Trends + Tensions in Architecture and Design presented by BHDP

In this episode, we explore how designing student housing and campus experiences can cultivate a deeper sense of belonging, and why that matters more than ever. As today's students seek connection, flexibility, and purpose from their college experience, institutions must rethink how residential environments contribute to engagement, well-being, and overall success.

In this episode, we explore how the next generation of learners is reshaping expectations around education, and what that means for the spaces designed to support them. As Gen Alpha grows up in a world defined by rapid technological change, evolving social dynamics, and personalized experiences, higher education design must adapt in response.

In this episode, we explore what it truly means to meet students where they are—how trust, hospitality, and advocacy play a role in rethinking retention and building a sense of belonging on campus.

In this episode, we explore how higher education institutions can better align strategic and master planning processes to create adaptable, long-term frameworks that support academic goals, respond to evolving student needs, and ensure campus resiliency in an uncertain future.

This episode explores how colleges and universities are evolving to better serve today's diverse, non-traditional, and career-focused learners. Experts discuss innovative approaches to flexible learning, student support, and workforce alignment in the rapidly changing landscape of higher education.

This podcast episode delves into the critical role marketing and enrollment play in shaping the overall campus experience. From first impressions to long-term engagement, the conversation highlights how authentic messaging and strategic outreach can attract and retain the right students.

This episode explores how independent colleges leverage athletics to enhance admissions, balance budgets, and optimize campus spaces. Our expert guests share strategies and insights on program growth, space repurposing, and the evolving role of athletics in higher education. 

In this episode, we explore how CFOs are redefining financial strategy to drive innovation, resilience, and long-term success across higher education campuses. Featuring insights from industry leaders, the conversation highlights emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the future of campus planning and investment.

As the makeup of the student population continues to evolve, traditional residential campuses must adapt to meet the needs of a broader range of learners. In this episode, we explore the challenges and opportunities facing higher education, from shifting enrollment trends to the reimagining of campus spaces and funding strategies, all with the goal of creating vibrant, inclusive learning environments for the future.

In today's competitive manufacturing landscape, retaining top talent goes beyond wages—it's about creating worker-friendly environments that enhance productivity, well-being, and job satisfaction. This episode explores how thoughtful design can give manufacturers a strategic advantage in attracting and retaining skilled employees. Industry experts discuss the key design strategies that foster loyalty, improve efficiency, and ultimately drive long-term success.

In this episode, we explore how integrating pedagogy, space, and technology can transform classroom design in higher education. Our experts discuss the critical role of flexible environments, active learning strategies, and cutting-edge technology in enhancing student and facility engagement and academic success. Learn how thoughtful design can create more effective and dynamic learning experiences.

In this episode, we explore the growing influence of Generation Alpha—the digitally native and socially conscious cohort poised to reshape higher education. Join us as we discuss their unique needs and preferences and how thoughtful design can create spaces that empower their learning experiences and future success. 

In this episode, we explore the critical role of facility condition assessments in shaping the future of higher education campuses. Learn how these evaluations provide insights into maintenance priorities, budget planning, and long-term campus sustainability. Discover why addressing facility needs is key to creating environments that support student success and institutional growth.

In this episode, we explore how AI is transforming higher education. BHDP's Mike Garvey, Client Leader, and UT Knoxville Lecturer Blaze Bowers discuss the opportunities and challenges AI presents for students, educators, and institutions and what the future holds for technology in academia.

In this episode, we are bringing back Ron Schumacher and Jennifer Fehnrich of Terra State Community College; Todd Hernandez of Northwest State Community College, and Tom Sens of BHDP to discuss the outcomes of their campus master plans created last year.

Have you ever wondered how design can promote employee well-being? BHDP's Andrew McQuilkin, Design Leader, and Brittany Clark, Interior Designer, join Trends + Tensions to take "designing for people" to the next level. In this episode, they discuss how the science behind happiness can influence design and architecture. 

Nishar Fatema, Global Workplace Strategy Manager for ServiceNow, joins Trends + Tensions to discuss her work within the metaverse to bridge the gap between remote workers and their physical workplace. Since the pandemic, remote work has become a new norm, but interpersonal connections have weakened. Nishar and her team are exploring ideas in extended reality to bring back the in-person experience we once had. 

Special guest hosts Dr. Jamie Caridi and Carrie Magalski of Terra Firma chat with Senator Gene Yaw and Mayor Derek Slaughter about the strategic partnership the city of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, has created with Lycoming College to revitalize the town. 

