This Deliberate Words episode captures a lively and fun conversation between Dave Stutzman and Steve Gantner of Conspectus and their guest, Tucker Beech, a third-year (of six) Drexel architecture student who first connected with Dave after he guest-spoke to a Drexel class about specifications.
Tucker shares the origin story of her architecture obsession, from a custom-built childhood home and a fifth-grade “intro to architecture” project (complete with a too-small-to-compete fire station model) to being inspired by travel and historic architecture in Europe. She talks candidly about what architecture school is really like, pushing back on the all-nighter myth and emphasizing time management, work-life balance, and personal safety when commuting late in Philadelphia.
A key theme is humility and learning from others. Tucker recounts advice from an architecture camp: never assume you know more than the people doing the work around you. Steve reinforces it with a story from his father (a bricklayer) and explains how that mindset shaped his approach to construction administration.
Professionally, Tucker is exploring “architecture-adjacent” paths that still use her strengths, especially building codes, specifications, and technical observation. She lights up describing how specs let you read a room through details (like recognizing an acoustically sensitive space by door hardware), and the group connects the dots between code knowledge and strong spec writing. Steve encourages her to take business classes if possible, noting how valuable that foundation is in practice.
The episode also has plenty of personality: a running gag about technical glitches, a spirited “cheese drawer” debate (Midwest pride), and Tucker’s other signature interests (dogs, ducks, pumpkins, and dreams of pumpkin chunking with trebuchets).
They close with the show’s “five words or less” question. Tucker’s answer: “providing hope, safety and security to all.” She ties it back to her goal of eventually designing residential projects that give others the same sense of belonging she felt growing up. Dave and Steve wish her luck, invite her to stay in touch with spec questions, and give a light-hearted “hire Tucker” shout-out to listeners in the Philadelphia area.
Key Takeaways:
Industry Insight:
Architecture talent is actively looking for “adjacent” career paths (specs, codes, technical documentation) that still shape the built environment but offer more sustainable hours. Specs and code literacy are becoming a differentiator, not a detour.
Practice Takeaway:
Don’t “talk at” contractors, subs, or field leadership. Ask how they’d solve it, listen, and then align the solution with design intent, code, and performance. Humility is a technical skill.
Process Lesson:
Late changes are inevitable, but chaos isn’t. Better early clarity from the owner, plus disciplined documentation (drawings + specs + code rationale) reduces downstream rework and preserves trust when adjustments happen.
Risk or Opportunity:
- Risk: Treating specs as an afterthought widens the design-intent gap and makes changes feel arbitrary, fueling conflict between disciplines (architect vs engineer vs owner).
- Opportunity: Use specifications and code knowledge as a decision framework to stabilize scope, communicate performance intent, and reduce churn when design evolves.
People & Culture:
The episode spotlights a healthier culture shift: valuing work-life balance, mentoring early-career professionals, and normalizing “you don’t know everything” as a strength. Also, teams thrive when curiosity is welcomed, even when it comes packaged as a code-nerd with a cheese drawer and a pumpkin trebuchet plan. 🧀🎃
David Stutzman + Steve Gantner
