Austin Crowley of Michael Graves Architecture & Design | Next Gen Interview
Courtesy of Michael Graves Architecture & Design
A Day in the Life of an Architect
Today, I’m joined by Austin Crowley, a design architect at Michael Graves Architecture & Design. We’re giving listeners a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to build your career at such an iconic firm and share our advice for listeners who are looking to break out into the field.
Austin joined Michael Graves Architecture & Design in 2016 after finishing his Bachelor of Architecture degree at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark. From a young age, he was always interested in drawing, nature and music, and was encouraged to channel that into architecture.
On today’s episode, he shares what drew him to working at Michael Graves Architecture & Design and gives us a peek into what his daily life is like at the office. We also discuss his career aspirations, Michael Graves’ legacy and what the future of architecture looks like.
“Taking those first few years and just kind of be a sponge, right? Just kind of listen to how people interact with certain situations. Interact with some of the more difficult clients. You can really learn a lot from just absorbing that in your first few years. And then what I found personally is, I sat there and I listened to the mentors that I thought would be really great to work with. And that’s kind of the path that I align myself with. So again, I’m super passionate about it and I really look forward to the future.”
Topics Covered:
Austin’s career path so far
What Austin loves about architecture
How he knew that Michael Graves Architecture & Design was the right fit for him
What Austin hopes to accomplish in the career that he has ahead of him
My advice for younger architects, real estate developers and investors
Episode Timestamps
2:28 – What was your path to working at this amazing firm, Michael Graves Architecture and Design?
6:19 – What does day-to-day life look like for you?
8:25 – What are the things that you're responsible for?
10:33 – What do you want to accomplish in the career that you have ahead of you?
Connect with Austin Crowley:
About your host:
Atif Qadir is the Founder & CEO of Commonplace, a technology company making it easy for commercial real estate professionals to find and use the $100B of real estate incentives given out every year in the US.
His work has been covered by Technology Review, The Real Deal, Commercial Observer, and Propmodo. He’s also a frequent speaker on the future of buildings and cities on popular industry podcasts and at conferences, including this past year at the Commercial Observer National DEI Conference, Yale AREA Conference, Columbia Real Estate Symposium, Open Data Week NYC and Austin Design Week.
About Commonplace
Commonplace is a founding sponsor of American Building. It is a 100% minority-owned, real estate technology company founded in 2020 to make financing social impact development projects across the US easier. It is funded by venture capital investors Hometeam Ventures, Park West Asset Management, New York Ventures and Shadow Ventures.
About Michael Graves
The world-famous design firm Michael Graves is also a founding sponsor of American Building. Its namesake, the iconoclastic designer Michael Graves, FAIA was a fierce advocate for people-centric design. His work defines a generation of American architecture and includes the Portland Building, the Humana Building and the Denver Public Library. The 1st season of American Building was filmed live at The Warehouse, his historic home in Princeton, New Jersey:
Rate, Review, & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
Did you love this episode? Let us know by rating and review our show on Apple Podcasts. It’s easy - simply click this link, click on Listen on Apple Podcasts, scroll to the bottom of the page, and select “Write a Review”. Let us know what you liked best about the episode, and what others can expect when they listen to our show.
While you’re at it, consider subscribing to American Building. When you subscribe, you can guarantee you never miss a conversation with one our renowned designers, architects, and developers. Subscribe now!
