When the construction numbers came back for Worrell Yeung’s artist studio design in Westerly, Rhode Island, everyone had to pause and recalibrate. The ground-up approach they'd developed was simply too expensive for the clients' needs and lifestyle. This moment led them back to the initial design prompt and sketches. Rather than seeing this as a setback, Jejon Yeung and Max Worrell, co-founders of Worrell Yeung, discovered that working with the existing horse stable structure resulted in a space...
Aug 13, 2025•46 min•Season 4Ep. 84
When architect Michael Chen, principal of MKCA, got a call about designing a 600-square foot apartment, the project brief was straightforward enough: renovate a 2-bedroom summer vacation home with multifunctional furniture. However, this wasn’t East Hampton or Miami Beach. In fact, there wasn’t an address at allーthe apartment floats on a luxury residential yacht that spends 365 days a year at sea. Michael discovered that designing for constant motion meant rethinking everything he knew about res...
Aug 06, 2025•46 min•Season 4Ep. 83
In the continuation of our conversation with architect Vishaan Chakrabarti, we dive deeper into the philosophy and challenges behind PAU's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame expansion. What emerges is a masterclass in honoring architectural legacy and a candid discussion about building a principled practice. Vishaan reveals PAU's "place needs connection" methodology—starting as archaeologists to unearth a site's hidden history, then becoming seamstresses to reconnect fractured urban fabric. This approac...
Jul 30, 2025•44 min•Season 4Ep. 82
Four years ago, we sat down with architect and urbanist Vishaan Chakrabarti to explore his vision for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame expansion in Cleveland—then still on the drawing board. Today, that project is under construction, reshaping Cleveland’s lakefront with a bold new cultural landmark. As cranes rise and the tower takes form, our conversation with Vishaan feels more timely than ever: it’s a front-row seat to how great design can catalyze civic life and spur economic vitality. Visha...
Jul 23, 2025•40 min•Season 4Ep. 81
When Jim Somoza first walked through Chelsea Market in 1994, he was blown away by the adaptive reuse concept. Years later, through a series of real estate transactions, Jim met Irwin Cohen, the visionary behind the project. He spent four years as president there, and is now applying those lessons at Industry City, turning 16 abandoned waterfront buildings into Brooklyn's largest mixed-use campus. As Managing Director and Partner at Industry City, Jim has overseen the $450 million transformation ...
Jul 09, 2025•53 min•Season 4Ep. 80
When visitors walk into the Pottery Barn at 619 Ponce, they often ask about the amazing candle scent filling the space. But the smell isn't a candle at all—it's the building itself. The four-story mass timber structure is built from Southern Yellow Pine that developer Jamestown sourced from their own timber holdings. As Director of Innovation and Sustainability at Jamestown, Carrie Denning Jackson is leading projects that put the "healthy people, healthy planet" concept into action. Her path fro...
Jul 02, 2025•37 min•Season 4Ep. 79
What if the biggest barrier to carbon-neutral development isn't the technology or the materials, but actually the industry's resistance to change? Most developers know sustainable construction is the future, but translating those ideals into financially viable projects feels impossible when you're faced with premium construction costs and market-rate rents. Nate Helbach believes that large-scale, sustainable development is possible when you’re willing to challenge every assumption about how buil...
Jun 25, 2025•51 min•Season 4Ep. 78
When's the last time you knocked on a stranger's door to ask for something? For most people, the answer is probably never—or at least not since Halloween as a kid. But Cecily King is building Kipling Development this way, sourcing deals by networking in underserved communities and connecting with retiring landlords. Kipling bridges the gap between subsidized low-income housing and luxury market-rate developments. The firm specializes in acquiring and remodeling naturally occurring affordable hou...
Jun 18, 2025•47 min•Season 4Ep. 77
Ben Weinberg and Michael Weiss, childhood friends turned business partners, are threading the needle between nostalgia and innovation with their hospitality ventures Castle Peak Holdings and Trailborn. From the beaches of Wrightsville, North Carolina to the foothills of Rocky Mountain National Park, they’re transforming three-star properties into four-star resort experiences that honor local charm. Their approach defies conventional hospitality wisdom. Rather than imposing a rigid brand template...
Jun 11, 2025•51 min•Season 4Ep. 76
What's shaping the future of real estate development? The industry is facing some of its biggest challenges yet: Rising construction costs, tariffs, shifting investment trends, and an evolving residential market redefining how and where we live, work and stay. But with changes comes opportunity. Join us for season four of American Building as we dive into the urgent questions shaping the built environment in the year ahead. I'm Atif Qadir, a licensed architect turned developer and the creator of...
