The Modern Architect

The last episode of the season features guest Gaylaird Christopher, founding Principal at Architecture 4 Education.Gaylaird is a recognized expert in the design of educational facilities. His experience involves K-12 and higher education projects, including the design/renovation of individual buildings and campuses, and master plans that delineate strategies for future change and growth. Foundational to his work is a passion to inspire learning through creative and effective facilities design.

Tom's guest is Tom Habian, an AIA Architect who is also the CEO and co-founder of Tect App, Inc.Tect App is a communication platform that empowers design professionals and specifiers to connect with building product experts from location-specific manufacturers.

The guest for this episode is Randy Collins, Founder and Principal of FTF Engineering.FTF Engineering was established in 2002 and has offices in San Francisco and San Luis Obispo, California. FTF creates value by designing safe and enduring structures with integrity. They build in an evolving world to ensure communities are safe and businesses prosper.

For this episode, Tom is joined by Thuy Fontelera, Structural Engineer and Principal of Element. Element is a passionate and creative structural engineering firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area. They're handpicked by architects and developers who seek a diverse team trained in cutting-edge technology.

This episode's guest is Annie Lowengart, who founded her award-winning firm in 2000. Located just a few miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge, Ann Lowengart Interiors enjoys Marin County's stunning terrain as its backdrop.In 2021 Annie opened her second studio in tropical Palm Beach. While enjoying the inspirational beauty of both coasts, Annie and her team balance their designs with practicality.

This episode of The Modern Architect features guest Paul McClean, architect and principal at http://www.mccleandesign.com/ (McClean Design). Paul was trained as an architect in Ireland and founded McClean Design in 2000. Over the last fifteen years, the firm has grown into one of the leading contemporary residential design firms in the Los Angeles area committed to excellence in modern design.

In this episode of The Modern Architect, the featured guest is Tom Kundig, one of the owners and design principals of https://olsonkundig.com/ (Olson Kundig). Tom has received some of the world's highest design honors, including a National Design Award in Architecture from the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, an Academy Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and an election to the National Academy as an Academician in Architecture. Tom has also received the AIA Seattle Medal of Honor as well as a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Washington.

For this episode of The Modern Architect, Tom is joined by guest George Kelly, Principal at https://kelly-architects.com/ (Kelly Architects), an interior architectural design studio specializing in restaurant, bar and nightclub projects. Founded in 2003, Kelly Architects has been instrumental in the success of the most noted venues in Hollywood and Downtown Los Angeles. Our work reflects a layering of concepts, ideas, beliefs, cultures, desires, materials, interior design, budgets, city and code requirements, timing, personalities, location, entitlements and finally architecture.

The guest for this episode is Anders Lasater, AIA. He is the Principal Architect of https://www.anderslasaterarchitects.com/ (Anders Lasater Architects) in Laguna Beach, CA. Anders focuses on innovative designs for residential, commercial, restaurant and hotel projects. He is licensed as an architect in California, Texas, and Hawaii and is a certified green building professional.

This episode of The Modern Architect features guest Casey O'Callaghan. He currently serves as President, Chief Executive and Lead Designer of http://www.golfcoursedesign.net/ (Casey O'Callaghan Golf Course Design, Inc.) in Newport Beach, California. The company's focus is new golf course design, master planning, golf course restoration, and resort development projects throughout North America, Asia, and Latin America. Casey is also a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley School of Environmental Design.

The guest for this episode is James Bacchi. He is a prominent Art Consultant, Curator and Collaborator who has and continues to enjoy conducting art business in New York, San Francisco and Palm Springs since 1986. He launched https://www.jamesbacchicontemporary.com/ (James Bacchi Contemporary), a boutique Art Consultancy and by-appointment Collectors Art Salon, in Palm Springs, CA on September 1, 2021. James Bacchi Contemporary focuses on representing and sourcing contemporary art worldwide for presentation and placement with private collections, corporations and museums.

