Modern Architect Radio Show With Tom Dioro

Tom speaks with Kirsten Ritchie, who is a professional engineer, Principal and Director of Sustainable Design at Gensler.Kirsten serves as Gensler's leading sustainability ambassadors, championing healthful and forward-thinking design solutions and leading public discussion around innovative and high-performance design and operations.She is also a recognised authority in green product standards and sustainability rating systems, including LEEDS and LBC.

In this episode, Tom speaks with Chris Downey, who is an architect, planner, consultant and the founder of Architecture for the Blind.Chris lost all sight in 2008 and is recognized for his exemplary leadership and accessible design, as well as creating enriching and helpful environments for people who are blind or visually impaired. He is also Board Director for the San Francisco Lighthouse for the Blind.

Tom is joined by Charles Salter, professional engineer and president of Charles M. Salter & Associates, Inc.Charles applies his expertise in design, construction, business and the law to his practice of acoustical consulting. Currently, he manages over 100 projects involving building acoustics and environmental noise analysis. His accomplishments have included work on the Skywalker Ranch's state-of-the-art Post-Production Studios, which won the National Engineering Award in 1988 and the Allied Professions Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects California Council in 1998.

Tom talks to Jim Zack, Architect and Principal at Zack | de Vito Architecture Construction.Zack | de Vito Architecture Construction is a multi-disciplinarian design office and architect-led construction company providing architecture, interior design and construction services throughout Northern California. 

In this episode, Tom Dioro talks to Michael Osman, Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture and Urban Design at UCLA.Michael is also an author in Governing by Design: Architecture, Economy, and Politics in the Twentieth Century, as well as a founding member of the collaborative Aggregate, a group of 13 historians interpreting architecture from multi-disciplinarian perspectives.

Tom is joined by Jason Doctor, who is the founder and president of Shine On LED. Shine On LED is located in a 3,000-square-foot commercial space in San Francisco, California, and creates custom LED lighting fixtures for discerning clients and produces lighting solutions for the retail fixture industry, and develops custom and one-of-a-kind LED fixtures.

This episode features guest Scott Reynolds, co-founder of UpCodes. By automating code compliance, UpCodes AI is the spell check for buildings.UpCodes helps the AEC industry deliver code-compliant buildings and provides tools to manage building codes, avoid project delays and clarify requirements. UpCodes makes researching building regulations less exhausting for architects.

In this episode, Tom is joined by Peter Shallard, founder and CEO at Commit Action. Commit Action helps business owners outsource their battle for focus and effectiveness. Their Executive Effectiveness Aide service turns entrepreneurs into the highest leverage versions of themselves.Peter is also The Shrink for Entrepreneurs who want Wealth, Freedom and Sanity so they can create Impact.

Tom speaks with Dawn Merkes and David Schnee, Principals at Group 4.Dawn is an active proponent of user-based planning and design and David is a recognized leader in the planning and design of innovative, forward-thinking, beautiful community architecture.

This episode features Christopher Wasney, Principal at CAW Architects. Chris directs the firm's higher education work, including more than 60 projects at Stanford University, U.C. Berkeley, and U.C. Santa Cruz.He also relishes the challenges of finding appropriate and distinctive design responses within established campuses. His work includes large-scale renovations and adaptive reuse projects on historic buildings, as well as new buildings. Chris is also on the faculty of the Architectural Design Program at Stanford University.

In this episode, Tom speaks with Lorianna Kastrop who is the Vice President and Controller of The Kastrop Group, Inc. Architects.Lorianna has over 30 years of financial analysis experience and also handles human resources and some marketing for The Kastrop Group, Inc. Architects. Her specialty is budget management and reporting, to keep projects on budget and within estimates. She has a B.A. in International Relations from Stanford University.

Tom is joined by Chris Ridgway, who is an architect in Half Moon Bay, California.Chris opened his office in 1984 and has designed well over 250 buildings in the Bay Area.

This episode, Tom is joined by Saurabh Ladha, who is the CEO and co-founder of Doxel Incorporated. Doxel monitors construction sites using autonomous robots, quantifies progress using deep learning based computer vision and provides managers with actionable insights to eliminate overruns and costly delays.

This episode features Jeff Hoopes, who is the CEO, and Eric Foster, who is the President and COO of Swinerton.Swinerton provides commercial construction and construction management services throughout the United States and is a 100% employee-owned company.What started as a brick masonry and contracting company 130 years ago now boasts technical expertise in mass timber, seismic retrofits and prefabricated technology. It serves clients in aviation, healthcare, education and renewable energy.

In this episode, Tom speaks with Cesar Pelli, who is the Senior Principal at Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects.In 1977, Mr. Pelli became Dean of the Yale University School of Architecture and also founded Cesar Pelli & Associates. He resigned his post as Dean in 1984 but continues to lecture on architecture. Since the firm’s establishment, Mr. Pelli has worked with his Principals to originate and direct the design of each of its projects. In 2005, in recognition of the increased role of the firm’s principals, the firm was renamed Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects.

In this episode, Tom speaks with Bill Bates, Fellow of the American Institute of Architects from AIA Pittsburgh and AIA Pennsylvania, elected 2018 first vice president/2019 president-elect.Bill has served as a member of the Board of Directors since 2011 along with stints as vice president and chair of the board community committee from 2015 to 2016.He is also vice president of real estate at Eaton Park Hospitality Group Incorporated and an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University.

In this episode, Tom is joined by Rosa Sheng. She is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, LEED AP, architect, thought leader, Principal and Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at SmithGroupJJR. She also serves as the AIA San Francisco President 2018.From the aesthetically minimal, highly technical development of the glass structures for Apple’s original high-profile retail stores to the innovative and sustainable LEED NC Gold–certified Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business at Mills College in Oakland, California. She is currently working on innovative and sustainable projects for the University of California, Davis.

In this episode, Tom talks to Cliff Chang, architect and principal of Chang Architecture. His firm designs for the unique dynamic of Silicon Valley and the Bay Area, collaborating on workable plans for real-world solutions.Whether creating more office space for Synopsys, giving the next revolutionary start-up its first headquarters, or transforming Whiskey Gulch, Chang Architecture takes a vision and gets it built on time and on budget.Listen to the episode to find out how Cliff was inspired at an early age, creating architectural designs with mahjong tiles, and much more.

Tom is joined by Tom Beischer, who currently teaches Architectural History and Theory at Stanford and the California College of the Arts. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Stanford and an MA in Art History from Williams College, as well as a PHD in History, Theory and Criticism of Architecture from MIT.His scholarships range from articles on 19th century architecture to contemporary Asian art.

This episode featured Ellis Schoichet, who is the principal of EASA Architecture. EASA Architecture specializes in providing creative Architectural design services with unwavering attention to detail in design, service, and execution.Tom asks Ellis about his early inspiration, challenges, working with city review boards, and much more.