Building the Community That Drives AEC Innovation

Experience Design in Practice: Sandra Olave on Memory, Culture, and the Built Environment

In this conversation, Evan Troxel and Candace Kitchen sit down with Sandra Olave, chair of Interior Design at the College for Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit. Sandra traces their path from a civil engineering start in Colombia to studying design in Barcelona and ultimately building a career that blends practice, education, and community-centered design. The discussion explores how culture and travel influence design instincts, why experience design requires attention to the full spectrum of human senses (and the memories and identities attached to them), and how designers can create spaces that feel both fresh and familiar by working with cues that register at an “unconscious” level. Evan and Sandra also dig into AI in design and education — what it can accelerate, where it can mislead, and why critical thinking, asking better questions, and learning through experimentation (including failure) remains the core skill set for designers. They then shift to Detroit projects and adaptive reuse, including the challenge of honoring history while creating contemporary value, and the importance of early collaboration between architects and interior designers (especially when budget, intent, and experience are on the line). Finally, Sandra shares how CCS approaches curriculum — grounding students in “heart skills” and “soft skills,” connecting liberal arts + history through field trips, and creating global exposure through travel and design week participation. Episode Links * College for Creative Studies (CCS) — Interior Design program [https://www.ccsdetroit.edu/academics/undergraduate-programs/interior-design/] * First National Building (Detroit) [https://historicdetroit.org/buildings/first-national-building] * Michigan Central Station (Detroit) [https://michigancentral.com/a-new-beginning-ford-to-reopen-michigan-central-station-after-multi-year-historic-restoration/] * Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) [https://dia.org/] * Diego Rivera murals at the DIA [https://dia.org/collection/detroit-industry-murals/58537] * Tadao Ando [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadao_Ando] * Jean Nouvel’s “Opera House” adaptive lighting reference [https://www.jeannouvel.com/en/projects/opera-3/] * Milan Design Week / BASE Milano [https://base.milano.it/en/series/design-week-base-2026/]

Designing with Simulations: A New Era for Architecture

In this episode of Innovation By Design, Angelos Chronis explores the growing role of AI in architecture and urban design. We talk about how neural networks and machine learning can accelerate simulations and expand what is practical to test during design, including daylighting and solar exposure studies. We also dig into generative components and optimization workflows in tools like Grasshopper, including the use of genetic algorithms to search design options. Finally, we touch on how creative AI tools such as Midjourney, along with new text and diagram workflows, are changing how designers ideate and communicate. ABOUT THE GUEST Angelos Chronis is an architect and researcher working at the intersection of computation, machine learning, and design, with a focus on using AI-enabled workflows to improve analysis, iteration speed, and environmental performance in architecture and urbanism. LINKS * infrared.city [http://infrared.city] website * infrared.city [http://infrared.city] team page [https://infrared.city/team/] * Angelos Chronis on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/angeloschronis/] * Angelos on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/angelos_chronis] * Angelos on Google Scholar [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Fv4PF_IAAAAJ&hl=en] * Wikipedia: Machine learning [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_learning] * Wikipedia: Artificial intelligence [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_intelligence] * Wikipedia: Artificial neural network [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_neural_network] * Wikipedia: Generative design [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generative_design] * Scholarpedia: Genetic algorithm [http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Genetic_algorithm] * Wikipedia: Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computational_fluid_dynamics] * NASA CFD intro [https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/cfd.html] * Wikipedia: Daylighting analysis [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylighting] * Midjourney [https://www.midjourney.com/] * Wikipedia: Generative adversarial network [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generative_adversarial_network]

The Spec Whisperer — Why Every Building Needs Someone Like Amy Baker

In this episode of Innovation by Design, Amy Baker shares a career path that runs counter to the typical “design-first” narrative in architecture. Amy explains how early exposure to specifications helped remove the intimidation factor, why the tactile reality of materials and construction drew her to the technical side of practice, and how she ultimately built a firm that focuses on specifications and technical consulting rather than design services. Evan, Candace, and Amy discuss how drawings and specifications work together as contract documents, why every building is effectively a prototype, and how collaboration with manufacturers, fabricators, and contractors helps keep increasingly complex building systems from going sideways. Amy also talks about the value of building a diverse set of mentors, the unexpected benefits of volunteering in professional organizations, and how she is pushing spec writing forward by helping shape and creatively repurpose spec software to improve accuracy and efficiency. KEY TOPICS * Finding a niche in architecture by leaning into technical strengths * Why specs matter as much as drawings in construction documents * The role of manufacturers as category experts, not just product reps * The “prototype” nature of every building and the logistics behind details * How professional service and public speaking can expand impact and visibility * Improving spec quality and speed through better templates and software workflows LINKS * Amy Baker Architect (website): https://www.amybakerarchitect.com/ [https://www.amybakerarchitect.com/] * Construction Specifications Institute (CSI): https://www.csiresources.org/ [https://www.csiresources.org/] * Building Enclosure Council (BEC): https://www.nibs.org/page/bec [https://www.nibs.org/page/bec] * Air Barrier Association of America (ABAA): https://www.airbarrier.org/ [https://www.airbarrier.org/] * Specification Consultants in Independent Practice (SCIP): https://www.scipnet.org/ [https://www.scipnet.org/] * RIB SpecLink: https://www.rib-software.com/en/products/speclink [https://www.rib-software.com/en/products/speclink] * Innovation By Design website: ABOUT THE GUEST Amy Baker is a Registered Architect and Specifications Consultant with over 20 years of experience in commercial construction. She specializes in the technical development of projects with a passion for enclosure detailing, building science, codes, and specifications. She founded her firm, Amy Baker Architect, in 2018, and serves in leadership roles with the Building Enclosure Council of Greater Detroit (BEC), the Detroit Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), Specification Consultants in Independent Practice (SCIP), and the Air Barrier Association of America (ABAA). She is also on RIB SpecLink’s Product Innovation Advisory Board. Amy holds two degrees from Lawrence Technological University, where she has been recognized as the university’s 26th Distinguished Architecture Award Recipient.

