Speaker 1 (00:00):
<silence> Joe Nortrup here from the K-Cup. You know, over the last 34 episodes, we’ve had a lot of conversations about construction, architecture, you know, many different, uh, businesses that make up that industry. But out of all those conversations we’ve had, one thing has been missing, and that was the voice of a female. Well, that changes this week with our interview of licensed architect Lindsay Stewart. This week, Lindsay opens up about what inspired her to enter the design space, what it was like to learn how to navigate a male dominated profession, and what really drives her inspiration for all things architecture. If you’re a young woman and you’re considering a career in architecture, you’re not gonna want to miss this episode. So you found the K-Cup. We’re glad you’re here. Let’s jump in.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
So, Lindsay, welcome. We’re so excited to have you here. Uh, we’re looking forward to hearing, you know, uh, your story about how you got to here, uh, you know, what you look forward to down the road, you know, what you have in store. And we’re also really, uh, excited about hearing your insights, you know, from your perspective as a woman in the design, uh, space. You know, we want to hear your insights about this industry that really affects a big part of our lives. So we’re excited and we’re glad you’re here. And thanks for being here.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Thank you. Thank you for having me. I’m looking forward to chatting with you guys. I think it’s gonna be fun.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Awesome. So, to get started, but just tell us a little bit about your story. Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you’re up to these days.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Yeah. Uh, I’m from a small town, north Baton Rouge, St. Francisville, Louisiana. I, um, grew up there my whole life and went to Louisiana Tech for Architecture School. Graduated in 2015 and, um, soon after, eventually moving back to Baton Rouge to really start my career. And from there, I, I was working in kind of a larger firm in the area, and I was there for about five years, working on licensure, getting a lot of experience, working on all kinds of stuff through that firm. And then in 2021 decided to make a little bit of a change. Uh, Philip sent me a text and we got to talking and, and 20, 21, 22, something like that. Um, ended up being the first hire at current architects. Nice. And, uh, finished my architectural license in 2022, became a licensed architect and Awesome. Been with current architects since. Cool. Awesome.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Yeah. Hey, what, what year were you at Louisiana Tech?
Speaker 2 (02:42):
From 2010 to 2015.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Cool. Makes me feel old, but <laugh> actually, fun fact, I, uh, started my career at Louisiana Tech as well, not my career. My studies at Louisiana Tech as well too. So I started off in architecture at Louisiana Tech and, uh,
Speaker 2 (02:56):
I didn’t know that. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Yeah. He was in the first class, <laugh> 1925. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
<laugh>. Yeah. So I did that for, uh, I did that for about a year and a half, and I transferred to LSU mm-hmm <affirmative>. And, and actually studied architecture at LSU for my first, uh, I guess my first semester there. And then I swapped to C ’em after that. So, anyway.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Oh my gosh, that’s, that’s crazy. Go dogs. But,
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Alright. So let’s jump into your origin story. Okay. I’ve got a lot of questions and I need answers, <laugh>. Okay. So, uh, I want to talk about first about the moment that, you know, you knew that architecture was gonna be the thing for you. When, when did you have that epiphany?
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Probably not as soon as most people do. I didn’t like grow up knowing architects. My family didn’t know architects. It was actually my mom who suggested like, what about architecture? When I was a high school senior, even at that point in high school, um, I wasn’t super studious. I, I really didn’t have a clear direction of what I wanted to do. I knew I was going to go to college and study something. And so she kind of put the idea in my head. And I went into architecture school kind of blind. I didn’t really know what to expect, really didn’t have much of an idea what architecture was. I kind of figured it was a creative career. Yeah. A way to be creative and make money. Right. And still, like, have a salary and stable job Yeah. Without being like a starving artist. Gotcha. So that, that kind of like, kept me interested and, you know, so I kind of went for it. And it took a while through architecture school. I was enjoying it, but still kind of like, it took a while to, to kind of understand like, oh, this is what this could look like after school. Yeah. And as far as like a career, but our, our third year in our curriculum, we had a design build studio. And that for me was when it kind of like, the click happened in my head. You know, this is what I, you’ve been
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Running outta years.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
I know. I was like, you better stick with it or make a switch now. It’s kind of now or never. Yeah. But after that studio is when I kind of, I think I saw what potentially could be my strengths in, in this career path and Awesome. And also like the impacts of what your efforts as a designer, as an architect, how they impact people and communities and stuff like that. And that was, that was the first time I really kind of saw it come to life. So after that I was like, yeah, I’m that I’m pretty sure this is what I wanna do. That was it. At that point. I stuck it out. So
Speaker 3 (05:24):
I can kind of relate to that. I, uh, I likewise felt like, I mean, I was decent in high school, I performed pretty well or whatever, but I really didn’t know like, what I wanted to do. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. I, I, I remember like sitting with the advisor at Louisiana Tech actually, like, having some discussion, like, what do you like to do? I mean, I like to draw, I like to build stuff. I was like, sounds like architecture. So literally it’s like, that’s kind of how I started in architecture. And, you know, I actually enjoyed architecture at Louisiana Tech. Now, once, once I moved to LSU, it’s, it was a different animal for me. Yeah. It was, it was very different expectation. Just very different program. Uh, so who knows, maybe if I stayed at Louisiana Tech, maybe I, maybe I’d be an architect. But, uh, anyway, definitely could relate to what you’re saying. I, I, I kind of started off the same way. Like,
Speaker 2 (06:10):
So what made you switch to construction?
