American Building

Atif Qadir
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If you want to explore urgent topics related to housing and what they can teach us about ourselves and our country, join us here at American Building. Your host, Atif Qadir, Atif Qadir is a licensed architect and entrepreneur, interested in solving big problems through innovation and technology. He has founded two proptech companies and a real estate development firm, building products ranging from software to workforce housing. Through these experiences, he has a unique perspective on the housing problems - and solutions - we’ll hear about this season. We’ll not only dive into the design and development of iconic buildings, but we’ll also analyze how federal and state policy, local entitlements, and access to capital and distribution are making it increasingly difficult to house Americans. Plus, we will be unpacking relevant news headlines and providing insight into the current legislation related to housing. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

  1. Adaptive Reuse and Placemaking at Camp North End

    4 DAYS AGO

    Adaptive Reuse and Placemaking at Camp North End

    There's a piece of conventional wisdom in real estate that almost every developer accepts: retail follows rooftops. Build the housing first, then the storefronts will follow. Tesho Akindele and the team at Camp North End did the opposite—and it’s paying off in a major way.  Camp North End is a 76-acre adaptive reuse project in Charlotte, North Carolina. Formerly a Ford manufacturing plant turned Army facility turned Rite Aid warehouse, ATCO Properties acquired the site in 2017. For decades, the entire campus was disconnected from the eight surrounding residential neighborhoods, completely paved over, and zoned industrial. Today, it's one of the most vibrant developments in the Southeast: 400,000 square feet of office, 75,000 square feet of retail, 300 apartments, and 1.1 million visitors this past year alone.  This conversation unpacks the mechanics behind large-scale adaptive reuse: how to structure opportunity zone financing across multiple phases, ways to optimize brownfield remediation, and strategies for building community buy-in every step of the way. Tesho also walks through the three buckets of development work—project management, financial analysis, and capital raising—and shares how small teams can rise to the challenge of complex projects.  Episode Outline (02:06) Tesho’s career as a professional soccer player and the leadership lessons he learned along the way (08:28) Tesho's transition from soccer to real estate, his passion for housing advocacy, and joining ATCO (13:05) Walking through Camp North End's site and the long-term vision for the neighborhood (23:42) Rezoning industrial land and negotiating over rail easements (31:23) What "legalize housing" means and why single-family-only zoning hurts cities  (36:38) Affordable housing solutions that meet diverse community needs (39:16) Why opportunity zones encourage long-term thinking and better design choices (44:05) Building an internal team with community managers, placemakers, and 24/7 security (49:52) Practical advice for mixed-use developers  Additional Resources Check out The Mira Shoppe. American Building Podcast listeners get a complimentary gift with their first purchase! Email info@themirashoppe.com to receive your exclusive code and treat yourself to a piece you’ll cherish, while supporting a brand that gives back. Access resources from my panel discussion on Opportunity Zones at the Yale AREA Conference Connect with Tesho Connect on LinkedIn  Follow on Instagram Website  More From American Building  Grab the exclusive guide: How Eight Developers & Designers Are Responding to The Housing Crisis   Learn more on the American Building website Follow on LinkedIn Follow on Instagram Connect with Atif...

