As Founder and CEO of Indigo River, Dena Prastos, AIA, is the first "waterfront architect," trailblazing a new category in the industry. Indigo River is a women-owned transdisciplinary design firm focused on progressive waterfront architecture, resiliency,  and climate adaptation. A leading authority in New York Harbor and beyond, the firm specializes in climate adaptation through waterfront solutions that seamlessly transcend boundaries - guiding and executing projects from ideation through final construction and operations. 

Waterfront architect, civil engineer, futurist, climate adaptation expert, entrepreneur, and create original, Dena is driven to transform the built world at the water's edge. With transdisciplinary and progressive views, she is fueled by the overlapping of design, technology, and nature. 

Dena is a licensed architect with a graduate degree in civil engineering. Born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, she deeply appreciates nature and humankind's ability to design, build, and create infrastructure in some of the world's harshest conditions. Dena is an experienced leader of innovative leading projects around the world, directing infrastructure construction, marine engineering, and the design of waterfront architecture. This experience has given her the tools to navigate the firm's diverse client work with her unique vision and competency in construction, engineering, and waterfront architecture. 

As a one-stop shop for solutions at the water’s edge, Indigo River works on notable projects around New York Harbor including East Side Coastal Resiliency in Manhattan, Robert De Niro's Wildflower Studios in Astoria, River Ring in Williamsburg, and the  Harlem River Greenway in East Harlem.  

Before starting Indigo River, Dena worked at DCAK MSA Architecture and Engineering as the Director of Project  Management and Business Development, McLaren Engineering Group as a senior project manager, and at The Conti Group.  Dena earned her Bachelor of Architecture at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), where she subsequently completed a  graduate degree in Civil Engineering. At NJIT, she was a Division 1 soccer player. After gaining valuable experience in the industry, she went to Harvard Business School’s “Leading Professional Service Firms” Executive Education program.  

She serves on the National Council of Architectural Registration Board’s (NCARB) Future Collaborative. In 2021, she joined the AIA Resilience and adaptation Advisory Group, and in 2022 she was asked to join AIA’s YAF Summit 30: Mission 2130;  the Summit seeks to respond to critical issues present in the profession, namely, to address challenges the architecture profession will face in the next century, focusing on architecture, society, and our planet. She also serves on her local Planning  Board in historic Grand View-on-Hudson, New York. 

In this episode we will discuss:

• Intrapreneurialism in practice what that means and how to cultivate it 
• Why defining a new niche and category of architecture has been so important and successful for the firm
• How multiple service offerings within their niche act as paid-for marketing

To learn more about Dena visit her:

Website: https://www.indigoriver.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indigo_river_/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/indigo-river-consulting/

► Feedback? Email us at podcast@businessofarchitecture.com

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Carpe Diem!

​​Today I will be speaking with Principals Marlon and Meryati Blackwell of Marlon Blackwell Architects. Despite operating in a region where architecture can be overlooked, the Blackwells’ firm has amassed an important and impressive body of work across a wide range of project types. The firm is ready to tackle any project that serves the common good, regardless of scale and budget while applying the highest standard of design.

Marlon Blackwell, FAIA, is a practicing architect in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and serves as the E. Fay Jones Distinguished Professor at the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas.

Blackwell is a lifetime member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters are the recipient of the 2020 AIA Gold Medal, the Institute’s highest honor, which recognizes those whose work has had an enduring impact on the theory and practice of architecture.

He was a 2019 William A. Bernoudy Architect in Residence at the American Academy in Rome, inducted into the 2018 National Academy of Design, and selected as a 2014 United States Artists Ford Fellow. He received the E. Fay Jones Gold Medal from the Arkansas AIA in 2017 and the 2012 Architecture Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Work produced in his professional office, Marlon Blackwell Architects (MBA), has received national and international recognition with significant publication in books, architectural journals, and magazines, and more than 140 domestic and international awards. MBA received the 2016 Cooper Hewitt National Design Award in Architecture and ranked #1 in Design as part of the 2016 Architect 50. A monograph of Marlon’s early work, “An Architecture of the Ozarks: The Works of Marlon Blackwell”, was published in 2005 by Princeton Architectural Press, which will also publish a new monograph titled “Radical Practice” to be released in 2022.

In today’s episode we will be discussing:

• The Practice’s recent book Radical Practice https://www.marlonblackwell.com/radical-practice/
• Why Arkansas proved to be such a successful place for an architecture practice
• Working as a husband and wife team

To learn more about Marlon and Meryati visit their:

Website: https://www.marlonblackwell.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marlonblackwellarchitect

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marlonblackwellarchitects/

Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/marlonblackwellarchitect

► Feedback? Email us at podcast@businessofarchitecture.com

► Access your free training at http://SmartPracticeMethod.com/

► If you want to speak directly to our advisors, book a call at https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/call

► Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for updates:

https://www.youtube.com/c/BusinessofArchitecture

*******

For more free tools and resources for running a profitable, impactful, and fulfilling practice, connect with me on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessofarchitecture

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/enoch.sears/

Website: https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BusinessofArch

Podcast: http://www.businessofarchitecture.com/podcast

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/business-architecture-podcast/id588987926

Android Podcast Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/BusinessofArchitecture-podcast

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Access the FREE Architecture Firm Profit Map video here: http://freearchitectgift.com

Download the FREE Architecture Firm Marketing Process Flowchart video here: http://freearchitectgift.com

Carpe Diem!