For this episode, Tom is joined by Alvin Huang, AIA, NOMA. Alvin is a Los Angeles-based architect with a global profile. He is an award-winning architect, designer, and educator who explores the intersections between technology and culture to produce innovative design work that challenges convention and expresses universal values. Alvin is the founder and principal of https://www.synthesis-dna.com/ (Synthesis Design + Architecture) and an Associate Professor at the https://arch.usc.edu/home (University of Southern California), where he is also the Director of Graduate and Post-professional Architecture. Prior to establishing SDA, he gained significant experience working in the offices of Zaha Hadid Architects, Future Systems, AL_A and AECOM. He received an M.Arch from the Graduate Design Research Laboratory at the Architectural Association in London and a B.Arch from the USC School of Architecture in Los Angeles.

In this episode of The Modern Architect, Tom talks to Anthony Massaro, architect and founder of Mars Hill Studio Inc. Tony's architecture and planning firm is located in Costa Mesa, CA, and specializes in residential, commercial as well as church design. For more information, you can visit: http://www.marshillstudio.com/ (www.marshillstudio.com)

This episode of The Modern Architect features guest Krista Coupar, founder and CEO of San Francisco's https://couparconsulting.com/ (COUPAR), the first design industry consultancy firm integrating studio and marketing services. Headquartered in the https://www.sfdesigncenter.com/ (San Francisco Design Center), Krista has built a multi-faceted consultancy that coaches, counsels, and empowers elite designers, architects, builders, artisans, and showrooms. Since 2007, COUPAR has offered innovative solutions for business operations, project management, and marketing communication to the design community.

For this episode of The Modern Architect, Tom is joined by Korin Crawford. Korin is the executive vice president of Griffin Swinerton and Counselor of Real Estate (CRE). He is an accomplished investment professional and entrepreneurial leader with a nearly 20-year track record of varied and profitable development, financing, and advisory experience with utilities, ports, school districts, cities, and private real estate investors.

The guest for this episode is Boris Musheyev. Boris Musheyev, CPA is a tax and accounting firm specializing in tax planning and compliance for self-employed individuals and small businesses. They use proven tax strategies to save their clients tens of thousands of dollars on taxes every year when implemented correctly. They personalize each and every strategy to ensure that our client's family and business situation is thoroughly examined to maximize tax savings.

In this episode of The Modern Architect, Tom talks to Camille Przewodek. Camille is a plein air artist in the tradition of Monet. Her aim is to capture the light key of nature. In addition to her art training at Wayne State University in Detroit, and earning a BFA in Illustration at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco, Camille Przewodek studied painting with master colorist Henry Hensche at the Cape School of Art in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Justin Page Wood. Justin is the owner and founder of https://jpwdesignstudio.com/ (JPW Design Studio) and began his firm while still studying Architecture at Cal Poly Pomona in Southern California. Since then, his team of 15 designers has designed over 350 custom websites for architecture, design and real estate firms throughout the United States.

This episode's guest is John Stanaland, principal and real estate broker. John's family history in real estate spans several generations and started in 1919. For more information, you can find him on the web at http://www.johnstanaland.com (www.johnstanaland.com)

Tom's guest is Nikhil Choudhary, CEO and founder of the fastest Inc. Magazine #5000 design company, BeachEdge. BeachEdge is a construction tech startup that is developing vacation homes that are affordable and hassle-free for the modern-day homebuyer. For more information, you can visit: https://beachedge.com/ (https://beachedge.com/)

For this episode of The Modern Architect, Tom is joined by Francisco G. Pulido, architect and principal of FGP Atelier. Francisco is a renowned architect noted for his expressive yet rational design approach. You can find him on the web at https://fgp-atelier.com (https://fgp-atelier.com) .