Speaker 3 (06:14):
So, at Louisiana, tech Architecture was, uh, you know, obviously I didn’t get very deep into it. Only a year, so, but very, very hands-on projects. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. We made lots, lots of little cool gadgets and different stuff. And, uh, you know, some of the studios were drawing studios were actually drawing perspective and different stuff, and I really liked all that. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Now, once I moved to LSU, uh, it was just very different, uh, you know, for, for like, I remember like one of the first studios I went to at LSU, and I’d already been in architecture for a year. Uh, we literally had a, a huge pad of paper and we drew lines for three hours. Like, we drew ’em one direction for three hours. The next class, the professor was like, okay, we’re gonna draw lines vertically today. And we did that for six hours. We literally just drew lines. So it, it just, it was very, a very different program. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Just kinda like lost interest maybe. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Yeah. And, you know, the expectation there was, was very different. Uh, and not necessarily in a bad way. Uh, you know, we, we did a, we actually did a few pretty cool projects in our first studio at LS U2, but like, the level that they wanted these things to be were like manufacture level. I never even used hand tools or anything <laugh>. So it was like, it was a lot, you know, and
Speaker 1 (07:32):
When you get at that micrometer
Speaker 3 (07:33):
Yeah. And, and measurements on those. And too, there was stuff too, like I didn’t start at LSU, I didn’t even realize that they had, maybe I shouldn’t say this out loud, but I didn’t even realize they had a shop where you could like, go get some pretty decent carpentry help and stuff like that. I had no idea. So anyway, it, once I took that first, uh, you know, that first I guess semester at LSUI, I just knew that I needed to do something different. And, and building was, was kind of in line with the thought process, you know, drawing, liking to put stuff together, whatever mm-hmm <affirmative>. So moving the building, it was actually a much better fit. And, um, and, and I, I liked every aspect of it, you know, from there. So, yeah. Cool.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
So, Lindsay, uh,
Speaker 3 (08:14):
Now did I just steal her interview? Yes. Did we just make this about me?
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Yes. We’re gonna cut that whole thing out now that last 85 minutes. <laugh>. No. So let’s get on to this next question, because this is something that’s, that’s, uh, of great interest to me. Who influenced or mentored you along the way? And did you have any female mentors? And if you didn’t, how did that, you know, influence you?
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Yeah, we, when I was in school, I didn’t have a lot of female classmates pretty much the whole time. After a second year, um, you know, there’s a big drop in people changing courses, failing out, or, you know, it’s kind of a very rigorous curriculum and it, it’s not for everybody. And so after second year, there was really like four to five of us girls in, in the studio up through graduation. And so really, those kind of four other girls became my closest friends. And so we really stuck together and kind of had each other’s back and review
Speaker 4 (09:22):
Business financials and projections. Today at 9:30 AM <laugh>,
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Microsoft teams we’re, we’re still teams. Microsoft, close friends today. Sensitive. There also wasn’t many female, um, professors mm-hmm <affirmative>. In the studios as well. So after school, um, I was really fortunate to work in some firms that had a lot of other female architects. And, um, the bigger firm that I was in was very kind of thrown to the wolves mentality. You know, you’re gonna sink or swim, figure it out, or you don’t. Wow. But, but thankfully a lot of people there in general yeah. Were great mentors to me. Uh, awesome. So that, that, that was very formative years for me, um, working at that firm, being exposed to a lot of things, having a lot of people I could go to and, um, being comfortable with them to ask questions and have them mentor me and help bring me up in a way that kinda shaped who I am as a professional now. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Wow. That, that was fortunate. It, it sounds like although you ultimately left that firm, you know, for a smaller firm, it sounds like it was still a great environment that you found a lot of support and peers.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Yeah. I mean, you relate to it. It was definitely kind of a, a crazy whirlwind experience. Um, the firm was doing so much, they were very design focused. It was very exciting working on very, uh, kind of high profile projects. Uh, a lot of exciting things coming through. They were also growing, growing crazy. And so it, it definitely got to a point where, you know, five years in, I kind of like sat back and was like, you know, if I, this is a almost totally different firm than the one that I interviewed in, I be, yeah. Would I interview in a firm like this today? And that, that’s when it was kind of like, it’s not necessarily I was having a bad experience, but for the first time I kind of looked up from the madness of it all and was like, okay, do I still want this?
Speaker 2 (11:13):
Do, is there something else? Like, should I be looking at other things, thinking about other things? ’cause the first several years of my career, I just loved it. I loved working, I loved the projects. I wanted to do everything. I wanted to be on everything. Yeah. And I worked a lot. And so it, it was, you know, right after COVID and I think everyone kind of had that pause and mm-hmm. Yeah. You know, finite kind of like, looked up for the first time took of breath and Yeah. And then the, the opportunity with current architects just happened to, to come at that same point. And I was kind of like, maybe, maybe I’m gonna try a new thing now. So, yeah. But, but yeah, it was, uh, very formative working at that firm and being around those people. A lot of high quality people there. Yeah. Awesome.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
So I’m curious, like when you stopped and had that pause mm-hmm <affirmative>. And you kinda got to think, uh, if, if the current situation wouldn’t have been a avail available to you mm-hmm <affirmative>. Do you think you would’ve tried to make a change or
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Yeah. You what? Yeah, I think so. I think I just realized that I, I was just ready for, for something, something different, something next, basically. Yeah. Something about, I don’t know, the, the pandemic, you know, we all, we all kind of went through experiences with that, but all the time to
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Reflect, huh.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Yeah. And, and so I, I was ready, I was ready for something. Cool.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
Yeah. Sounds like the timing was perfect then.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
Yeah. It, it really was. Mm-hmm <affirmative>.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
So you kind of touched on this. What, um, what surprised you the most about the difference between school mm-hmm. And then actually getting out in the, the real world and applying what you’d learned in school? What’s surprised you the most?
