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In this episode, Cherise is joined by Leann Crist, AIA, formerly with Graham Baba Architects, while this project was designed and completed, and now with her own firm, Leann Crist Design Studio. Cherise is also joined by Anjali GrantAnjali Grant Design. They discuss the Giddens School & Lake Washington Girls Middle School in Seattle, Washington.

Situated between Seattle’s Beacon Hill and Central District neighborhoods, the Giddens School & Lake Washington Girls Middle School campus reimagines what an urban educational environment can be when collaboration, flexibility, and community are placed at the center of the design process. The tightly integrated campus balances individuality with shared purpose. Each school maintains its own dedicated entrance and organizational structure, reinforcing a sense of identity for students and faculty.

In this episode, Cherise is joined by Sam Miller, Partner, and Stephen DeMayo, Principal at LMN Architects in Seattle, Washington. They discuss the Computing and Data Science Building at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.

At the heart of Stanford University, where historic arcades meet the evolving ambitions of a research-driven campus, the Computing and Data Science (or CoDa) building emerges as both a physical landmark and an intellectual crossroads. The Hive stair, rendered in Stanford’s signature red, is more than circulation—it is a symbol. Its perforated guardrails subtly encode 8-bit binary patterns, transforming a foundational language of computing into a tactile architectural expression. As users move through the space, the stair animates the building, embodying the dynamic, interconnected nature of data science itself.

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In this episode, Cherise is joined by Justin Crane, FAIA, Principal, and Stefanie Greenfield, AIA, Principal at CambridgeSeven in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They discuss The Foundry, also in Cambridge, MA.

The Foundry exemplifies a thoughtful approach to adaptive reuse, where the legacy of a 132-year-old industrial structure is carried forward through a renewed civic purpose. Once home to the Blake and Knowles Steam Pump Company and later a succession of utilitarian uses, the building has been transformed into a dynamic hub for arts, education, and entrepreneurship. The design resists the urge to overwrite history, instead preserving nearly 70 percent of the original fabric and allowing the building’s industrial identity to remain present and legible.

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In this episode, Cherise is joined by Ryan Jang, AIA, Principal, and Cecily Ng, Associate at Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects in San Francisco, California. They discuss the UC Berkeley Creekside Center Renovation for the Disabled Students Program at the University of California, Berkeley, or UC Berkeley.

Set within the core of the University of California, Berkeley, the Creekside Center renovation reimagines a modest, well-loved building as a forward-looking home for the Disabled Students’ Program. What was once a fragmented network of dispersed offices is now consolidated into a cohesive, welcoming environment - one that reflects both the scale of the program, serving more than 4,000 students, and the evolving understanding of accessibility as a fundamental design driver rather than a regulatory obligation.

Click here for the extended length interview on YouTube