Today I will be speaking with KOVA Vice President Dan Sullivan, AIA, NCARB––a licensed architect who has never really practiced “traditional” architecture––has set out to develop circularity-driven building solutions to enhance building performance and longevity from the inside out.

His initial experience lay with whimsical designs in China and Israel, Burning Man’s Catacomb of Veils, and progressive, geometric architecture practice. As Head of Design for Google Architecture’s R+D Lab, Dan discovered his passion for building solutions that lend to a healthier built environment, enhance end-user outcomes, and improve neuroaesthetics.

It was through his professional experience that he realized just how wasteful architecture and construction can be and he has set out to remedy this conundrum. At KOVA, he is constantly challenging the status quo while addressing climate change, the psychology of space, and the material waste produced by the industry.

On today’s episode we will be discussing:

• The emergence of new collaborative business models closing the gap between construction, products, software and design
• How KOVA operates across numerous domains
• Skunk works, Google R&D labs and the importance of play and experimentation

To learn more about Dan visit his:

Website: https://kovaproducts.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kovaproducts/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kovaproducts/

► Feedback? Email us at podcast@businessofarchitecture.com

► Access your free training at http://SmartPracticeMethod.com/

► If you want to speak directly to our advisors, book a call at https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/call

► Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for updates:

https://www.youtube.com/c/BusinessofArchitecture

*******

For more free tools and resources for running a profitable, impactful, and fulfilling practice, connect with me on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessofarchitecture

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/enoch.sears/

Website: https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BusinessofArch

Podcast: http://www.businessofarchitecture.com/podcast

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/business-architecture-podcast/id588987926

Android Podcast Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/BusinessofArchitecture-podcast

Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9idXNpbmVzc29mYXJjaGl0ZWN0dXJlLmxpYnN5bi5jb20vcnNz

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Access the FREE Architecture Firm Profit Map video here: http://freearchitectgift.com

Download the FREE Architecture Firm Marketing Process Flowchart video here: http://freearchitectgift.com

Carpe Diem!

Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Roger Krulak, CEO of Full Stack Modular.  For twelve years, Roger served as SVP of Mixed Use and Residential Development at the Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC). During that time, he was responsible for entitling and planning over 1,000 residential apartment units integrated into many of FCRC’s retail projects.

Roger spearheaded the first R&D project for modular construction at FCRC in 2008. This initiative led to the creation of FC Modular division, which focused on incorporating technology into construction workflows and using modular building systems. 

In 2016, Roger formed FullStack Modular after assembling an investment group to purchase FC Modular’s IP and facilities from FCRC. Since its founding, FullStack Modular has established itself as a first mover in using advanced technologies for building design and high-rise modular construction. Their current pipeline includes hundreds of thousands of buildable square feet for hospitality, multifamily, and student housing.

Roger received the Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award in 2014 for his work on creating a high-rise  modular process. He also sat on the International Panel of Experts for Singapore from 2014-2016. He is a frequent speaker at the country’s top design schools and universities, including MIT, Harvard, and Yale. He has been publicly recognized as a leader in innovation with multiple features in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Wired, and many others. 

In today’s episode we will be discussing:

• The future of modular construction and design manufacture 
• Successful relationships with architects
• How modular construction will play a vital role in the future of sustainability

To learn more about Roger visit his:

Website: https://www.fullstackmodular.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fullstackmodular/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FullStackModular/

► Feedback? Email us at podcast@businessofarchitecture.com

► Access your free training at http://SmartPracticeMethod.com/

► If you want to speak directly to our advisors, book a call at https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/call

► Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for updates:

https://www.youtube.com/c/BusinessofArchitecture

*******

For more free tools and resources for running a profitable, impactful, and fulfilling practice, connect with me on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessofarchitecture

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/enoch.sears/

Website: https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BusinessofArch

Podcast: http://www.businessofarchitecture.com/podcast

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/business-architecture-podcast/id588987926

Android Podcast Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/BusinessofArchitecture-podcast

Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9idXNpbmVzc29mYXJjaGl0ZWN0dXJlLmxpYnN5bi5jb20vcnNz

*******

Access the FREE Architecture Firm Profit Map video here: http://freearchitectgift.com

Download the FREE Architecture Firm Marketing Process Flowchart video here: http://freearchitectgift.com

Carpe Diem!