Innovation by Design

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

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 03:00:00 -0400

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:

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

Mon, 25 May 2026 03:00:00 -0400

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

Designing with Simulations: A New Era for Architecture

Mon, 11 May 2026 03:00:00 -0400

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.

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

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 03:00:00 -0400

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

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

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 06:15:00 -0400

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.

Neural Architecture — How AI Is Rewriting the Rules of Design

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 06:10:00 -0400

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

Building the Community That Drives AEC Innovation

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 06:05:00 -0400

In this episode, hosts Evan Troxel and Candace Kitchen sit down with David Mans, Director of AECtech at Thornton Tomasetti's CORE studio, to explore the intersection of computational design, community building, and hands-on innovation in AEC.

David traces his path from undergraduate architecture at Pratt Institute through early computational design experiments to leading what has become one of the industry's most influential technology conferences. He explains how parametric and computational design opened the door to discovery and surprise in the design process, and how that same spirit of experimentation now drives the AECtech hackathon format.

The conversation digs into what actually happens at an AECtech event, from hackathon teams building working prototypes in 24 hours to symposium panels on technology-driven career paths in architecture. David shares standout moments, including the hackathon project that became the foundation for Rhino Compute, and a recent London hack where agents simulated consultant negotiations before a project even started.

David also reflects on the tension between automation and reflection, the value of cross-industry thinking, and why Thornton Tomasetti continues to invest in these events as a way to stay ahead of where the industry is headed.

Key Topics

How computational and parametric design introduced the idea of discovery and surprise into the architectural design process
The origin and evolution of AECtech from a single New York hackathon to five global events per year
Why the hackathon format works: constrained time, self-forming teams, and cross-disciplinary collaboration
Standout hackathon projects, including the prototype that became Rhino Compute and an agent-based consultant negotiation tool
The emergence of agentic AI workflows and MCP protocols at recent events
Career paths for technologists in AEC and how senior leaders who started in computational design are now shaping firm culture
The importance of reflection and downtime in an era focused on automation and speed
What Thornton Tomasetti and CORE studio gain from hosting and participating in these events
Cross-industry inspiration: bringing agile and Kanban workflows from software development into architectural project delivery

About the guest

David Mans is the Director of AECtech at Thornton Tomasetti's CORE studio. David oversees the AECtech conference series, which now runs five events per year across the globe, bringing together professionals from architecture, engineering, construction, software, and AI to explore emerging technologies through hackathons, workshops, and symposiums. David is also the author of over 20 Grasshopper plugins, a Visiting Associate Professor at Pratt Institute, and formerly the Senior Computational Designer at Grimshaw Architects, where David worked on projects including the award-winning Dubai Expo 2020 Sustainability Pavilion, Terra.

Welcome to the Innovation by Design Podcast

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0400

In this teaser episode, hosts Evan Troxel and Candace Kitchen introduce Innovation by Design, a new podcast produced by Total Door Systems.

You will hear what the show is about, why it exists, and what to expect in Season 1, including conversations on small firm excellence, design equity, healthcare mega-projects, and how specifications can be a strategic advantage in the building industry.

Subscribe now so you get all the episodes.

About the show

The Innovation By Design podcast is a Total Door Systems and TRXL Media production.

Learn more about Total Door Systems at https://totaldoor.com

Learn more about TRXL Media at https://trxlmedia.com