#226: HOW THE ARCHITECT IS PAID
June 26, 2026
There are many ways an architect is compensated for design services. The three most common are:
1. Fixed fee,
2. Hourly rate, or
3. Percentage of the construction cost.
#225: “ON FIRES AND SOCIAL AGENDA,” PART 1 OF 2 | RESILIENCE AND DINGBATS
June 5, 2026
On the 661st episode of the podcast, Convo by Design, we examined, “Redefining the ‘Strength’ of Southern California Architecture,” with host Josh Cooperman and architects Ben Ballentine and Luis Murillo. From our 90-minute conversation, here is part 1—highlights between Josh and me
#224: LOVE HIM, HATE HIM, BUT DON’T IGNORE ZUMTHOR
May 15, 2026
25 years in the making, the new Los Angeles County Museum of Art (“LACMA”) recently opened to the public. The adjectives are in: ravishing, dismal, lyrical, divisive, pugnacious, palpable, disorienting, iconic, polarizing, dazzling, inelegant, revolutionary, one-liner, monotonous, and so on. The range of commentary is vast, being that much of criticism is subjective.
#223: DESIGN DOWN THE DANUBE
April 24, 2026
The second longest river in Europe at 1,800 miles in length, the Danube courses through ten countries. My recent Danube cruise journeyed through three of the ten: Hungary, Austria, and Germany. My 14 most striking design events are as follows, in order of travel.
#222: PRITZKER PRIZE 2026 – SMILJAN RADIC CLARKE | WHAT IS ARCHITECTURE?
April 3, 2026
What is a building, and how exactly do we define architecture? A few weeks ago, the annual Pritzker Prize (architecture’s highest honor) was awarded to Chilean architect, Smiljan Radic Clarke. As we ponder what a building is and is not, he challenges our understanding of enclosing space and building for shelter.
#221: L.A. LIVE TRANSFORMED
March 13, 2026
It started with a study of adding lamp posts in downtown Los Angeles. It ended up with Poon Design, AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group), and a team of consultants transforming a six-lane, 1/3 mile long vehicular thoroughfare into a public plaza of over three acres.