What Kevin Kennon talks about

Retail Store Design and Sales Performance: how entry, layout and circulation decide what a store earns

Kevin Kennon has designed retail floors that won international retail-design awards, including multiple Bloomingdale's stores. Most retailers treat store design as decoration and spend the budget on…

From Practitioner to Principal: What changes when a founder stops taking commissions and starts funding their own projects

After 40 years taking commissions from other people, Kevin Kennon founded Beyond Zero DDC and became the client he used to work for. He argues that the work practitioners are proudest of only happens…

Zero-Carbon Construction Off the Grid: What building in remote places proves about cutting emissions on ordinary sites

Kevin Kennon builds at zero carbon on sites with no power line, no water main and no road, as founder of Beyond Zero DDC and after 40 years on projects as large as the 1.5 million square foot…

Architect as Expert Witness: how buildings hold up as evidence in legal disputes.

Kevin Kennon steps into courtrooms as an expert witness, called to tell judges and juries whether a building's design failed or the people around it did. After 40 years designing landmark towers…

Designing as a Coalition: how five rival architecture firms formed one team for the World Trade Center competition.

Kevin Kennon led United Architects, a coalition of five independent practices that put down their competing signatures to bid together for the rebuilt World Trade Center site, and took the group to…

Adaptive Reuse as an Investment Strategy: How to judge when an existing building beats new construction on cost, timeline and value

Kevin Kennon has spent 40 years putting buildings up and taking old ones apart, including the conversion of the American Express Building in Tribeca and the rebuild of Macy's Herald Square. Most…