I’m joined by Bo Sundius, the owner of Bunch Design. His latest project, the Stop Making Sense Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU), explores how you can make a small space feel big. ADUs are 1,200 square foot houses built on an existing single family home property. The space must include a kitchen, bathroom, and a bedroom. Bo highlights that this format allows for some income flexibility that can really help middle class dreams come true, provide a space to help care for aging parents, and respond to ...
Jun 14, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Season 2Ep. 56
I’m joined by Mark Gardner, a Partner at Jaklitsch/Gardner and Professor at the Parsons School of Design. We discuss his work with the Inwood African Burial Ground & Lenape Ceremonial Site, also known as the Inwood Sacred Sites, and how colonization manifests itself in design and architecture across the US. When The Bowery Residents Committee learned the site it planned to purchase had a history as a burial ground for enslaved Africans and as a Lenape Ceremonial Site, their plans for buildin...
Jun 07, 2022•51 min•Season 1Ep. 55
Today, I’m joined by the Product Manager at REDIST, Devin McIntyre. Devin grew up in the suburbs of Detroit and has always been inspired by the city. We discuss how Detroit has transformed into a hub for creativity and technology in the past few years, and how the hustle culture of his hometown motivated him to pursue entrepreneurship from a young age. Before joining the REDIST team, Devin worked for a smaller DTC business, large corporations, and startups. When I asked him how he sees his caree...
May 31, 2022•12 min•Season 2Ep. 54
Today, I’m joined by Tommy Craig, Senior Managing Director at Hines, and Rick Cook, Founding Partner at COOKFOX. Tommy and Rick are both pioneers of the sustainable architecture movement and have joined forces for the 555 Greenwich and 345 Hudson Street project. As it stands, they’re two existing buildings that form an entire block in the Hudson Square neighborhood of Manhattan. The goal for 555 Greenwich was to stitch the two buildings together, complete 345 Hudson Street, and face west out tow...
May 24, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 53
Today, I’m joined by real estate executive Chok Lei to discuss his work with The Cedarview, a multiphase rental apartment development near the University of Connecticut. The 250-unit community is set upon a former nine-hole golf course, and will provide necessary housing for the students, faculty, and permanent residents of the college town. Chok describes how his team is providing a product that the town needs, but also is keeping in-line with the rural, natural character of Northeastern Connec...
May 17, 2022•43 min•Season 2Ep. 52
Today, I’m joined by the Founding Principal at Creative Urban Alchemy, Ifeoma Ebo. Ifeoma is a Brooklyn native with a background in architecture, urban planning, real estate development, and environmental sustainability. In our conversation, we dive into the details of her latest project, The Perfect New York Street, which is a modern take on the streetscape of Third Avenue between 33rd and 34th Street. She walks us through what people might see, hear and feel when walking through this re-crafte...
May 12, 2022•59 min•Season 2Ep. 51
Today, I’m joined by senior architectural designer at Michael Graves Architecture & Design, Apoorva Rao. Apoorva shares what originally drew her to the field of architecture and how her passion for her family, Indian-American culture, theology, and philosophy ultimately inspired her thesis. She highlights the coaches and mentors who have helped shape her as a person and designer. She also touches on the role that Indian classical dance plays in her approach to architecture, and her dedicatio...
May 02, 2022•22 min•Season 2Ep. 50
I’m joined by Ryan Graye, the founder and principal of Eremos, an acoustic design firm based in New York City and Miami. We get into how he got his start in this field, his design experience with major fitness facilities, and his current project with the NOBULL headquarters in Boston. Ryan shares what he learned during his time at Cerami & Associates and how he decided to leave the corporate world to start Eremos. Acoustic design is all about applying the science of sound and vibration to ar...
Apr 26, 2022•45 min•Season 2Ep. 49
Matt Giammanco is a Senior Director of Development at AvalonBay Communities, the real estate investment trust that acquires, develops, redevelops, and manages apartment communities across the nation. He’s based in their New Jersey office and is part of the development team focused on north and central New Jersey. In today’s episode, Matt brings us behind-the-scenes on the Thanet Circle project in Princeton, New Jersey, and how they’re changing the landscape of suburban rental housing. We also di...
Apr 19, 2022•59 min•Season 2Ep. 48
Today, I’m joined by Associate, Senior Project Architect, and Designer with NBBJ, Kenneth Namkung. When he’s not working in the NBBJ Healthcare+ Studio, he’s running Monument Office, his research and design firm. I invited Kenneth on to discuss Suburbanism, a concept design proposal for a civic installation in the Herald Square area of Manhattan. Kenneth details the inspiration behind Suburbanism and how he came up with the design. He wanted to highlight the transition that many New Yorkers make...
