#28 Practice Forward Podcast (Cole Mears)

V Owen Bush welcomed Cole Mears to discuss various themes, including historic overlays, net-zero civic work, and functional firehouses. Cole Mears shared their enjoyment of designing fire stations, noting that fire station owners are decisive and treat projects like their own homes, and discussed the Venice Fire Station Number One project, which also included the City Hall, connected as a civic campus. Cole Mears shared their architectural beliefs, emphasizing "people first, then spaces, and then buildings" and articulated their belief that empathy is what distinguishes architecture from fine art. Cole Mears discussed their firm's winning entry in an ideas competition for the New College of Florida's I.M. Pei campus and highlighted the St. Pete Sanitation Facility, the City of St. Pete's first net-zero project. Cole Mears explained that their firm, Sweet Sparkman, does not have a rigid set process, which allows individual staff members to experiment with new technologies and approaches, including AI, but emphasized that AI should not replace human interaction with clients and stakeholders.

This episode is brought to you by Scan2Plan — the measure of excellence for architects and engineers.From adaptive reuse to MEPF modeling, Scan2Plan delivers high-fidelity BIM and CAD documentation grounded in LiDAR precision and project-ready accuracy. Whether you're preserving heritage, coordinating across disciplines, or modeling for a net-zero future, their tailored workflows and rapid delivery help you focus on what matters most: design.Certainty lies in good data. Scan2Plan gives you both.

Scan2Plan Website

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https://www.scan2plan.io/

Cole Mears, AIA—architect at Sweet Sparkman—works across public safety, civic, and education support. He’s credited on Venice Fire Station #1 in the city’s Historic Overlay and Sarasota County Fire Station #8 focused on resilient, livable hardening—and he’s published a white paper on empathy in architecture.

Sweet Sparkman Website

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https://sweetsparkman.com/