Smart Hospitals of the Future: Inside Detroit's Destination Grand Project

Jesse Balok, Vice President of Planning, Design and Construction at Henry Ford Health, joins Evan Troxel and Candace Kitchen to unpack Destination: Grand, the system’s historic $2.2 billion expansion of its Detroit campus. Jesse shares how Henry Ford Health is planning a once‑in‑a‑generation build while keeping a 110‑year‑old hospital campus running, and why phasing, decommissioning, and infrastructure renewal must happen alongside forward‑looking innovation. They discuss collaborative project delivery, early stakeholder engagement at scale, and designing for flexibility as care models evolve. Jesse also highlights sustainability initiatives, including a Central Energy Hub targeting an all‑electric hospital by 2030, and the broader community impact of the Future of Health: Detroit vision, including research partnerships, mobility, and neighborhood redevelopment. ABOUT THE GUEST Jesse Balok is the Vice President of Planning, Design and Construction at Henry Ford Health. Jesse leads major campus planning and delivery efforts, including Destination: Grand, a transformative redevelopment of Henry Ford’s Detroit campus focused on patient experience, staff wellness, logistics modernization, and long‑term adaptability. LINKS * Destination: Grand / Future of Health: Detroit (overview): https://www.henryford.com/future-of-health [https://www.henryford.com/future-of-health] * News release: Henry Ford Health celebrates groundbreaking of Destination: Grand: https://www.henryford.com/news/2024/09/henry-ford-health-celebrates-groundbreaking-of-detroit-hospital-expansion-project [https://www.henryford.com/news/2024/09/henry-ford-health-celebrates-groundbreaking-of-detroit-hospital-expansion-project] * Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (rehab partner reference): https://www.sralab.org/ [https://www.sralab.org/] * Churchill and the Commons Chamber: https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/architecture/palacestructure/churchill/ [https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/architecture/palacestructure/churchill/]

Neural Architecture — How AI Is Rewriting the Rules of Design

In this episode of Innovation by Design, Evan Troxel and Candace Kitchen sit down with Dr. Matias del Campo, architect, theorist, and one of the leading voices at the intersection of architecture and artificial intelligence. Matias shares the trajectory that led him from the University of Applied Arts Vienna to co-founding SPAN, a practice built on computational design and experimental architecture. He discusses how his research into AI-driven design creates what he calls a "design ecology," merging technology, nature, and philosophical inquiry into a unified creative process. The conversation digs into how generative AI tools are transforming the way architects think about form, materiality, and authorship. Matias offers perspective on what these tools actually change in the design process, what they don't, and why the discipline of architecture is uniquely positioned to absorb and redirect these new capabilities. You'll also hear about SPAN's high-profile projects and how academic research feeds directly into built and speculative work that pushes the boundaries of what architecture can be. KEY TOPICS * How AI and computational design are reshaping architectural practice and aesthetics * The concept of "design ecology" and integrating technology, nature, and philosophy * Generative AI's impact on architectural authorship and the creative process * SPAN's approach to experimental, technologically driven architecture * The relationship between academic research and professional practice * What architects need to understand about AI tools and their limitations LINKS * SPAN Architecture [https://www.span-arch.org/] * Matias del Campo on LinkedIn [https://at.linkedin.com/in/matiasdelcampo] * Matias del Campo on Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matias_del_Campo] * Neural Architecture [https://www.applied-ai-book.com/neural-architecture] (book) [https://www.applied-ai-book.com/neural-architecture] * Diffusions in Architecture [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9781394191802] (book) [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9781394191802] * New York Institute of Technology — MS ACT program [https://www.nyit.edu/academics/degrees/architecture-computational-technologies-ms/]