Log in

goodpods headphones icon

To access all our features

Open the Goodpods app
Close icon
The Naturally Innovative Podcast - Ep #4 | Stephanie Akkaoui Hughes, CEO of AKKA Architects, on Human Interactions and Future Planning with the different Qualities of Sustainability

Ep #4 | Stephanie Akkaoui Hughes, CEO of AKKA Architects, on Human Interactions and Future Planning with the different Qualities of Sustainability

12/29/21 • 54 min

The Naturally Innovative Podcast

Episode Summary
Stephanie Akkaoui Hughes, CEO of AKKA Architects, Speaker, Author, and Career Coach explains why she wants more people to embrace uncertainty and how crucial good facilitation is when it comes to aligning motivations to plan for the future. With 'Architecting Interactions' she walks the talk with her team at AKKA and highlights the usage of spaces to foster human interaction and asking the right questions when developing architecture for future generations. She is guided by the three qualities of Sustainability (physical, assimilative, anticipatory), which she elaborates in this episode and gives beautiful examples of their application.
What we talk about

  • In our episode Stephanie tells me about her upbringing in Beirut, having lived through the last years of the Civil War, and what shaped her idea of good architecture.
  • How her vision of Architecting Interactions shapes her work at AKKA and why taking into consideration the three qualities of Sustainability is so crucial.
  • Applying Systems Thinking, asking the right questions, and guiding teams with the right kind of leadership and facilitation through creative workshops to envision a sustainable future.

About Stephanie Akkaoui Hughes
As founder of AKKA Architects and Workspace Consultant, Stephanie focuses her work on fostering interactions and sustained innovation in public and private workspaces.
Born in Lebanon, Stephanie studied at the American University of Beirut, where she graduated with high honors in Architecture. Soon after, she accepted the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA)'s offer to join them in Rotterdam. During her five years at OMA, worked closely with Rem Koolhaas and built extensive experience in large-scale architectural and urban projects.
After 5 years at OMA, she founded AKKA Architects, an architecture firm specialising in creating spaces that foster human interactions. AKKA is driven by the vision of Architecting Interaction©, which explores how space can be designed as a strategic tool to drive meaningful interactions between people, foster employee engagement, well-being and meaning at work.
Stephanie is regularly invited to speak and lead workshops at universities, conferences, summits and events around the world.

Resources mentioned

Connect with Stephanie Akkaoui Hughes

More episodes like this
Thank you for joining the Naturally Innovative Podcast! Don't miss out on new episode releases on Instagram.
If you enjoyed this episode please share, subscribe and review it, so more people can find this podcast and be inspired by the stories my guests shared!
For any kind of feedback, feel free to connect with me on Instagram or LinkedIn!

plus icon
bookmark

Episode Summary
Stephanie Akkaoui Hughes, CEO of AKKA Architects, Speaker, Author, and Career Coach explains why she wants more people to embrace uncertainty and how crucial good facilitation is when it comes to aligning motivations to plan for the future. With 'Architecting Interactions' she walks the talk with her team at AKKA and highlights the usage of spaces to foster human interaction and asking the right questions when developing architecture for future generations. She is guided by the three qualities of Sustainability (physical, assimilative, anticipatory), which she elaborates in this episode and gives beautiful examples of their application.
What we talk about

  • In our episode Stephanie tells me about her upbringing in Beirut, having lived through the last years of the Civil War, and what shaped her idea of good architecture.
  • How her vision of Architecting Interactions shapes her work at AKKA and why taking into consideration the three qualities of Sustainability is so crucial.
  • Applying Systems Thinking, asking the right questions, and guiding teams with the right kind of leadership and facilitation through creative workshops to envision a sustainable future.

About Stephanie Akkaoui Hughes
As founder of AKKA Architects and Workspace Consultant, Stephanie focuses her work on fostering interactions and sustained innovation in public and private workspaces.
Born in Lebanon, Stephanie studied at the American University of Beirut, where she graduated with high honors in Architecture. Soon after, she accepted the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA)'s offer to join them in Rotterdam. During her five years at OMA, worked closely with Rem Koolhaas and built extensive experience in large-scale architectural and urban projects.
After 5 years at OMA, she founded AKKA Architects, an architecture firm specialising in creating spaces that foster human interactions. AKKA is driven by the vision of Architecting Interaction©, which explores how space can be designed as a strategic tool to drive meaningful interactions between people, foster employee engagement, well-being and meaning at work.
Stephanie is regularly invited to speak and lead workshops at universities, conferences, summits and events around the world.

Resources mentioned

Connect with Stephanie Akkaoui Hughes

More episodes like this
Thank you for joining the Naturally Innovative Podcast! Don't miss out on new episode releases on Instagram.
If you enjoyed this episode please share, subscribe and review it, so more people can find this podcast and be inspired by the stories my guests shared!
For any kind of feedback, feel free to connect with me on Instagram or LinkedIn!

Previous Episode

undefined - Ep #3 | Lukas Steiner, Cycling from Zurich to Cape Town, on adopting an Adventurer's Mindset and embracing Uncertainty

Ep #3 | Lukas Steiner, Cycling from Zurich to Cape Town, on adopting an Adventurer's Mindset and embracing Uncertainty

Episode Summary
Lukas Steiner cycled from Zurich (Switzerland) to Cape Town (South Africa). 333 days, 18’578 kilometres and 1’147 hours in the saddle later Lukas has a lot of stories to share! Not only about his trip’s statistical data he kept track of (visit www.lukas-steiner.com for more!) but about key insights for anyone who wants to take the jump and learn how to embrace uncertainty.
What we talk about

  • In our episode Lukas tells me about being exposed to raw nature, experiencing 20 different countries along the way and the people he met who create positive impact for the wildlife and the communities on site.
  • What an adventurer’s mindset lets you accomplish when it comes to being creative, taking risks, and overcoming adversity.
  • Reflecting on your own ego and reframing the concept of failure

About Lukas Steiner
Lukas Steiner (*1993) holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen and is in the process of completing a double-degree in International Management, Organization & Culture. Prior to that he travelled through Mongolia riding a horse and rode a motorbike on a trip through India. Lukas is fond of statistics and kept track of many interesting metrics about his cycling journey across the African continent: Watch his TEDx talk on Youtube or read his blog on lukas-steiner.com for more details! Lukas currently seeks adventure and magic in and around Switzerland.

