Your Custom Text Here
Jeanette Parker, Director of Knowledge Management
Wendy Gomoll, Manager, Knowledge Management
Sam Horton, Learning and Development Manager
In this webinar, you’ll see how Diamond Schmitt is strategically evolving their knowledge platform to capitalize on emerging capabilities in AI-powered search and learning management.
Read more
Over the past year, much of the conversation around AI and knowledge management in AEC has rightly focused on technology. Generative AI platforms, AI search offering, and emerging capabilities like AI agents are transforming how firms surface and share what they know.
We’ve also spent a lot of time exploring the benefits: how AI can support emerging professionals, elevate subject matter experts, improve onboarding, streamline marketing, and accelerate learning and development, to name a few.
But one deceptively simple question from the Q&A session at the end of our KM 3.0: Connecting People to Knowledge and Expertise in the Flow of Work webinar has stayed with me:
“How is the work of AEC knowledge management teams changing because of AI?”
In many ways, that question became the organizing impulse for this issue—because KM 3.0, this new era of AI-powered knowledge management, isn’t just about technology. KM 3.0 is also about people, process, and culture, and how AI is reshaping the work of knowledge management teams.
Over the past few months, I’ve spoken with some of the most thoughtful and forward-thinking KM leaders in our community—members of Knowledge Architecture’s Research Council and others leading mature programs across firms of all sizes.
And to be clear, not everyone doing this work has “knowledge” in their title. Across the AEC industry, we see knowledge management being led by a diverse mix of roles—knowledge managers, design technology leaders, operations directors, IT leaders, marketing and communications professionals, learning and development leads, innovation strategists, practice leaders, quality assurance directors, and even CEOs.
Regardless of their title or department, what they share is a deep investment in how knowledge flows across the firm and a commitment to making it more usable, accessible, and strategic.
What follows is a synthesis of 12 key trends—emergent patterns in how the smartest KM teams are evolving their work to thrive in this new era of AI-powered knowledge management.
We are excited to introduce Stock Icons 2.0, our latest update to the stock icon feature in Synthesis.
This new feature allows users to:
Filter Stock Icon Results by Style – Use the new style and weight filters to adjust the look of your stock icons for visually consistent results.
Set the Default Stock Icon Style – Set sitewide defaults in the branding settings to maintain a cohesive look across your intranet site.
Show or Hide Stock Icon Filter in the UI – Choose whether contributors see style filters in the stock icon interface—or hide them to preserve consistency.
Stock Icons 2.0 makes it easier to stay on brand and quickly find the icons you need.
We’ll release this update after the close of business on Friday, July 18th to all Knowledge Architecture clients.
Enjoy!
Read more
The idea behind Shive-Hattery’s Plus One program is disarmingly simple: when you’re heading into a client meeting, proposal interview, or project kickoff, don’t go alone. Bring someone with you. Someone earlier in their career. Someone who wouldn’t normally be in the room. Have them observe. Encourage them to ask questions. Invite them to lead a small part of the meeting.
That’s it.
But inside that simple idea lives something incredibly powerful.
Shive-Hattery is a 600-person architecture and engineering consulting firm based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with roots dating back to 1895.
Plus One is both a knowledge strategy and an employee engagement strategy. It helps the firm transfer wisdom from senior staff, build client continuity, and develop future leaders in real time. At the same time, it helps early-career professionals feel seen, valued, and included in the real work of the firm, years before they might otherwise have had the chance.
It’s one of those rare practices that builds both business resilience and human connection.
In fact, I’d argue that’s part of why it works so well. It sits at the intersection of what firms need and what people want. Firms need succession planning, leadership development, and client coverage. People want mentorship, growth, and visibility. Plus One delivers both, and it’s exactly the kind of habit that helps a firm become a learning organization.
And because it’s lightweight, repeatable, and aligned with the natural rhythms of project work, it scales easily.
Read moreI’m excited to share the second episode in our Welcome to KM 3.0 podcast series, a collaboration between Knowledge Architecture and the TRXL Podcast.
