Unfrozen

Daniel Safarik

A podcast on architecture and urbanism.

  1. 1d ago

    132. Sound and Architecture in Harmony

    Intro: “Miss the Start, Miss the End,” by Sparks Interstitial: “She Blinded Me with Science,” by Thomas Dolby Outro: “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” by Rodgers & Hammerstein, performed by the Liverpool FC Supporters Choir == Discussed: People Michael Webb (architecture writer, co-author) — Wallpaper* contributor pageThomas Aujero Small (co-author; music critic) — ORO Editions author bio via ACC Art BooksElizabeth Valmont (Arup, Americas Technical Services Leader) — Arup staff profileCharles and Ray Eames — Eames Office / Eames FoundationRichard Neutra (architect, Strathmore Apartments) — WikipediaCharles Garnier (architect, Paris Opera) — WikipediaHans Scharoun (Berlin Philharmonie architect) — WikipediaAlvar Aalto (Essen opera house architect) — WikipediaHerzog & de Meuron (Elbphilharmonie) — Official siteSnøhetta (Oslo Opera House) — Official sitePeter Haimerl (architect, Konzerthaus Blaibach) — ArchDaily project profileThomas E. Bauer (baritone, Blaibach initiator) — Ignant interviewWilly Brandt (Mayor of West Berlin, Deutsche Oper inauguration) — WikipediaWalter T. Grondzik (co-author, MEEB) — Wiley author pageMark Schiller (USC, glare research on Disney Hall) — USC School of Architecture facultySam Pellman (chime tuning, Tower of Voices) — ENR profile of the projectPaul Murdoch (architect, Flight 93 National Memorial) — Paul Murdoch ArchitectsBooks Michael Webb & Thomas Aujero Small, Music and Architecture in Harmony: Opera Houses and Concert Halls of Europe (ORO Editions, 2026) — Publisher/distributor listingWalter T. Grondzik, Alison G. Kwok et al., Mechanical and Electrical Equipment for Buildings ("MEEB") — Wiley product pageBuildings & Venues Strathmore Apartments, Westwood, LA (Richard Neutra, 1937; former Eames residence) — Confluence lecture backgroundEstates Theatre, Prague (Don Giovanni premiere) — WikipediaPalais Garnier (Paris Opera) — WikipediaDeutsche Oper Berlin — Official siteStaatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin — Official siteBerlin Philharmonie (Scharoun, 1963) — Official siteElbphilharmonie, Hamburg — Official siteOslo Opera House — Official siteTeatro di San Carlo, Naples — Official siteBlaibach Concert Hall Bayreuth Festspielhaus — WikipediaGrand Théâtre de Bordeaux (1780) — WikipediaMusikverein, Vienna — Official siteLa Scala, Milan — Official siteWalt Disney Concert Hall, LA — Official siteStavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Athens (Renzo Piano) — Official siteLA Memorial Coliseum — Official siteFlight 93 National Memorial / Tower of Voices — National Park Service pageInstitutions & Organizations Arup (engineering firm) — Arup SoundLab (R) overviewUniversity of Southern California, School of Architecture — Official siteCranbrook Academy of Art (Eames connection) — Official siteAmerican Film Institute — Official siteNational Park Service — Official siteNew York MTA / Second Avenue Subway — MTA project pageSociety of Building Science Educators — Official site— 2005 Conference Award RecipientsMusic & Opera Works Mentioned Mozart, Don Giovanni — WikipediaRichard Strauss, Elektra — WikipediaWagner, Das Rheingold (Ring cycle) — WikipediaAndrew Lloyd Webber, The Phantom of the Opera — Official siteOther Items of Interest

