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Most architects feel like outsiders in the business conversations that shape their projects. They’re left out of key decisions, treated as a line item cost, and frustrated when their design expertise isn’t valued the way it should be.
What happens when an architect trades AutoCAD for agile sprints and business models?
In this episode, we sit down with Daplaah-Teng Aryene—an architectural designer turned UX strategist—whose career took a sharp turn during the pandemic. What started as a leap into startup life became a masterclass in value creation, entrepreneurship, and how architects can reclaim agency in a system that often undervalues their genius.
Daplaah unpacks how real estate, tech, and business strategy reshaped his understanding of architecture’s role—and where most firms leave opportunity on the table. From innovation frameworks to unexpected lessons in developer boardrooms, this episode challenges everything you thought you knew about the “architect’s lane.”
To learn more about Daplaah-Teng Aryene, visit his LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/daplaah-teng-aryene
00:00 Intro
02:40 Why Developers See Architects as Just Another Cost
09:13 The Closed-Door Meeting That Changed How I See Architecture
14:40 Architecture Only Covers “A Little Part” of Real Value
18:33 When the Developer Said: Take Out the Balconies
20:40 Why Traditional Practice Is Leaving Money on the Table
23:40 The Transformation Won’t Come From Design Anymore
27:14 How Foster Partners Isn’t Really an Architecture Firm
31:26 The Risk Foster Took That Almost Bankrupted Him
33:17 What Most Architects Never Hear About AI’s Real Power
38:48 Why Productivity Gains Are Missing the Bigger Opportunity
43:13 The Value Chain Gap: Where Architects Lose Agency
48:00 How Foster Locked In Apple’s Global Store Revenue
52:53 Why Gensler Never Enters Competitions
55:35 The One UX Lesson Architecture Desperately Needs
57:52 The Value Gap: Why Your Fees Stay Low
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