Special guest hosts Dr. Jamie Caridi, and Carrie Magalski of Terra Firma chat with Kent Trachte, President of Lycoming College, and Chip Edmonds, Executive Vice President of Lycoming College, about the strategic partnership Lycoming College has created with Old City Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to revitalize the heart of the town. 

In part 2, Special guest hosts Dr. Jamie Caridi and Carrie Magalski of Terra Firma chat with Saint Francis's Erin McCloskey, VP of University Communications and Marketing, and Dr. Frank Montecalvo, VP of Innovative Partnerships and Student Development, as well as Mark Ritchey, President of Curry Rail Services and Principal Partner Curry Supply, and Ron McConnell, Representative of the Curry Company about the strategic partnership the Curry Family of Businesses has created with Saint Francis University that resulted in the Curry Innovation Center in downtown Altoona, Pennsylvania.

Special guest hosts Dr. Jamie Caridi, and Carrie Magalski of Terra Firma chat with Father Malachi Van Tassell, President of Saint Francis University, about the strategic partnership the university has started with the Curry Family of Businesses that resulted in the creation of the Curry Innovation Center in downtown Altoona, Pennsylvania.

Special guest hosts Dr. Jamie Caridi, and Carrie Magalski of Terra Firma chat with Dwight "Thanos" Smith, Chief Visionary Officer of Paragon VTOL, about the strategic partnership Paragon VTOL Aerospace has created with Virginia Union University. Thanos and Paragon partner with Virginia Union University to give the students an education that excites and breaks the barriers of socioeconomic limitations.

Special guest hosts Dr. Jamie Caridi, and Carrie Magalski of Terra Firma chat with Dr. Hakim Lucas, President of Virginia Union University, about the strategic partnership the university has started with Paragon VTOL. By providing students with technology for learning, Dr. Lucas is overcoming the stigma associated with the desire to learn and economic instability. 

Introducing ESG practices—which stands for environmental, social, and governance—heavily influences business decisions and employees' behaviors. In part two, we discuss how organizations like the Cincinnati 2030 District help companies reach their sustainability goals. BHDP's Daniel Lessing brings in Elizabeth Rojas of Cincinnati 2030 District, as well as P&G's Melissa Doughty and Steve Winbigler, to offer practical insights from their respective organizations.

Introducing ESG practices—which stands for environmental, social, and governance—heavily influences business decisions and employees' behaviors. ESGs provide a blueprint for action for companies to reach their ambitious sustainability goals. BHDP's Daniel Lessing brings in P&G's Melissa Doughty and Steve Winbigler, as well as Elizabeth Rojas of Cincinnati 2030 District, to offer practical insights from their respective organizations.

Design has the power to influence the community, but what happens when you're designing at the intersection of cultural institutions? For more than five years, BHDP and Playhouse in the Park have been collaborating on a new theater and lobby renovation. From the artists' community at Playhouse to Eden Park to Cincinnati's historic Mount Adams neighborhood, we dive into BHDP's approach that flipped the script on design by bringing the park to the Playhouse. Hear from Blake Robison, Producing Artistic Director of the Tony Award-winning Playhouse in the Park, and Tom Arends, Design Leader and Partner at BHDP, just days before the unveiling of this exciting project.

Wrapping up our conversation with EVP and CEO of the American Institute for Architects, Lakisha Ann Woods, this episode goes deep on what a more equitable, diverse profession and more sustainable built environment can look like. We connect with Lakisha fresh off of her appearance on the first season of the CBS show, "American by Design: Architecture." Special guest co-host Dr. Justin Ferguson, a lead strategist at BHDP and an active member of AIA, joins our host, Brian Trainer.

Trends + Tensions presented by BHDP is back for its fifth season, and we're kicking things off with EVP and CEO of the American Institute for Architects, Lakisha Ann Woods. Lakisha, who began her tenure as EVP and CEO at the beginning of 2022, has been busy laying the groundwork for AIA's future—which involves a more equitable, diverse profession and more sustainable built environment. We connect with her fresh off of her appearance on the first season of the CBS show, "American by Design: Architecture." Special guest co-host Dr. Justin Ferguson, a lead strategist at BHDP and an active member of AIA, joins our host, Brian Trainer.

Connectedness is one of the basic primal needs every person seeks. As designers, we must consider how connectedness affects organizations and their people so we can continue to define the future of work. In anticipation of an upcoming WORKTECH Chicago presentation on July 19, our guests, Dr. Dustin Jackson, Associate Director of Transformation Advisory at Cognizant, and Samantha Delabar, Design Leader at BHDP, discuss the topic of connectedness as it relates to the workplace. They dive into what it means, why it matters, and how employers can support connectedness in the physical workplace as well as a distributed work ecosystem.