Peter Prescott, a University of California at Berkeley graduate. Peter was rigorously trained as a CPA at one of the world's premier firms, PricewaterhouseCoopers.  With a Masters Degree in Taxation, Peter combines the rigors of keen expertise in specific tax laws with the practical experience of real life implementation. Peter holds a Personal Financial Specialist (PFS) issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and has received a professional designation from UCLA's Personal Financial Planner (PFP) program. He is also an Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF), which is focused on issues for trusts, 401(k), pension plans and other situations involving fiduciary expertise. For more information, you can visit: https://prescott500.com/ (https://prescott500.com)

Welcome to a new episode of The Modern Architect. This week, Tom talks with Rick Viczorek. Rick was first elected to the Dana Point City Council on November 4, 2014 and served as the City's Mayor in 2018. Rick was re-elected to the City Council on November 6, 2018 and served his second term as Mayor in 2020. Rick graduated from UCLA with a degree in Political Science and earned his law degree from Santa Clara University School of Law. After several years as an attorney in private practice, Rick joined the United States Marine Corps, and served two tours on active duty. For more information, you can visit: http://www.danapoint.org/ (www.danapoint.org)

The Modern Architect is back for Season 6! In our first episode of the season, Tom welcomes Richard Petrie. Richard is the world's leading architect marketing coach. He has a degree in marketing from University of Canterbury in New Zealand. Formerly he was a professional athlete for the New Zealand national cricket team. His client's success together with Richard's connection with Enoch Sears and Eric Bobrow to form the Architect Marketing Institute took him onto a much more focused path.  Nowadays, 75 percent of his time is spent solely on helping architects win better projects. Richard is married, with three teenage children, and lives in Wellington, New Zealand. For more information, you can visit: https://archmarketing.org/ (https://archmarketing.org)

Tom is joined by Aaron Merriman, who is a principal at Lujan-Merriman Development Group. https://www.lmdg.net/ (LMDG) employs a simple, yet proven strategy toward property acquisition and management. Their acquisition criteria involves identifying investment opportunities that provide a balance of price, quality, steady cash flow, location, risk, growth potential and rental upside. First and foremost, they are recognized as cash flow investors. Aaron brings nearly 20 years of real estate and financial management experience as both an operator and investor with early stage and large companies across multiple industries.

Tom's guest is Ron Factor, president of Geolam, Inc., an importer and distributor of premium hybrid architectural building products from Japan. He was also a partner at Deloitte in Toronto, where he founded and led the international consulting firm's global supply chain management consulting practice. Ron has taught industrial engineering and has given numerous presentations to professional and industry associations on various supply chain and business topics.

In this episode of The Modern Architect, Tom talks to Lisa Skelly. First working with oils and settling on pastels as her favorite medium, Lisa has studied with some of the best Plein Air Artists in the country, including Ken Auster, Debra Huse, Camille Przewodek, Karl Dempwolf, and many more.  After her family home burned down in the Sonoma County wildfires of 2017, the Skelly family relocated to Newport Beach, Ca, and Lisa resumed her longtime love affair with the Pacific Ocean.  This is where Lisa met and connected with Debra Huse, the founder of Debra Huse Studio Gallery. Debra and Lisa became fast friends and as kindred spirits they are sailing into the future together as partners of The http://www.huseskellygallery.com/ (Huse-Skelly Gallery).  Lisa's art is the culmination of the coast, waves, and love painted through her lens.

Tom Dioro is joined by Jim Killet. Jim and Nancy Killett founded https://lahainagalleries.com/ (Lahaina Galleries) in 1976. The best of local and international artists are featured in this 3000 square foot gallery at the Shops of Wailea and in Newport Beach, CA. Customers and visitors marvel at both the variety and skill of the art on exhibit.  

In this episode of The Modern Architect, Tom is joined by Katia Griggs. She is the founder and president of https://griggssystems.com/ (Griggs Systems, INC). Katia serves as an independent manufacturers' representative for architectural products in California and limited parts of Nevada. Established in 2003 and incorporated in 2007, Griggs Systems focuses on establishing and maintaining a professional and responsive relationship with the architect, installer and manufacturer. Their success is directly linked to the success of delivery and workmanship of their product, and LEED quality materials.

