#386 - If not me, then who?

#386 - If not me, then who?

From Archispeak by Evan Troxel & Cormac Phalen

April 3, 2026 · 33 min · Season 13 · Episode 386

About this episode

Cormac reflects on the complexities of managing a long-term research laboratory project and the importance of continuity in architecture.

Ten years into a $600M research laboratory project, Cormac reflects on what it actually means to see a complex build through to the end — the COVID-era redesign, the permit battles across three code cycles, and the people who've been on site since day one. He and Evan unpack the case for continuity: why the architects who know every decision that was ever made are essentially irreplaceable, and why the grinding sameness of long construction administration is also the kind of rare, compacted education that most architects never get in an entire career. This episode is especially relevant for project architects and CA teams who've ever wondered whether staying on a long, demanding project is actually worth it — and for anyone who's adopted someone else's mid-stream project and immediately felt the weight of not knowing why. ----- Thank you for listening to Archispeak. For more episodes please visit https://archispeakpodcast.com . Support Archispeak by making a donation .

People in this episode

Hosts: Cormac Phalen, Evan Troxel

Topics covered

  • project management
  • architecture
  • construction administration
  • continuity in projects
  • long-term projects
  • education in architecture

Keywords

  • architecture
  • construction
  • project management
  • COVID redesign
  • permit battles
  • education
  • continuity

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: COVID, Archispeak, research laboratory

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