Apr 13, 2022•54 min•Season 2Ep. 47
Today, I’m chatting with another next-gen architectural designer at Michael Graves Architecture and Design, Jack Whalen. We discuss his time as a mentee in the ACE Mentor Program, how his work at dRemodeling in Philadelphia helped prepare him for his role at Michael Graves, and his vision for sustainable architecture. Jack also shares the spectrum of what his days look like and what he enjoys most about working at Michael Graves. He says that one day he might be working on a project locally in P...
Apr 05, 2022•18 min•Season 2Ep. 46
Today, I’m joined by the creative director at Gensler, Louis Schump. Louis has spent his career making progress in proving, demonstrating, and advocating for interiors to be on equal footing as exterior design. His design philosophy is rooted in defining problems and creating unique solutions, which is on full display in his work with the Westside Pavilion. The Westside Pavilion is a former shopping mall located in West Los Angeles, California that is being repurposed into an office complex for ...
Mar 29, 2022•53 min•Season 2Ep. 45
Today, I’m joined by Head of the New York City office for Lendlease Development, Melissa Román Burch. Melissa is a leading property executive and developer in New York with twenty years of public-company real estate experience. In our conversation, we discuss how growing up in Ohio, attending college in Cambridge, and living her adult life in New York City has shaped her outlook on real estate. We touch on the role of academic institutions as economic generators for the cities in which they're s...
Mar 22, 2022•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 44
Today, I’m joined by Austin Crowley, a design architect at Michael Graves Architecture & Design. We’re giving listeners a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to build your career at such an iconic firm and share our advice for listeners who are looking to break out into the field. Austin joined Michael Graves Architecture & Design in 2016 after finishing his Bachelor of Architecture degree at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark. From a young age, he was always intereste...
Mar 15, 2022•15 min•Season 2Ep. 43
I am joined by Ting Chin, founding principal of Linearscape, an award-winning New York City-based design firm. Linearscape was awarded the prestigious 2012 AIA ENYA Award for their submission “Sym’bio’pia” to the Harlem Edge Competition. Known for its unique designs, the firm focuses on connecting the urban environments to architecture, and architecture to landscape. Today we discuss the ways that buildings and landscapes can be integrated effectively and efficiently with thoughtful designs. Tin...
Mar 08, 2022•34 min•Season 2Ep. 42
Coby Lefkowitz, the co-founder of Backyard, a real estate development company focusing on infill development in Southern California, joins us to discuss the topic of Accessory Dwelling Units — also known as ADUs. These relatively inexpensive homes can be used to help ease the burden of the current housing market by providing more affordable options. Coby shares with us some of his thoughts on underlying ADU legislation and smaller infill development projects. In today’s episode, we also discuss ...
Mar 01, 2022•54 min•Season 2Ep. 41
I am joined by Edwin Harris, AIA, LEED AP, NOMA, Co-Founder and Design Principal at EVOKE Studio Architecture and design firm based in Durham, North Carolina. Today we will discuss the new elementary school that his firm has been focusing on designing for Durham public schools. EVOKE Studio Architecture was selected to design this elementary school, with plans to explore the interwoven relationship between the natural and built environment. As our needs begin changing, so do the buildings we occ...
Feb 22, 2022•51 min•Season 2Ep. 40
In today’s episode, I speak with Andrew Regenstreich, the Director of Real Estate and Economic Development at Housing and Neighborhood Development Services (HANDS). HANDS, Inc. is a developer of affordable housing in New Jersey. They engage stakeholders in community organizations, cultural spaces, and commercial properties to help revitalize spaces. Recently, they have planned the “Gateway Project” at 523 Freeman Street, a new construction project for mixed-use housing in Orange, New Jersey. As ...
Feb 15, 2022•50 min•Season 2Ep. 39
In this week’s episode, I speak with Nick Falker, the Managing Partner at Cambridge Realty Partners based in New Haven, Connecticut. His firm has been investing and developing in real estate opportunistically since 1978. Beginning in 2015, the company pivoted to focus on the New Haven multifamily residential market. In today’s episode we will discuss The Elm, a new construction multi-family building in Downtown New Haven. More broadly, we will also speak about the rise of the second city during ...
Feb 08, 2022•49 min•Season 2Ep. 38
Today I am joined by our guest Alda Ly, the founder and principal of Alda Ly Architecture (ALA), a New York City firm that focuses on interiors with a specialty in tech-driven commercial projects. Join us as we discuss her work across the country for Tia, a women's health network and, in particular, their location in San Francisco. More broadly, we will be talking about the future of commercial design in a post-pandemic world. Alda’s firm has designed a new and vibrant space for Tia, a full-serv...
