Architecture x AI Podcast

RunDiffusion
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Hosted by Tyler Andersen, CEO and co-founder of RunDiffusion, this podcast is about where AI and architecture actually meet, not the hype, the real workflows. Each episode, Tyler sits down with design technology leads, architects, interior designers, and firm leadership from commercial architecture firms working on large-scale projects like healthcare, hospitality, civic, and transportation work, to break down how their teams are actually using AI today: rendering, concept design, client presentations, and the everyday workflow and tooling problems that come with running a modern design team. Expect honest conversations about what AI tools are actually worth your time, what's still overhyped, and where this is all heading for the architecture profession. If you're leading design technology decisions, running a studio, or just trying to figure out how AI actually fits into serious architecture work, this is for you. This podcast is brought to you by RunDiffusion, the AI rendering platform built for architecture firms. See what your team could create at rundiffusion.com/industries/architecture. Host: Tyler Andersen, Co-Founder & CEO, RunDiffusion: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-w-andersen/

Episodes

  1. 5d ago

    How Architecture Firms Can Turn AI Into a Competitive Advantage with Nick Karakaian and Paul Fatkins

    AI is changing how architecture firms design, present and deliver their work - and two firm founders are already building their practice around it. Tyler Andersen sits down with Nick Karakaian and Paul Fatkins, AIA, NCARB, co-founders of Arcfluence in Columbus, to talk about how a growing firm uses AI across visualization, design exploration, drawing checks and client collaboration. Paul spent eight years in 3D visualization at Solomon Cordwell Buenz, back when a one-minute animation took a week to render on a server farm. Nick served as a C-130 crew chief in the US Air Force before earning his master's in architecture. Together they share how AI lets their team show clients more options sooner, why they keep a human review process in place before anything is stamped and sealed, and how a smaller firm can now pursue work alongside much larger practices. You'll discover: How Arcfluence uses AI renderings to explore options with clients before the design review Why Paul keeps guardrails on AI when he iterates with a client How the team uses AI beyond early design, from drawing checks to code comment research How specialized agents each check one thing across a drawing set What Nick and Paul now expect from new graduates, and where younger architects will learn judgment Nick and Paul also talk about firm policies on AI and data privacy, the path to licensure, what architecture can learn from the shifts to CAD and BIM, and the energy demands behind AI. This conversation is especially valuable if you lead a firm, run design technology, or want a practical look at how AI is changing the way architects work with clients today. Arcfluence: https://www.arcfluence.com/ Arcfluence on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/96125622/ Nick Karakaian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-karakaian-44826549/ Paul Fatkins: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-fatkins/ RunDiffusion: https://www.rundiffusion.com/ RunDiffusion on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rundiffusion/ Tyler Andersen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-w-andersen/ Chapters: 00:00 - Meet Nick and Paul of Arcfluence 01:25 - Building a young architecture firm 03:03 - How AI is changing architectural work 04:21 - AI visualization and residential design 05:48 - Faster client collaboration 09:04 - Making predesign more valuable 10:24 - AI, privacy, and firm policies 11:44 - How small firms can compete 15:30 - Using AI beyond early design 16:46 - AI drawing checks 17:50 - Building specialized AI agents 20:17 - Technology and the future of architecture firms 23:24 - More design exploration for clients 26:00 - AI and early-career architects 30:34 - AI as a thought partner 33:06 - The skills architecture firms need 35:30 - Mentorship and developing judgment 37:12 - AI and the path to licensure 39:21 - Building a culture of learning 41:49 - What architecture can learn from CAD and BIM 44:04 - Delivering value to clients 44:48 - AI, data centers, and energy 47:27 - How everyday AI use could change perceptions 48:46 - Solving AI's energy challenge 50:46 - A question for the next guest 51:16 - What if AI became more reliable?

