The Future. Built Smarter.
by IMEG Corp.
Engineers and designers from IMEG, a top 5 U.S. engineering firm, discuss innovative and trend-setting building and infrastructure design with architects, owners, and others in the AEC industry. Topics touch on all market sectors, engineering disciplines, and related services.
Episodes
-
Emerging drone threats require early, proactive defense security
As drone technology continues to advance, building owners and designers face a rapidly evolving threat landscape. How drones are changing security planning—and what the future may hold for protecting facilities, critical infrastructure, and public spaces—is explored in this episode featuring Ryan...
-
HCD10 Industry MVP places clients in XR to fully experience design
This episode examines the use of extended reality in the AEC industry through the eyes of Abby Coleman, winner of Healthcare Design magazine’s HCD10 Industry MVP Award. As IMEG’s extended reality specialist, Abby has spent the last four years creating immersive experiences people can step into.…
more -
WCAP Part III: The structural trail to net zero carbon by 2050
In the final installment of a three-part series on IMEG’s 2026 Whole Carbon Action Plan (WCAP), senior sustainability and energy engineer Laura Hagan discusses how the company is tackling embodied carbon in structural systems. IMEG’s carbon reduction journey began four years ago when the firm...
-
WCAP Part II: Climbing the mechanical mountain to net zero carbon
IMEG’s mechanical engineering decarbonization efforts take center stage in this episode, the second in a three-part series on the firm’s 2026 Whole Carbon Action Plan (WCAP). Guest Lindsey Chappelle, an IMEG senior sustainability & energy engineer, explains that the mechanical component of the…
more -
Net zero carbon on all projects by 2050? IMEG has a plan
First in a three-part series. Can an engineering firm reach net zero embodied and operational carbon on all its projects by 2050? If so, what must be accomplished between now and then? Answers to these questions and more are discussed in this episode featuring IMEG’s Director of Sustainability,...
-
Urban planning sets the stage for improving communities
Susan VanBenschoten, IMEG Director of Urban Design, Planning, and Engagement, joins host Joe Payne to discuss the expansive services and expertise of her team. With 40 years of experience in the community planning and civil infrastructure industry, Susan previously was CEO of FHI Studio, a large...
-
From scholarship recipient to designer: ‘Every day I’m learning something new’
This episode is a conversation with Juan Moreno, an electrical designer at IMEG and a past recipient of the firm’s engineering scholarship program. Juan received one of the thirty $10,000 scholarships awarded when the program was launched in 2023. Born in Miami, Juan spent his childhood and teen...
-
Planning early is critical for achieving mass timber’s benefits
Considering using mass timber for the first time? IMEG’s Robert Norton provides key considerations in this episode of The Future Built Smarter. A senior structural engineer working out of IMEG’s San Francisco office, Robert has more than a decade of experience designing with mass timber. He says...
-
Small modular reactors: A potential new power source for industrial
Mike Walsh, IMEG Senior Director of Industrial, joins this episode to discuss small modular reactors (SMRs) and their potential for becoming an integral source of power for manufacturers and industrial campuses. SMRs typically produce 50 to 300 megawatts of power, unlike traditional nuclear…
more -
AI-driven site design: Fast, interactive, and often revealing
This episode features IMEG civil project manager Matt Pohlhaus in a discussion on how artificial intelligence is transforming site design. Based in the Washington, D.C., metro area, Matt leads land use and civil engineering projects across Maryland and West Virginia. Increasingly, he says, AI is...
-
Federal healthcare leader: Providing positive outcomes is a mission
Armand Harpin, Director of Federal Healthcare at IMEG, joins this episode to discuss the firm’s extensive work with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Defense Health Agency (DHA), and Indian Health Services. Under Armand’s leadership, IMEG has been ranked the top Veterans Affairs...
