Life of an Architect
Host Bob Borson, an architect with 25 years of experience, and co-host Andrew Hawkins, who has 20 years in the profession, demystify the role of architects and the value of architecture in everyday life. Through engaging stories and anecdotes, they address common misconceptions and make the subject accessible to a broad audience without requiring specialized knowledge. The podcast blends humor and practicality to offer an inside look at what it truly means to be a practicing architect.
Episodes
Ep 205: How to Start Designing Your House
Designing a house does not begin with floor plans, exterior styles, or deciding where the kitchen island should go. It begins with understanding the people who will live there and translating their habits, priorities, routines, and expectations into a useful design framework.
In this episode, Bob and Andrew examine the residential programming process and the role a well-constructed client workboo
Ep 204: Character Development Revisited
In episode 204, “Character Development - Revisited,” we go back to the beginning and revisit the very first Life of an Architect podcast episode. Episode 001 was mostly an introduction: who we were, why the podcast existed, and what we thought it might become. At the time, the website had grown beyond the casual creative outlet it was intended to be, and the podcast seemed like a way to return to
Ep 203: Ten Museums to Visit Before You Die
Episode 203 explores ten museums worth seeing not for the collections alone, but for the buildings themselves. From quiet rooms shaped by light to dramatic structures carved from old industrial spaces, this episode looks at museums where architecture changes the way we move, look, and remember the visit.
Ep 202: From Practice to Professor
So you are thinking about teaching architecture. You’ve got some years of experience under your belt and you want to share your knowledge with the next generation. Or you’ve always felt a calling to teach the next generation of the profession? Maybe you just want to try something different and it seems like an easy transition? Well today Bob and I are breaking this topic wide open and revealing so
Ep 201: The Middle of Middle Management
Middle management is not usually the part of a career anyone dreams about, which is probably fair since most dreams do not involve inheriting more responsibility while time and authority stand nearby pretending they were not invited. Still, there is something important that happens in that space if you are paying attention. You start to see how decisions move through a firm, how unclear expectatio
Ep 200: Hate to Love You
Ep 200: Hate to Love You looks back at favorite episodes, hard lessons, great guests, and the conversations that made this podcast worth your time from day one.
Episode 199: Conflict Resolution
Ep 199: Conflict Resolution explores how architects manage tension, stay useful under pressure, and move hard conversations toward better outcomes.
Ep 198: The Creative Process
Ep 198: The Creative Process | Why creativity in architecture depends on process, judgment, and knowing which ideas are worth pursuing
Episode 197: The Knowledge Gap
Ep197: The Knowledge Gap: As veteran architects retire, the profession risks losing hard-won knowledge, mentorship, and judgment no handbook can replace.
Ep 196: Do Architects Retire
Ep 196: Do Architects Retire explores why architects work longer, what comes next, identity shifts, and how money choices that shape retirement options.
Ep 195: Designing Your Own House
Designing Your Own House explores why architects hesitate to design their own homes: pressure, endless choices, ego vs livability, money, and what it reveals.
Ep 194: Being Your Own Boss
Being your own boss isn’t about starting a firm. It’s about control, momentum, money, and owning the tradeoffs shaping your career long before you noticed.
Ep 193: The Client Experience
Ep 193: The Client Experience, looks at why client relationships feel adversarial and why architects have more control than they think.
Ep 192: Have a Plan
Have a Plan is a reflective conversation about why pausing to think matters and how intention can help you move off square one this year.
Ep 191: Ask the Show Fall 2025
Architects ask the questions they actually want answered as Bob and Andrew dig into careers, practice, and the occasional absurdity.
Ep 190: The Truth about Titles
The Truth about Titles explores why architectural titles matter, why they don’t, and how their meaning shifts over the course of a career.
Ep 189: Holiday Gift Guide for Architects
Discover the ultimate Holiday Gift Guide for Architects – curated picks, tools, and books that every designer will actually want to unwrap this season.