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Let’s see, the, I, I like working so much more than I liked school <laugh>.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
It’s, um, but I think, I think the biggest misconception, and I work with, I talk to students a lot now, in addition to working with current architects, I work with the state licensing board as a licensing advisor. So I go to the universities and talk to students about That’s great. The career and the path to getting licensed and stuff like that. And something that I really want students to understand is, you know, in school they push design a lot. Like design’s very important in school, learning the design principles, learning how to draw all those things, or the foundation of, you know, being an architect. But I think the reality is once you get into the profession, it takes all kinds. Yeah. Right. Not just designers, not just this. And I think being able to learn your strengths in school will help you find your place in the career. Yeah. And so I think what’s so interesting about architecture, this is something that I learned, uh, when I was a young student, somebody told me, once engineers know everything about one thing, <laugh> architects know one thing about everything. Yeah. Our careers are so vast, like our scope’s so vast and varying. Right? And so just because you’re not a designer, or just ’cause you don’t like modeling, or just ’cause you don’t like rendering, doesn’t mean you don’t have a place in the career field
Speaker 1 (14:31):
That’s witnessed by the spec books that are the easiest <laugh> come with these projects.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
Yeah. It takes all kinds of things, all kinds of people with all kinds of different skill sets to, to make a project successful. So, yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
That’s awesome. Uh, so let’s get into the work itself. So let’s drill in a little bit on this. So what aspects of architecture of design actually energize you that gets, gets the blood pumping?
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Yeah. I, I do like design and I lift the creative process, but I think what I love so much about it is that it’s actually problem solving. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. I like the being able to identify a problem and come up with a solution and embedding good design in that solution. Yeah. That’s, that’s what excites me. That’s what I think is really fun. Awesome. I love the point of a project. You know, we have these design phases, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Where you’re, we come up with a schematic design, something that’s very loose. I love the part where we take the schematic design and bring it into design development, where you have this kind of concept of a project mm-hmm <affirmative>. And now you’re saying, okay, let’s make it real. Let’s make it a building.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
So you’re fleshing out that
Speaker 2 (15:36):
Framework. What are the systems? Yeah. What is the exterior, what, you know mm-hmm <affirmative>. What are all the structures and how are those working together to maintain this concept that we came up with? Yeah. I love that part. That’s kind of the first time where you take an idea and you say, okay, now how do you build it? How do you make it real? How do you make it function? Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
You, you know, as a, as a builder, probably the biggest conflict I see between design and function, just in a practical way, it seems to be mechanical, particularly like with HVAC and stuff like that. Just outta curiosity, side note, uh, is that something that you have to give a lot of consideration to when you start fleshing out that design? Like, how are we gonna heat and cool this thing? You know what I mean? Because it’s, you can make stuff look really cool, but it can be very difficult to, you know, to get that space livable,
Speaker 2 (16:24):
Right? Yeah, definitely. I think design alone doesn’t make good architecture. It doesn’t make a good architect. It takes the building science. Yes. The life safety. It takes all of those other technical things as well, to make a good building, to make a good architect. They’re putting all of those technical components in while maintaining a pleasant design, good aesthetics. Yes. You know, not sacrificing aesthetics in order to make all of those other components work as well. That’s, that’s what being an architect is,
Speaker 1 (16:58):
That’s the gold standard right there. Yeah. And, and like John and I have talked about this before, like, we all really live most of our lives in built environments. So like what you’re saying, design is great, the artistic element’s wonderful, but can you live inside that built environment comfortably work and be productive and all that? So
Speaker 2 (17:16):
To me, the good design is the default. If you’re an architect, the design should be good.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Yeah. Awesome.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
And but in order for it to be right, in order to do it well, it takes all those other things. Yeah. And at the end of the day, if you’re doing all those other things at you don’t have a design, you’re being lazy,
Speaker 1 (17:40):
<laugh> Yeah. I mean, for lack of a better term, like, like the, the, the cool design is the sexy part of the pro the project, but all those other things that aren’t, you know, like the mechanical and stuff like that, that, you know, the average person walking in off the street aren’t gonna notice or see they’re just expecting it to function. You know, that’s what you’re saying is that you have to lend as, as much time to figuring that out and incorporating that into your design.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
So, oh, definitely. And I, if you’re doing it well enough, that stuff isn’t getting noticed, right? Yes. Oh, that’s cool. I, I remember, you know, Philip and I have known each other for years, and, um, I think we were attending someone’s wedding in a big Catholic church, and he looked up and he, he was like, I like to play this game of, uh, you know, try to find the air supply, you know, if you’re, if you’re doing it right, all that stuff is concealed and it’s not noticeable and it’s not in your face. Yeah. And so we’re like looking up at the ceilings. Everyone else is like paying attention to the, so we’re like, you know, where’s the HVAC system?