In this episode of The Modern Architect, Tom is joined by Christian Douglas. Christian is an award-winning landscape designer, licensed contractor and urban farmer. For over 22 years he has created beautiful and productive outdoor spaces. Combining his formal training in classical design and his passion for sustainable agriculture, Christian has created innovative landscapes in his native England, Jordan, Nepal, Australia and throughout the United States, with food at the heart. Christian co-owned a design and fine gardening company in the UK for 12 years, winning awards at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show. His primary work focused on the redesign and construction of country estates and London Townhouses. For more information, visit http://www.christian-douglas.com (www.christian-douglas.com)

For this episode, Tom is joined by Craig Severance. Craig is a founder of https://imodstructures.com/ (iMod Structures) and has more than 25 years of experience in real estate acquisitions and financing and was an early pioneer in utilizing technology to expedite these processes. He also served as a managing director, head of acquisitions and member of the Investment Committee at AMB Property Corporation, where his group completed over $3 billion in acquisitions. Craig holds a BA from Middlebury College and an MBA from Stanford University.

Tom's guest is Branka Knezevic, architect and founder of http://www.planaarchitects.com/ (Plāna), a Los Angeles based architecture and design studio rooted in design, ecological and social sustainability, and effective project management. Their mission is to create environments that are timeless, inspirational and bring forth positive outcomes.

For this episode, Tom is joined by https://marygiuseffi.com/ (Mary Giuseffi), CEO of Luxachrome i, a commercial luxury paint line, and color services for architectural and trade professionals. Mary is also a former Ford model, personal brand expert, Amazon number 1 best selling author, speaker, TV guest, fashion and color authority and award-winning humanitarian.

Tom Dioro is joined by the dynamic and inspiring https://rrsilvin.com/site/ (René Silvin). René was born in New York, and grew up in Switzerland. After earning his bachelor's degree from Georgetown University and an MBA from Cornell University, he spent 25 years in the investor-owned hospital industry. Since retiring after surviving a late-stage cancer, René has published five books, including a memoir about his friendship with the late Duchess of Windsor. René is also Chairman of the Palm Beach Landmarks Preservation Commission. He is listed in Who's Who in the World.

Tom speaks with Ken Lowney, architect and founder of https://lowneyarch.com/ (Lowney Architecture). Lowney Architecture is a multidisciplinary practice with its headquarters in Oakland, CA. They are quite engaged with clients and projects in the commercial, civic, academic, and housing sectors. Lowney is considered one of the fastest growing practices in the East Bay and ranks among the San Francisco Business Times' top firms in Northern California.

In this episode of The Modern Architect, Tom is joined by Richard A. Viczorek, Mayor of Dana Point, California. Rick was first elected to the Dana Point City Council in 2014 and served as the City's Mayor in 2018. Rick was re-elected to the City Council for a second term in 2018 and is currently serving his second term as Mayor. Rick graduated from UCLA with a degree in Political Science and earned his law degree from Santa Clara University School of Law. After several years as an attorney in private practice, Rick joined the United States Marine Corps, and served two tours on active duty.  Rick then went into the United States Marine Corps Reserve, where he continues to serve today at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He has been mobilized three times and deployed once to Iraq.  After his last mobilization, Rick relocated to Dana Point and works as an attorney.

Tom talks to Lindsay Anyon Brier. Lindsay has a truly innate talent for beautifully curating rooms and environments, which is evidenced in her well-appointed San Francisco store and the high-profile homes she has designed. Lindsay is the child of an antique shop owner and a real estate developer and grew up in the San Francisco Bay area.

For this episode, Tom is joined by Jason Wolf, Chief Strategy and Information Officer at Veev. Jason grew up watching his entrepreneur father start and grow one of Israel's major real estate companies. In 2018 and after 25 years in various high-tech entrepreneur and executive roles in Silicon Valley, he joined the team at Veev as Chief Strategy and Information Officer.

Tom is joined by Todd Sherer, CEO and Founder of Fleq. Fleq believes that a mortgage is a silly way to finance a home purchase and offers a debt-free solution that combines the freedom of renting with the benefits of home ownership and adds new features that are not available anywhere else to home buyers.