Resources mentioned

Connect with Lukas Steiner

More episodes like this
Thank you for joining the Naturally Innovative Podcast! Don't miss out on new episode releases on Instagram.
If you enjoyed this episode please share, subscribe and review it, so more people can find this podcast and be inspired by the stories my guests shared!
For any kind of feedback, feel free to connect with me on Instagram or LinkedIn!

Next Episode

undefined - Ep #5 | Fabio Hüther, Gründer der Evodrop AG und des Umuntu Movements, über das Leben als Jungunternehmer, Wasser als Menschenrecht und das Potenzial von molekularem Wasserstoff

Ep #5 | Fabio Hüther, Gründer der Evodrop AG und des Umuntu Movements, über das Leben als Jungunternehmer, Wasser als Menschenrecht und das Potenzial von molekularem Wasserstoff

Zusammenfassung der Episode

Fabio Hüther, Gründer des Umuntu Movements und der Evodrop AG beschreibt die lokalen Unterschiede und sein Kern-Business rund um sauberes Wasser. Noch während dem Ingenieur-Studium hat er mehrere Patente für Wasserfilter-Systeme angemeldet und treibt nun mit seinen nur 26 Jahren die technischen Innovationen in einem vielseitigen Marktumfeld voran.
Bestärkt durch Schicksalsschläge und mit einer, wie er sagt, "kindlichen und ungehemmten Herangehensweise", schaffte er das Fundament für seine Social Enterprise, die Aktivitäten in Nepal und mehreren Ländern Afrikas unterstützt. Trotzdem nimmt er sich Zeit für spontane Aktionen, wie z.B. wenn es darum geht das Eishockey Feld der Lakers als Werbeaktion von Wunderman Thompson und der Schützengarten Brauerei in genussfertiges Bier zu verwandeln oder mit mir für diesen Podcast über Mikroplastik im Grundwasser zu sprechen.
Die wichtigsten Gesprächspunkte

  • In unserer Episode erzählt mir Fabio von seinen schwierigen Momenten aus seinem Leben als Mensch und Jungunternehmer und was ihn dennoch optimistisch sein lässt.
  • Wir sprechen über seine Filterlösungen und seine Vision mit dem Motto «I am because we are» sowie darüber welchen Herausforderungen er gegenüber steht, um möglichst vielen Menschen Zugang zu sauberem Wasser zu ermöglichen.
  • Seine Perspektive als Ingenieur auf das Potenzial von molekularem Wasserstoff, Biohacking und seine Auffassung von echter Nachhaltigkeit.

Über Fabio Hüther
Fabio Hüther, Gründer von Umuntu und Evodrop, erkrankte im Alter von 8 Jahren an Knochenkrebs und die Chance zu überleben lag bei 50%. Der positive Heilungsverlauf bestärkte sein Bestreben, sich für die Gesellschaft und die Umwelt zu engagieren.
Bereits als Teenager, im Alter von 14 Jahren, gründete Fabio seine erste eigene NGO namens «Bee The Change». Ein 2. einschneidender Moment war der Verlust seines afrikanischen Patenkindes durch Cholera, verursacht durch kontaminiertes Trinkwasser. Das war der Zeitpunkt als aus «Bee The Change», «Umuntu» wurde. Unter dem Leitsatz Umuntu – was soviel bedeutet wie «I am, because we are» – wird das WIR anstelle des ICH’s in den Vordergrund gerückt.
Fabio begann erste Hilfsprojekte in Afrika aufzubauen, weil er dort auf ein grosses, lokales Netzwerk zurückgreifen konnte. Ziel war es, Bedürftige bei der Reinigung von Trinkwasser zu unterstützen. Schnell gab es weitere Projekte, welche Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe in den Themen sauberes Wasser, reine Luft, biologische Nahrung und Bildung leisteten.

Parallel zu den Hilfsprojekten verfolgte Fabio sein Ingenieurstudium und arbeitete mithilfe von Geologen an einer neuartigen Filtertechnologie. Daraus entstand die Umuntu-Membran zur Filtration von Fremd- und Schadstoffen aus dem Wasser. Sie ist das Herzstück zur Verwirklichung der Umuntu-Vision – «Sauberes Wasser ist ein Menschenrecht».

Erwähnte Ressourcen

More episodes like this
Thank you for joining the Naturally Innovative Podcast! Don't miss out on new episode releases on Instagram.
If you enjoyed this episode please share, subscribe and review it, so more people can find this podcast and be inspired by the stories my guests shared!
For any kind of feedback, feel free to connect with me on Instagram or LinkedIn!

Episode Comments

Generate a badge

Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode

Select type & size
Open dropdown icon
share badge image

<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/the-naturally-innovative-podcast-243859/ep-4-stephanie-akkaoui-hughes-ceo-of-akka-architects-on-human-interact-27427428"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to ep #4 | stephanie akkaoui hughes, ceo of akka architects, on human interactions and future planning with the different qualities of sustainability on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>

Copy