Alzira is a Senior Design Architect at EXP focused on architecture in the public realm, particularly infrastructure projects. The conversation discusses Alzira's journey between multiple countries and settling in Chicago. Listen to her talk about how working on large public infrastructure projects can have influences on all levels, including people on daily commutes. She also talks about the opportunity to give back as a mentor to aspiring architects while appreciating the impact of having strong mentors.

In this episode, we sit down with Gabriel Ignacio Dziekiewicz, president and principal in charge of design at DesignBridge, an award-winning Chicago-based architecture firm with nearly four decades of history. The conversation covers Gabriel’s family story, including his father’s journey in architecture and founding DesignBridge, and Gabriel’s personal discovery in architecture as he moved towards leading the firm and carrying on his father’s legacy.

In this special episode, co-founders Caleb Kwok and Alex Sanchez reflect on the beginnings of Beyond the Surface. Hear about how their backgrounds, inspirations for the podcast, and how the show has changed over time.

Monica Chadha is the founder and principal of Civic Projects Architecture, a Chicago-based social impact design firm with a focus on high-quality design and long-term strategic thinking. Listen in for a conversation about how architects take perspectives from multiple parties to create a design process that drives projects forward.

Pascale Sablan is CEO of Adjaye Associates New York studio, overseeing projects in North and South America and the Caribbean. She is the 315th living African-American woman registered architect in the United States. She has previously served as President for the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), and was awarded the 2021 AIA Whitney M. Young. Jr Award for her advocacy efforts.

Listen in for a conversation on Pascale's journey, and how being an active voice means standing up for yourself, highlighting others, and bringing diverse voices when talking about the design industry.

Rafael is the co-founder and director of Duo, an innovation studio/lab that works to create built environment innovations for the benefit of society.

Listen in for a conversation about Rafael's journey with immigration activism, architecture, real estate development, and human centered design and how that all comes together in Duo's multicontextual design.

Dr. Joseph Renow is a sociologist of science and technology who focuses on the intersection of expertise and society. Listen in for a conversation about how architects can think about design differently to meet societal needs.

Julie is founding partners of award winning Santa Monica based architecture firm, KoningEizenberg Architecture. Together with partner Hank Koning, Julie has been awarded the American Institute of Architects Los Angeles chapter Gold medal in 2012 and the Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal in 2019. Listen in to hear about Julie's architectural career between Australia and the US from her "outsider" perspective.