  2. Oct 5

    How AI Is Changing Architectural Visualization from Concept to Client with Akheel Khan

    Akheel Khan is a South African architectural designer, researcher, educator, and co-founder of the Institute of Building Design, where he heads the AI, machine learning, and deep learning department and trains firm owners and future managers across the AEC industry. He is lead examiner for South Africa's Professional Practice Examination, the exam candidates pass to become registered architectural professionals, and led the integration of emerging technologies, financial literacy, and business into it. Through An Architect, the organization he founded, his team built free preparatory content, workshops, and custom GPTs that helped raise the pass rate, with the country's top-ranked candidate coming out of their groups and classes. Before co-founding the Institute, he was a Systems Researcher in AI at SAOTA, the Cape Town firm known for high-end residential work, where he led strategy, applied research, and training on AI and emerging design technologies. He has written two books on what architecture is and where it is heading, studied at the University of Pretoria, and spent time in clothing design before returning to the field. He teaches the first module in South Africa on AI and machine learning in architecture at the School of Explorative Architecture, recently spoke on the emerging technologies panel at the first education conference held by SACAP, the South African Council for the Architecture Profession, and has researched emerging technologies for 11 years. Chapters: 00:00 - Meet Akheel Khan 01:37 - Leaving Architecture to Design Clothes 05:16 - Why Akheel Wrote His First Book 07:36 - Calculus and First Principles Thinking 11:08 - Why Every Creative Should Learn a Hard Science 15:37 - AI's Career Midlife Crisis 17:56 - People First: Why "Tool" Is the Wrong Metaphor for AI 23:44 - Why AI Isn't Built for Automation 26:34 - Prompt Engineering Isn't Engineering 28:03 - The Jagged Frontier and Domain Expertise 29:26 - Where Architects Fit in an AI Future 31:03 - Preparing Candidates for South Africa's Professional Practice Exam 36:56 - Less Friction Between Thinking and Solving Problems 42:43 - Testing AI Visualization at SAOTA 46:35 - Why AI Image Generation Isn't Rendering 48:08 - What "Render" Really Means 51:05 - When Firms Should Adopt AI Visualization 53:10 - Iteration and Seeing Every Option 56:53 - How Client Expectations Are Changing 1:01:03 - The Human in the Loop Between Revit, RunDiffusion, and Photoshop 1:04:03 - The Learning Curve, Energy Use, and Data Privacy 1:07:51 - Seeking Truth and Building What's Useful 1:11:22 - Architecture After CAD, BIM, and Computation 1:14:36 - A Question for the Next Guest

  3. Sep 11

    How AI Is Rewriting Architecture Workflows from Sketch to BIM with Cas Esbach

    AI is no longer just speeding up architecture - it's quietly changing what architects, firms, and students are actually supposed to do. Cas Esbach and Tyler Andersen unpack the uncomfortable, exciting middle ground where AI becomes a collaborator, not a replacement, and where the real advantage belongs to people who can still think critically, communicate clearly, and lead the design process. Casimir “Cas” Esbach is a Dutch architect, educator, and founder of KANS, a studio working at the intersection of design method, AI, and contemporary architectural practice. He is a Professor of Architecture at the Savannah College of Art and Design, where he created and teaches Design with AI, the department’s first AI-focused seminar, at both undergraduate and graduate levels. He spent six years at MVRDV in Rotterdam, joining as an architect on The Valley in Amsterdam, later named the world’s best new skyscraper, and Tripolis Park, before going on to lead projects as a Project Leader, including the competition-winning Shenzhen Terraces and the Strijp-S Tribune in Eindhoven. His installation, Exporting Aesthetics: AI-Generated Futures of the Greater Bay Area, was exhibited at the 2025–26 UABB Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture in Hong Kong. He has written for The Architect’s Journal, Building Design, and Arketipo, spoken at Salone del Mobile and the University of Michigan, and served on international juries including the Architizer A+ Awards and Archello, among others. You’ll discover: Why Cas starts his AI classes with ethical debate instead of tools The difference between using AI as an add-on and putting it in the middle of the design workflow How his students are being challenged to think like “critical designers,” not just fast producers Why the future of architecture may split between highly bespoke projects and highly efficient, AI-augmented ones How BIM models, design briefs, and clean data could become the real competitive advantage for firms Tyler and Cas also get into the practical tension every team is feeling right now - how much to automate, when to protect craft, and how to avoid becoming dependent on tools that make everything look easy while dulling curiosity.  They explore why the most valuable moments still happen at the table, in conversation, when humans review options and make the call together. This episode is essential listening for architects, designers, students, founders, and anyone trying to understand how AI changes creative work without erasing the human vision that makes the work worth doing. Chapters: 00:00 — Meet Cas Esbach: From MVRDV to AI Education 03:27 — Teaching AI Ethics at SCAD 06:53 — Why AI Is an Unstoppable Force 09:04 — How Technology Becomes the New Normal 11:06 — Moving AI Into the Middle of the Design Process 13:22 — AI as a Creative Collaboration Partner 15:01 — What Humans Still Do Better Than AI 17:20 — Preparing Architecture Students for AI-Driven Work 20:51 — How AI Could Reshape Architecture Firms 23:51 — The Rise of the Critical Designer 27:03 — Avoiding AI Dependence Without Becoming a Luddite 31:01 — AI Should Support the Design Lead, Not Replace Them 32:59 — The Future: Handmade Versus AI-Driven Architecture 35:03 — Why BIM Data Could Become Architecture’s Competitive Edge 38:07 — From Prompts to Design Briefs 41:38 — Teaching AI to Understand the Logic Behind Architecture 45:22 — Using AI to Invent, Not Just Reproduce 47:24 — What Happens When AI Runs the Design Process 50:50 — The Most Important Part AI Can’t Replace 53:36 — Living Through the AI Frontier 56:53 — Navigating the Future of Architecture and Software Together