This week’s guest is Ellen Bensky, CEO of Turner Fleischer Architects.
We titled this episode “CEO as Knowledge Architect” because that’s exactly what Ellen models in practice. Over the past decade, she’s helped Turner Fleischer grow from 60 to 250 people—not just by adding headcount, but by connecting people, process, technology, and culture in ways that support smarter, more sustainable growth.
In short, she’s doing the work of knowledge management—or KM—but from the CEO’s chair.
Ellen shares how KM became a strategic priority at Turner Fleischer, how her team embedded it into roles and workflows, and why AI is now playing a central role in simplifying and scaling the firm’s institutional knowledge. From employee onboarding to digital practice, project management to culture building, she shows how KM, done well, can become both an operational advantage and a leadership philosophy.
It’s one of the clearest, most thoughtful conversations on modern KM in AEC that I’ve ever been part of and we’re so happy to share it with you.
Enjoy!
Over the past month, I’ve been researching how the role of the AEC knowledge manager is evolving in the age of AI. One theme has come up again and again in surveys and interviews: AI literacy is quickly becoming a core responsibility of KM teams. In many firms, knowledge managers are stepping into a new role as AI educators, guides, and shepherds.
They’re the ones helping colleagues understand the art of the possible. Teaching prompting techniques. Introducing good habits like verifying sources. Navigating the messy intersections of internal data, external tools, and firm-specific workflows.
But a question keeps tugging at me:
Do we need to elevate everyone to the same level of AI fluency? Or will the future of AI learning look more jagged, role-based, and use case specific?
Read more
Nine months ago we released Synthesis AI Search for AEC Firms to our client community. Since then, we’ve seen some remarkable things.
Firms are surfacing knowledge that was previously buried across intranets and databases. They’re connecting employees with internal experts more easily, helping marketing teams find project precedents and draft communication, and using AI Search to support digital design practices, scale expert knowledge, upskill emerging professionals, and make onboarding more effective.
Our clients are making significant improvements to how their firms work and learn.
And yet, alongside all this momentum, I’ve also heard a growing concern:
“I’m worried that our employees are going to accept whatever AI tells them at face value and run with it.”
This concern isn’t new. We’ve long tried to teach people to question what they read online, to check sources, to verify claims. But something about this moment—maybe it’s the polish, maybe it’s the speed, maybe it’s the aura of intelligence that clings to anything branded AI—feels different.
Which brings me to a word I didn’t learn until later in my career, but which now feels central to this moment: epistemology, and its practical counterpart, epistemic humility.
If you’ve never heard the word epistemology, you’re not alone. I didn’t encounter it until around 2017, when I met Larry Prusak, a mentor and pioneer in the knowledge management field.
Epistemology is the study of knowledge: how we know what we know, how knowledge is formed and validated, how it evolves or gets distorted over time. It’s a field that touches everything from philosophy to science to journalism, and increasingly, AI.
Larry introduced me to a related concept that’s stuck with me ever since: epistemic humility. The idea that we should be humble about what we know, cautious about what we claim, and curious enough to keep questioning even our most cherished assumptions as well as the assertions of others.
It’s one of those phrases that’s quietly shaped how I lead, how we build products at KA, and how I think about the future of knowledge work.
Read moreWe’re excited to announce a new limited podcast series, Welcome to KM 3.0, a partnership between Knowledge Architecture and Evan Troxel of the TRXL Podcast.
Knowledge Management has always evolved alongside technology and today, powered by AI, a new golden era of KM is emerging — KM 3.0.
In this series we’ll profile a range of firms—each with a distinct approach to knowledge management. From program structure to measurable impact, we’ll explore how AEC firms are using knowledge management to get smarter in an AI-driven world.
You’ll hear from a CEO, a marketing director, a technology leader, a sustainability expert, and a dedicated knowledge manager. Each will bring a different lens—showing us how knowledge leadership can emerge from different corners of an organization and take shape in distinct ways.