Ep 188: Changing Paths
At some point in every career, the path ahead stops looking like the one behind it. The work that once defined you begins to shift, not because it lost value but because you start to see yourself differently within it. For architects, that realization can be complicated because we build our identities around what we design, who we work with, and the roles we play in the process. Change has a way o
Ep 187: Objects of Design
Architects explore the stories behind objects of design that remind us why design matters — revealing creativity, purpose, and meaning in everyday things.
Ep 186: The Rules of Modernism
Every rule was made to be broken, except in architecture, where even the act of breaking rules seems to come with its own set of rules. Modernism promised liberation from the past, but it quickly wrote its own commandments into the story—flat roofs, open plans, white walls, and exposed structure became the expected vocabulary. A movement that arrived as rebellion soon carried the weight of convent
Ep 185: Procrastination – Today’s Problem Tomorrow
It’s one thing to be busy and another to be productive – and most of us are far better at the first than the second. The reality is that architects live in a world of deadlines, meetings, and endless to-do lists, but somehow there’s always time to check Instagram, rearrange your desktop icons, or spend twenty minutes deciding which playlist will help you focus before actually doing the work. Procr
Ep 184: The Architect as Brand
The Architect as Brand explores how personal reputation and firm identity collide, coexist, and shape modern architectural practice.
Ep 183: Tips for being an Architect AND a Good Person
Architectural career tips meet life lessons in a conversation about balancing professional success with being a genuinely good person. This is Tips for being an Architect and a Good Person.
Ep 182: How AI is Changing Architecture
Discover how AI tools are transforming architecture, from design and research to workflow efficiency, and shaping the future of practice.
Ep 181: Attitude Reflects Leadership
How leadership behavior shapes culture, trust, and growth - why people mirror what leaders model, and how influence is built through everyday actions.
Ep 180: Size Doesn’t Matter
The phrase “it’s just a small project” has probably caused more confusion, blown more budgets, and strained more relationships than we’d care to admit. It sounds harmless, maybe even charming - the architectural equivalent of a quick favor. But that phrase carries weight. Because behind every modest addition, bathroom remodel, or garage conversion is the same professional rigor we apply to larger
Ep 179: Is Half the Story Enough?
Architectural influencers on social media can bring real insight to the table while others blur the line between experience and performance, you should evaluate what you’re seeing, questioning why it was shared, and learn how to tell the difference between helpful guidance and a well-lit shortcut.
Ep 178: Under Pressure
What happens when architects face extreme pressure? Ep. 178 explores how stress reveals character, process, and priorities in practice.
Ep 177: Hanging Out Your Shingle
There’s a moment in almost every architect’s career where the idea first surfaces—quietly at first, then louder over time: What if I started my own firm? Maybe it’s the itch for creative freedom, maybe it’s frustration with someone else’s decisions, or maybe it’s just the instinct to build something of your own. I’ve had this conversation more times than I can count—at desks, on job sites, over dr
Ep 176: Little White Lies
We’ve all stared at the calendar, convinced there’s a hidden twenty-fifth hour—plenty of room to redline that section, nudge the model, and squeeze in just one more detail. “We’ll sort it during bidding,” we promise ourselves, and the optimism buys another day of breathing room. Architects thrive on this kind of self-talk; some versions are harmless, others lurk like change-order booby traps. Toda
Ep 175: Stupid Questions
Nobody wants to be the person who asks a question that causes everyone else within ear shot to turn and look at them. We spend the early part of our careers trying to prove we deserve a seat at the table, hoping we sound competent, sharp, with just the right amount of confidence. But architecture isn’t a field you get good at by pretending. It’s a craft you grow into by doing, which ultimately lea
EP 174: Dear Future Architects …
There are bits of advice that one collects over a 30 year career and when given the chance, some are worth passing on to those who care to listen. While this could have been a lessons from my father sort of episode, we decided to keep things focused on those of us who either are, or want to be, architects, and we are going to pass along a handful of things that we wish we had known at the start of
Ep 173: Mentorship Matters
Mentorship turns confusion into clarity, builds confidence, and connects you with people who help you grow faster than you ever could alone.