Speaker 1 (18:39):
<laugh>. That’s funny. Because that’s, I think builders junk probably relate to that. Like, every time you walk into a place, you start analyzing those things. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
Mm-hmm
Speaker 1 (18:46):
<affirmative>. As a builder, you’re like, where’s all this stuff at? So, all right. So walk us through a recent project or, you know, recent is a relevant term, but a project that you’re exceptionally proud of, and what was it about that project that really, you know, just lit it up for you that made you feel, come away feeling, you know, like, that was a great job.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
Yeah. I, every time I get the favorite project question, I always say it’s just like the one that I’m, I’m currently working on, because I don’t know, that’s the one that I’m currently learning from, growing from. That’s the one I’m, you know, kind of pouring into. Sure. I
Speaker 3 (19:25):
Don’t, it’s kinda like eating something good. It’s, if you’re eating something good, it’s always the best thing you’ve ever had. That’s right.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
That’s
Speaker 2 (19:30):
Right. Exactly. Once it’s done, it is done. Right. You wanna be present
Speaker 1 (19:33):
With that meal. Yeah. Burger.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
So, to me, that’s the project that I’m currently working on is always gonna be the favorite project. But we did just wrap up, um, a pretty extensive renovation, uh, to a bank in ery. And I mean, we touched from the foundation to the roof. Every, every bit of that building totally transformed it. Wow. There were a lot of challenges, a lot of surprises, um, as, as renovations tend to unveil, you know? Yes. Some, some surprises. Golden, golden surprises. Um, but it was fun and I learned a lot, and I saw some new things, you know, that I hadn’t experienced before. And, um, at the end of the day, it looked just like our renderings <laugh> Nice. Which is really cool. Yeah. To be able to, um, overcome challenges in the field, still accomplish
Speaker 1 (20:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
That initial design goal and have a happy client. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
That’s awesome. So my last question about the work was something that you really already touched on, the balance between the design part and the pragmatic things like, you know, the client’s needs and, and, uh, you know, how the space is gonna be used and all that. So I, I feel like you touched on that. If you, there’s anything you want to add to that, that’s fine. If not, we’re gonna dive into how you navigate this, this industry. Okay. Particularly as a, as a
Speaker 3 (20:57):
Woman. You know, there was a part that, that we didn’t really get at get on, uh, in that last part that you’re referring to. Uhhuh <affirmative>, you know, one thing I feel like you guys do pretty good is, is, I don’t know what y’all call it, but like the pre-design mm-hmm <affirmative>. Like actually doing some of that same due diligence that you’re talking about, but actually making sure that the project’s like feasible mm-hmm <affirmative>. Yeah. Uh, I know that Philip’s done that on a couple of jobs that we’ve worked with, where it’s like, you know, you’re, we’re kind of ready, like, let’s get this thing moving. Let’s jump, let’s get you a contract, because the quicker you guys can get it designed, the quicker we can start building it. And, uh, and, and he really stops to think about some very critical things in the beginning. So I guess it’s just a plug for Kern, but it’s, it’s something that you don’t think about really from an architectural standpoint, but I guess, you know, good architects really do that
Speaker 2 (21:43):
Well, and I think, um, uh, you know, a big element of that is wanting to protect a client, you know, wanting to protect their investment. At the end of the day, we wanna inform them as much as possible mm-hmm <affirmative>. On all the decisions that they’re gonna be making moving forward. Sorry guys.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
No, that’s good.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Happens to me all the time. <laugh>, every episode,
Speaker 3 (22:12):
Literally the biggest meeting I ever had as a general co I say the biggest early on
Speaker 1 (22:16):
Most important <laugh>. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
Like I, I, I sit down and I literally could not talk for like 10 minutes. Yeah. Never. We just eat lunch and something. Yeah. I was very embarrassed.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
Sesame was
Speaker 2 (22:27):
Right. It’s just the little tickle <laugh>
Speaker 3 (22:30):
<laugh>. I, I promise you though, like, at least you’re talking, like, every time I went to say something, it was just like, just,
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Yeah, I’m good there. Believe me. It’s funny how that happens, but,
Speaker 2 (22:39):
But yeah, that pre-design phase, it allows us to kind of, um, do some initial investigating and kind of get ahead of anything that might not be favorable mm-hmm <affirmative>. You know, to, to the project Yeah. In the long term. Yeah. And for clients to have that information up front is, uh, just a way of us being able to use our, our knowledge as professionals Yeah. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And inform them in the best way that they can, so that ultimately they can make the decision that’s best for them. And if that means a project doesn’t go forward, then good. Nobody Right. Spun their wheels and wasted their time and spent money on design documents that they didn’t need. So. Exactly.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
Right. So, one thing, one of one thing that I’ve heard Philip do on multiple sidewalks and stuff is, uh, is is talk about costs that aren’t related to, you know, architecture, construction, any of that. Like, Hey, you know, we keep talking about this budget, but, but remember there’s other costs, whether it’s furniture or whatever, right?