In every episode, we’ll aim to get to the heart of how AEC knowledge management functions in practice—what’s working, what’s changing, and what others can learn.
The series kicked off with a conversation between Christopher Parsons, our Founder and CEO, and Evan, where they talked about his journey into knowledge management, what knowledge management looks like in an AEC practice, how it’s evolved, and why AI is poised to reshape what is possible.
We hope you’ll join us as we explore.
In this episode of the TRXL Podcast, Christopher Parsons, Founder and CEO, Knowledge Architecture, joins host Evan Troxel to explore the evolution of knowledge management in AEC—from the early days of digitizing and capturing firm knowledge (KM 1.0), through the rise of collaboration and social intranets (KM 2.0), to today’s emerging era of AI-powered answers delivered in the flow of work (KM 3.0).
Christopher shares how leading AEC firms are preparing for this shift by operationalizing knowledge in practical, high-impact ways—such as upskilling emerging professionals, scaling expert knowledge, driving technology adoption, and improving onboarding effectiveness. These firms are beginning to unlock the full value of the knowledge they already have by leveraging AI-powered knowledge management approaches that make content more accessible, discoverable, and actionable across the firm.
Later in the episode, Christopher explains how this KM 3.0 transformation is made possible through new technologies like retrieval augmented generation (RAG), semantic search, domain-specific AI tuning, and intelligent search agents that know how to route queries to the right sources using tools and reasoning. But more importantly, he emphasizes that AI alone isn’t the solution—people, process, and culture, working alongside AI, are what truly unlock value.
This transition to KM 3.0 is helping AEC firms connect their people to the knowledge and expertise they need—right in the flow of work.
If you're leading innovation, knowledge management, or AI initiatives in your firm, or just trying to make your people smarter, this episode is for you.
▶ Watch or Listen:
📺 YouTube
🎧 Spotify
🎧 Apple Podcasts
The TRXL podcast is a leading voice at the intersection of architecture and emerging technology, hosted by Evan Troxel. Each episode features thoughtful conversations with architects, technologists, and industry leaders who are shaping the future of the built environment. With a focus on innovation, practice, and the people behind the work, TRXL offers listeners an inside look at how architecture is evolving—one insight at a time.
In addition to the free weekly show, TRXL+ offers an extended experience with bonus content, early access, behind-the-scenes commentary for subscribers who want to go deeper, ad-free episodes, and the Leadership Edge newsletter. You can explore the full archive and learn more about TRXL+ at https://trxl.co.
If you didn’t have the good fortune of meeting Ed Friedrichs before his passing in 2021, here are a few high-level facts: Ed was a visionary architect and firm leader. He played a pivotal role in shaping Gensler into the global design practice it is today. He joined the firm in 1969, founded the Los Angeles office in 1976, and served as Gensler’s President and CEO from 1995 to 2003. Under his leadership, the firm grew significantly in scale, sophistication, and ambition—while also codifying many of the cultural principles that still define it.
But for me, Ed’s legacy began long before I launched Knowledge Architecture—before I even knew what knowledge management was.
I first met Ed in 2005 at a conference called Firm of the Future, hosted by ZweigWhite. The conference brought together forward-thinking leaders to explore where the AEC industry was headed in the next 10, 15, 20 years. It was a fantastic premise, and it launched me on the path I’ve been walking ever since.
That event introduced me to firms that were being intentional about how they managed knowledge. These firms were investing in research, building systems for innovation, sharing what they learned internally, and connecting people across offices and disciplines. No one at the conference was using the term “knowledge management”—at least not that I can recall—but that’s exactly what they were doing. They were trying to make better use of what they knew.
Ed was one of the speakers at that conference. I attended his talk, then stayed afterward to ask questions. I later found him at a meal and sat next to him, eager to learn more. He was generous with his time—patient, encouraging, and deeply thoughtful.