EP 172: A Week in the Life of an Architect
Most people have no idea what I do for a living, and to be honest, most of how I spend my time doesn’t look like the things I did when I was in college. Have things gone terribly wrong for me? What about Andrew? I’m pretty confident that his role as an architect is different than how he imagined it to be … and I think that this is all okay. It should be an interesting conversation, and possibly a
Ep 171: The IQ of an Architect
Being an Architect is difficult and there is plenty of evidence that this is not a vocation that is suitable for everyone. The coursework you will take in college is all over the place – from the drawing and design classes to physics and upper level math requirements, you seem to have to be both an artist and a scientist to go down this path. This begs the question, Just how smart do you need to b
Ep 170: Architecture School versus the Real World
There is a moment of realization that occurs when you get your first real job in an architectural office that maybe architecture school and what is now going to be expected from you are a little out of phase with one another. Are you prepared, do the differences matter, and what happens when you come to the conclusion that your job and almost everything you have experienced so far based on your ti
Ep 169: Architecture Studio
The act of creating architecture is a fairly unique process and the manner in which you learn how to think both creatively and technically is a skill that requires certain training and nurturing to develop. When young and eager architects in training head off to college, this development will take place in the architecture studio. This is a topic that – shockingly - we haven’t pointedly discussed
Ep 168: Architectural Career – Is It Worth It
Building upon our last episode when we discussed the path we have taken to get where we are, how unpredictable and in some cases, how circuitous that path can take, what we didn’t really talk about was if the journey was what we wanted. It’s all fine and dandy to look back and make lemonade from lemons, but now that we are decades into our careers as architect, there is another question we want to
Ep 167: How Did We Get Here?
It is the start of a New Year, everything still smells fresh and most things looking forward are theoretically in place for an amazing year … at least I think so. Since it is first podcast episode of 2025, today’s conversation is more of an introspective look into a career and just how bad or good things have gone over the last 30+ years. While this is not a look into my own personal diary, it sho
Ep 166: 2024 Yearapalooza
December 2024, and Andrew and I find ourselves in front of the microphone for the final time until 2025 – from my perspective a mere 28 days away. It is the annual state of the state address where we look back at all the interesting bits and pieces covered over the last 12 months while providing a sneak peak at the adventures to come in 2025. . … Welcome to EP 166: 2024 Yearapalooza.
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Ep 165: 10 Myths about Architects
We’re going to explore some of the most common myths about architects and peel back the layers to reveal what this profession is really about.
Ep 164: Holiday Gift Guide for Architects
It’s almost that gift-giving time of the year and if you have an architect in your life, you know that getting them a gift is possibly among the most agonizing experiences possible – but that’s why we’re here. Now in its 15th consecutive year, Life of an Architect is putting out the increasingly difficult yet still definitive gift guide for architects so that you don’t have to figure these things
Ep 163: Architectural Wanderlust
One of the most enjoyable activities is traveling on vacation – at least for most people, but it takes a special sort of individual who actually loves to plan the activities when it comes to traveling. I know I don’t love it, but I am also willing to admit that I have opinions on where to go and what to see. Today we are going to have a conversation where wanted interest and unwanted responsibilit
EP 162: Objects of Design
Some things are cool – even if you don’t know it yet. Andrew and I have prepared some stories today about some things you are probably familiar with but probably don’t actually know the whole story. We have each selected two things and we are going to share with you what we believe are some amazing stories … Welcome to EP 162: Objects of Design
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Ep 161: Wow Moments
It happens on every project – sometimes you know exactly what it is because you had a hand in bring it into existence. Other times, you might be visiting the work of another architect, or really, you could just be going to a nice restaurant … but if you look around, you can always find that something special that seemed to get just a little more attention than the rest of the project. Andrew and I
Ep 160: Determining Value
Ep. 160 explores how architects define, communicate, and prove their value—to clients, collaborators, and themselves.
Ep 159: Ask the Show Fall 2024
It is time for the second and last installment of the Life of an Architect “Ask the Show” episode for 2024. Once again, as is our practice we solicited questions to be submitted through our Instagram channels and selected as many as we thought we could reasonably get through in the time allocated for the show. If there were duplications, that simply made that question more likely to get answered.
