Interview with Rachel Allen – XX|LA Episode 021

Christina Monti, owner of CDM Consulting, started her career in landscape architecture after graduating from Texas A&M University. A self-proclaimed non-designer (I don't quite buy that she "stinks" at design), Christina became an expert in marketing and business development. In this episode, we discuss the skills needed for being good at business development. Spoiler alert--they are skills, and can be worked on and learned! Christina and I got to know each other through the Association for Women in Architecture + Design (AWA+D), where she served on the board as Communications Director, and then President. She currently serves on the board of the Association for Women in Architecture Foundation (AWAF), AWA+D's sister organization that provides scholarships and fellowships to female students and practitioners. Christina and I also discuss what it's like to volunteer on a board, and she offers great advice. Connect with Christina via Linked In Or you have two opportunities to meet Christina (and me) in person: AWA+D and AIA|LA WiA Holiday Mixer on Dec. 5 AWAF Holiday Party and Fundraiser on Dec. 7

This episode is a live recording from Sci-Arc graduate thesis Spin Room, with student (now graduate) Yi Ning Lui, her advisor Kristy Balliet of BairBalliet, and distinguished alumnus Barbara Bestor of Bestor Architecture. In this episode we talk about the experience of the thesis project from the student and the advisor/practitioner perspective. You can watch the video recording from this conversation through Sci-Arc’s vimeo channel at https://livestream.com/accounts/21300942/events/8798849

This episode features financial planner Renee Cohen, and guests Harper Halprin of AAHA Studio and Luciana Tagliaferri of Tagliaferri Architects, in a candid discussion about financial planning for small business owners and architects. We discuss topics like the entrepreneur mindset, business and personal finances, outsourcing, forecasting, growth, diversification, retirement and financial freedom, insurance and protection, and the importance of having a board of advisers. I think it’s super important for us to think about the financial aspects of how we set ourselves up for success both personally and in business. If you heard my interview on the Midnight Charette podcast, I really believe that we need to value our time and expertise and pay our interns, and the only way we’ll be able to do that as business owners is to get comfortable talking about money and figuring it out. Contact Renee at [email protected] or visit her website at www.reneecohen.nm.comIf you enjoyed this episode, you can also listen to our small business roundtable (Episode 004) with Harper and Luciana

Emmanuelle Bourlier is the co-founder and CEO of Panelite, as well as a mother and skater. Emmanuelle co-founded Panelite while in grad school at Columbia University 21 years ago. From its inception, Panelite was so innovative that it was used in a project by Moneo Brock that landed on the cover of the Spanish edition of Interior Design magazine. From there, Panelite was quickly sought after by elite firms like Diller Scofidio+Renfro and OMA. In this episode, Emmanuelle and I talk about her journey with Panelite, and she shares a lot of wisdom about entrepreneurship and life in general. In particular, I think Emmanuelle's approach to skating has a lot of parallels to running a business. It's inspiring to see such a brave, curious, and passionate woman as a CEO. If you're interested in finding out more about female skating in Los Angeles, Emmanuelle and her son are taking lessons from legendary skater Pat Ngoho, and she mentions a few resources: Grlswirl in Venice, Girl is Not a 4 Letter Word, founded by pro skater Cindy Whitehead, and The Cove Grls, which hosts bi-monthly girls’ skate sessions. For more information about Panelite and Emmanuelle, visit www.panelite.us or follow on social media: Instagram: @panelite_innovates, @emmanuelle_bourlier FB: @Panelite LinkedIn: Panelite and Emmanuelle Bourlier

This episode features Elena Manferdini, the recipient of the ICON award at the 2019 LA Design Festival. This interview was recorded at the event at Row DTLA. Elena is the Graduate Chair at Sci-Arc and principal of Atelier Manferdini. Elena’s striking exuberance, charisma, and rigor is completely evident in her work, which ranges in scale from product design, to graphic facades and entire buildings. Her process often incorporates cutting edge technology as an integral part of the design, and she even includes augmented reality features in the work. Having grown up in Italy and received a degree in engineering before studying architecture at UCLA, Elena combines her skills and sensibilities as an artist, architect, and engineer to produce stunning, award-winning works. I really enjoyed speaking with Elena, and admire her even more after our wonderfully candid and intellectual conversation.

