Kurt Neiswender, AIA, is Principal of Urban Colab Architecture, L3C, a social-enterprise practice based in Flint, Michigan. His studio operates as a lean, distributed model — pairing a small core team with independent contractors and collaborators across the country to deliver community-centered work, an approach that lets a place-based practice punch well above its size.
Kurt is also an Assistant Professor of Practice at Lawrence Technological University, where he mentors emerging architects, and co-founder of the Coffee Sketch Podcast, a Top-10 architecture podcast reaching listeners in 146+ countries. Across practice, teaching, and media, he is interested in how architects build connection, mentorship, and culture when the work is remote.
A 2017 AIA National Young Architect Award recipient, he currently serves as 2026 AIA Michigan Secretary-Elect.
Courses
The Flexible Firm: Staffing Independent Contractors to Navigate Risk and Workload
Wednesday, August 12, 2026 | 2-3pm ET
Architecture firms often face unpredictable workloads and resulting staffing challenges. New projects come and go , specialized expertise may be needed temporarily, and future staffing demand is uncertain. Used strategically, independent contractors can help firms create a more resilient practice capable of adapting its capacity, skills, and geographic reach without resorting to cycles of frantic hiring, overwork, and layoffs. When independent contractors can achieve the life-balance they are seeking, everybody wins.
Through examples from sole practitioners, a small remote firm, and a large architecture practice, this course examines how firms use independent contractors to expand capacity, access specialized skills, respond to workload surges, and accommodate different ways of working. Panelists will share several approaches, including direct contracting, staffing agencies, project-based collaboration, and contractor-to-employee transitions. Participants will also explore worker-classification requirements, jurisdictional differences, cultural and operational challenges, and lessons learned from models that did, and did not, work as intended. Attendees will leave with a practical framework for determining when independent contractors are an appropriate staffing strategy and how to use them to strengthen practice resilience while reducing business and compliance risks.