The Clayton Vance Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Roger Jackson has shaped skylines, restored sacred places, and quietly mentored a generation of architects. In this special episode, Clayton sits down with the former president of FFKR Architects—Utah’s largest architectural firm—for a deeply personal and profound conversation about a life in architecture.

From childhood memories of blueprint ammonia to the award-winning restoration of the Salt Lake Temple, Roger shares stories from his 40-year career: design philosophy, the evolution of drafting, the soul of classical architecture, and why the real power of architecture lies not in novelty—but in meaning, beauty, and human connection.

You’ll hear:

• How architects rediscovered classical treatises and brought timeless design back to life
• The spiritual power of good design, and what happens when you get it right
• How Roger helped restore the Salt Lake Temple, the Provo City Center Temple - and design the Philadelphia Temple
• Why the buildings that last aren’t always the biggest—but the most loved

Whether you’re an architect, a student, or simply someone who wants to live in a more beautiful world, this episode will change the way you see the built environment around you.

Questions shape everything—cities, policies, lives. But what happens when we’re chasing the wrong question, even if we’ve found the right answer?

In this premiere episode, architect Clayton Vance dives into a powerful metaphor: the Kudzu effect—how a well-intentioned answer to a crisis in the American South spiraled into ecological disaster. From there, he traces how that same principle explains much of our modern world: soulless suburbs, lifeless freeways, and neighborhoods that feel like nowhere.

Through personal stories—from lonely hotel stays in Syracuse to pedestrian joy in Palm Springs, car chaos in L.A., and a quiet corner of Chicago—Clayton begins a journey toward discovering the right questions that lead to better places, real community, and timeless design.

This is more than architecture. It’s about rediscovering what makes places human—and why it matters more than ever.