Speaker 2 (23:41):
Yeah. So the, the construction costs, that’s one line here, right? Yeah. You’ve got all these other things too. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
So, I mean, I think that goes a long way with the client, you know, just to, you kind of putting ’em on notice and, and helping ’em, you know, really think through the process. Uh, I, I know the times that we’ve done that, that the client’s always appreciative, so
Speaker 2 (23:58):
Yeah. And a lot of people want that, and, but a lot of people don’t know they need it. Right. A lot of people don’t realize how much more is actually going into it than just having a set of plans. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
That, that really falls kind of under, like, your ethics as mm-hmm <affirmative>. As part of your profession. You know, you have that fiduciary responsibility to your client, not to be taking advantage of ’em. Yeah. Certainly. And some people don’t have that kind of integrity. So when, when clients come across that one, they can, nowadays it’s really easy to identify that ’cause it stands out, and, and two, it makes ’em want to come back and do business with you again in the future.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
Yeah. And hopefully it establishes like a level of trust Oh, for sure. With us as, as we move forward. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
Absolutely. All right. So let’s talk about navigating this, this industry of design and architecture. And I’m gonna throw some stats at you. So, uh, although in recent years, you know, those graduating from architecture programs, uh, that are female has approached now 40, 49%, so almost roughly half. Despite that, currently women only make up 27% of those architects, uh, that are licensed. Out of that 49%, only 27% are licensed. And out of that 27%, only 10%, uh, find their way to leadership positions in the industry. So obviously we’re talking about, uh, an industry that’s traditionally a male dominated, uh, industry. So what I want to dive into here is, you know, get some of your insight into how you’ve developed your own way of navigating this, this industry. And, and obviously you’ve done so successfully. So, uh, I would imagine the environment, uh, you know, does influence how you craft your own style of communication. And, you know, you’ve done that in a way that works for you. So touch on this for just a minute. Uh, you know, like your approach to navigating difficult conversations in the workplace when they come up, you know, from your perspective as a woman in, in this male dominated industry,
Speaker 2 (25:57):
It was definitely intimidating for a while. And I remember my first couple projects, uh, NCA, working with contractors, uh, that was a whole different experience and a whole new group of people and all these new dynamics to kind of figure out and manage. And I went in a little bit naive, and I also knew I didn’t know anything. And so I just, I think I, I thought if I’m just nice, if I’m nice to everybody, well, we’ll figure it all out together. Yeah. It’ll be fine. It’ll go well. And I think that was a little bit naive, and I think there, you know, being young probably didn’t play in my favor. Sure. But there were some times where, um, you know, somebody tried to pull the rug over me or, you know, kind of take advantage of Sure. Niceness or something like that. And I kind of realized like, this, this actually isn’t working for me. <laugh>.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
Yeah. And I, I’ve gotta figure out how to manage this, how to manage the kind of the expectations and how to talk to people that maybe I don’t know how to talk to or talk about things i, I don’t know much about. And, uh, it took a lot of trial and error, but for me, what I realized was there were three characteristics that I felt were authentic to myself, that I could always maintain and stay true in no matter what the conversation was, who I was talking to, what the scenario was. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Uh, and that was being professional. Yeah. Being respectful and being kind. Yeah. And to me, being kind is different than being nice. Sure. You know, being nice is kind of wanting to please others find approval,
Speaker 1 (27:43):
Sometimes even
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Yeah. Be approval. Just, you know, kind of always keep things smooth. Whereas being kind is kind of more rooted in compassion and empathy. And you can be that to someone and still stand your ground. You can still have your boundaries, have your boundaries, set your boundaries. Right. And, and then also expect that from them as well. Yes. Whereas if you’re playing nice, you know, yes. That’s where you start. Maybe you’re not being true to yourself. Maybe you’re not saying the things you really need to be saying. Yes. Um, and then you kind of start playing that game. Yeah. You know, trying to figure out one of another. And I didn’t like that, and it didn’t feel authentic, and I knew as long as I was authentic to who I was, they could see me for who I was as a person. Yeah. And I think that they could learn to trust me.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
Yeah. Even if they didn’t know what I was capable of, or, uh, maybe they were just underestimating who I was or what I knew. You know, I think that kind of approaching the situation like that mm-hmm <affirmative>. It helped me be comfortable in those situations. Yeah. And it helped the other person be comfortable because they were seeing that I was being real with them. Yeah. And, um, and I think that’s where trust starts being established. When you can be real with someone and they see you and they know that you’re trying to work with them, trying to be understanding, you’re approaching a situation with empathy and understanding. If it’s, you know, some sort of combative, argumentative type of environment, then, um, at least they can see you approach it in a way that’s respectful and professional, and hopefully they’re meeting you Yeah. Yeah. With, with that same energy. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:27):
And, and, you know, it’s, it’s a fair approach, you know, no one can say that, that’s not a fair approach if you’re being those three things.
Speaker 2 (29:35):
Right. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
So, um, so have you noticed any advantages or unique perspectives that you bring to the industry simply because you’re coming from this place of being a, a a female architect, a woman in the industry? I think that benefits, you know, the
Speaker 2 (29:52):
Situation, I think some traits that a lot of women have are being good at multitasking, which makes you a good project manager. Being able to balance a lot of projects at once, being able to communicate with a lot of people at once, being able to manage a workload. Um, I think being a good multitasker, I mean, just think, think of any mom you can think of, you know, how many tasks are they doing at any given moment? Yes. And not to say that you have to be a woman or mom to be good at that thing, but I think that that’s a, a really common trait for a lot of women. And then additionally, I think, um, being introspective, being able to self-reflect, being self-aware, to know where your strengths are, where your weaknesses are, I think that leaves you being open to being able to improve and learn and gain from others and hear other people’s perspectives and being able to take that in. Yes. And, um, if you’re being introspective, you can’t be egotistical. Yeah. And, um, so I think those are two, uh, really common traits that women have that, that make us good at what we do.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
Yeah, no, definitely. I, I would agree with that. On, on both counts. Uh, definitely have to be more introspective when you’re, uh, multitasking and like you said, some of the, the qualities that women exude because of, you know, ultimately sometimes becoming a mother. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. You know, I think also feeds into that. So, and that can serve you well in, in the workplace obviously, too. So if you had to give, uh, other young women that are considering a career in our architecture, in the design space, what would it be? If you could give them one piece of advice, what do you think it would be?
