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

Design as Decision: Dustin Schafer on Risk, Value, and Outcome-Based Services

Dustin Schafer is Head of Research at Henderson Engineers, where he focuses on translating emerging technology into organizational strategy. In this episode, Dustin shares the career path that took him from architectural engineering and mechanical design into project management, commissioning, quality, standards, and ultimately technology leadership — including a recent shift from CTO into a role dedicated to the intersection of operations and technology. The conversation centers on a core argument: as AI advances, it will dramatically reduce the cost of production work (routing, sizing, checking, documentation), but it won’t automatically create “good” design. Codes set a floor, not an answer — and without encoding a firm’s priorities, history, and decision-making, generic AI tends toward what Dustin calls “compliant slop”: technically valid outputs that fail to differentiate or serve real client intent. Dustin explains why service firms need to articulate their work in terms that map to software methods (e.g., framing routing as a pathfinding optimization problem), and why AI should often be used as a translation layer between well-defined standards — not as a substitute for intention and care. He also dives into why “just start doing something with AI” can lead to shallow, edge-of-workflow wins, and why real leverage comes from working outward from business model and client outcomes. Finally, Dustin reframes disruption through the lens of risk and value: clients don’t just pay for drawings — they pay firms to take on the risk of being wrong. In an AI-driven world, the opportunity (and threat) is in using these tools to take the right risks faster and more consistently — and repricing around outcomes, decisions, and differentiated judgment. Links: 1. Dustin Schafer’s Substack — Design as Decision [https://dustinschafer.substack.com/] 2. Henderson Engineers [https://www.hendersonengineers.com/] 3. Sequoia: Services: The New Software [https://sequoiacap.com/article/services-the-new-software/] 4. a16z: Every Building You’ve Ever Been In Was Designed By Software Built in 1997 [https://a16z.com/every-building-youve-ever-been-in-was-designed-by-software-built-in-1997/] 5. Bessemer: Roadmap: Reinventing IT services in the age of AI [https://www.bvp.com/atlas/roadmap-reinventing-indias-it-sector-with-ai-services] 6. “Seven Powers” competitive strategy framework [https://7powers.com/] 7. Acquired podcast [https://www.acquired.fm/] 8. Bits and Bytes podcast [https://www.bitsandbytespodcast.com/]

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/]