Ep 158: Architects and iPads
For architects, todays post is a analysis of why you want to use an iPad and what applications are worth your consideration and money.
Ep 157: Project Constraints
You sit down at your desk, you turn your computer on, maybe you sharpen your pencils, you lay out your rolls of trace and your sharpie pens – whatever your creative process - and you are about to start work solving the problems at hand … But where do you start? Sitting before you are all the normal tools and a big fat blank piece of paper. This is a moment where you have to make a make a decision
Ep 156: Build a Better House
We are discussing residential projects that focus on incorporating high value building science techniques with guest Steven Baczek.
Ep 155: Optimism
The vast majority of practicing architects view the time spent practicing their craft as a calling, but what happens when you don’t want to get out of bed? Today we discuss the role of "optimism" in architecture.
Ep 154: Networking
Today we are tackling a topic that we have never covered before, not even a little. Imagine walking into a crowded room and not knowing who to talk to or what to say, a situation I have found myself uncomfortably in more times that my therapist can ignore. The ability to build meaningful relationships and strategic alliances is a critical part of the success of any business. Today, Andrew and I wi
Ep 153: Inspiration
Inspiration can come from many different sources - but can you actively seek it out when you are feeling like you are in a dry spell?
Ep 152: Starting a New Job
When you are starting a new job, even you very first job, here are some tips that might make the transition a bit easier and potentially, more fruitful.
Ep 151: Starting a Business
We are finally conceding to a request that’s been made a thousand times – do an episode on starting an architectural business – a topic that I have resisted for essentially 6 years, and I think I’ve finally broken. This is not as easy of a topic to discuss as you might think because there are a million different ways you could answer a question this broad. In an attempt to make this conversation o
Ep 150: Drawing Stuff
So here we are ... Episode 150, and I am a little surprised that I made it this far into this Life of an Architect experiment, but due to the support and interest we have received over the last 6 years, we find ourselves as what I believe to be a fairly significant milestone. When it came time to pick today’s subject matter, there was really on one topic that was up for consideration … Welcome to
Ep 149: Moonlighting
This will be the 5th time in 5,209 days that I have put my opinions about taking on extra work outside of your normal job and typically during ridiculous hours of the day and night. This practice has come to be known as “moonlighting” and depending on your age and where you are at in your career, it is either the light at the end of the tunnel or an oncoming train. Andrew and I originally had some
Ep 148: Meetings are a Waste of Time
You check the time and realize that you have 4 minutes before your next meeting. Maybe it’s an internal meeting, maybe clients are coming in. Is it in person or online? Depending on how you answer those questions, time to start scrambling so that you are where you need to be and have the information required to make this meeting a good use of your time. But guess what? I promise that you will end
Ep 147: Draw Like an Architect
How good do you need to be at drawing if you want to become an architect? Or … How can I be an architect – I can’t draw? Is there an easy answer to these questions? Of course there is, but that doesn’t mean the getting is easy.
Ep 146: Ask the Show Spring 2024
Tracking productivity, Bucket list vacation, Leadership styles, and Learning how to Draw Details ... We answer these questions and more today on Ep 146: Ask the Show Spring 2024
Ep 145: Delegated Design
If you have ever wondered what Delegated Design and Design Assist mean and how the distinction between the two could impact you and your liability and responsibility then this is a good resource of information as we break it down and discuss it in fairly simple terms.
Ep144: Objects of Design
From a design standpoint, some things are just cooler than other things – and these things don’t need to be justified to anyone because people either understand it or they don’t … but that doesn’t mean there isn’t an interesting and amazing story behind these objects that might contribute to their coolness in a meaningful way. Today Andrew and I each selected three items and we are going to share
EP 143: Architectural Drawings: Excessive or Essential
The episode "Architectural Drawings: Excessive or Essential" will focus on drawings and the question that first comes to mind is to talk about what we draw, why we draw it, and who we draw it for and why that impacts all other considerations
Ep 142: When I Grow Up
In Episode 142: When I Grow Up, Andrew and I discuss how things take place that divert you from your expected path as you move through your career. It's a natural evolution to move into new roles and responsibilities that break the idea you have for yourself when you decided to chart your future.