What I didn’t fully realize until recently—when I went back and reviewed the old conference program—is that Ed didn’t just speak at the event. He chaired and designed it. He was the one who brought those people together. He shaped the experience that set me on this path.
Looking back, it all makes sense. The connecting thread running through the entire conference—the idea that architects and engineers shouldn’t only design buildings and infrastructure, but should also design their firms to be smarter—was Ed’s idea. His point of view gave the event its energy, its distinctiveness, and its sense of possibility.
That conference was the moment I first began to see knowledge management as a tool you could use to design a better business.
Read moreFinding the right person with the right expertise at the right time is one of the most persistent challenges in AEC firms.
That’s why we built Advanced Employee Search—a powerful new AI search feature in our Synthesis intranet platform that helps employees find the experts they need, when they need them, whether they’re searching by role, skills, certifications, committees, or experience.
Advanced Employee Search combines structured employee data from integrations with AEC software like Deltek, Unanet, aec360, and OpenAsset, with unstructured employee data from intranet pages, documents, videos, and posts. The result: AI-powered answers that connect your team directly to the experts they need.
In this short video, you’ll see how Synthesis can answer questions like:
Who are our registered architects in California?
Who’s on the sustainability committee?
Who can help me plan a flexible wet lab?
Who is our mass timber expert?
Who can I ask about reclaimed structural steel?
You’ll also get a behind-the-scenes look at how Advanced Employee Search uses Agentic RAG (retrieval augmented generation with reasoning and tools), and a preview of the next Synthesis AI Search feature we’re working on: Advanced Project Search.
If your firm is curious about how Synthesis can support knowledge sharing, expertise discovery, and intranet search, we’d love to show you how it works.
Shepley Bulfinch is a 200-person architecture, planning, and interior design firm with offices in Boston, Hartford, Houston, and Phoenix. Like every AEC firm, they face the same universal challenge:
How do you give new hires the right amount of information—without overwhelming them or leaving them stranded?
The tension is familiar. Too much information, too early, and it becomes a blur. Too little, too late, and new employees are left guessing. But Shepley has found a way to strike a better balance—one that goes beyond orientation and delivers support when it’s needed most.
In this 8-minute clip from my “KM 3.0” webinar, I share how Shepley is reimagining onboarding not as a one-time event, but as an ongoing knowledge experience.
They’ve built a rich onboarding ecosystem within Finch, their Synthesis intranet, including:
An “I’m New Here” page that puts all key resources in one place: office groups, firm standards, tech setup, and more.
A Benefits Guide and Shepley Standards manual that go beyond policies to explain the thinking and philosophy behind how the firm works.
A Ropes Course Guide—a seven-part series of discussion prompts introducing new hires to Shepley’s approach to design, project phases, client engagement, and team roles.
A Working Groups directory so employees can join voluntary communities around Revit, interiors, sustainability, and more.
A course catalog for BirdFeeder, their internal learning and development program covering project management, technical skills, professional development, and more.
All of this forms a powerful foundation. But Shepley didn’t stop there.
They’ve paired great onboarding content with intelligent AI Search—so employees can find the right answers not just in week one, but in week twenty or week fifty.
Need to know if gym memberships are covered? Just ask.
Wondering about the work-from-home policy after a life change? Ask.
First time submitting expenses? Ask.
Trying to understand how project assignments work—or who decides them? Ask.
Even more impressive, AI Search surfaces precise responses, citing the source and often pointing directly to relevant documents, videos, or even the person responsible. For example:
“Who’s on the staffing responsible body?” returns the current roster, filtered from the employee directory.
“Who knows Affinity Photo in Houston?” surfaces a colleague you can reach out to directly for help.
This is where KM 3.0 shines.
Shepley isn’t just onboarding people more thoughtfully—they’re extending the learning journey into daily work. They’ve built a system where the right information (or the right person) is always within reach, long after the orientation ends.
It’s onboarding designed not just for day one, but for year one.