    57 min
  2. Green-Wood Cemetery’s Next Act

    30 OCT

    Green-Wood Cemetery’s Next Act

    "I'll plan anything a man wants, from a cathedral to a chicken coop," architect H.H. Richardson famously said. Stephen Cassell has done exactly that—designing a chicken coop, a synagogue, and now comes full circle with a cemetery welcome and education center in Brooklyn. Green-Wood Cemetery is transforming from an active burial ground into a cultural institution. With art installations, concerts in the catacombs, and educational programming, the cemetery is preparing for a future when burial plots run out. Stephen Cassell and his team at Architecture Research Office (ARO) designed the Education & Welcome Center to support that transition. The project sits adjacent to a delicate 1890s greenhouse made of cast-iron and glass. ARO chose a deep burgundy terracotta with fine-grained baguette patterns, resulting in vertical fins that catch light differently depending on their angle. The design serves as an elegant backdrop, allowing the Weir Greenhouse to remain the focal point while providing exhibition space, classrooms, and offices for the cemetery's expanding cultural programming. This conversation explores the strategic decisions behind designing within a landmark, from research in Green-Wood's archives to collaboration with landscape architects. Stephen also reflects on lessons from his years at Steven Holl Architects, ARO's research-driven approach to practice, and how constraints can actually lead to better design solutions. Episode Outline (02:01) Early lessons from Steven Holl on craft and materiality (03:14) Meeting Adam Yarinsky at Princeton and starting ARO in the early 1990s (12:21) Green-Wood Cemetery's history, landscape, and transformation into a cultural institution (18:07) The Green-Wood RFP process and interview  (22:40) Design details that tie into the historic greenhouse and cemetery grounds  (31:17) When to contrast with historic context versus when to serve as backdrop (33:15) Navigating Landmarks Preservation Commission regulations  Additional Resources Check out The Mira Shoppe. American Building Podcast listeners get a complimentary gift with their first purchase! Email info@themirashoppe.com to receive your exclusive code and treat yourself to a piece you’ll cherish, while supporting a brand that gives back. Kim Yao of Architecture Research Office | Milgard Hall in Tacoma | A School for Everyone The Green-Wood Cemetery Education and Welcome Center Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc  Green-Wood Cemetery T-Shirt Connect with Stephen Connect on LinkedIn  Website More From American Building  Grab the exclusive guide: How Eight Developers & Designers Are Responding to The Housing Crisis   Learn more on the a...

    40 min
  3. A New Take on Disaster Housing in Hawaiʻi (Part 2)

    15 OCT

    A New Take on Disaster Housing in Hawaiʻi (Part 2)

    There are over 2,000 different building codes across the United States, including 340 in Colorado alone. This fragmentation is one of the biggest barriers preventing modular housing from addressing America's affordability crisis. Wayne Norbeck and Jordan Rogove, co-founders of DXA Studio and Liv-Connected, are working to change that through their design work and their efforts on Capitol Hill. In this second part of our conversation, Wayne and Jordan explain the technical strategy behind the Lahaina project. By engineering components to fit on standard flatbed trucks rather than expensive wide-load transport, they reduced shipping costs from $18 per mile to $2-3 per mile. Each unit arrives complete and can be installed in four hours, with finishes that include pre-finished birch plywood interiors and peaked roofs—features manufacturers repeatedly tried to eliminate, but made a huge difference for tenants.  The conversation also explores how regional code standardization could save 30 cents on every housing dollar and current progress with bipartisan support for legislation extending HUD's manufactured housing authority. This would cut approval times from months to weeks while maintaining quality standards, potentially transforming how America responds to natural disasters and housing affordability.  Episode Outline (01:01) Volumetric versus hybrid modular systems and the economics of shipping costs (04:31) Material choices that avoid institutional aesthetics and support permanent housing (11:05) Navigating FEMA, Army Corps of Engineers, and Maui County building approvals (14:37) Where modular housing can have the highest impact beyond disaster relief (17:45) The case for regional building codes to unlock affordable housing at scale (21:30) Legislative solutions and bipartisan Congressional support for modular expansion (29:25) Connecting with state officials, nonprofits, and the UCLA cityLAB initiative Additional Resources Check out The Mira Shoppe. American Building Podcast listeners get a complimentary gift with their first purchase! Email info@themirashoppe.com to receive your exclusive code and treat yourself to a piece you’ll cherish, while supporting a brand that gives back. Learn more about Liv-Connected Learn more about DXA Studio  The Modular Construction Landscape by Atif Z. Qadir cityLAB - UCLA Modular Building Institute Sen. Tim Scott's ROAD to Housing Act Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Homes for All Act    A New Take on Disaster Housing in Hawaiʻi (Part 1) Connect with Jordan Rogove Connect on LinkedIn  Connect with Wayne Norbeck Connect on a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/wayne-norbeck/"...