Speaker 2 (31:46):
I mean, I think the biggest thing I wanna say is, um, you know, go after the things that you want. Don’t be the one thing, not keeping you from doing the things you wanna do. There’s plenty of obstacles in the road, you know? Yeah. Plenty of things that you have to navigate that just come up with the career or, uh, maybe office politics or, you know, life, but don’t be an additional roadblock in getting to the place you wanna be. Don’t let your own self stop you from doing that. So if there’s something you want to do, set out and do it. Yeah. And don’t let self-doubt or imposter syndrome or anything like that, keep you from doing that.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Yeah. That’s great advice for anybody really. Just, uh, you know, have that focus and, and move forward. Uh, and like you said, just go after what you want. So, but of course, you have to be willing to do the work that, that’s the caveat to that. So. All right. So let’s look forward a little bit. Um, so what trends in architecture are you most excited about? There’s a lot of changes going on. There’s ai, lots of, you know, BIM technology, all sorts of things that, uh, you know, can affect the design space. What, what are you excited about or look forward
Speaker 2 (33:06):
To? Yeah. I’m interested in seeing AI play a role in our careers and our, our field. And I’m someone that really values efficiency, and so, uh, very interested to see what AI as a tool can do for us. Yeah. Um, I think also just kind of evolving as a professional in a, a new young, uh, firm and evolving our firm and seeing, you know, where we end up going and
Speaker 1 (33:47):
A lot of growth
Speaker 2 (33:47):
Opportunities, a lot of growth opportunities, and kind of, you know, paving that path for whatever we want that to be. Yeah. Uh, looking forward to that too. Awesome.
Speaker 3 (33:57):
And that’s gotta be cool for you to be, to be able to be a part of kind of what you saw as an early professional in this other firm that was growing mm-hmm <affirmative>. And doing all these things. And it was probably just kind of blowing your mind, but now here you are in a position to, to help another firm get to that. So Yeah. Seems like a cool, uh, opportunity. Yeah,
Speaker 2 (34:14):
It is cool. And it’s fun. Yes. I think that’s the biggest thing is it’s fun, it’s challenging. I’m liking doing it. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (34:22):
Yeah. If you love to work like you, you clearly do, then, then yeah. You take those challenges as being something to look forward to, and that’s awesome. So, uh, as far as like AI too, I, I also am excited about AI in, in this whole industry. Like, for example, AI taking a set of plans, being able to input a, a, you know, a set of construction documents and the spec book. And then having AI analyze every place in that design where, you know, the builder would want to be aware that, that something in this spec book is associated with this aspect of the project, and you need to be, you know, have a heads up on that. I think that could be great for, you know, people on the, on the construction side of it, being able to interpret those better. ’cause that can be daunting sometimes, particularly if you’re a young project manager and, uh, you haven’t dealt a lot with, with the spec book and stuff, it can be in plans themselves.
Speaker 1 (35:18):
You know, it can be daunting. So I think AI could be a huge help in there. And I can definitely see how on the, on the design side, it would be a huge help. So, so where do you see yourself making the most impact in the next five to 10 years? What, what do you, I know that we’ve talked a little bit about your new, you know, your new role with, with, uh, Kern and, and with, uh, you know, being an advisor to licensing. I’m sure you’ve got some, uh, some plans there. Share with us what you see yourself, you know, doing in the next five to 10 years.