  4. Aug 21

    AI, Architecture, and the Future of Design Work with Andrew Rider

    AI is already reshaping architecture - but the real advantage comes from adopting it with a clear system, not chasing hype. Tyler Andersen sits down with Andrew Rider, Design Technology Lead at BWBR, to unpack how architecture teams can evaluate AI tools, prove value, and use them to do better work for clients.Andrew shares how his path from architecture school to BIM lead to design technology manager gave him an early edge in technology adoption, and why that mindset matters even more now. He breaks down BWBR’s pilot-based approach to testing tools before buying them, what made Run Diffusion stand out in a fast-moving AI landscape, and why visualization has become one of the easiest and most impactful entry points for AI in architecture.You'll discover: How to build a low-risk AI pilot that helps teams test tools before committing budget Why visualization workflows often unlock AI value faster than chat-based tools How AI is helping teams move faster in schematic design, material studies, and client-facing concept work Why consistency across multiple views matters so much in architectural image generation What Andrew means by being "comfortable with being uncomfortable" as tools keep changing Andrew also shares what he's seeing across teams of all experience levels, why younger professionals are not always the fastest adopters, and how AI is changing the conversation around creativity, efficiency, and client trust without replacing the human relationship at the center of the work.This conversation is especially valuable if you're in architecture, construction, design technology, or any role trying to figure out how to adopt AI without wasting time, budget, or trust. If you want a practical, optimistic look at where AI is actually useful today and how it may reshape workflows tomorrow, this episode is for you.

  • 4 Episodes

About

Hosted by Tyler Andersen, CEO and co-founder of RunDiffusion, this podcast is about where AI and architecture actually meet, not the hype, the real workflows. Each episode, Tyler sits down with design technology leads, architects, interior designers, and firm leadership from commercial architecture firms working on large-scale projects like healthcare, hospitality, civic, and transportation work, to break down how their teams are actually using AI today: rendering, concept design, client presentations, and the everyday workflow and tooling problems that come with running a modern design team. Expect honest conversations about what AI tools are actually worth your time, what's still overhyped, and where this is all heading for the architecture profession. If you're leading design technology decisions, running a studio, or just trying to figure out how AI actually fits into serious architecture work, this is for you. This podcast is brought to you by RunDiffusion, the AI rendering platform built for architecture firms. See what your team could create at rundiffusion.com/industries/architecture. Host: Tyler Andersen, Co-Founder & CEO, RunDiffusion: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-w-andersen/

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