Tom's guest is Susan Jones, FAIA and Founder of Atelier Jones. Susan's firm seeks out sites, buildings and materials with inherent but underutilised value to harvest their embodied energy, their catalytic power for owners and communities, as well as their beauty. Her work creates delight and wonder in leftover, dirty, forgotten places and spaces, and materials, while creating new uses in innovative and beautiful ways. Susan has also forged this cross-disciplinary approach through embracing methodologies mined from sustainability and materials research, from historic preservation and adaptive reuse movements, real estate development as well as community activism.

In this episode of The Modern Architect, Tom talks to Justin Shubow, President of the National Civic Art Society, a non-profit organisation head-quartered in Washington, DC.

Tom talks to Douglas Abbey, who is a lecturer in Finance at Stanford University, where he works with GSB students to evaluate career opportunities in real estate and to expose them to research and educational opportunities in the field. Douglas is also Chairman of Swift Real Estate Partners, a San Francisco-based company focused on value-add office properties on the west coast. He previously co-founded two investment management organizations: AMB Property Corporation (merged with Prologis:NYSE), now the largest global industrial REIT, and IHP Capital Partners, a provider of equity to the single-family home building industry.

Tom is joined by the co-founders of Rent The Backyard: Spencer Burleigh and Brian Bakerman. Rent The Backyard builds and places studio apartments in homeowner's backyards.

This episode of The Modern Architect features guest Dean Lewis, professional engineer and project manager at DCI Engineers. Dean developed unparalleled project experience in prefabrication, modular, and mass timber structures. He quickly grew into a leadership role under the guidance of principals and associates. Dean was the subject of a feature article in the San Francisco Business Journal for his perspective on how mass timber is revolutionizing the building industry.

Tom's guest is Inna Braverman, an Israeli entrepreneur and co-founder of Eco Wave Power, a renewable energy company. Eco Wave Power is an advanced and innovative international wave power developer, headquartered in Israel. The company was established after a period of conceptualising and planning for new and competitive wave energy technology. Inna was also recently chosen as one the 100 most influential women in the world by MSN.com.

In this episode of The Modern Architect, Tom talks to Jay Jeffers, an interior designer extraordinaire. Jay is founder of JayJeffers Inc. and author of Collected Cool and Be Bold. He has received numerous honors including being named to Elle Décor's A-list, and his work has been widely featured by notable shelter magazines, national newspapers, and show houses.  Jay's retail showroom, JayJeffers - THE STORE in San Francisco, offers a finely-honed collection of bespoke furniture along with beautiful objects discovered during his travels.

Tom is joined by two guests this episode: Richard Williams - who is the head of History of Art, and Professor of Contemporary Visual Cultures in Edinburgh, UK - and Peter DeMaria, architect and Principal of DeMaria Design. Peter has dedicated the last two decades to designing environments that enable people to fulfil their maximum potential.

Tom is joined by Ed Westbrook, who is the CEO of QuarryHouse. Ed founded QuarryHouse two decades ago, translating the ancient craft of stone masonry into a modern vernacular. He and his artisans believe in the art of legacy, combining traditional and innovative stonework techniques. Sourcing stone building materials locally and globally, QuarryHouse travels worldwide and creates timeless structures for both private estates and public spaces. Ed is collaborating with renowned architects from around the world.

This episode of The Modern Architect features guest Michael McCutcheon. He is the founder of McCutcheon Construction, which is an employee-owned company. Founded in Berkeley in 1980, it now has a staff of more than 31 experienced and dedicated professionals.

Tom's guest is Tyler Pew, who is the founder and principal of LMNOP-Design. LMNOP-Design brings the design and fabrication process into one seamless stroke. They specialize in immersive and branded environments, with a focus on commercial, retail, and restaurants. 

In this episode of The Modern Architect, Tom talks to David Baker, Principal of David Baker Architects. David Baker Architects is a progressive architecture firm located in San Francisco and Oakland that creates acclaimed buildings in urban environments. DBA is known for exceptional housing, creative site strategies, designing for density, and integrating new construction into the public realm.