    35 min
  4. A New Take on Disaster Housing in Hawaiʻi (Part 1)

    9 OCT

    A New Take on Disaster Housing in Hawaiʻi (Part 1)

    When the Lahaina wildfires devastated Maui in 2023, Hawaiʻi's governor did something unprecedented: he rejected FEMA trailers. The reason was simple一those trailers were designed to last three seasons but routinely became permanent housing for 10-plus years, bringing mold, formaldehyde, and health problems with them. Hawaiʻi wanted something better.  Jordan Rogove and Wayne Norbeck, co-founders of DXA Studio and Liv-Connected, manufactured and delivered 109 homes to the Maui community in under two months. Their solution challenged conventional wisdom about disaster housing, demonstrating that speed and dignity can coexist.  Their work on the Lahaina project reveals the tensions in disaster response: federal bureaucracy versus innovation, volumetric versus flat-pack construction, and how to maintain design integrity under tight deadlines. This conversation also traces their journey from Virginia Tech classmates to established architects running a New York City practice. Along the way, they discovered that adaptive reuse and architecture-as-activism weren't just design philosophies, but rather catalysts for creating Liv-Connected, their modular housing initiative focused on integrating health technology into factory-built homes. Episode Outline (02:17) Meeting at Virginia Tech and collaborating on design competitions post-grad (10:24) The Haiti competition approach: team building and community engagement  (16:04) The inspiration behind integrating health technology into modular housing (18:46) Getting FEMA's attention through the Texas General Land Office RFP (24:09) Why Hawaiʻi rejected FEMA trailers and sought out permanent housing solutions (26:39) Design trade-offs for manufacturing at scale   (29:56) Navigating FEMA's seven-layer decision-making structure Additional Resources Check out The Mira Shoppe. American Building Podcast listeners get a complimentary gift with their first purchase! Email info@themirashoppe.com to receive your exclusive code and treat yourself to a piece you’ll cherish, while supporting a brand that gives back. Learn more about Liv-Connected Learn more about DXA Studio  The New York Times article: In Lahaina, ‘Dignified’ Havens for Wildfire Survivors Episode 81 with Vishaan Chakrabarti  Dreams from my Father by Barack Obama Connect with Jordan Rogove Connect on LinkedIn  Connect with Wayne Norbeck Connect on LinkedIn More From American Building  Grab the exclusive guide: How Eight Developers & Designers Are Responding to The Housing Crisis   Learn more on the a href="https://www.americanbuildingpodcast.com/" rel="noopener...

    32 min
  5. How Small-Scale Homes and Cottage Communities Address Middle-Income Housing Needs

    1 OCT

    How Small-Scale Homes and Cottage Communities Address Middle-Income Housing Needs

    Most developers assume the housing crisis is about supply. Jesse Russell and Ryan Andrews of Hiatus Homes see it differently: it's about designing for households that most developers overlook. One to two-person households represent the largest and fastest-growing demographic in America, yet they're the least served by new construction. Based in Bend, Oregon, Hiatus Homes builds 500-1,200 square foot homes specifically for this market, and since 2020, they've raised $8M from 60 local investors.  Their Hiatus Ninth project demonstrates how small-scale infill development works in practice. On a half-acre lot that once held a single home, they subdivided the property into nine lots and built "twinhomes"—a main unit with an attached ADU that functions as both a primary residence and rental property. This approach allows middle-income buyers (80-120% AMI) to afford homeownership while generating rental income, using financing structures that treat the combined units as a primary residence rather than an investment property. This conversation also explores the policy changes enabling this housing type, the three-stage capitalization strategy they use, the construction process with guaranteed-price builders, and the barriers still preventing small-scale development from scaling nationally. Jesse and Ryan offer practical advice for developers navigating zoning codes, engaging local government, and creating housing that serves workforce needs while remaining financially viable. Episode Outline (03:59) Capital raising through the JOBS Act and community-based investors (08:52) Defining small-scale development and the housing types that qualify (13:49) Hiatus Ninth project overview: subdividing one lot into nine twin homes (21:06) Design and construction process with guaranteed-price builders (23:44) Pricing strategy and the importance of getting buyers into the physical space (27:50) Three-stage financing structures and end-user mortgages (33:23) How Freddie Mac allows rental income to offset mortgage qualification (39:47) Inventory challenges and building permit slowdowns (43:29) Barriers to scaling small-scale developments (53:50) How developers can engage local government and advocate for zoning reform Additional Resources Check out The Mira Shoppe. American Building Podcast listeners get a complimentary gift with their first purchase! Email info@themirashoppe.com to receive your exclusive code and treat yourself to a piece you’ll cherish, while supporting a brand that gives back. Hiatus Homes General Contractor: Simplicity Homes  Private Lender: Builders Capital  Freddie Mac Tour of Homes 2025 Winners  Abundance By Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson Rep. Ilhan Omar's Housing for All Act (2022) Road to Housing Act (2025)...