Turner Fleischer is a 250-person architecture firm based in Toronto with a long-standing commitment to design technology. Over the past decade, they’ve not only adopted new tools—they’ve built them, structured a robust DT department, and established themselves as leaders in technical innovation.
But as anyone in change management knows, building great tools is one thing. Getting people across the firm to actually use them—that’s the real challenge.
Turner Fleischer’s approach to driving tech adoption is layered, thoughtful, and grounded in a progression from KM 1.0 to KM 2.0 and now KM 3.0.
In this 8-minute clip from my “KM 3.0” webinar, I walk through how they’ve built a solid knowledge foundation and then used AI to scale learning and support at the moment of need.
They’ve created:
A deep, well-structured intranet (named Newton) with curated documentation, from Revit standards to computational design guides—complete with subject matter experts listed on every page.
A series of monthly Tech Talks that spotlight emerging tools, trends, and internal innovations—recorded and posted to the intranet so learning becomes part of the firm’s knowledge fabric.
A microlearning video library called eTutor, with over 370 short videos (most under 10 minutes), each laser-focused on specific tools or tasks—from Bluebeam to Autodesk Construction Cloud.
A formal L&D program called TF Academy offering cohort-based courses to deepen team expertise.
This multi-pronged strategy meets people where they are—whether they want to skim a summary, attend a course, or watch a short video before jumping into a task.
But what makes this KM 3.0 is how it all comes together at the moment of need.
Let’s say you’re new to the firm and keep hearing about “BXP”—but aren’t quite sure what it means. Rather than asking around, you simply search “What is BXP?” and instantly get a clear answer: it’s a BIM Execution Plan, here’s how we use it at Turner Fleischer, and if you want to learn more, go talk to Brent Mauti.
Or maybe you need to create a door schedule. A quick search pulls up a structured page plus a relevant microlearning video from the eTutor library.
Need to request a laser scan? Search the question, get the steps, and click directly to the form.
Curious who knows Grasshopper or how to operate the laser cutter? Search the tool name and Synthesis points you to the right people instantly.
This is the heart of KM 3.0.
Turner Fleischer isn’t just educating their team—they’re delivering knowledge in the flow of work. They’ve moved from “just in case” training to “just in time” answers. From centralized expertise to distributed access.
The result? A more empowered, more confident, and more capable team—ready to adopt and apply new technology when it matters most.
Boulder Associates is a 250-person architecture, interior design, and consulting firm based in Boulder, Colorado. The business challenge they’ve taken on with knowledge management is a big one:
How do you scale expert knowledge across a firm of 250, when your subject matter experts are busy, billable, and deeply embedded in project work?
In this 8-minute clip from my “KM 3.0” webinar, I share how Boulder Associates is doing just that—starting with one of their top experts in healthcare design, Darci Hernandez, and a looming deadline that’s reshaping hospital planning in California.
Darci has deep experience navigating SB 1953, a seismic safety mandate requiring California hospitals to meet compliance standards by 2030. While the legislation itself is public, Darci’s knowledge goes beyond the text—into the messy reality of how health systems are actually responding, what trade-offs they’re making, and how architects can help clients manage risk and make informed decisions.
So how do you capture all that insight without asking Darci to write a white paper she doesn’t have time to write?
Todd Henderson, Boulder’s Director of Practice Improvement, sat down with her for a recorded interview. Then he used Synthesis to automatically transcribe the video, ran it through AI tools like Perplexity and ChatGPT to generate takeaways and summaries, and published the resulting page to their intranet—where it’s now indexed by AI Search and easy to retrieve when teammates have questions like:
“What is SB 1953 and how are our clients responding to it?”
“How can I help a hospital client weigh their retrofit options?”
“Who at Boulder can help me go deeper on this topic?”
The same playbook was used with Emily Nightingale, a Bluebeam expert at Boulder, to answer questions like:
“When should I use Bluebeam Sessions vs. Projects?”
“What’s the best way to do redlining in Bluebeam for project workflows?”
This approach—record, transcribe, summarize, publish, index—delivers on the promise of KM 3.0.
