Julia Murphy, Partner of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), joins us to discuss architecture as a legacy and a force for community impact. We explore her journey as a third-generation architect, her advocacy for women in design and construction, the structural challenges of Manhattan West and why she believes the people behind every project matter more than anything else.

Key Takeaways

00:00 Introduction.

03:42 Julia shares her path into architecture and the influences that shaped her career.

06:00 How SOM's collaborative culture differs from other firms.

11:38 The challenges facing women in architecture and the responsibility to make space for different voices.

18:47 The role of SOM's work in reshaping cities and landmark projects.

24:57 Walking through the early days of the Manhattan West development.

30:29 How AI and emerging technology are reshaping architecture's future.

41:10 Julia's people-first leadership philosophy and what it means to lead with care.

41:55 Where to connect with Julia and closing thoughts.

Thanks for listening to the “Building Better Futures” podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss any insightful conversations.

Resources Mentioned

Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF):

https://www.kpf.com

Manhattan West (Brookfield):

https://manhattanwestnyc.com

SOM's Manhattan West project page:

https://www.som.com/projects/manhattan-west-development/ NYCHA

Preservation Trust:

https://www.preservationtrust.org

NYC Planning (Housing Opportunity):

https://www.nyc.gov/content/planning/pages/our-work?search=cityofyes

#PeopleDevelopment #WorkplaceCulture #AECpodcast

Danielle Dy Buncio, Co-Founder and CEO of VIATechnik, joins us to discuss why  VDC is far more than a BIM exercise, how digital twins are transforming building operations and what the next generation of AEC leaders needs to understand about business to make technology stick.

Key Takeaways:

00:00 Introduction.

16:20 VDC aligns people, process and technology around project objectives, not just BIM adoption.

17:03 Owner alignment through VDC turns project delivery problems into measurable competitive wins.

21:09 Digital twin adoption starts by asking what questions an owner needs to answer about their building.

27:30 AI chat interfaces on building data let owners query their facilities in plain language.

37:15 Ordering from the model, a trade contractor eliminated its entire overtime budget on a Hawaii project.

43:24 Understanding what leadership measures makes technology pitches far more likely to succeed.

Thanks for listening to the “Building Better Futures” podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss any insightful conversations.

Resources Mentioned:

“An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth” by Chris Hadfield:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316253030

VIATechnik's digital twin platform:

https://www.viatechnik.com/capabilities/operations/digital-twin/

Center for Integrated Facility Engineering, Stanford University:

https://cife.stanford.edu/

#PeopleDevelopment #WorkplaceCulture #AECpodcast

Luke Martinek, Senior Program Manager and Associate Vice President of HDR, joins us to explore how 19 years across survey crews, civil design, operations, and business development prepared him for the Penn Transformation Project. We discuss mentorship on hard days, the business side of engineering, making stakeholders "complicit," and the Kurt Vonnegut mantra that still guides his leadership.

Key Takeaways:

00:00 Introduction.

05:20 Growing up in San Antonio and finding engineering through family.

10:30 The Penn Transformation Project and the magnet that is Penn Station.

15:45 The change order that opened up the business side of engineering.

23:30 Stepping into a general manager role during the pandemic.

25:20 How variety has fueled two decades of career moves.

32:30 Why helping someone else is the fastest way out of a bad day.

35:45 Making every stakeholder "complicit" in the same mission.

38:15 The most impactful projects of his career.

44:05 A Kurt Vonnegut mantra he still leads by.

46:10 Hot takes on innovation, growth, and transparency.

Resources Mentioned:

Luke Martinek

https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-martinek-p-e-8b979b6/

HDR

https://www.hdrinc.com

Penn Station Transformation Project

https://media.amtrak.com/2025/10/penn-station-transformation-fact-sheet/

Texas A&M University

https://www.tamu.edu

Langan Engineering

https://www.langan.com

Sam Schwartz

https://www.tylin.com/samschwartz

AKRF

https://www.akrf.com

Grain Collective Landscape Architecture

https://graincollective.com

NYC School Construction Authority

https://www.nycsca.org

NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC)

https://www.nycsca.org

NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC)

https://edc.nyc

Matthews Nielsen Landscape Architects

https://mnlandscape.com

Thanks for listening to the “Building Better Futures” podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss any insightful conversations.

#PeopleDevelopment #WorkplaceCulture #AECpodcast