I’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!

We’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.

🎧 Welcome to KM 3.0

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

About the TRXL Podcast

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.

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