Michael Dulberg – BN Builders – Virtual Reality, Unreal Engine, and Hackathons

Philip Auchettl is CEO and co-founder of RAD Lab. We speak at length about their breakout project Quartyard and how it propelled his career from student to Architect. Philip outlines the challenges and rewards of designing and developing public projects. We learn about the importance of communication and how it can lead to discovering previously unknown Architectural demand.

Ted Smith is an architect and he is also a developer. He is one of the early pioneers of the architect as developer model; were you design, build, and own your buildings. I find this approach to architecture compelling because it shifts the control of capital to the architect, who then has the freedom to explore new forms of design, funding, and construction. I enjoyed hearing Ted comment on the current housing market and how his early go-home model could be updated to match current trends of remote work.   

Jim Brown is an architect, with an interest in community driven projects. In this episode we discuss his current architecture projects, his involvement with  Bread & Salt, and the Build That Park organization advocating for a bi-national Friendship Park between San Diego and Tijuana. 

A quick discussion on the essay, 'In Praise of Shadows' by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki. 

One of us recently switched jobs and so we thought it wise to look at the thought process behind this decision and some of our experiences having worked at different architecture offices. 

Chris Puzio is an artist whose medium is metal. His public metal sculptures can be seen throughout San Diego. In this episode we discuss; how he came to create in metal, the client/artist relationship, and the unique traits of public art sculptures. 

Michael Dulberg is Senior BIM / Innovation Enginner at BN Builders. In this episode we touch on interesting threads concerning technology and how new technologies get integrated in the office setting. We discuss the potential of new tech like AI, VR, Augmented reality and how some of it is currently being used at BN Builders. 

Anya Gallaccio is an artist as well as a professor at UCSD. Her work has been exhibited in galleries all over the world, most recently in Sydney, Australia. In this episode we discuss; her education, living and working in London, and how she views her work over time and space.

Hector is owner/principal at De-Arc, an associate professor in the Masters of Real Estate Development program of Woodbury in San Diego, as well as a member of The RED Office. The discussion focused on his trajectory as a Mexican immigrant into the United States and how he navigated through life, the education system, and professional career, all leading up to where he is at currently. He told us about his experience as a Mexican national track & field competitor, which I really enjoyed. I’m always impressed by how the lessons and experiences that can be experienced in sports and exercise can transfer to everyday normal activities.  We discussed his project, ‘La Esquina’ located in Barrio Logan; how he was able to fund the project, the type of tenants that live in the building, and how the project has been received by the community.  

Colin is a former co-worker of ours. Former, because around 2 years ago he started his own architecture firm, called CLAD. We were excited to catch up and hear about his early first projects and also get into the specifics of how he operates his business. I think those of us who have similar aspirations will find this to be an insightful episode.