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Bad Words Good Buildings

Leah Kiren Solk & Yuliya Ilizarov 13 Episodes Feb 18, 2026

Bad Words Good Buildings is a podcast hosted by Leah Kiren Solk and Yuliya Ilizarov. Two women in the design and construction industry talk candidly about their work, the culture around them, and the realities of building. The show blends informal conversation, humor, and professional insight with unfiltered language. It is aimed at listeners curious about how buildings get made and what it is really like to work in architecture and construction.

Episodes

That's a Wrap! Feb 18, 2026 1904 Episode 13: This week's episode is bittersweet – it's our last one of the season! Join us as we reflect on the journey and look towards the next. We break down how we make the show, why we curse, and what surprised us during the process. We seek to be a part of an evolving discourse and invite listeners to feel empowered to join in as well. We aren't featuring a Good Building this

Unhappy Customers Feb 11, 2026 4178 Episode 12: Despite our best intentions, sometimes clients aren't 100% happy with the process, experience, or finished product. It's important to examine these relationships and use them as an opportunity to grow as professionals. We discuss how misalignments of expectations can lead to disappointment, specifically exploring communication around scope, services, schedule, and cost. What

AI versus our Daily Lives Feb 4, 2026 4372 Episode 11: This week's episode delves into the fast-changing world of Artificial Intelligence. Join us as we discuss how we currently use AI in our businesses and muse on how it could be helpful in the future as learning models evolve. We also question how labor-saving devices may impact the development of future generations of practitioners and who is ultimately benefitting from the reduct

The Monster Under the Bed: Soft Costs Jan 28, 2026 3823 Episode 10: This week's episode breaks down the soft costs of a construction project and we discuss why it's so essential to properly budget for this component. We talk about how architects bill, the time and value they can bring to a project, and how much their services may cost. We also discuss how contractors think about labor and overhead to understand why buildings cost more than t

We don't have dicks! Jan 21, 2026 3905 Episode 9: This week's episode gets real about gender, and we share our thoughts and experiences as women in our industries. These personal stories speak to the limitations and preconceptions that women face in our fields, and the implied work that women are often required to do to make men comfortable in professional interactions. We also focus on how we see a path forward to create an equit

It's Not Easy Being Green Jan 15, 2026 4244 Episode 8: This week we are chatting about why it can be challenging to apply conventional green design principles to smaller projects. We dive into the waste involved in renovations, how to think about selecting new materials, passive house strategies, and why building smaller is both more sustainable and also budget-friendly. Ultimately, good design is sustainable design. Our Good Building thi

Politics Matter: Part II Jan 7, 2026 3664 Episode 7: This week we continue to discuss the idea that architecture and construction are inherently tied to politics. We begin with a conversation about our personal and professional stories and thoughts about the topic of immigration. We then shift to the hot topic of tariffs, and specifically how uncertainty and increases of this form of tax impacts our respective industries.As a bit of a &qu

Politics Matter: Part I Dec 23, 2025 4159 Episode 6: This week we are exploring the concept that architecture is inherently a political act, which is now coming up against a highly conservative administration. We explore the White House mandate that all new civic buildings must be in a classical architectural style, the complete demolition of the East Wing, and the recent directive that architects (among others) are no longer considered

Why Should People Give a Shit About Design? Part II Dec 10, 2025 3501 Episode 5: In this episode we continue the discussion around why design is important in all our lives and how we are all deserving of access to good design. We think about the temporal nature of buildings throughout this episode, speaking about everything from building maintenance to industry trends. Since we live and work in NYC, our Good Buildings for this two-part topic about the importance of

Why Should People Give a Shit About Design? Part I Dec 3, 2025 3507 Episode 4: In this week's episode we kick off the topic of design by asking: what is good design? How does design relate to beauty and differ from taste? We use New York City as a proving ground for this discussion and encourage listeners to think about how they consume design and what speaks to them in their own built environments. Since we live and work in NYC, our Good Buildings for this

Let's Talk About Money: Part II Nov 19, 2025 3459 Episode 3: This is Part 2 of two episodes that will speak to the financial side of design and construction. We share some of our pet peeves with design magazines in the way they give expectations on project costs, and how owners can think critically about the information presented. We continue to get into soft costs and the devaluation of labor as a reflection of American societal values. Read an

Let's Talk About Money: Part I Nov 11, 2025 3670 Episode 2: Today we begin to unpack construction costs to understand why building responsibly is so expensive. This is Part 1 of two episodes that will speak to the financial side of design and construction. Learn how architects and general contractors structure their businesses and how unseen overhead and labor costs contribute to the total project cost. We also chat about how transparency and

Welcome to Bad Words Good Buildings Oct 28, 2025 2810 Episode 1: Hello and welcome to the first episode of Bad Words Good Buildings, hosted by Leah Solk and Yuliya Ilizarov. This is a podcast where two smart women shoot the shit about the design and construction industry. In today's episode, we reflect on what brought us together to make this show. We share a few anecdotes about how we met, started our businesses, and why we like doing our jobs

Bad Words Good Buildings

Episodes

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