    1 hr
  6. Met Tower: Creating Five-Star Hotel Experiences in Office Buildings

    24 SEPT

    Met Tower: Creating Five-Star Hotel Experiences in Office Buildings

    The return-to-office policies have settled, but the real challenge has just begun. As companies bring employees back to their desks, the question isn't whether people will return—it's whether they'll want to stay. The office buildings succeeding in this new era aren't necessarily those with the best locations or lowest rents, but rather those who approach office spaces with a hospitality mindset. Michael Kirchmann understood this shift before most developers even recognized the opportunity. As co-founder and CEO of GDSNY, Michael transformed the Met Tower from 20% to 84% leased in 15 months. His strategy includes offering a premium experience at $85-90 per square foot (versus $220+ for new Plaza District towers), hiring former Four Seasons concierges as building staff, and creating amenities like members-only clubs. This approach recognizes that employers now use office environments as recruitment and retention tools, making design quality a competitive necessity rather than a luxury. Beyond development, GDSNY operates GDS Brightstar, a lending platform that combines their construction and leasing expertise, creating unique opportunities to underwrite office deals that traditional lenders avoid. As both borrower and lender, they can identify promising assets and provide rescue capital, construction finance, and workout solutions. Their hands-on approach has saved borrowers tens of millions in construction costs by leveraging existing contractor relationships, making them valuable partners when deals need creative restructuring. Episode Outline (01:54) Growing up in a real estate family and the path from architecture to development (03:31) European development experience with SOM and Howard Ronson  (09:15) GDSNY's mission of creating exceptional real estate through design differentiation (14:40) Assessment of Met Tower's condition and repositioning potential (19:12) Creating hospitality-inspired office experiences and targeting new tenant types (27:37) Walking through the transformed tenant experience from street to suite (31:02) Real estate debt market opportunities and GDSNY's lending platform (38:17) Key elements of successful loan workouts and preventing problems through relationships Additional Resources Check out The Mira Shoppe. American Building Podcast listeners get a complimentary gift with their first purchase! Email info@themirashoppe.com to receive your exclusive code and treat yourself to a piece you’ll cherish, while supporting a brand that gives back. Learn more about Met Tower Fogarty Finger Architecture  Ace Hotel Kyoto  Kengo Kuma & Associates Commune Design   Connect with Michael  Connect on LinkedIn  Follow on Instagram  Website  Email: studio@gdsny.com  More From American Building  Grab the exclusive guide: a...