  2. Aug 31

    130. Build or Die

    Intro/Outro: “The Housebuilding Song,” by David Ferguson -- Discussed: People Ned Resnikoff (guest) — Resnikoff Consulting · Public Comment newsletter Greg Lindsay (co-host) — greglindsay.org Dan Safarik (co-host) — LinkedIn Christopher Cabaldon, California State Senator, former mayor of West Sacramento — Senate biography · Wikipedia Gabriel (Gabe) Metcalf, Head of Planning, California Forever; former CEO of SPUR — California Forever profile · The Planning Report interview Zohran Mamdani, Mayor of New York City — Office of the Mayor · Wikipedia Marc Andreessen — a16z profile Scott Wiener, author of SB 79 — sd11.senate.ca.gov Organizations, companies, and government bodies Ned Resnikoff Consulting — resnikoffconsulting.com NYC Mayor's Office of Mass Engagement — establishing announcement California Forever — californiaforever.com SPUR (San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association) — spur.org Blackstone — blackstone.com Cornell Tech — tech.cornell.edu Metro, Portland's regional government — oregonmetro.gov Atlanta Regional Commission — atlantaregional.org Town of Atherton, California — ci.atherton.ca.us City of San Jose — sanjoseca.gov County of Los Angeles — lacounty.gov Legislation and policy programs California SB 79, Abundant & Affordable Homes Near Transit Act — bill text · California YIMBY summary Road to Housing Act — U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs New York City "City of Yes" zoning reforms — NYC Department of City Planning ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedure) — NYC Planning overview California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) — Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation Publications Build or Die: How America Is Suffocating Its Cities and What to Do About It, by Ned Resnikoff (Princeton University Press, December 8, 2026) — publisher page Emergent Tokyo: Designing the Spontaneous City, by Jorge Almazan, Joe McReynolds, Naoki Saito and Studiolab — Oro Editions (see Unfrozen 31, “Emergent Tokyo,” for more). CRE Daily — credaily.com Places and building typologies Amerikamura district, Osaka (site of the zakkyo-building cocktail bar) — Osaka Info Tokyo Metropolitan Government — metro.tokyo.lg.jp City of Sacramento — cityofsacramento.gov City of Austin, Texas — austintexas.gov City of Portland, Oregon — portland.gov

  3. Aug 24

    129. Chain Drain

    Intro/Outro: “The Chain,” by Fleetwood Mac -- Discussed: People Bryan Boyer — co-author; Taubman College, University of Michigan (transcript: "Taubin College")Greg Lindsay — co-author; U of T School of CitiesFrank Duffy — DEGW co-founder, past RIBA president; RIBA obituaryStewart Brand — How Buildings Learn, source of the shearing-layers framingBobby Fijan — co-founder, The American Housing CorporationKP Reddy — founder/CEO, Zero RFI; ex-Gehry Technologies Boon Sheridan — permitting tech lead, EPIC Jon Buerge — president, Urban Villages Jeanne Gang — Studio Gang Joanna Frank — Center for Active Design Federico Negro — CEO, CanoaAstro Teller — X, the Moonshot FactoryMasayoshi Son — SoftBank Group Adam Neumann — WeWork co-founder David Graeber — B******t Jobs Austan Goolsbee — Federal Reserve Bank of ChicagoGeorge Romney — HUD Secretary behind Operation BreakthroughCompanies & organizations Anori — company site / X project page; spun out of Alphabet's X with $26M led by Prologis and Builders Consigli AS + AECOM — AEC Magazine on the acquisition; Norwegian AI start-up acquired for roughly $390M Zero RFI — zero-rfi.com; backed by General Catalyst, built on its Foundation Zero intelligence layer The American Housing Corporation — americanhousing.com / Fast Company profileUrban Villages — urban-villages.comStudio Gang — studiogang.comSHoP Architects (Chris Sharples) — shoparc.comGensler — gensler.comAutodesk / Revit — autodesk.com/products/revitKaterra — Wikipedia; raised more than $2 billion before going out of business WeWork — WikipediaEliseAI — eliseai.com (transcript: "Elise AI")Canoa — canoa.comEPIC (Environmental Policy Innovation Center) — policyinnovation.orgPermitting Tech — permittingtech.comAvalonBay + Equity Residential → Vivmark Residential — Commercial Observer; more than 180,000 rental apartments, ~$71B enterprise value JPMorganChase / 270 Park Avenue — project pageBilt Rewards — biltrewards.comPCBC — pcbc.comCouncil for Quality Growth — councilforqualitygrowth.orgPapers, reports & standards Chain Drain: Why the Built Environment Struggles to Learn and How to Fix It — chaindrain.netlify.app; Boyer & Lindsay (2026), University of Michigan white paper built on dozens of AECO-sector interviews 2026 Permitting Technology Landscape Report — permittingtech.com; inventory of 305+ permitting technologiesConstruction Disconnected: The High Cost of Poor Data and Miscommunication – Autodesk / FMI, 2018Fitwel — fitwel.orgLEED — usgbc.org/leedWELL Building Standard — wellcertified.comToyota Production System — Wikipedia · Six Sigma — WikipediaOperation Breakthrough — HUD User archivePolicy 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act (H.R. 6644) — Congress.gov; reduces barriers to building and targets institutional single-family buyers NYC Local Law 97 — nyc.govCEQ Permitting Innovation Center — permitting.innovation.govCultural references Hooli, from HBO's Silicon Valley — WikipediaFucked Company — Wikipedia

