Architectette

Replay!
On today’s episode of Architectette we welcome Alexandra Chaves. Alexandra is a project manager at Restructure Studio in Austin TX, a mom, an Austin Women in Architecture (WiA) member, as well as the founder of the WiA 'Profiles' Subcommittee.
We talk about:
- Starting her education in Venezuela, finishing a graduate degree in the United States, and starting a career in New York City.
- Alexandra's career experience leading up to and during the 2008 recession and how she overcame getting laid off.
- We chat about her transition to Austin, working for a women-led and women employed architecture firm, and finding support and encouragement in WiA.
- What inspired her to establish the 'Profiles' series and how she works with her husband to put together exciting, thoughtful conversations with featured women in architecture.
- We end by chatting a bit about the architectural growth in Austin and how the design community is looking forward to encouraging positive change.
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Jo Haas and Cynthia Torp join us to discuss their collaboration on The Dot Experience, the American Printing House for the Blind’s (APH) reimagined museum set to open in Louisville in October 2026. Designed around an unprecedented commitment to inclusive design, The Dot Experience aims to set a new global standard for accessibility in museums.
Named in homage to the six-dot system of Braille, The Dot Experience is about changing perspectives. Through powerful personal stories, hands-on interactive experiences, and innovations shaped by blind and low-vision collaborators including archival material from Helen Keller, the museum invites visitors to rethink accessibility and consider how each of us can help create a more inclusive world.
Jo Haas is Vice President of Advancement for The Dot Experience, where she is leading the team that will reshape the public’s understanding of blindness and disability through immersive, tactile learning. Her work reflects a career-long commitment to creativity, collaboration, and redefining inclusion in practice.
Cynthia Torp is the sole owner of Solid Light and has supervised the creation of unforgettable visitor experiences for museums, corporations, non-profits, universities, and visitor centers for over 40 years. Her expertise in storytelling coupled with her mastery of design and fabrication have helped her make an indelible mark on the museum and cultural world.
We talk about: 
- We unpack the meaning of “nothing about us, without us” and how the project team reworked traditional project management to support inclusive reviews from blind and low-vision stakeholders. Cynthia shares how prototyping and focus groups continuously challenged the team’s design assumptions.
- Jo walks us through the creation of tactile replicas of archival objects, revealing how user feedback reshaped scale, detail, and mounting to produce touch-based experiences that are durable while being intuitive, dignified, and deeply meaningful. 
- We dive deep into the design systems behind the museum, exploring how Solid Light balanced redundancy through tactile graphics, Braille, audio narration, QR codes, ASL, captions, visual descriptions, along with architectural tools like flooring, wayfinding, tactile maps, and high contrast graphics.
- The episode challenges architects and designers to rethink accessibility and sets The Dot Experience as a precedent for inclusive museum and exhibit design.
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Connect with Jo and Cynthia of The Dot Experience: 
The Dot Experience Website: https://thedotexperience.org/
Solid Light Website: https://solidlight-inc.com/work/american-printing-house-for-the-blind/
American Printing House for the Blind LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-printing-house-for-the-blind/
KET’s News
WAVE 3 News
Spectrum News 1
Museum Magazine
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Thank you to our Sponsor:
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Learn more about Arcol on their ⁠Website⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠, ⁠X⁠, and ⁠LinkedIn⁠.
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Replay!
On today’s episode of Architectette we welcome Thuy Fontelera, P.E., S.E., LEED AP. Thuy is the founding principal of woman and minority-owned Element Structural Engineers. Their impressive work spans commercial and residential sectors, but what makes this company unlike any of their competitors is Thuy’s commitment to transforming what leadership and workplace culture looks like in the AEC industry.
We talk about: 
- What it feels like to not match the stereotype of a structural engineer and how Thuy has faced and overcome discouragement.
- Wellness and workplace culture. Thuy encourages her employees to be open and honest with the team, take mental health days, and utilize wellness perks in the office- we joke that Thuy leads by example when she takes an occasional mid-day nap in Element’s wellness room! 
- Empathy is another important topic we cover. Thuy shares what tools and methods she uses to create a workplace environment where people feel supported and encouraged.
- The realities of running a business like dealing with layoffs, nervousness during performance reviews, and having tough conversations. 
- The hiring process and how adaptability and humility are the most important qualities that Thuy looks for in candidates. 
- We end with a few book suggestions from Thuy’s library!
>>>
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Stephanie Leedom is CannonDesign’s Executive Director for the Great Lakes Region. In this role, she provides strategic leadership across offices in Chicago, Buffalo, Toronto, Pittsburgh, and the firm’s newest office in Minneapolis.
For 20 years, Stephanie worked in public service; serving with the Peace Corps in Honduras and working as an Architect at the General Services Administration; Architect/ Division Chief at the US State Department managing teams and projects in Latin America, Africa, and East Asia; and Director of Planning and Development at the Fairfax County Park Authority.
Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Tech, a Master's in Urban Design from the University of Michigan, is a licensed architect in Virginia, and serves on the AIA Strategic Council as an At-Large-Representative. 
We talk about:
- Stephanie’s decision to leave the public sector after 20 years and her tips for architects considering a values-based career pivot, including how to leverage your professional network and strategies to assess if a new team is a good fit.
- We discuss the recent shifts in CannonDesign’s leadership structure and how the firm is strategically building their teams and market expertise to leverage growth opportunities in the Great Lakes region.
- Stephanie talks about leading the Great Lakes region remotely from Washington, DC and how she applies lessons from her GSA workplace strategy experience to build trust and collaboration in hybrid teams. She also shares more about onboarding as a leader and how she developed her 30/60/90 day plans.
- While reflecting on her portfolio of work, highlighting projects in Honduras and Namibia, Stephanie elaborates on architecture’s role in diplomacy and community development and how these projects have elevated women’s roles in construction.
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Connect with Stephanie: 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-leedom-aia-b801348
Cannon Design: https://www.cannondesign.com/
>>>
Thank you to our Sponsor:
Arcol is a collaborative building design tool built for modern teams. Arcol streamlines your design process by keeping your model, data, and presentations in sync- enabling your team to work together seamlessly.
Learn more about Arcol on their Website, Instagram, YouTube, X, and LinkedIn.
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Replay!
On today’s Architectette podcast we welcome planner Martha Cross, the Deputy Director of the City of Philadelphia’s Division of Planning and Zoning. Martha started her education in architecture school, but then pursued a career in planning, development, and non-profit work. Her experience and her path are truly inspiring.

We talk about:
- Martha’s realization, during architecture school, that she wasn’t interested in architecture.
- The scary part of leaving architecture behind, but how an architecture degree is a great foundational education.
- What it’s like to be a planner and how her projects are changing lives and impacting generations.
- The sacrifices and benefits of working for a non-profit developer.
- The most important things for architects to consider to think like planners.
- The City of Philadelphia's new Cultural Resources Plan and Pilot Project.
>>>
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