Speaker 2 (35:47):
Yeah, I definitely wanna continue, uh, my role with the state board being a licensing advisor. I’ve really enjoyed doing that, and it’s helping me just stay more connected with the generation that’s coming up. And, um, so I think seeing that through and maybe potentially working with the board in on another, in another capacity, like being on the board itself, you know, helping strengthen our profession in terms of, you know, like the legal practice of architecture and protecting the profession in that capacity. Yeah. Um, I’d, I’d love to contribute in that way as well. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
I think it’s gonna be an exciting time for women in architecture too. I think, uh, you may have mentioned this in, in some of your responses when we were, uh, you know, talking back and forth via email prior to this interview, uh, that, you know, there the baby boomer turnover’s getting ready to happen and, and there’s a lot of leadership positions Right. That are baby boomers and those people were gonna be going
Speaker 2 (36:51):
Right. Getting, you know, away, getting back to the, the numbers of it that you had brought up. Yeah. There recently, I think as of last year was a bit of a dip in the total number of licensed architects. Oh, wow. And I, I think the reason for that is there’s 13% of our licensed architects right now that are over retirement age mm-hmm <affirmative>. And so we’re going to be seeing that drop increase. Yeah. But that’s significant. Also, what we’re seeing is that the pipeline of people entering the field, as you mentioned, being almost 50% female coming in, I think, you know, our industry was male dominated for so long. Yeah. And those men have had long careers mm-hmm <affirmative>. And have worked their way up through firms and firm ownership. And as they retire those positions, those chairs at the tables are gonna open up. Yeah. And hopefully with a higher number of women also entering the field and kind of that dynamic switching to more 50 50, you know, some of those women who have been working their way up as well can start filling those empty seats. So I think there’s a very interesting and cool shift coming in our industry. And I think there’s, you know, firms are gonna look a lot younger <laugh>. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:11):
I’m a witness to that because in my capacity here, you know, in a month’s time, I enter like every major design studio in Baton Rouge, the greater Baton Rouge area. I’m in it once a month basically. And when I walk into those spaces, it, you know, usually they’re set up like these giant classrooms and everybody’s at their computer, but when they all, they all look up. ’cause there’s a disturbance. Usually it’s quite, you can get a pin drop in those places, you know, and then of course, you know, the goofball walks in with cookies and makes it, makes a disturbance, and everyone looks up and the faces looking back at me are, uh, and on a lot of studios or the majority are female. And, uh, so I do see that change happening. And, uh, a lot of the leaders that get up and meet, greet me when I come in, uh, not the majority, but there’s a significant number that are female. So I definitely see that as a trend. There’s a lot of women interested in, in that space. And, uh, and I can see that growth happening, especially like you brought out with that, did you say it was 13%?
Speaker 2 (39:15):
Yeah. Over retirement agents. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (39:16):
That’s, that’s significant. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. I mean, that’s, that’s not just a little bump. That’s, that’s a pretty good chunk. So, interesting. Uh, so on the collaborative side of things, I call this the collaboration zone. So what could a potential client expect their experience to be like in a nutshell, if they were to do business with your firm?
Speaker 2 (39:40):
I think they can expect honesty and transparency. We’re definitely not the firm that’s going to just say yes to everything, to any big idea that someone has. I think, uh, something that we kind of take pride in is being able to ground people in the reality of the numbers of their budget. Ultimately, that that’s what determines if a project’s real or not. You know, being able to actually execute it and, and get it done. Yes. And so I think sometimes, uh, people might find that a bit abrupt, like maybe they weren’t expecting that they, you know, have their own kind of expectation of what their budget should accomplish. Um, yes. But at the end of the day, I think also people, they wanna know that early Yes. Before a big mistake happens. Yeah. And so I think at the end of the day, people really appreciate that. Yeah. And, um, we, we really kind of sit in that from start to finish in a project. Yeah. And just always maintaining honesty and transparency, whether it’s a budget problem, a construction problem, being able to bring that to a client and, and kind of let them know this is what happens. Yeah. This is what happens. These are your options. This is how we can move forward. Um, and just informing them in the, in the best capacity that we can as professionals. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (41:08):
Key, the, the key thing you said that stuck out to me right there was informing them. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. I feel like all of us in our capacity in this industry have a responsibility to educate. You know, as we do business with clients, we also should be educating the public and making more informed, uh, consumers or clients, whatever you wanna call it, investors. A lot of these people are investors that we deal with, I’m sure for you as well.
Speaker 2 (41:33):
Yeah. In, in design and construction, you spend so much time, blood, sweat, and tears in projects and buildings and, you know, making them come to life and it feels like they’re yours. Right. Because you’re, you’re in it so deep and you spend so much time doing it, and it takes so much pouring into, in order to get it done. Yes. But at the end of the day, it’s not, it’s the clients. That’s right. And we have to serve them as professionals. Right. Absolutely. And the best way that we could do that is to educate them and inform them so that Yes. Ultimately they don’t regret where they had end up at the end of the project. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (42:08):
So
Speaker 3 (42:08):
I, earlier I, you know, kind of alluded to some of the things you guys do in the, in the pre-design process. Yeah. And, and you just said that sometimes you think your approach can be a little abrupt to clients. And it’s funny, as you said that me and Philip met with a client not that long ago, and when, when we left, he called me, he’s like, man, like I wasn’t expecting all that. Like, that’s like, I don’t know, reality. But then, but then, but through the conversation, he’s like, but you know what? I appreciate it. Like yes. Like, I needed to hear those things. Like, yeah. And I guess maybe in a, you know, maybe at the beginning it felt negative to him. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. You know, he is like, wow. Like sure man, I didn’t want to hear any of that, but he was like, you know what, I, I appreciate it. Like, I needed to hear that, I needed to be thinking about those things. Yeah. So I just thought I would elaborate on that because it, it’s true, it can be abrupt mm-hmm <affirmative>. But it, but just like that, that, you know, situation I’m talking about, it was appreciated and, and it was a conversation that needed to be had.
