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Life of an Architect: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Bob Borson and Andrew Hawkins
A gifted storyteller communicating the role and value of architecture to a new audience, host Bob Borson uses the experiences acquired over a 25-year career to inform his podcast. A small firm owner, architect, and college design instructor, co-host Andrew Hawkins brings his insight from his 20 years in various roles within the profession. It responds to the public curiosity and common misunderstanding about what architects do and how it is relevant to people’s lives, engaging a wide demographic of people in a meaningful way without requiring an understanding of the jargon or knowledge of the history of the profession. With a creative mix of humor and practicality, Borson’s stories are informative, engaging, and approachable, using first-person narratives and anecdotes that have introduced transparency into what it really means to be a practicing architect.
Latest Episodes
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- 1 weeks ago1h 0m
Ep 213: What Do You Want to Be This Decade
What you want from architecture can change considerably over a career. Bob and Andrew explore four career stages, from finding your footing and developing your abilities to guiding others and deciding what comes next. We discuss how experience shapes your contribution, why priorities shift, and how your definition of success can evolve. Apparently, figuring out what you want to be when you grow up requires periodic updates.
- 3 weeks ago1h 1m
Ep 212: Schedules – Who Owns our Time
Ep 212: Schedules - Who Owns Your Time explores the demands of architectural practice, shifting deadlines, and the hidden cost of making every commitment work.
- Oct 4, 20261h 4m
Ep 211: Laws of the Universe
The universe has rules, and apparently so does the office - most of them explaining why schedules expand, promotions go sideways, and adding more people can make a late project even later. In Episode 211, Andrew and I use 11 laws, principles, effects, and razors as a practical lens for making better decisions, managing people, and surviving the occasional meeting that should have been an email.
- Sep 20, 20261h 7m
Ep 210: The Cost of Loyalty
In Episode 210, “The Cost of Loyalty,” we look at how the relationship between employees and firms has changed, why loyalty can no longer be assumed, and what research says about engagement, compensation, career growth, flexibility, and retention. The conversation explores how architecture firms can rebuild genuine commitment by creating clearer opportunities, investing in people, and making professional growth worth staying for.
- Sep 7, 20261h 12m
Ep 209: Understanding Residential Contracts
Ep 209: Understanding Residential Contracts breaks down five ways architects charge for residential work, along with the tradeoffs of each.
- Aug 23, 20261h 0m
Ep 208: Ask Better Questions
Most people treat asking good questions as something you either have a knack for or you don't. Bob makes the case that it's actually a trainable habit, one built on slowing down long enough to catch a guess before it disguises itself as a real question. Along the way, he and Andrew revisit an old closing segment from the show's early days, the one where negotiating the question mattered more than answering it, and connect that memory back to the discipline architects rely on every time technical requirements and design instincts have to share the same decision.
- Aug 9, 202658 min
Ep 207: Forward Beats Perfect
Most of us have learned to treat more thinking as the responsible move, right up until it isn't. This episode is about the moment careful preparation quietly turns into avoidance, and why waiting for certainty is usually just a slower way of losing. Bob and Andrew talk through what it actually takes to commit before you feel ready, evaluate the results honestly instead of defending them, and keep adjusting without ever expecting to get it perfect.
- Jul 26, 20261h 1m
Ep 206: Work to Your Own Standard
What started as a simple commitment to sketch more became an unexpected lesson in accountability, criticism, and staying true to the reasons we begin creative work in the first place. Bob shares how a personal sketching exercise evolved into a broader reflection on discipline, public feedback, and the importance of measuring your progress against your own standards rather than someone else's expectations. Whether you're an architect, a creative professional, or simply trying to build a better habit, this conversation explores what it really means to keep a promise to yourself.
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About Life of an Architect
A gifted storyteller communicating the role and value of architecture to a new audience, host Bob Borson uses the experiences acquired over a 25-year career to inform his podcast. A small firm owner, architect, and college design instructor, co-host Andrew Hawkins brings his insight from his 20 years in various roles within the profession. It responds to the public curiosity and common misunderstanding about what architects do and how it is relevant to people’s lives, engaging a wide demographic of people in a meaningful way without requiring an understanding of the jargon or knowledge of the history of the profession. With a creative mix of humor and practicality, Borson’s stories are informative, engaging, and approachable, using first-person narratives and anecdotes that have introduced transparency into what it really means to be a practicing architect.
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