-
From dorms to trout ponds: Leveraging waste heat from AI computing
This episode of The Future Built Smarter examines modern high performance computing facilities and the opportunity to use their waste heat as an energy source. “High performance facilities for computing are different than what most people would consider a data center,” says Brandon Fortier…
more -
Healthcare market leader: Less carbon, more AI on the horizon
This episode of The Future Built Smarter explores the evolving landscape of healthcare design and engineering with guest Eric Vandenbroucke, Vice President of Healthcare at IMEG. “2025 started with a lot of optimism, but it’s definitely been a roller coaster,” he says. Despite uncertainty in the...
-
UNLV grad designs alma mater’s ENR ‘Best of the Best’ lab building
This episode of The Future Built Smarter features Robbie Jones, an IMEG project executive and mechanical engineer who led the firm’s design of the new Advanced Engineering Building at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas—ENR’s 2024 Best of the Best Project in the higher education/research…
more -
Extended reality experiences put clients inside design
In this episode of The Future Built Smarter, Abby Coleman discusses IMEG’s use of immersive extended reality experiences, thousands of which have been provided by the firm to project stakeholders. “Extended reality is an umbrella term for virtual reality and augmented reality,” says Abby. “I...
-
Rapidly evolving industries make proactivity critical for success
This episode of The Future Built Smarter—one in a series of conversations with IMEG’s market leaders—examines the industrial and manufacturing sector with Mike Walsh, Senior Director of Industrial. The teams under his leadership work on a broad range of projects from aerospace to wastewater...
-
ENR Best Project elevates Garden’s visitor experience
This episode examines the Missouri Botanical Garden’s new Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center in St. Louis, winner of ENR’s National 2024 Best of the Best Project Award in the cultural category. The LEED Gold project houses an event center, gift shop, meeting spaces, restaurant, and auditorium, and...
-
‘Cautious optimism’ the sentiment in hospitality market
This episode of The Future Built Smarter examines the state of the hospitality market with IMEG’s Bob Winter—one in a series of conversations with the firm’s market sector leaders. Most recently serving as an IMEG client executive in southern California, Bob is now turning his full attention to…
more -
Transportation Market Leader: Roads, bridges improving; much more to come
This episode of The Future Built Smarter features Steve Meyer, IMEG’s Transportation and Bridge Market Leader. “I try to get to know all of IMEG’s client executives and business developers to see where we can help fill the needs of our clients,” Steve says. This holistic approach, he adds, allows...
-
VC firm VP: AI tech should solve problems, not create them
This episode of The Future Built Smarter examines the intersection of AEC technology and artificial intelligence (AI) with guest Alice Leung, Vice President at Brick and Mortar Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm that focuses on construction technology. Alice explains that the firm...
-
IMEG Labs: Early validation for technology and integration
This episode of The Future Built Smarter features Matt Malcolm, leader of IMEG’s newest service, IMEG Labs. “With IMEG Labs we are able to offer our clients third-party unbiased evaluation of technology as part of the design process—ahead of actual construction events or implementation on a...
-
AEC firms need a ‘culture of innovation’ to leverage AI
This episode of The Future Built Smarter features Dr. Sam Zolfagharian, president of the AI consulting firm YegaTech, which helps AEC companies adapt to the era of disruption caused by the introduction of artificial intelligence into the industry. A keynote speaker and author of the forthcoming...
-
Labs2Zero aims to help owners decarbonize their laboratories
Decarbonization of energy-intensive laboratories takes center stage in this episode featuring guests from the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL). “Laboratories are one of the highest consumers of energy because of the needs around safety,” says Gordon Sharp, I2SL…
more -
Antarctica or bust: Site visit sends IMEG to penguin paradise
IMEG’s Peter Monroe joins this episode of The Future Built Smarter to share the experiences of his recent site visit to Antarctica. A former client executive and a structural engineer for 55 years, Peter made the journey from Denver to Antarctica in early 2024 to visit a project at McMurdo…
more -
Part 3 | IMEG Sustainability Champion Anchila Monks: ‘This is the right time’
IMEG’s Anchila Monks is featured in the third episode in a series about the firm’s refreshed Sustainability Plan. A business developer with IMEG, Anchila is also the Sustainability Plan’s champion in the firm’s office in Portland, OR, where she collaborates with her co-workers to implement the...