Community colleges play a vital role in educating our future workforce. Now more than ever, colleges and universities must think strategically about how the physical campus can keep pace with their educational role. Ron Schumacher, President of Terra State Community College; Todd Hernandez, President of Northwest State Community College; Jennifer Fehnrich, Client Relations Manager at Poggemeyer Design Group, A Kleinfelder Company; and Tom Sens, Client Leader at BHDP, join the podcast for a discussion about the importance of campus master plans and what the process of creating one has taught them.

A community of work shares traits with a number of communities we encounter in our everyday lives. And like those communities, a community of work happens organically—from the relationships we build, our shared interests and motivations, and our common goals. Valerie Garrett, VP and Director of Workplace Design at Fifth Third Bank, and Dr. Justin Ferguson, Lead Strategist at BHDP, discuss how the workplace can support the people doing the work—and their communities—and not just the work itself.

A workplace is wherever people are working. Therefore, a laboratory is as much of a workplace as any office, and keeping people as a focus when designing is just as important for employee success, retention, and attraction. When gene therapy development company Forge Biologics began the process to renovate their facility—a combination of laboratories, offices, collaboration spaces, and more—the design team kept this principle central to their process. Our guests are Jaysson Eicholtz, Co-Founder and COO of Forge; Shannon Ryan, BHDP Senior Interior Designer on the project; and Daniel Lessing, BHDP Client Leader with experience in the cell and gene therapy sector.

In higher education, communicating your brand often happens through more than one channel. From online, virtual experiences to in-person, human interactions, thoughtful messaging is critical. Experiential Graphic Design (EGD) can help with that. Two higher education communications experts, Janice Supplee of Cedarville University and Brad Chamberlain of Luther College, join Bill Thiemann, Director of EGD at BHDP, and Host Brian Trainer in a two-part discussion on their experience in effective brand expression. When done right, it's a fully integrated experience for all—students, parents, faculty, and staff.

In higher education, communicating your brand often happens through more than one channel. From online, virtual experiences to in-person, human interactions, thoughtful messaging is critical. Experiential Graphic Design (EGD) can help with that. Two higher education communications experts, Janice Supplee of Cedarville University and Brad Chamberlain of Luther College, join Bill Thiemann, Director of EGD at BHDP, and Host Brian Trainer in a two-part discussion on their experience in effective brand expression. When done right, it's a fully integrated experience for all—students, parents, faculty, and staff.

As gamification and VR have edged into apps, shopping, and even work, one gaming phenomenon is taking college—and the world—by storm. Esports has grown exponentially in the last five years, and Miami University in Ohio has been at the forefront. Phill Alexander, Co-Director and Co-Founder of Miami's varsity esports team and Assistant Professor of Game Studies, joins BHDP Senior Architect AJ Medina and Host Brian Trainer to discuss the unexpected benefits for students when space is made for esports.

As gamification and VR have edged into apps, shopping, and even work, one gaming phenomenon is taking college—and the world—by storm. Esports has grown exponentially in the last five years, and Miami University in Ohio has been at the forefront. Phil Alexander, Co-Director and Co-Founder of Miami's varsity esports team and Assistant Professor of Game Studies, joins BHDP Senior Architect AJ Medina and Host Brian Trainer to discuss the unexpected benefits for students when space is made for esports.

Of all the industries where BHDP practices architecture and design, the Retail industry may have been hit the hardest in 2020. BHDP Retail Market Leader Andrew McQuilkin joins Host Brian Trainer to discuss how this resilient industry has responded to supply-chain, staffing shortages, and health and safety mandates in 2021. Reflecting on the predictions made in the first episode this season, "Looking Back and Looking Beyond," Andrew weighs in on the key changes and influencers to watch in Retail.

Manufacturing facilities were no stranger to the supply-chain issues and the "great resignation" resulting from the pandemic—but many organizations adapted through automation, re-shoring, and diversifying supply chains. BHDP's Industrial Market Leader Michael Verdier joins Host Brian Trainer to discuss the 2021 predictions made in our first episode of this season, "Looking Back and Looking Beyond." For the Industrial market, pandemic workarounds may have made manufacturers smarter, more efficient operations.

College and universities across the U.S. adapted quickly in 2021 to adjust their priorities in response to the pandemic. BHDP's Higher Education Market Leader Paul Orban joins Host Brian Trainer to explore the short-term and long-term changes in higher education and examine the predictions made in our first episode this season, "Looking Back and Looking Beyond." Paul reflects on his theories about funding priorities, hybrid vs. in-person learning, and more.

