Hospitality’s Innovative Playground - Glenn Nowak - University of Nevada Las Vegas - Episode # 237
Wed Feb 04 2026
How Can Las Vegas Serve as the Ultimate Architectural Laboratory?
In this episode of Defining Hospitality, Dan Ryan sits down with Glen Noack, an accomplished architect and associate professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), to dive into Glen's extensive experience in architecture and hospitality design. They explore various aspects of radical innovation within the built environment, the unique opportunities Las Vegas offers as a 'living laboratory,' and Glen's involvement in fostering creative design through competitions like Radical Innovation.
Takeaways:
Las Vegas is a learning environment. The city serves as an inspiring backdrop for architectural students who can directly interact with cutting-edge designs.Las Vegas’ hospitality goes beyond traditional assumptions. Hospitality design is evolving to include educational and community-focused projects, not just hotels and casinos.The emotional impact is vital. Emotional resonance in architecture is as vital as functional possibility, and this dual focus is a core aspect of education in Las Vegas.Virtual Reality is architecture’s future. The integration of AI and virtual scanning technology in design education provides unique opportunities for creating interactive project models.Community collaboration opens pathways. Collaborations between universities and industries open pathways for projects that transcend traditional hospitality and influence community development.
Quote of the Show:
“There isn’t a formula on how to teach this… if it becomes formulaic, it can’t produce the same aha effect.” - Glenn Nowak
Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenn-nowak-phd-a96117105/ Company website: https://aeroai.io/
Shout Outs:
1:12 - University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) https://www.unlv.edu/1:30 - Radical Innovation https://www.radicalinnovation.com/1:49 - The Flamingo Las Vegas https://www.caesars.com/flamingo-las-vegas1:49 - M Resort https://www.themresort.com/1:49 - Caesars https://www.caesars.com/18:20 - Learning from Las Vegas (Book) https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262720069/learning-from-las-vegas/ 26:40 - The Sphere https://www.thesphere.com/28:13 - Madison Square Garden (MSG) https://www.msg.com/28:20 - James Dolan https://www.sphereentertainmentco.com/leadership/james-dolan/ 28:30 - New York Knicks https://www.nba.com/knicks28:50 - Phish (band) https://phish.com/29:02 - Luxor Las Vegas https://www.luxor.com/38:53 - Hard Rock https://www.hardrock.com/39:13 - The Mirage https://casino.hardrock.com/las-vegas 44:08 - Aero AI https://aeroai.io/52:27 - Revit (Autodesk) https://www.autodesk.com/products/revit/52:27 - SketchUp https://www.sketchup.com/62:30 - Jacques Derrida (philosopher)62:50 - Clark County School District https://www.ccsd.net/63:50 - Tesla (tunnels) https://www.tesla.com/
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
Ways to Tune In:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPXApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1sAmazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
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How Can Las Vegas Serve as the Ultimate Architectural Laboratory? In this episode of Defining Hospitality, Dan Ryan sits down with Glen Noack, an accomplished architect and associate professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), to dive into Glen's extensive experience in architecture and hospitality design. They explore various aspects of radical innovation within the built environment, the unique opportunities Las Vegas offers as a 'living laboratory,' and Glen's involvement in fostering creative design through competitions like Radical Innovation. Takeaways: Las Vegas is a learning environment. The city serves as an inspiring backdrop for architectural students who can directly interact with cutting-edge designs.Las Vegas’ hospitality goes beyond traditional assumptions. Hospitality design is evolving to include educational and community-focused projects, not just hotels and casinos.The emotional impact is vital. Emotional resonance in architecture is as vital as functional possibility, and this dual focus is a core aspect of education in Las Vegas.Virtual Reality is architecture’s future. The integration of AI and virtual scanning technology in design education provides unique opportunities for creating interactive project models.Community collaboration opens pathways. Collaborations between universities and industries open pathways for projects that transcend traditional hospitality and influence community development. Quote of the Show: “There isn’t a formula on how to teach this… if it becomes formulaic, it can’t produce the same aha effect.” - Glenn Nowak Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenn-nowak-phd-a96117105/ Company website: https://aeroai.io/ Shout Outs: 1:12 - University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) https://www.unlv.edu/1:30 - Radical Innovation https://www.radicalinnovation.com/1:49 - The Flamingo Las Vegas https://www.caesars.com/flamingo-las-vegas1:49 - M Resort https://www.themresort.com/1:49 - Caesars https://www.caesars.com/18:20 - Learning from Las Vegas (Book) https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262720069/learning-from-las-vegas/ 26:40 - The Sphere https://www.thesphere.com/28:13 - Madison Square Garden (MSG) https://www.msg.com/28:20 - James Dolan https://www.sphereentertainmentco.com/leadership/james-dolan/ 28:30 - New York Knicks https://www.nba.com/knicks28:50 - Phish (band) https://phish.com/29:02 - Luxor Las Vegas https://www.luxor.com/38:53 - Hard Rock https://www.hardrock.com/39:13 - The Mirage https://casino.hardrock.com/las-vegas 44:08 - Aero AI https://aeroai.io/52:27 - Revit (Autodesk) https://www.autodesk.com/products/revit/52:27 - SketchUp https://www.sketchup.com/62:30 - Jacques Derrida (philosopher)62:50 - Clark County School District https://www.ccsd.net/63:50 - Tesla (tunnels) https://www.tesla.com/ 🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/ Ways to Tune In: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPXApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1sAmazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/