Feb 01, 2022•56 min•Season 2Ep. 37
This week, I am joined by our guest Sam Dickinson, principal at Keeler Markwood Group, a Westchester-based development company focused on ground-up and value-add opportunities in the Greater New York area. We discuss the Peekskill Brewery, a major renovation, and redevelopment project that Sam’s firm had been working on in the Hudson Valley. More broadly, we will talk about how a good development strategy and design can make the difference between foodservice venues that survive and those that f...
Jan 25, 2022•54 min•Season 2Ep. 36
I am joined today by our guest Arthi Krishnamoorthy and we discuss topics of the two new Residential Colleges that her team has designed at Princeton University, including strategies she implements to help make university buildings feel more like home for students that are coming from near and far. Additionally, we discuss the topics of how to integrate inside and outside to connect the colleges to the site and to the landscape, how to create designs that transform architectural spaces into home...
Jan 18, 2022•51 min•Season 2Ep. 35
In today’s episode, I am joined by Paul Lewis, FIAI, Principal at LTL Architects based in New York City. He shares with us his experience of working on projects for universities across the United States, from NYU to the University of Wyoming. Additionally, we learn more about his project working on the Carnegie Mellon University Residence & Academic Hub Project. Recently, he was awarded the prestigious Rome Prize, the Emerging Voices Award and the Young Architects Award. As a 265-bed residen...
Jan 11, 2022•41 min•Season 2Ep. 34
In today’s episode, I discuss the topic of sustainability with my guest Lauren Eckhart Smith, the Head of Design at Alagem Capital Group in Beverly Hills, California. I also speak with her about One Beverly Hills, a mixed-use project that includes residential, retail, hotel and both new construction and renovation components. This project, located at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard, is a one-of-a-kind building with the most advanced technologies for health and s...
Jan 04, 2022•45 min•Season 2Ep. 33
In today’s episode, I speak with architect and Founder of Beyond the Built Environment, Pascale Sablan. She shares with us her experience working on the Cleveland Foundation Headquarters as a Senior Associate at S9 ARCHITECTURE in New York. This project, located at the corner of Euclid Avenue and East 66th Street, is meant to be as open, transparent, and inviting as possible to foster an inclusive and welcoming environment. More broadly, we discuss the topic of design justice and how that aims t...
Dec 28, 2021•38 min•Season 2Ep. 32
In today’s episode, I speak with architect, activist, and Associate at Adjaye Associates, Pascale Sablan. She shares with us her experience working on the Cleveland Foundation Headquarters as a designer at S9 ARCHITECTURE in New York. This project, located at the corner of Euclid Avenue and East 66th Street, is meant to be as open, transparent, and inviting as possible to foster an inclusive and welcoming environment. More broadly, we discuss the topic of design justice and how that aims to chal...
Dec 21, 2021•36 min•Season 2Ep. 31
In this week’s episode, I met with Lea Cloud who is a co-founder and partner of CDR Studio with Victoria Rospond. She shared with me her experience working on several projects, including working on the Bushwick townhouse in Brooklyn as well as a residential project in Snowmass, Colorado. Prior to co-founding the firm, she gained experience working at PKSB Architects where she was project architect for two New York State University projects, a library addition and renovation at the Fredonia Campu...
Dec 14, 2021•47 min•Season 2Ep. 30
Today we will be talking to Clayton Taylor and JR Gideon who are jointly working on the Eastbound project, a new mixed-use development in East Austin. This project is designed for open-air business-ready gatherings on a large scale and incorporates the current trend of destination mixed-use. Additionally, we will be speaking about how real estate professionals are already transforming where we work and how this has changed during the pandemic. Both of our guests have impressive professional port...
Dec 07, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 29
In today’s episode, we will be speaking with Peter (Pete) Brosens, the co-founder of Stolar Capital, a real estate investment firm with offices in Hoboken and Philadelphia. Since 2012, the firm’s focus has been on developing large mixed-use projects in transit-oriented downtown locations in New Jersey. We will be speaking with Pete about his Chatham on Main project which incorporates the charm of garden-style living into his development plans. Today we will also be discussing the larger topic of...
Nov 30, 2021•44 min•Season 2Ep. 28
Today we will be speaking with Vishaan Chakrabarti, a licensed architect and the founder of the Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU). His professional portfolio is diverse, expanding from creating a master plan for the surrounding area of Michigan Central Station in Detroit to creating a social housing neighborhood in East New York. In this week’s episode, we will be speaking to Vishaan about his latest project for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, originally designed by I.M. ...
Nov 23, 2021•44 min•Season 2Ep. 27