Ep 141: 2023 Yearapalooza
As the end of the 2023 season comes to an end, Life of an Architect looks at Fan Favorite Episodes, the Blog posts, and the graphics created to support the topics.
Ep 140: Communicating Through Drawings
Drawings have always played a role in the process of study and discussion of what we do and why we do it. Today we are going to look at the different forms of drawing and talk about when they are used and how we align these different drawing types and the messages they convey as we discuss "Communicating Through Drawings"
Ep 139: Holiday Gift Guide for Architects
It’s almost that gift-giving time of the year and if you have an architect in your life, you know that getting them a gift is potentially the most agonizing experience possible - but that’s why we’re here. Now in its 14th consecutive year, Welcome to Episode 139 Holiday Gift Guide for Architects 2023!
Ep 138: Is Architecture School Broken pt. 2
Are students graduating from architecture school prepared for the profession? Is the educational system aligned with the workplace? What is the best software to teach students? Can we all just get along? We started this exploration of the idea that Architecture School may need some modifications in Episode 137. The system needs to change to provide the skills, knowledge, and pathways for the futur
Ep 137: Is Architecture School Broken pt. 1
The architectural education system hasn't been around for that long, yet it has it's issues and concerns. So that leads us to ask the question... Is Architecture School Broken? Join us for Part One of the conversation in Episode 137. We discuss the short history of arch edu, some common concerns with the system, and the shortcomings of the studio-based learning environments.
Ep 136: Leadership vs. Management
Ep. 136 breaks down the differences between leadership and management in architecture—and why knowing both can define your success.
Ep 135: Employee Takeover
It was podcast Episode 130: Employee Evaluations, and Andrew and I were discussing the process and criteria used to assess and measure an individual employee’s performance when we made the point that there would be value in creating a process where upward evaluations could be implemented, one that allowed the employee to share their thoughts and opinions on what mattered to them from their manager
Ep 134: Management 101
Today we are talking about firm management – but at a fairly introductory level so that we can focus on a broad range of considerations that are applicable to a broader range of individuals who are transitioning into management roles.
Ep 133: Ask the Show Fall 2023
Management transition, Where to start a design, the Role of Artificial Intelligence in architecture, and What Cocktail Should Architects drink ... We answer your questions today on Ep 133: Ask the Show. Fall 2023
Ep 132: Starting Architecture School Part 2
You have made the decision where to study architecture. You've chosen the architecture school and your degree path. So now what? How much work is this going to be? How much will this cost? We covered some issues in Part 1, and now we will finish the monumental task of summarizing what it's like to start architecture school.
Ep 131: Starting Architecture School Part 1
So you are thinking about starting architecture school or looking to study architecture. Well, no matter your situation; we’ve got you covered today with all the introductory info in Episode 131: Starting Architecture School Part 1.
Ep 130: Employee Evaluations
In this episode we discuss the role that structured and organized employee evaluations have a valuable role to play in the process of evaluating the role that employees fill in any office environment
Ep 129: Built to Last
Historically, modern trends in the AEC industry do not provide for buildings with a longer life span. In 'Built to Last' we will discuss ways to improve the lifespan of buildings through mitigating various aspects of impact on the built environment.
Ep 128: Focus
Focus is a subject matter that warrants revisited attention from each of us as it is something that is in a constant state of change and in need of improvement.
Ep 127: Context and Design
Do architects have a responsibility to acknowledge the time, place and style of architecture they design? How does form based zoning figure into this? Context and Design are the topics we are exploring in today's episode.
Ep 126: Architectural Bucket List
Almost 4 years to the day and 100 episodes later, Andrew and I are going to go through an architectural bucket list of people places, and things. I don’t know what Andrew has in mind but I’m feeling that my list will inspire you and change your life…
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