Speaker 1 (43:04):
Yeah. It, it reminds me of, uh, a thing that you find on surveys all the time. It’s called the true point of beginning. Whenever you do a survey, you know, the surveyor always drives a stake, and that’s the true point of beginning. And they turn all their angles from that point in that way that you’re, because you’re always coming from that one point that you know that you can rely on the angles and the, and the, you know, the plat is accurate. Well, it’s kind of that conversation that you’re having, you gotta give that client a true point at the beginning, which really starts when the talk about budget and expectations. Exactly. And it, because the budget informs the design. I, I think you would agree with that. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. So, uh, so back to the collaboration zone. I have to put you on the spot with this question, <laugh>, and we won’t hold it against you. Whatever you say <laugh>. So how do you think, here we go. Turn, roll please. How do you think contractors and architects could improve their collaboration with one another? Big question. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (44:01):
I think, I mean, in order to be collaborative with anyone, you, you have to remove the ego from it. You have to be able to hear someone and listen to them, take in their information. You have to be willing to give also in order to be collaborative. And I think being able to approach a working relationship with the idea of, what can I learn from you? What can you learn from me? That’s what’s gonna create a collaborative relationship, and that’s gonna be what allows you to work well together. Nice. If we don’t go into a project saying, I know everything about this. Yes, John only knows about X, Y, and Z. Yeah. Right. Like, we’re starting off combative mm-hmm <affirmative>. Out the gate. Yeah. But if I go into it, like, I know John knows a lot of about blah, blah, blah. Yeah. I could know more. There’s so much more I could know about these things. Absolutely. And if we work together, I could gain some of that from him. If we have a mutual understanding of this is how we work together, then it’s, it’s gonna, collaboration’s just gonna Yeah. Be second to that.
Speaker 1 (45:12):
Yeah. Collaboration’s an obsession of mine. <laugh>, I, I, I do a lot of studying and writing about collaboration and what you were talking about. You know, when, when you know, when builders and architects come together and the, and the egos in the room, that’s the antithesis of collaboration. Collaboration means to create together mm-hmm <affirmative>. And you literally are gonna create something together. So, uh, it’s getting that mindset right. And, and that I’m kind of on a, uh, a, a mission to kind, you know, wherever I have opportunities to inform people about what collaboration is and the benefits of it. Like, I even say that in, in my mind, collaboration is better than the competition. It beats competition every time, even with, you know, your peers in the industry, like for example, two architect firms could collaborate on something and produce a really, a superior product for some stakeholder.
Speaker 1 (46:07):
Or you can just be doggedly competing with each other, and both of you, they miss out on a project or, or miss out on an opportunity. So, and, and I think that we have adopted that mentality with architects. We want to collaborate, we want to work with you. Uh, and I think contractors have a lot to offer in that regard. Like, we know what stuff really costs because we’re out there, you know, doing the work every day. And so I think contractors are able to help inform, you know, architects budgets mm-hmm <affirmative>. As they’re doing the design process. The pro, the problem that we see a lot is that the, the way the system’s set up, a lot of times y’all don’t get to talk to a contractor until it’s out bid, when really we should be talking way before that, you know, if possible.
Speaker 2 (46:53):
So yeah, there’s definitely, I mean, certain situations where hard bid is the process, and yeah. There’s definitely things, you know, once it gets into the construction where it’s like, man, I wish we would’ve known. Yeah. I wish we could’ve, you know? Yeah.
Speaker 3 (47:08):
Yeah. Well, to me, collaborative, like there’s a couple of different arenas mm-hmm <affirmative>. You know, you have that public bid arena Yes. Where collaborative means something completely different than Totally Yeah. On a negotiated project where we’re coming together as a team in the beginning and, and doing some of the stuff that you’re talking about. Exactly. You know, and the public being collaborative means, you know, working together on a set of plans that are already completed.
Speaker 1 (47:30):
It’s collaborating with the stakeholder to give ’em the lowest price <laugh>. That’s
Speaker 3 (47:33):
<laugh>. Well, I mean, and I mean, and actually working with the architect and, and, and, you know, yeah. Making sure you keep the design, you know, as it is. But, but still, there’s gonna be challenges. There’s still things that we have to work together on, try to stick to that boat, but then collaborative in this other arena is completely different. It, it’s more like, let’s do this as a team. Let’s come up with everything together. Yeah. So, I mean, it’s important in both arenas. Yeah. Uh, but, but definitely different meaning to me. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (48:00):
Yeah. Whenever you can get the design, you know, or the construction documents to reflect the budget accurately, that’s a win-win, you know, like we talked about a little bit. So that’s the ultimate goal. Yes. So, all right. Any closing thoughts that you want to leave the listeners with? Because I guarantee you once I go into these design studios that are 50% women and let ’em know that Lindsay Stewart is on the K-cup and they’re gonna want to check, you know, tuned in and check it
Speaker 2 (48:27):
Out. Yeah, I hope so. I mean, I just, I hope more architects chat with more contractors. This is, this was fun and I Awesome. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (48:38):
We really appreciate you being here and taking the time. I know you’re busy. Definitely. And, uh, we’re very grateful that you’re here. So
Speaker 3 (48:44):
Yeah, Lindsay, thanks for coming on the show. We, uh, we, we thank highly of you. We think you’re, appreciate that. You’re a great architect, great person. We knew all that before the show. Sure. But, uh, really cool to hear how you got to where you’re at. Yeah. Uh, so thanks for coming on. One thing that you said that I really liked was, uh, the difference between being kind and nice. That’s a very, very good tool for, uh, young professionals. I, I can relate to, you know, somewhat maybe trying to be taken advantage of mm-hmm <affirmative>. As a young general contractor. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Uh, so that was very, very well said. And, uh, that can go along with the other, uh, advice she gave to, to the young people. So, yeah. Appreciate that. So, yeah, so Awesome. Thanks for having y’all. Thank you. Thanks for coming on. Alright, great.