It’s efficient for experts. It respects their time. And it turns deep, tacit knowledge into accessible, actionable assets that scale—without sacrificing nuance.
And when AI Search surfaces an answer from one of these interviews, it doesn’t just give you information—it links directly to the expert who said it, so you know where it came from and who to follow up with if you need more.
This is KM 3.0 in action.
Not just storing knowledge—but helping people find it, trust it, and use it in the flow of work.
BWBR is a 200-person architecture firm based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Last year, they hired 70 new employees, many of whom were placed on healthcare projects.
Healthcare, as anyone in AEC knows, is an especially complex building type. The regulations are intense. The jargon is endless. The user types are specialized. You’ve got equipment standards, room layout logic, infection control procedures—plus a sea of acronyms that only make sense once you’re fluent. It’s a steep learning curve, even for experienced professionals, let alone those new to the industry.
So BWBR asked a timely and important question:
How do we get 70 people up to speed—quickly and effectively—using knowledge management, including the latest advances in AI-powered tools?
In this 8-minute clip from my recent webinar "KM 3.0: Connecting People to Knowledge and Expertise in the Flow of Work", I share how BWBR:
Built a healthcare community of practice on their intranet (BHIVE), including 18 curated training modules
Documented best practices, subject matter experts, and go-to resources for complex topics
Layered on AI Search so new hires can ask real questions—“What’s an onstage/offstage layout?” or “What’s important in an imaging suite?”—and instantly surface the most relevant answers from training videos, expert-authored pages, and internal documentation
This is what KM 3.0 looks like in practice.
Not just capturing and sharing knowledge, but delivering it in the flow of work.
What if you could teach AI to provide expert guidance on demand—while at the same time freeing up your human experts to spend more time on design, mentorship, and innovation?
At Bora Architecture & Interiors, a 70-person architecture firm in Portland, that’s exactly what they’re experimenting with. They call it RoboCorey—a digital twin of their Director of Sustainability, Corey Squire, AIA.
Corey is a nationally recognized leader in sustainable design and the author of People Planet Design. Like many experts, he wants to spend less time repeating the basics and more time pushing the work forward. So Bora built a system that captures his 101- and 201-level knowledge—from material choices to indoor air quality strategies—and makes it searchable, accessible, and actionable through their Synthesis intranet. (Corey even uploaded his book to Synthesis. 💡)
What makes the RoboCorey approach so compelling is that it’s not about replacing experts. It’s about scaling their insight—while freeing them up to focus on client challenges, mentor others, and drive deeper innovation.
It’s also a powerful way to make values real. At Bora, sustainability is centered on values and ideals—but also providing the knowledge and information people need to deliver sustainable solutions. RoboCorey turns knowledge into something anyone at the firm can access in real time, regardless of whether or not experts are available.
This is KM 3.0 in action.
Watch our full KM 3.0 webinar for more examples of how AEC firms are driving new business value with AI-powered Knowledge Management approaches.
Christopher Parsons, Founder and CEO of Knowledge Architecture
AEC firms have spent decades building intranets, capturing knowledge, and encouraging collaboration. Now, with the rise of AI, that foundation is paying off in powerful new ways. Welcome to KM 3.0—an era where knowledge isn’t just captured and shared, but delivered in the flow of work.
In this webinar, Christopher Parsons, Founder and CEO of Knowledge Architecture, shares five in-depth case studies that show how Synthesis AI Search is helping firms unlock the full value of their knowledge.
Each case study shows how foundational KM investments—standards, best practices, on-demand learning, expert interviews, and onboarding guides—are now amplified through AI search to deliver just-in-time answers and connect people to expertise when it matters most:
BWBR created a healthcare practice upskilling series with 18 learning modules, best practice guides, and expert-curated content. AI search makes it all accessible to new hires in the flow of work so they can quickly get answers to questions such as “What’s an onstage/offstage layout?” or “What’s important in an imaging suite?”