-
Part 2 | IMEG Sustainability Champion Jessica Lee: ‘It’s really inspiring’
The second in a series of episodes on IMEG’s refreshed Sustainability Plan features Jessica Lee, a sustainability and energy consultant with the firm. Also the Sustainability Plan champion in IMEG’s Chicago office, Jessica collaborates with her co-workers to implement the plan’s mandated and...
-
Part 1 | Power in numbers: IMEG offices rally behind firm’s sustainability plan
In the first in a series of episodes on IMEG’s refreshed Sustainability Plan, Adam McMillen, director of sustainability, and Taylor Gawthorp-Cruse, senior sustainability and energy consultant, discuss key aspects of the initiative. Designed to integrate environmentally friendly practices at the...
-
AI in practice | Part 2: IMEG chatbot gets smarter by the day
In the second of a two-part episode, IMEG software development team lead Steve Germano continues his conversation about IMEG’s internal, AI-powered chatbot, Meg. After a year-and-a-half of development, Meg is now live and serves as a search engine for the firm’s engineering teams and other...
-
AI in practice | Part 1: IMEG chatbot brings decades of data to engineers in seconds
In the first of a two-part episode, IMEG software development team lead Steve Germano joins Mike Lawless and Joe Payne for a conversation about IMEG’s internal, AI-powered chatbot, Meg. After a year-and-a-half of development, Meg is now live and serves as a search engine for the firm’s…
more -
Phius leader keen on passive building’s role in decarbonization
Kat Klingenberg, executive director and co-founder of the non-profit organization Phius, talks about the history and current state of passive building in this episode of The Future Built Smarter. “Passive building principles are not rocket science,” she says. “We're talking about continuous...
-
Northridge at 30: Seismic design advances benefit buildings across U.S.
This episode of The Future Built Smarter podcast provides a high-level look at seismic design and preparedness 30 years after the Northridge earthquake rocked Southern California in 1994. Joining the discussion is IMEG structural engineer and client executive Craig Chamberlain, president of the...
-
IMEG CEO reflects on firm’s growth and career of 47 years (and counting)
IMEG President and CEO Paul VanDuyne talks about the trajectory of his career and the firm’s growth during his 20-year tenure as CEO in this special episode of The Future Built Smarter. The recipient of ENR Midwest’s 2023 Legacy Award, Paul entered the industry as a design electrical engineer 47...
-
How Ann Arbor seeks to lift up an underserved neighborhood through community geothermal
This episode features Missy Stults, Sustainability and Innovations Director for the City of Ann Arbor, MI, one of 11 communities being funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Office to design a community geothermal heating and cooling system. Joining the conversation is...
-
UW Health bringing a proton center powered by the sun to Madison
This episode offers a preview of UW Health’s Eastpark Medical Center in Madison, WI. Expected to be fully open by Fall 2024, the seven-story outpatient facility will offer advanced imaging and lab services, destination services, multidisciplinary adult specialties, and women’s complex care. The...
-
Housing director: ‘We’re providing homes where people can thrive’
Scott Campagna, Senior Director of Housing at IMEG, is featured in this episode—one in a series of conversations with the firm’s market leaders. Scott talks about the subsectors of IMEG’s housing work—neighborhoods, multifamily, student housing, and senior living—and the challenges and...
-
Planning is essential for meeting education market challenges
In a continuing series of discussions with IMEG’s market leaders, this episode of The Future Built Smarter features John Holbert, vice president of education. John discusses the challenges facing the market, primarily those for higher education institutions, which face ever-increasing enrollment...
-
Keeping K-12 students safe demands a holistic security approach
Holistic security considerations for K-12 school design are examined in this 17-minute episode featuring Ryan Searles, IMEG’s security consulting group leader. Ryan spends an average of three weeks of each month traveling the country presenting at conferences or training organizations in crisis...
