For BCJ Principal Greg Mottola, FAIA, interest in architecture emerged at an early age, as he explored the significant suburban development in northern New Jersey and cultural destinations in New York City as a child in the 1970s. Later, he was drawn to Carnegie Mellon University’s architecture program for its balance between technical teachings and the fine arts, as well as Pittsburgh’s urban redevelopment. After joining Bohlin Cywinski Jackson’s Pittsburgh studio, Greg’s first project was a contribution to his alma mater – the AIA National Honor Award-winning Intelligent Workplace, a long-term demonstration, research, and teaching project for the Advanced Building Systems Consortium at Carnegie Mellon University. The project would later lead to several major projects with CMU.

Greg and Michelle discussed the importance of mentorship in the profession, including decades of guidance from Founder Peter Bohlin, FAIA from the beginning of his career, across projects in the Pittsburgh and San Francisco studios, and throughout the AIA Fellowship process. Reflecting on our firm’s varied typologies and work spanning from single-family residences to schools, wineries, and retail stores, Greg shared, “We aren’t known for doing just one style or one flavor of design – our work is varied it’s really thinking about, and responding to, the circumstances of a particular project … which keeps the work fresh and allows us to come at new projects with open eyes and fresh energy.” He highlighted the significance of eliciting emotions and designing for the human condition, qualities he also cited in favorite buildings outside our practice, including The Kimbell Art Museum by Louis Kahn, The Therme Vals by Peter Zumthor, and Antinori nel Chianti Classico Winery by Archea Associati.

Greg and Michele also discussed their thoughts about embracing AI as part of the profession. With the emergence of AI in every field, he shared his hopes that the rapidly growing technology will aid architects with more technical-oriented tasks such as specification development and early design concept visualizations. Greg and Michele also discussed our practice’s long history of publications, including the most recent, Gathering, and early progress on a new book featuring recent residential work, to be released in 2026.

Michele Grace Hottel is an architect and founder of MGHarchitect. As well as running her practice, Michele is also host of the popular “I’ve Never Met a Woman Architect Before…” podcast. Listen to the full episode at the link below.