What does it look like when advocacy is embedded into the DNA of how one practices?

In this episode of Practice Disrupted, Evelyn Lee is joined by Pascale Sablan, architect, activist, and the 2023-2024 President of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). As the founder and Executive Director of Beyond the Built Environment, Pascale has spent her career not only designing spaces, but designing platforms for visibility, equity, and justice in architecture.

Together, they explore Pascale’s path into the profession, from being one of the few Black women in her architecture school cohort to becoming a nationally recognized leader in advocacy-driven practice. She shares the origin story behind Beyond the Built, her reflections on the labor of representation, and the importance of documenting and uplifting the voices of BIPOC designers across time and space.

The conversation also delves into the systems that uphold exclusion in architecture, and how Pascale works to dismantle them through action: challenging AIA policies, creating traveling exhibitions, and supporting youth pipeline initiatives. Her message is clear: architecture must move beyond statements and toward systems of accountability.

"To advocate is not just to speak! It’s to act, It’s to move, to challenge, to build. Advocacy is a verb." - Pascale Sablan

This episode concludes with a reflection on legacy, lineage, and the responsibility of naming, and remembering those who have been historically erased. It’s a call to not just imagine a more equitable profession, but to build it.

Pascale Sablan, FAIA, NOMAC, LEED AP is the 2023–2024 President of the National Organization of Minority Architects and the Founder & Executive Director of Beyond the Built Environment. A Principal at Adjaye Associates, Pascale is an award-winning architect, advocate, and historian whose work challenges systemic injustice and promotes visibility for marginalized designers. She is the 315th living Black woman licensed to practice architecture in the United States.

This episode is for you if:

✅ You want to integrate advocacy into your design practice

✅ You’re looking for models of leadership grounded in justice

✅ You’re committed to making the profession more inclusive

✅ You believe in honoring history while building a more equitable future

What have you done to take action lately? Share your reflections with us on social and join the conversation.

📍 Show Links:

• Connect with Pascale on LinkedIn
• Visit Pascale’s Website
• Visit NOMA’s Website
• Learn more about Beyond The Built

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What does it mean to be an architect today, and is the traditional path still the most valuable one?

To kick off Season 11, we welcome the three hosts of the Most Podern Podcast: Alex Yuen, Minkoo Kang, and Libo Li. They are three friends who, since their architectural education, have forged distinct, non-traditional careers that challenge the conventional definition of practice. The episode delves into their journeys as an architect-developer, an OMA designer turned developer and MIT instructor, and a self-proclaimed "career job changer" now working as a data engineer at Meta.

The conversation starts by exploring the complex relationship between title and identity. How do you introduce yourself when your work spans architecture, development, academia, and big tech? This question opens up a candid discussion about the profession's insecurities, the value of an architectural education versus its real-world blind spots (like economics and finance), and the constant struggle to define and advocate for the value architects provide.

The hosts debate whether people like them, who have stepped outside the traditional lines, make it harder to define that value, or if they are simply responding to a profession in need of new models. They tackle the "rule books" architects often ignore, the ones written by capitalism and market forces, and question the cultural mindset that often prevents practitioners from adapting.

"The hypothesis should be - design is not valuable and you should try to disprove that, which is a totally different way of looking at the problem." - Libo Li

This episode is packed with invaluable advice for both aspiring architects and fed-up mid-career professionals. From questioning your professors to getting comfortable with discomfort and learning to code, the hosts share actionable steps for anyone looking to make a change. Finally, they look to the future, discussing the end of the "Starkitect" era, the potential for AI to create single-person powerhouse firms, and why finding a support network is critical to making any leap.

Guests:

Alex Yuen is a licensed architect, educator, and co-founder of Co, a California-based design and development firm focused on affordable housing. He also teaches urban design at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Minkoo Kang is an architect-turned-developer and an instructor at MIT's Center for Real Estate. A former designer at OMA, his work now focuses on understanding the financial forces that shape the built environment. He is the co-author of the newly released book, Value of Design.

Libo Li is a data engineer at Meta and the author of the newsletter Building Probable, which explores data and the built environment. A self-described "career job changer," his path has taken him from architecture to data engineering, startups, and now big tech, driven by a desire to learn from different industries.

Is This Episode for You?

This episode is for you if:

✅ You are navigating a non-traditional career with an architecture degree.

✅ You question the traditional definition of architectural value.

✅ You are a student considering a career in architecture and want a realistic perspective.

✅ You are a mid-career professional feeling "fed up" and contemplating a change.

✅ You are curious about how economics, tech, and AI are reshaping the future of practice.

What have you done to take action lately? Share your reflections with us on social and join the conversation.

📍 Show Links:

• Connect with Alex Yuen on LinkedIn
• Connect with Minkoo Kang on

What is the value of an MBA paired with an education in architecture?

This week’s episode is a group discussion between our co-hosts and two fellow MBAs in the profession. Each participant has a foundation in architecture education and training, and is at a different stage in the process of pursuing an MBA. Three of our guests are licensed architects, with the last guest through IDP. Together they’ll demystify the MBA and discuss how they pursued and use their business education in their careers. Learn from these personal experiences to better understand what they’ve gained, what they wish they knew, and their recommendations to others who are considering going to school for business. We also discuss how architects can leverage the talents of someone with an MBA to improve their business operations and performance.

Guests:

Korey White is driven by her zest for the built environment, bringing open-mindedness and creativity to her role as an architect and urban planner. She applies her dual master’s degrees in architecture and urban and regional planning to an interdisciplinary approach that creates impactful outcomes for her clients and the community. Korey currently works for DLR Group in the Chicago office, focused primarily on educational facility master planning for K-12 school districts.

Korey is recognized for her leadership within architecture by her recent election to the AIA Strategic Council as 2022 Moderator-elect and has been awarded the AIA Young Architects Award, the BD+C 40 under 40 and the AIA Colorado Leadership Award. She is currently enrolled at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the iMBA program. She is a Forte Fellow and will graduate with her MBA in Fall 2022.

Keith Kato is an architect and MBA based in Honolulu, Hawai’i. He’s worked on a variety of project types including small & large custom homes, K-12, and higher education. Keith is interested in how business innovations can expand the market for architecture and how our communities can grow stronger by unleashing hidden potential. While in school, he was fortunate to participate and then lead the AIAS club Freedom by Design that delivered projects that served seniors and houseless individuals. Keith is currently participating in the great resignation and exploring possibilities aligned with his values.

Show Links:

📍 For more information on University of Illinois’ iMBA program, visit: https://onlinemba.illinois.edu/get-info/

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