Turner Fleischer combined structured standards, #TechTalk videos, a searchable eTutor library, and a full internal learning academy to build a robust KM foundation. AI search delivers just-in-time answers that support technology adoption at scale—from BIM workflows to laser scanning and Grasshopper questions.
Boulder Associates uses expert interviews to capture deep, tacit knowledge, such as seismic compliance strategies and Bluebeam project workflows. AI search then transcribes, summarizes, and surfaces this expertise so project teams can get answers or connect directly with in-house experts as needed.
Bora Architecture & Interiors built a digital twin of their sustainability lead, Corey Squire, by integrating his best practices, project reflections, and even his book into their intranet. AI search (aka “Robo Corey”) now helps employees find standards, strategies, and subject matter experts for sustainable design decisions on demand.
Shepley Bulfinch created one of the most comprehensive onboarding knowledge ecosystems in our client base, answering questions such as “How do I get staffed on projects?” or “Who knows Affinity Photo in Houston?” in the flow of work. AI search allows their employees to get answers to their questions long after orientation.
Join us as we explore these real-world examples of cultural and process shifts that have helped AEC firms fully realize the promise of KM 3.0.
Enjoy!
Read more
When Tricia Esser, KTGY’s CEO, initially brought up the idea of building a leadership development program from scratch, John Robison, COO, was skeptical.
John was already deep in the research process for leadership development programs. He had lined up a shortlist of external options: Stanford executive education, Korn Ferry programs, Vistage coaching networks. These were proven, respected, turnkey solutions. Why reinvent the wheel?
But when Tricia had a memorable conversation with a client who had built their own leadership development program in-house, everything changed.
She asked the client, "Isn’t building your own program a huge time commitment?"
The client answered: "Yes. Can you tell me something more important you're working on?"
That question landed hard.
Tricia and John realized they couldn’t entrust something this important to a third party.
That was the moment ELEVATE began.
Read more
Having spent nearly 25 years in the AEC industry helping firms manage their knowledge more strategically and effectively, I believe we’re in a moment of real change. Not just in technology, but in how architecture and engineering firms think about learning, growth, and the role of knowledge in their work.
AI is part of the story, of course. But so are generational shifts, new business models, and a growing recognition that firms can’t just work harder, they have to learn smarter and faster.
To thrive in the decades ahead, I believe firms need to become learning organizations: places where knowledge flows, expertise grows, and insights compound over time. That kind of transformation doesn’t happen by accident. It happens by design. Smarter design.
That’s the spirit behind this newsletter.
Every other week, I’ll share stories, patterns, and lessons from across the AEC industry drawn from my conversations with firm leaders, knowledge managers, and others who are quietly (and sometimes boldly) rethinking how their firms manage information, share knowledge, and build cultures of learning.
Sometimes I’ll zoom in on specific use cases — like improving onboarding, upskilling emerging professionals, or scaling expert knowledge. Other times I’ll step back to explore broader patterns: what’s changing in knowledge management, what remains foundational, and what new business value is being unlocked by firms embracing new technologies, practices, and cultural mindsets.
If you’re interested in how firms are scaling learning, supporting growth through intentional organizational design, and building resilience, this newsletter is for you.
And while I’ll be writing from my own experience, I hope this becomes a conversation.
As I wrote recently, I’ve found throughout my career that in times of change, community is the killer app. Community helps us navigate faster, more successfully, and with more ease, joy, and grace. None of us have all of the answers, but I believe we’ll get further, faster if we explore together.
I hope you join me on the journey.
Christopher Parsons
Founder and CEO, Knowledge Architecture
We’re thrilled to announce the speakers and full program for KA Connect 2025, taking place August 12–15 at the incredible Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah.
Read moreKate Grimes, Director of Knowledge
We are pleased to share this inside look at the Guide, Snøhetta’s Synthesis intranet. Our tour guide is Kate Grimes, Director at Snøhetta.
Read moreIntranets | Search | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Support | Blog | About | Contact