    45 min
  7. Adaptive Reuse and Community Revitalization in Oklahoma City

    17 SEPT

    Adaptive Reuse and Community Revitalization in Oklahoma City

    When's the last time a ping pong game determined whether you could close a $350,000 loan? For Jonathan Dodson, it happened during his first major development project after walking away from a banking career. His moral stand against workplace harassment led him to launch Pivot Project, an Oklahoma City-based development firm specializing in historic preservation and community revitalization.  In this episode, we talk through Medley Market, which exemplifies Jonathan's approach to adaptive reuse projects. The 24-unit mixed-use development with a market hall and rooftop pickleball courts required navigating investor fraud, underground drug operations, and a five-part capital stack including historic tax credits and C-PACE financing. Instead of walking away from the chaos, Jonathan saw a unique opportunity. The conversation reveals Jonathan's philosophy of transparent compensation and community relationships. He shows team members exactly how their contributions translate to development fees, pays consultants what they're actually worth, and gets the greenlight from neighborhood decision-makers before starting projects. This approach treats development as relationship-building rather than financial engineering, creating lasting value for both investors and the communities Pivot Project serves. Episode Outline (03:56) The workplace harassment incident that led to an entrepreneurial pivot (13:07) The legendary ping pong game that secured crucial construction financing (20:15) Acquiring Medley Market: uncovering investor fraud and recapping the deal (32:51) Managing construction costs and tariff impacts in today's development market (38:26) How to turn valued consultants into true partners (45:30) Upcoming hotel project fundraising and Medley Market expansion  Additional Resources Check out The Mira Shoppe. American Building Podcast listeners get a complimentary gift with their first purchase! Email info@themirashoppe.com to receive your exclusive code and treat yourself to a piece you’ll cherish, while supporting a brand that gives back. Learn more about Small Scale Developers Forum Vogue: Eating Your Way Through America’s Best Food Halls  Newsweek: 2025 Best Food Hall  Kate Kaufman  Candace Baitz  Matt Dean   Meta Quest 3  Connect with Jonathan  Connect on LinkedIn  Website  Email: jonathan@pivotproject.com  More From American Building  Grab the exclusive guide: How Eight Developers & Designers Are Responding to The Housing...

    48 min
  8. How a Legendary Architecture Firm Transitions, Grows, and Looks Forward

    10 SEPT

    How a Legendary Architecture Firm Transitions, Grows, and Looks Forward

    Many architecture firm owners struggle with the same challenge: How do you build a sustainable business that can thrive beyond the founder? Joe Furey solved this problem by bringing his finance and technology background to Michael Graves Architecture & Design, one of America's most iconic firms. As CEO and President, Joe has transformed the practice from a firm dependent on Michael Graves’ reputation into a diverse platform business with 165 employees across 10 offices. His approach combines strategic acquisitions with technology integration, creating what he describes as "a mile wide and an inch deep” approach.  This conversation reveals the mechanics behind how a firm transitions, grows, and looks forward. Joe explains his evaluation criteria, integration process, and how he structures deals that benefit both buyers and sellers. He also discusses expanding into technology consulting through the acquisition of Parallax Team and opportunities to leverage AI within real estate development.  Episode Outline (02:09) The biggest lessons from Fortune 500 consulting that informed his leadership philosophy  (15:51) Joining Michael Graves at peak revenue and recognizing the succession planning gap (22:43) Mitigating the number one post-acquisition problem: Trust  (32:34) The Parallax Team acquisition and turning Revit consulting into a revenue driver (36:10) The acquisition playbook for due-diligence and integration frameworks (46:09) Measuring success through KPIs, budgets, and earn-out structures (52:47) Economic adaptation and positioning the firm for long-term growth Additional Resources Check out The Mira Shoppe. American Building Podcast listeners get a complimentary gift with their first purchase! Email info@themirashoppe.com to receive your exclusive code and treat yourself to a piece you’ll cherish, while supporting a brand that gives back. Dario Amodei and his essay in the social posts Trust: America's Best Chance by Pete Buttigieg  Outsourced  Connect with Joe  Connect on LinkedIn  Website  Contact: jfurey@michaelgraves.com   More From American Building  Grab the exclusive guide: How Eight Developers & Designers Are Responding to The Housing Crisis   Learn more on the American Building website Follow on LinkedIn Follow on Instagram Connect with Atif Qadir on LinkedIn Learn more about Michael Graves Architecture & Design  Watch this episode on...

    1h 4m
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About

If you want to explore urgent topics related to housing and what they can teach us about ourselves and our country, join us here at American Building. Your host, Atif Qadir, Atif Qadir is a licensed architect and entrepreneur, interested in solving big problems through innovation and technology. He has founded two proptech companies and a real estate development firm, building products ranging from software to workforce housing. Through these experiences, he has a unique perspective on the housing problems - and solutions - we’ll hear about this season. We’ll not only dive into the design and development of iconic buildings, but we’ll also analyze how federal and state policy, local entitlements, and access to capital and distribution are making it increasingly difficult to house Americans. Plus, we will be unpacking relevant news headlines and providing insight into the current legislation related to housing. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

Information

  • Creator
    Atif Qadir
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    99
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 Atif Qadir
  • Show Website
    American Building

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