EntreArchitect Podcast with Mark R. LePage

Subscribe at iTunes Blu Homes has reinvented residential design with their patented folding prefab construction… offering architecture as a product. Todays guest at The Entrepreneur Architect Podcast is Blu Home’s VP of Design, Karl Daubmann. We talked about Karl’s background, how he landed an architect’s dream job at Blu and their integrated approach to delivering custom prefab modern homes throughout the United States. If you liked Episode 1 with my friend Christopher Pollard, you’re going to love my conversation with Karl. Blu is taking home construction and the business of architecture to the next level. We discussed how Blu is changing the home building industry and what architects can learn from Blu’s success. Topics Discussed in This Episode Roger Williams University Massachusetts Institute of Technology University of Michigan PLY Architecture Integrated design Architecture as product The differences among modular, panelized and Blu’s patented folding designs The birth of Blu Homes in 2008 Founders; Bill Haney, Maura McCarthy and Dennis Michaud CATIA 3D Software Founded by entrepreneurs and developed as a business, rather than an architecture firm Problems with past prefab companies Architects vs. Business Secrets to success for Blu Home The importance of company owned factory and on-staff tradespeople How Blu Homes is funded and future investment Similarities to tech company business structures Prefab developer markets Pricing of typical Blu Homes house Growth of the company The benefit of Blu NOT being a “architecture firm” Tips for architects wanting to explore alternative paths to the traditional firm Links Blu Homes University of Michigan Taubman College School of Architecture + Urban Planning Faculty Directory PLY Architecture Dana Smith of Dadascope Leave a Review for this Episode The Entrepreneur Architect Podcast on iTunes The post EA004: Selling Architecture as a Product with Karl Daubmann of Blu Homes appeared first on EntreArchitect // Small Firm Entrepreneur Architects. Mentioned in this episode:Context & ClarityContext & ClarityFrosty & Fired Up

Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe via RSS Architects are storytellers. We all know stories inspired by architecture. Stories of success and failure. Our greatest works of architecture hold stories that are passed down from generation to generation; no different than great works of art or a classic novel. Today on the podcast we’re speaking with architect and storyteller Collier Ward. By day, Collier is an architect with the firm CASA Designs in Huntsville, Alabama, but at every other waking moment, he’s a storyteller. Sit back, relax and listen as Collier tells us a short story that he wrote just for us at the Entrepreneur Architect Podcast. Links from This Episode http://www.getstoried.com (Know Your Story) http://www.duarte.com/ (Tell Your Story) http://www.nanowrimo.org/ (Write Your Story)   Collier’s blog: http://www.buildingcontent.highercontent.com On Twitter: collier1960 AND BuildingContent E-mail: [email protected]   Please remember to leave a review of The Entrepreneur Architect Podcast at iTunes.   The post EA003: Storytelling with Architect Collier Ward [Podcast] appeared first on EntreArchitect // Small Firm Entrepreneur Architects. Mentioned in this episode:Frosty & Fired UpContext & ClarityContext & Clarity

It’s finally here… Episode 001 of The Entrepreneur Architect Podcast. Subscribe on iTunes now. In this first episode, I sit down with Christopher Pollard, Founder and CEO of Anon Design Collective (live at Fivecat Studio). He is trained as an architect, but has taken his career in a very different direction. Chris says, “Architecture is Dead”. Listen and find out if you agree. I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think in the comments or send me an email by clicking CONTACT above. Topics Discussed Architecture School Education of an architect Experiential Design and Marketing The intersection of architecture, design and business Design is the “killer app” Architects delivering business solutions Collaborative model of project delivery Using the skills and talents of architectural training for alternative careers Identity crisis in the profession of architecture “Architecture is Dead” The “brand” of architect Leadership Advice for recent graduates and interns Don’t be afraid Places and People Mentioned Christopher Pollard Anon Design Collective Fivecat Studio Purepartner by Design Syracuse University Rockwell Group David Rockwell Coca Cola Live Nation (Clear Channel Entertainment) Pininfarina XBOX 360 (Microsoft) Astro Studios JDK Design Bruce Mau Design Imagination Obscura Digital Apple Jonathan “Jony” Ive Steve Jobs Art Vandelay (George Costanza) Links Anon Design Collective The Entrepreneur Architect Podcast: Introduction Episode   iTunes Update The Entrepreneur Architect Podcast is now available on iTunes. Subscribe now and don’t miss the next episode. Please don’t forget to review and give it a rating on iTunes. This will help other Entrepreneur Architects find the podcast.   The post EA001: Architecture is Dead | An Interview with Christopher Pollard appeared first on EntreArchitect // Small Firm Entrepreneur Architects. Mentioned in this episode:Context & ClarityContext & ClarityFrosty & Fired Up

