Episodes
Geoffrey von Oeyen completed a dream house for his brother, only to see it destroyed by the Woolsey Fire two years ago. As he nears completion on the rebuild, he reflects on living in the wildland-urban interface. Also, Janna Ireland is on a mission...
Published 11/06/20
Published 11/06/20
Roman Mars has spent 10 years using his radio show “ 99% Invisible ” to reveal the everyday quirks and delights of U.S. cities. Now he’s co-written a book called “ The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design...
Published 10/08/20
Americans are experiencing an epidemic of loneliness . A coliving project in Hollywood was designed to remedy it. Then came a pandemic. Ten months after its opening, DnA explores the design of Treehouse with creative director Sean Knibb,...
Published 09/23/20
Ventilation has become a life or death issue as as experts find that COVID-19 infections increase in poorly ventilated interiors. DnA looks into the extreme measures being taken to improve air conditioning and asks whether outside air is cheaper and...
Published 08/28/20
California has around 21,000 licensed architects, and 300 of them are Black. SoCalNOMA ( National Organization of Minority Architects ) hopes to change that through its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Challenge . SoCalNOMA President Lance...
Published 08/12/20
The restaurants on Santa Monica’s Main Street took a huge hit from the COVID-19 shutdown. So the city government, restaurant owners and nearby residents hatched a plan: get rid of parking and give over the space to diners. In doing so, they...
Published 08/03/20
XPRIZE is offering $1 million to designers of a protective face mask that people will actually want to wear. Also, many buildings and neighborhoods are designed in a way that help cause chronic health conditions like type 2 diabetes and heart...
Published 07/17/20
Statues of slave traders and Confederate leaders are being toppled or defaced during protests following the killing of George Floyd. How does that feel to a conservator who has worked on some of them? Andrew Baxter installs and restores sculptures...
Published 06/25/20
Redlining, restrictive covenants, urban renewal, and building freeways through  communities of color are all ways Los Angeles was shaped by structural racism. Now gentrification is a challenge. Real estate development consultant Judith Taylor...
Published 06/19/20
Big tech companies have remade the workplace in recent years with creative offices designed to stimulate disruption. Now Google and Twitter are telling employees they can keep on working at home — indefinitely. What does that mean for the...
Published 05/21/20
COVID-19 has brought huge challenges — and a rare opportunity for a reset. DnA talks with LA Angeles City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell about his plan to incentivize telecommuting after stay-at-home orders are lifted and other ideas for a greener,...
Published 05/07/20
The pandemic has brought many people pain and anxiety. To Wouter Vanstiphout, a Netherlands-based professor of “design as politics,” it has also brought clarity about the weaknesses in the “shiny global city” and its culture, economy and...
Published 04/30/20
Pandemics can bring about innovation, especially in design and architecture. Sam Lubell talks to DnA about changes that may come to buildings and urban design in response to COVID-19.
Published 04/23/20
You are working at home. But is your home working for you? Kelly Wearstler has some tips to improve your interior, at whatever scale.
Published 04/15/20
Kelly Wearstler has reigned in interior design since arriving in Los Angeles in the 1990s. She’s now teaching an online MasterClass. Her tips for improving one's space might be timely for people sheltering in place.
Published 04/09/20
LA’s construction sites are still a hotbed of activity, deemed an essential service. Could they become hotbeds for COVID-19 too?
Published 04/02/20
The CDC is recommending that all Americans should wear cloth masks or other face coverings if they go out in public — amid new concerns that infected people with no symptoms can still spread COVID-19.
Published 04/02/20
LA was once a destination for people who wanted to get away from crowded East Coast cities. The ideal was a single home with a yard and a car in the driveway. But over the last few decades, planners, designers and activists like Aaron Paley (co-founder of cicLAvia) have worked tirelessly to transform the Southland into a more social place, where people use mass transit and gather in streets and parks.
Published 03/27/20
As hospitals, clinics and other community organizations face a shortage of masks during the COVID-19 outbreak, homebound sewers have stepped up to help, from DIY crafters to fashion companies. Are homemade masks helpful to medical staff?
Published 03/26/20
In a normal year, many Angeleno designers and showroom owners would be packing their bags soon to head to Milan for Salone del Mobile. But this is not a normal year, Italy is now in lockdown and the massive furniture fair has been postponed, along...
Published 03/12/20
Would you choose to rent or own a condo in a multifamily building, or own a single family home? If you are an Angeleno with the means, it is likely that you would choose the latter. After all, a house is a means to personal freedom, outdoor...
Published 03/05/20
Paula Benson says she is “a nightmare to watch a film with.” That’s because she’s always pausing the screen to check the decor, ponder who designed the furnishings and where to get them. 
Published 02/26/20
Why does an architect have to be like a “camel in the desert?” Daniel Libeskind explains why in a conversation about his new book “Edge of Order.” He also shares thoughts about maintaining hope following trauma, not working for dictators,...
Published 02/19/20
Desert X started in Coachella Valley, and now it’s in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia. Los Angeles artist Lita Albuquerque shares why she chose to participate amidst a furor back home, saying she couldn't miss being in the country at a "historic...
Published 02/11/20