-
Water, water everywhere—with many improvements needed
This episode—another in a series of discussions with IMEG’s market leaders—features Jack Kusek, market leader for water and wastewater. Listen to the episode and you’ll learn: What PFAs are and what can be done about them Which U.S. city has the largest concentration of lead pipes Why security is…
more -
Environmental issues, expanding specialization key topics in S&T market
In the first of a series of conversations with IMEG market leaders and directors, Brandon Fortier, Director of Science & Technology, joins podcast host Joe Payne and series co-host Steve Rhoades, Vice President of Market Development and Federal Solutions. This episode, like the others to come in...
-
Decarbonization in Healthcare: Why it’s needed, how to get started
Many in the healthcare industry have come to recognize the significant and symbolic role that healthcare organizations, their designers, and builders, can play in reducing the carbon emissions, or greenhouse gases, introduced by the built environment of their facilities. In this podcast episode,...
-
Data is the key to getting more help from your building
The amount of data available from multiple building systems continues to grow exponentially. What this data is and how to decide what to do with it is examined in this two-part episode of The Future Built Smarter. Our guest on these episodes is Brendon Buckley, IMEG Protect Executive for Building...
-
Digital twin uses building data to model effects of system changes
The amount of data available from multiple building systems continues to grow exponentially. What this data is and how to decide what to do with it is examined in this two-part episode of The Future Built Smarter. Our guest on these episodes is Brendon Buckley, IMEG Protect Executive for Building...
-
Team Commissioning Part 2: Applying the concept to federal projects
The concept of team commissioning, the benefits it can bring to any large project with multiple stakeholders, and its application in the federal sector are examined in this two-part episode of The Future Built Smarter. Our guests are Thom Kurmel, President of TDK Consulting—a VA Certified...
-
Team Commissioning, Part 1: Maximizing the ‘Power of the Team’
The concept of team commissioning, the benefits it can bring to any large project with multiple stakeholders, and its application in the federal sector are examined in this two-part episode of The Future Built Smarter. Our guests are Thom Kurmel, President of TDK Consulting—a VA Certified...
-
Microgrids: Taking emergency power beyond code and beyond carbon
What is a microgrid? What are its benefits? Does it offer a good return on investment? Answers to these questions and more are discussed in this episode featuring Mike Zorich, IMEG’s Vice President of Healthcare, and Eric Vandenbroucke, Senior Director of Healthcare. “A microgrid is a collection…
more -
From balsa airplanes to a lifetime achievement award: An interview with Cliff Schwinger
In this episode we visit with IMEG’s Cliff Schwinger, a senior structural engineer in Philadelphia and recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Institute of Steel Construction. Cliff has more than 40 years of experience, is a nationally recognized quality assurance expert…
more -
‘Unique moment in history’ gives engineers a critical task
This episode of The Future Built Smarter features a 15-minute conversation with Robin Greenleaf, an IMEG managing principal and the immediate past chair of the American Council of Engineering Companies—the first woman to hold that position. Robin shares her key takeaways from her time on the ACEC...
-
A PDQ summary of Inflation Reduction Act’s clean energy provisions
IMEG Director of Sustainability, Adam McMillen, joins this 14-minute episode to provide a summary of the clean energy and climate provisions included in the Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA. “At a high level, the act has really opened the door for taking advantage of these incentives while also...
-
CPTED: A holistic strategy in the growing quest for safer buildings
Security continues to become an ever more important aspect of building design, and in this episode, we focus on the security strategy known as Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, or CPTED. Our guest is Ryan Searles, a senior security consultant at IMEG and certified CPTED professional....
-
IDEA! Part 1: Freeing up minds to help foster innovation
In the first of two related episodes, structural engineer Laura Hagan talks about her participation in IMEG's internal IDEA! program, designed to foster innovation and sustainability across the firm and investigate future trends in the AEC industry. The program also frees up participants to focus...
About this show
Engineers and designers from IMEG, a top 5 U.S. engineering firm, discuss innovative and trend-setting building and infrastructure design with architects, owners, and others in the AEC industry. Topics touch on all market sectors, engineering disciplines, and related services.
Hosted by
IMEG Corp.
Categories