One month ago, on November 12, 2012, I published a blog post introducing The 12/12/12 Project. The idea behind the 12/12/12 Project is to push through your fear of failure, make a decision final and commit to something that will literally alter your life. Something that you have been dreaming about but have always been afraid to do. It’s an opportunity to follow your passion and become what you are truly meant to be. My challenge to you, and to myself, was to prepare a plan and commit to executing that plan on December 12, 2012. Well that day has come. Today, is 12/12/12. So what is my 12/12/12 Project? Click the link below to find out. I hope you enjoy it. Please take a moment to post a comment and tell me what you think. Click Here To Listen Now –>> EA000 _ Introduction- The Entrepreneur Architect Here’s the Transcript: Episode 000 | Introduction: The Entrepreneur Architect Podcast Every summer as a kid, my parents would load up the old Suburban, hook up the boat and head to a crystal clear lake in upstate New York’s Adirondack Mountains. My brothers and I would look forward to that trip all year long. In anticipation our imaginations would take over and create an event so amazing that the excitement of thinking about the vacation was almost more fun than the actual trip itself. We had such a great time on those trips. We would swim and picnic and fish and go on long rides in the boat. My Dad is a retired auto mechanic and he loves all things FAST. Our boat was a 27 foot Magnum; an offshore powerboat with twin 350 Chevy engines… and it was FAST. We would strap on our goggles, hang on tight and we would race across the top of the waves. We would visit amazing places on the lake; which as a kid I would imagine were undiscovered territories never before seen with human eyes. Some of these special coves and bays are surrounded by shear cliffs where hundreds of thousands of years ago tectonic activity ripped through the region and mountains rose from the earth. Sometimes we would anchor and swim to shore, climb these cliffs… and jump. It is truly an amazing feeling to jump from a 30 foot cliff and plunge into cool deep water below but it is NOT easy to do the first time. The first time you climb to the top of one of these cliffs and look down, your heart pushes up against your throat and your stomach tightens up and you say, NO WAY am I jumping into that water. You are filled with complete and total fear. But then your courage pushes through your fear… and you just do it! And it is awesome. The feeling of pride. The freedom. The physical sensation of the wind whipping past your ears and the adrenaline pumping through your veins finding its way to your brain. It is amazing. And its a feeling that I haven’t felt in a very long time. Until now. One month ago, on November 12, 2012, I published a blog post introducing The 12/12/12 Project. The idea behind the 12/12/12 Project is to push through your fear of failure, make a decision final and commit to something that will literally alter your life. Something that you have been dreaming about but have always been afraid to do. It’s an opportunity to follow your passion and become what you are truly meant to be. My challenge to you, and to myself, was to prepare a plan and commit to executing that plan on December 12, 2012. Well that day has come. Today, is 12/12/12. So what is my 12/12/12 Project? I will get to that in a moment. First, I want to tell you a little bit about me. My name is Mark LePage and I am an Architect. I am the President and Partner in Change of Operations at the architecture firm, Fivecat Studio, which I own with my most beautiful and talented architect wife Annmarie McCarthy. Annmarie and I have three young kids, two dogs and let’s just say several cats oh, and a guinea pig named Reilly. Annmarie and I are slowly restoring our little 1934 stucco cottage in the woods of Chappaqua, New York. It’s about a 10 minute commute from our studio in Pleasantville. Being married to my business partner and working so close to home allows me to be a very involved Dad. My kids are a huge part of my life and Annmarie and I have worked very hard to find the proper balance between the firm and our family. Fivecat Studio is a residential architecture firm located about 40 minutes north of Manhattan in Westchester County. We have a small staff, a diverse portfolio of work and we specialize in high-end small projects. These past five years have been extremely challenging, but with a loyal crew and a smart business strategy, we have survived. And in this economy, survival is success. I decided to become an architect when I was 10, the day I realized that artists didn’t make much money. You see, I also wanted to be rich. So… I thought “Architects are professionals. They must make a lot of money. I can be an artist, design buildings AND buy all the toys I would ever want.” L