Jun 04, 2025•2 min
What does the housing crisis actually entail? To wrap up Season 3 of American Building, I’m joined by Keith Rand, Vice President at Mill Creek Residential, to discuss the main housing production issues Americans face today and different solutions to address them. We look at limitations with local and state government policy and unpack the proposed housing supply plan from the White House. In our conversation, Keith explains the root cause of the supply and demand imbalance in New York City. Betw...
Jul 26, 2023•49 min•Season 3Ep. 75
Garden-style apartments offer residents the best of both worlds: green space and lower density living without the upkeep and price tag of a single-family home. In this episode, I trace back to the origins of garden-style apartments and highlight who lives in them now. I also revisit a conversation with developer Matt Giammanco of AvalonBay Communities to discuss Thanet Circle, a new multi-building garden-style apartment complex in Princeton, New Jersey. Located in a suburban environment that is ...
Jul 19, 2023•50 min•Season 3Ep. 74
Dorm life is a quintessential part of the American university experience, but that wasn’t always the case. In this episode, I outline the history of dormitories and share an edited version of my conversation with Arthi Krishnamoorthy, Senior Principal at TenBerke, to discuss the firm’s residential college project on the Princeton campus. After three years of attending Zoom school, college students are setting records for on-campus housing demand. Mixed with the ever-rising rent prices in college...
Jul 12, 2023•39 min•Season 3Ep. 73
Between the global financial crisis, tanking housing production, and rapid inflation, housing affordability for middle income workers has become increasingly out-of-reach. Workforce housing, a type of unregulated affordable housing, addresses the limitations that professionals like teachers, healthcare providers, and retail clerks are facing when it comes to owning a home. In this episode, I unpack the concept of workforce housing and revisit a conversation with Peter Brosens, founder of Stolar ...
Jul 05, 2023•42 min•Season 3Ep. 72
You can’t have a conversation about affordable housing without acknowledging the impact of rent regulation. Also known as rent control, rent stabilization or rent limits, these coveted units offer occupants a sense of stability by guaranteeing their monthly rent payment won’t skyrocket year after year. So, why is regulated affordable housing so hard to come by? Developer Andrew Regenstreich has an idea. Andrew was the former Director of Real Estate and Economic Development of Housing and Neighbo...
Jun 28, 2023•48 min•Season 3Ep. 71
As the old adage goes, a man's home is his castle. That doesn't mean that every home is a castle or a mansion, but in this day and age, it could very well be a McMansion. In this episode, I explore the history of mansions and how the style has been interpreted by millions of suburban homeowners. I also revisit a conversation I had with Kirk Mitchell of AKT Designs about his single-family home renovation in Englewood, New Jersey that exemplifies how to avoid tired McMansion tropes. In the suburbs...
Jun 21, 2023•37 min•Season 3Ep. 70
The racially-charged NIMBY, or ‘not in my backyard’, phenomenon is at the core of zoning laws, particularly in the greater New York City area. In this episode, I take us back to the early 1900s to look at the nation’s first zoning resolution and examine how it continues to affect communities today. I also revisit a conversation with developer Johanna Anderson, the executive director of Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, to learn more about a mixed-use affordable housing development in upstate...
Jun 14, 2023•43 min•Season 3Ep. 69
Whether it’s called a shore house, weekend home or cottage, the concept remains the same: escape from the city. The cultural phenomenon of staying at a non-primary residence during the summer is especially pervasive in New York City. In this episode, I look into the history of vacation homes in the tri-state area and how the current work-from-home culture impacts these communities. I also revisit a conversation with architect Jenny Peysin to discuss the Passive House movement and learn about her...
Jun 07, 2023•34 min•Season 3Ep. 68
With Zoom school largely a thing of the past, college students are back to living on or near campus again. Between dormitories, apartments, and multifamily homes, there are an estimated 8.5 million student housing beds across the US with an projected increase to 9.2 million this decade. In this episode, I’m unpacking the factors contributing to the boom in student housing and the pros and cons this housing type poses to the surrounding communities. I’m also revisiting a conversation with Nick Fa...
May 31, 2023•42 min•Season 3Ep. 67
Due to the 1950 Federal Housing Authority and Veterans Administration loan programs, suburbs on Long Island and New Jersey were growing at 10 times the rate of downtown areas in New York City. Levittown in Nassau County is perhaps the most quintessential example of the outcome of those loan programs. Totaling 17,400 homes built on 4,000 acres of potato fields, Levittown was marketed as a safe, peaceful escape from the city. But, like most things that seem too good to be true, there was something...