Helena Jubany, FAIA has a real knack for developing leaders, as well as a sharp business acumen. Helena’s 30 year career specializing in education and public sector architecture included 17 years of building her own practice, prior to mergers with NAC Architecture and Osborne. Loyal listeners will remember my interview with Leslie Sydnor in Episode 15, where Leslie spoke incredibly highly of Helena as her mentor. In fact, I was so struck by what Leslie had to say about Helena, that I felt there was no better way to honor their special relationship than to hear Leslie interview Helena directly.

What I admire about Rachel Allen is the pragmatic, intelligent, and unapologetically hard-working ethos that she brings to her work.  As founding principal of RADAR (Rachel Allen Development Architecture Research Inc.), her success relies upon her ability to understand the viewpoints of people she's working with in order to communicate effectively and harness the strengths of her team.  The pay off of RADAR's hard work is evident in their growing project list, such as their role as Design Architect on the competition-winning team for the Pershing Square Renew project.  Additionally, RADAR has been building up a multi-family housing project portfolio, and in this interview, Rachel tells me more about how she was able to go from working on a 6 unit project, to a project with over 200 units. In addition to talking about her practice, Rachel and I touch upon her experiences growing up in and establishing babysitting and parenting cooperatives, as well as her experiences as a Rome Prize recipient and former Gehry Partners employee.

In episode 20, we're putting the "LA" in XX|LA by speaking with an architect who is also a film maker!  Mina Chow is an architect and professor at the USC School of Architecture. She is also the director, producer, and star of the documentary "Face of a Nation: What Happened to the World's Fair?"  The film is about Mina's journey as an idealistic architect and daughter of immigrants, as she discovers why America abandoned World's Fairs.  Michael Sorkin calls it an "urgently dispiriting but ultimately tender and optimistic film".  This is a description I agree with wholeheartedly.  To learn more, visit www.faceofanationmovie.com  or see the film for yourself! On March 20, Women in Architecture committee is hosting a screening at the Helms Bakery Design Center. https://www.aialosangeles.org/event/wia-worlds-fair-film-screening/

I'm fascinated by architects who work in interdisciplinary and collaborative ways, and my latest guests bridge architecture and dance in a fascinating way!  In this episode, I speak with Rennie Tang and Sara Wookey, the artists and creators behind Punt.Point.  Punt.Point was commissioned by the Van Abbe Museum in 2013 and acquired for their permanent collection in 2018.  Rennie and Sara are practitioners who come from architecture and dance backgrounds respectively, with training and interest in each others' disciplines.  They met in Los Angeles and started collaborating locally, on projects at venues like the Hammer Museum and Grand Park.   Rennie Tang is a designer and educator based in Los Angeles. As associate professor of landscape architecture at California Polytechnic State University Pomona, her teaching methods emphasize one-to-one scale spatial construction, topographic manipulation and material exploration. She is recipient of the 2017 Excellence in Design Studio Teaching Award from the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA). Her collaborative work with choreographers, artists and occupational therapists supports her research focus on human mobility in urban landscapes. Sara Wookey is an American dance artist based in London. She creates choreographic works within local, national and international venues including theaters, museums and outdoor spaces. As part of her practice, she is a public speaker and writer known for her stewardship of dance as a recognized and valuable art form, particularly, in museum settings. The founding director of Wookey Works, a production company offering services to cultural organizations, academic institutions and civic agencies, Sara is interested in the social potential of dance across sectors and in our contemporary moment. She is a certified transmitter of Yvonne Rainer's repertoire and is a Tate Learning Research Associate.  Images are provided courtesy of Wookey Works and Rennie Tang, and are copyright protected.

Irma Ramirez is a professor in the architecture department and director of the China Study Abroad program at Cal Poly Pomona. Her accolades include the NCARB Grand Prize, National Lynton Citation for Distinguished Engaged Scholarship for the Habitat 21 Sustainable Settlements Project in Tijuana with Corazon, and awards from the American Planning Association and American Institute of Certified Planners and Environmental Design Research Association for work in the China program. She also recently brought a group of Cal Poly Pomona students into Augustus Hawkins High School to teach ninth graders about architecture and urban planning. What I admire most about Irma is that she really pushes herself and her students to grow through uncomfortable new experiences and interdisciplinary thinking.