Behind the Mic: The Beyond the Surface Story

Tanner Woodford is a Chicago-based designer, artist, and founder of Iterative Work. He previously served for fourteen years as founding executive director of the Design Museum of Chicago. Listen in for a conversation about how exhibiting design and art becomes a conversation with the general public about how ideas are expressed.

Taruna Gupta is a planner at HGA and the co-founder and president of the non-profit, Defining Humanity. Hear how her journey across different countries has shaped an approach to architecture grounded in curiosity, cultural exchange, and building connections. Listen to conversations about how architecture organizations have been a crucial part of Taruna's career journey, including when she chose to step away from practicing to focus on her family life.

Iker Gil is a founding partner at MAS Studio and editor in chief of the nonprofit MAS Context. Listen in to hear about how his experiences have led to a path in architecture, publishing, and exhibitions stemming from a curiosity about different ways to see design.

Danielle Tillman is an architect in Chicago whose global portfolio includes many notable projects, including the renovation of the Whitney M. Young Jr. Branch Library and select projects in China. Listen in to hear about her journey, how the mindset from mathematics can translate to architecture, and how organizational leadership can be a form of advocacy.

Elizabeth Blasius and Jonathan Solomon are founders and partners of Preservation Futures, a firm focused on design, advocacy, and consultancy at the intersection of historic preservation and contemporary practice.

Rana Lee is the Marketing Principal leading business development for HOK’s Chicago studio. In this episode, she talks about how her experience in real estate and business development leads to the work she does for architecture firms. She breaks down what business development and networking in architecture means, provides some tips, and explains how networking can be treated like a design project in itself.

Alzira is a Senior Design Architect at EXP focused on architecture in the public realm, particularly infrastructure projects. The conversation discusses Alzira's journey between multiple countries and settling in Chicago. Listen to her talk about how working on large public infrastructure projects can have influences on all levels, including people on daily commutes. She also talks about the opportunity to give back as a mentor to aspiring architects while appreciating the impact of having strong mentors.

In this episode, we sit down with Gabriel Ignacio Dziekiewicz, president and principal in charge of design at DesignBridge, an award-winning Chicago-based architecture firm with nearly four decades of history. The conversation covers Gabriel’s family story, including his father’s journey in architecture and founding DesignBridge, and Gabriel’s personal discovery in architecture as he moved towards leading the firm and carrying on his father’s legacy.

In this special episode, co-founders Caleb Kwok and Alex Sanchez reflect on the beginnings of Beyond the Surface. Hear about how their backgrounds, inspirations for the podcast, and how the show has changed over time.

Monica Chadha is the founder and principal of Civic Projects Architecture, a Chicago-based social impact design firm with a focus on high-quality design and long-term strategic thinking. Listen in for a conversation about how architects take perspectives from multiple parties to create a design process that drives projects forward.