#67 Pivoting from Architecture to Real Estate

09/01/21 • 51 min

This episode features three women who all left architecture for the real estate world! Chi-Chi Lin, Danlu Li, and Yi Li all studied architecture and practiced for a few years before realizing that they wanted to do something else. After leaving the profession and getting MSRED degrees, they now all work in different areas of the real estate industry in New York City.

In our conversation, Chi Chi, Danlu and Yi Li share when each of them realized they didn’t want to practice architecture anymore, how they transitioned to their new careers, what they miss about architecture, but what they love about their new work. They also give great advice for people who want to pivot from architecture to something else.

We also talk about the challenges of being a woman in real estate, finding a firm that has your same values, and how both architects and people in real estate are inherently futurists.

We also talk about the challenges of being a woman in real estate, finding a firm that has your same values, and how both architects and people in real estate are inherently futurists.

Previous Episode

#66 Designing for Inclusion with Lilian Asperin, Partner at WRNS Studio

Lilian Asperin is a partner at WRNS Studio, where she helps lead the design process and build teams that deliver aspirational outcomes. Lilian values a firm culture that embraces collaboration, connection to the community, risk taking, and fostering talent.

Lilian attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned her BA in Environmental Design and graduated with honors. After completing her studies, Lilian worked at architecture firms around the Bay Area, including Stanley Saitowitz, the City of San Francisco’s Bureau of Architecture, SOM, and NBBJ. Recently completed projects include the Salk Institute for Biological Studies Master Plan, the Center for Science and Innovation at USF, and UC Merced’s 2020’s Public-Private-Partnership (P3) project. A leader within the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP), she organized the first-ever Hackathon for MOOC’s as part of the Pacific Regional Conference and will be continuing her involvement with the organization as 2018-2021 Pacific Regional Chair.

Lilian utilizes her experience as a practice leader and licensed architect to develop synergistic relationships with leaders throughout the architectural and educational communities. Deeply involved with the local community, Lilian works to raise awareness and help break the cycle of poverty in the Bay Area through her work as a Tipping Point Community Partner. Lilian also acts as a Board Director of AIA San Francisco and is the Co-Chair of the Equity by Design Committee, a call to action for everyone to realize the goal of equitable practice and communicate the value of design to society.

In this episode, Lilian shares how her personal experience as a first generation Latinx student has informed her career and passion for the higher education sector. We also talk about inclusive design, how architects should re-think the timeline of the project process, how to map out your career goals with post-its and poster boards, normalizing mental wellness in the profession, and the importance of inviting everyone’s full lives into the office.

Next Episode

#68 Designing for Dementia Environments with Jennifer Sodo, Perkins Eastman

Jennifer Sodo is a leading expert in the design and planning of dementia living environments. A senior associate with Perkins Eastman’s senior living practice in New York City, Jennifer translates her own and others’ research on biophilic design and whole-person wellness into thoughtful designs to create healthy and meaningful places for older adults living with dementia. She speaks regularly at conferences and industry events and has published articles and papers on a variety of topics pertaining to senior living. Jennifer is also co-host of Perkins Eastman’s new Shaping Dementia Environments podcast, a show that explores uncommon thinking in design for dementia through interviews with industry leaders.

In this episode, Jennifer shares how, like many others in the field, her personal experiences drew her to the senior living practice. She talks about innovations and the guiding principles in the design of these spaces, and gives her pitch on why emerging professionals should join this area of work. We also have a super interesting conversation about podcasting! Not many architecture firms have produced their own podcasts, and Jennifer and her co-host’s show was the first of its kind at Perkins Eastman. Jennifer shares her experience with creating the show, if others at Perkins Eastman will be following suit, and her thoughts on if more firms should start producing their own podcasts.

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