May 24, 2023•34 min•Season 3Ep. 66
Public housing is the oldest and one of the largest subsidy programs in the country. However, there hasn’t been any significant expansion of public housing spending since 1974 when President Nixon placed a moratorium on that budget. In this episode, I shine a light on the complicated history of government housing and the deep influence it has on segregation and race-related issues in the United States. I also revisit a conversation with Rachel Loeb, former president and CEO of the New York City ...
May 17, 2023•35 min•Season 3Ep. 65
In this episode, we’re exploring the history of townhouses in New York City and unpacking how this housing type relates to gentrification, a hot-button issue at the intersection of race, class, and housing. We’re revisiting a conversation that I had with Lea Cloud, co-founder and partner of CDR Studio Architects, where she walks us through a thoughtful, innovative Bushwick townhouse renovation. Townhouses are single-family, multi-level homes that share walls with other homes on one or both sides...
May 10, 2023•40 min•Season 3Ep. 64
Today I sit down with Camila Crazut, former architect and interior designer for Spivak Architects. Camila and I discuss her Central Park West project located in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, the benefits and challenges of projects in a cooperative structure, and the good & bad of client and designer relationships. Located in an upper class residential area, the Central Park West building is a pre-war, 11 storey building in a family-oriented neighborhood. Camila goes into detail about how...
May 03, 2023•33 min•Season 3Ep. 63
On today’s podcast, we sit down with Melissa Román Burch to learn more about her project with Lendlease Development, Claremont Hall. Located in the academic acropolis of New York City, Claremont Hall is a mixed-use building with modern neo-gothic architecture and sweeping views of the Hudson River. We also dive into some of Melissa’s other developments such as the Atlantic Yards (renamed Pacific Park) and 1 Java Street. Melissa believes that development is about people and to be innovative we ha...
May 03, 2023•55 min•Season 3Ep. 62
Today we are speaking with the insightful MaryAnne Gilmartin, who discusses her experience getting into the real estate business, incorporating sustainability, and embracing wellness as it relates to creating new developments. MaryAnne is the CEO of MAG Partners and in this episode we dive into her project at 281 West 28th Street in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. The neighborhood of West Chelsea has changed drastically over the years. An area with architecture as diverse as the community...
May 03, 2023•29 min•Season 3Ep. 61
All good things either evolve or get left behind, that is why I have renamed REDIST to Commonplace. After speaking with over 250 real estate professionals, I found that developers working on affordable and workforce housing projects that support underserved communities often face the most difficulty in accessing funding. Operating at the intersection of brokerage, media and technology, Commonplace is a marketplace that connects real estate developers with capital to build more affordable, sustai...
Apr 26, 2023•8 min•Season 3Ep. 59
What does home mean to Americans today, particularly after a pandemic that transformed our society's relationship to the built environment? Over the past three years, we have had to redefine our homes, neighborhoods, towns and cities and restructure our lives as shared spaces became cut off. Now, broad-based issues such as social justice and diversity have come to the forefront of public interest with loud support, and sometimes louder opposition. Housing is where these topics all come together....
Apr 26, 2023•2 min
To kick off Season 3 of American Building, I sit down with Sean Pichon of PGN Architects and Omar Karim of Banneker Ventures. We explore the projects they are working on together in D.C., such as 2220 MLK Avenue, while also diving into topics such as the nationwide housing shortage and home ownership for Black Americans. Sean and Omar go in depth about their project in Historic Anacostia at 2220 MLK Avenue, an update to a local church which adds affordable housing to the neighborhood, and how th...
Apr 26, 2023•48 min•Season 3Ep. 60
To round out season two, I’m pulling back the curtain and chatting with my producer about the behind-the-scenes of the show. Lauren Popish is the founder of The Wave Podcasting, an agency and recording studio based in Los Angeles that helps people tell their unique stories through podcasting by providing audio editing, educational resources, and a digital community. Lauren is a total pro when it comes to successfully launching and scaling a podcast, which is no easy feat into today’s market. We ...
Jun 28, 2022•44 min•Season 2Ep. 58
I’m joined by Ron Schinik, the CEO of New Blueprint Partners, a New York-based company focused on redeveloping manufacturing facilities into mixed-use assets. Ron has a solid foundation in auditing and grew into the role of CFO at three companies centered around operational efficiency. We discuss why he decided to take the leap from the corporate world to entrepreneurship, and how his background in finance complements his current role as CEO. We get into the details of the Vancouver Innovation C...
Jun 21, 2022•59 min•Season 2Ep. 57