At the beginning of 2021, uncertainty led to many projections and theories about the future of work. As we close out the year, BHDP's Workplace Market Leader Drew Suszko joins Host Brian Trainer, a Senior Strategist at BHDP, to examine the predictions made in our first episode this season, "Looking Back and Looking Beyond." One theory we explored? "Hybrid" will be the word of the year. In reality, the way we work is more nuanced than a single term can define.

Together, corporate real estate strategy and design strategy can redefine the workplace. Organizations like Fifth Third Bank and Nationwide Insurance utilize the convergence of these two strategies to make the right decisions for their organizations. Valerie Garrett, VP and Director of Workplace Design at Fifth Third Bank; Matt Kovich, Director of Project Delivery and Corporate Real Estate at Nationwide Insurance; and Patrick Donnelly, Client Leader and Partner at BHDP, join Host Brian Trainer to uncover the power of this intersection.

As trends in technology continue to erode the traditional boundaries of the workplace, one thing has become clear: the future is fluid.  Smart organizations, like Okta, are building dynamic and distributed teams by empowering people with the right tools and technologies to do their jobs effectively. Samantha Fisher, Head of Dynamic Work at Okta, and Drew Suszko, Workplace Market Leader at BHDP, discuss the ways Sam and her team are building a smart, connected, and distributed team capable of tackling the challenges of 21st Century work.

After the COVID-19 pandemic thrust the nursing profession into the spotlight, facilities and schools have experienced increasing difficulty in attracting and retaining talent. Our guests—Dr. Beth Schultz of Manchester University and BHDP Architects Kevin Denman and Jessica Sears—share their perspectives following an enlightening roundtable discussion with nursing educators at independent colleges across the US. Learn why designing functional simulation spaces plays a pivotal role in future nurses' success—and can impact their longevity in the profession.

People build environments for many reasons, but perhaps the most important one is an expression of a shared culture. For Total Quality Logistics (TQL), their newly expanded headquarters has become a physical representation of their brand. Our guests Daniel Gabbard, Director of Real Estate and Facilities at TQL; Amy Knasel, Director of Marketing at TQL; and Tom Arends, Design Leader at BHDP, discuss the expansion project and reflect on the relationship between workplace design and organizational culture.

Conversations around the intersection of traditional sustainability goals, like energy and water conservation, and the more holistic goals of health and wellness for people and the planet have moved to the forefront for many organizations. Our guests Jeremy Faust, Environmental Sustainability Leader at Fifth Third Bank, and Daniel Lessing and Amy Malmstrom of BHDP, have formed a close relationship as champions for all aspects of sustainability—not only at their respective organizations but in the Cincinnati community as well.

Students' expectations for their university libraries sometimes misalign with their actual behaviors in the library. Working together, university librarians and library designers can strike the right balance to create a place that becomes an academic hub for a campus. In this episode, our guests Robbie Bolton, University Librarian at Spring Arbor University; Tom Sens, Higher Education Client Leader at BHDP; and Kyle Moll, Intern Architect on BHDP's Higher Education team, discuss research on students' library usage and the implications this data has for library design.

This episode, we are joined by Andrew McQuilkin, BHDP Retail Market Leader, and Declan McCormack, BHDP Retail Client Leader. Like a dance, retail design is a creative art form—and like the rumba, the industry sometimes takes a step back before taking two steps forward. After the pandemic, retailers are looking to take those next steps, and Andrew and Declan share insights from shopper data and conversations with leading retailers to make those steps strategic.

In this episode, we are joined by John Kronenberger, Co-CEO of VEGA Americas, and Michael Verdier, Industrial Market Leader and partner at BHDP. John and Michael share how the precision and structure of BHDP's Design Process mirrored VEGA's process—and ultimately uncovered crucial design and location decisions for the organization's North American headquarters.

The pandemic has thrust the influence corporate real estate has on the workplace and the employee experience into the spotlight. Companies are now making real estate decisions through a completely new lens. Kieran Sherry of Nationwide Insurance and Thomas Neltner of Fifth Third Bank manage millions of square feet for their respective organizations. They join BHDP's T. Patrick Donnelly—who has collaborated on numerous projects for both organizations—and Host Brian Trainer to discuss corporate real estate's effect on company, culture, and community.

Great projects often define what success looks like before designing even begins. So is the case for the Altria Headquarters. Julia Bradley, Senior Manager of Corporate Facilities, Workplace Strategy, and Space Planning at Altria; and Don Haunert, Workplace Client Leader at BHDP, join the podcast to share Altria's roadmap used in the renovation of a historic building and an addition. The multi-year project began with success criteria that came from initial strategy sessions—and half a decade later, it holds up.