Beyond the Surface

39: Tanner Woodford | Championing Design Spirit

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 M

38: Taruna Gupta | Curiosity, Connections, & Community

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 appr

37: Iker Gil | Design is Discovery

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 architect

36: Danielle Tillman | Opening Doors

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

35: Elizabeth Blasius and Jonathan Solomon | Looking Back, Going Forward

Elizabeth Blasius and Jonathan Solomon are founders and partners of Preservation Futures, a firm focused on design, advocacy, and consultancy at the intersection of histo

34: Rana Lee | Who Are You Speaking To?

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

33: Alzira Maldonado Protsishin | A Quilt of Perspectives

Alzira is a Senior Design Architect at EXP focused on architecture in the public realm, particularly infrastructure projects. The conversation discusses Alzira's journey

32: Gabriel Ignacio Dziekiewicz | Design Legacy

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 fi

Behind the Mic: The Beyond the Surface Story

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 p

31: Monica Chadha | Design as Exchange

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 str

30: Pascale Sablan | Authentically You

Pascale Sablan is CEO of Adjaye Associates New York studio, overseeing projects in North and South America and the Caribbean. She is the 315th living African-American wom

29: Rafael Robles | Proof of Concept

Rafael is the co-founder and director of Duo, an innovation studio/lab that works to create built environment innovations for the benefit of society. Listen in for a con

28: Dr. Joseph Renow | Start Conservative, Build Radical

Dr. Joseph Renow is a sociologist of science and technology who focuses on the intersection of expertise and society. Listen in for a conversation about how architects ca

27: Julie Eizenberg | Outside Perspective

Julie is founding partners of award winning Santa Monica based architecture firm, KoningEizenberg Architecture. Together with partner Hank Koning, Julie has been awarded

26: Tom Lee | Drawing from Within

Tom is an award-winning architect and founder of Tom Lee Studio. He has experience across a diverse set of typologies and firms including HDR where he served as Design Pr

25: June Campbell | NOMA Stories from a Purple Spectrum

June Campbell, is a member of the National Organization for Minority Architects Council (NOMAC). She is the wife of Wendell Campbell, one of the founders of NOMA, who was

24: Ann Thompson | Developing History

Ann Thompson, FAIA, is Executive Vice President of Architecture and Design at Related Midwest. She leads the design and planning of projects across the company’s portfoli

23: Annabell Ren | Everywhere All at Once

Annabell Ren is the co-founder of the Chicago based firm, New Office. Listen in to episode to hear her experiences as an immigrant to the US, and for a conversation about

22: Carol Ross Barney | Design is a Superpower

Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, HASLA, is an architect, urbanist, and educator. She is the 2023 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal recipient, of which she is the first

21: Paola Aguirre Serrano | Translating Spaces

Paola is an urban designer and partner at Borderless Studio, a design and research practice based in Chicago and San Antonio. Listen in to hear about Paola's path between