I have with me today New York City Architect Bill Mandara, the CEO and Co-owner of Mancini Duffy. Bill has twenty-five years of experience in architectural design and is also a musician.

Bill has contributed his design abilities on a variety of project types including industrial facilities, corporate offices, residential housing, retail facilities, and educational facilities but he is now best known for a massive project in the heart of Times Square (TSX Broadway) where a Theatre was lifted 30ft in the air but we will get into that.

Bill also has vast experience in new building design and adaptive reuse of existing buildings and the practice exists in one of the most expensive cities in the world.

We talk about the work of Mancini Duffy but also about leadership, repositioning projects, embracing technology and how Bill nurtures client relationships.

It was an absolute pleasure to talk to the mega talented Razan Altiraifi who is; a Design Technologist, Architectural Designer and Programmer who works for the large US practice, Perkins and Will.

Razan is located in North Carolina and has a growing TikTok presence where she talks about architecture and tech. Razan has moved from the TECH sector into Architecture, which is RARE because most of my past guests have done it the other way around. Razan also has an MS in Information Systems and a Master's (M.Arch) in Architecture.

In this episode we discuss being a boomerang employee and how it can benefit you. We discuss; AI and Tech and how and why she went into architecture. We discuss PTO, lack of vacation in USA, unionisation and how she has managed to graduate without any debt.

You can connect to Razan on the following social media platforms:

Tik Tok at: @ctrl.alt.des and

Instagram at @ctrlaltdes

YouTube: @CTRLALTDES

Season 3, Episode 13 is all about Part 3 with fellow podcaster Maria Skoutari who is an Architect, Mentor to Architectural Assistants & Architects, and a fellow Podcaster & Founder & Host of "Part3 With Me".

In this episode, we discuss how students of architecture often fear Part 3. We talk about the issues facing the profession. We talk about regulations, responsibilities and fees. We discuss AI and how Maria can assist future architects succeed at their part 3.

Maria has worked at large practices specialising in high-profile Developer Residential and Masterplan projects for clients with both a national and international presence for the past 10 years having joined a smaller high-end residential practice Maria’s experience is broad from macro to micro scale and multi-disciplinary, with her past and present portfolio spanning the UK and beyond.

Maria’s commitment to Architecture – and the future of the discipline – extends beyond her day-to-day practice and she has been previously and presently a mentor to Part 1, 2 & 3 students currently supporting the RIBA Future Architects Student Mentoring Programme at Oxford Brookes University.

In addition to her formal mentorship programme at Oxford Brookes, she made the leap to independently launch a podcast – ‘Part3 With Me’ – to help inspire and support emerging Architects and final year students through their educational journey, into their final qualifications and beyond.

Listen to Maria's podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4nPcCl6wgR67BxNS31hiCM?si=oeBssb4FSaudZWRus3rXww