  4. Aug 21

    128. Space/Lab

    Intro/Outro: “Spacelab,” by Kraftwerk -- -- Interviewees: Greg Lemke, PhD, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Salk Institute Ryan Rosen, Friendly Futures John Galante, President, AE Ventures -- Discussed: People Louis Kahn — architect of the Salk Institute Greg Lemke — distinguished professor emeritus, Salk Institute Tony Hunter — Salk professor; discovered tyrosine phosphorylation Jonas Salk — founder of the Salk Institute Eero Saarinen — architect of Bell Labs Holmdel and IBM Yorktown  William Pereira — architect of Geisel Library and master planner of UC Irvine Walter Netsch — SOM architect of Northwestern's University Library Dawn Clark Netsch — Illinois legislator and comptroller; Walter Netsch's wife Frank Gehry — architect; designed Facebook/Meta's MPK20 campus Mark Zuckerberg — co-founder and CEO, Meta Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) — namesake of UC San Diego's Geisel Library Cormac McCarthy — novelist, author of The Road; longtime Santa Fe Institute fellow Bruno Latour — sociologist of science; co-author of Laboratory Life Steve Woolgar — co-author with Latour of Laboratory Life Christian Catalini — MIT economist; research on lab proximity and collaboration Eric Klinenberg — NYU sociologist; author of Palaces for the People Jan Gehl — Danish urbanist William H. Whyte — urbanist behind the Street Life Project Ryan K. Rosen — founder and creative director, Friendly Futures Aaron Hurst — founder and CEO, U.S. Chamber of Connection John Galante — president and founder, AE Ventures Bryan Boyer — University of Michigan; co-author of Chain Drain ("Brian" in the transcript) Kelly Alvarez Doran — co-founder, Ha/f Climate Design; formerly MASS Design Group Buildings, Campuses & Places Salk Institute for Biological Studies — La Jolla, CA Salk Institute architecture — history and design of the Kahn campus UC San Diego — University of California, San Diego Geisel Library — UC San Diego UC Irvine — William Pereira's radial campus plan Torrey Pines Mesa — San Diego's research and biotech corridor La Jolla — San Diego community Bell Works (former Bell Labs Holmdel) — Saarinen's Holmdel research campus, now adaptively reused IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center — Yorktown Heights, NY Santa Fe Institute — complexity research institute Northwestern University Library — Walter Netsch's brutalist library Jussieu Campus — Sorbonne University, Paris Meta MPK20 — Frank Gehry-designed Menlo Park office The RaDD (Research and Development District) — IQHQ's downtown San Diego waterfront life-science campus Gaylord Pacific Resort — Chula Vista, CA Wild Mile — floating eco-park on the Chicago River La Jolla Tennis Club — public tennis club, La Jolla Companies, Organizations & Events Friendly Futures — Ryan Rosen's social-architecture and neighborhood-games practice AE Ventures — John Galante's hosted-event company Builder Innovator — AE Ventures' content platform and summit series Urban Rivers — Chicago nonprofit behind the Wild Mile U.S. Chamber of Connection — Aaron Hurst's civic-connection nonprofit IQHQ — life-science real estate developer Alexandria Real Estate Equities — life-science REIT and lab campus developer Scripps Research — La Jolla biomedical research institute Scripps Institution of Oceanography — UC San Diego MASS Design Group — nonprofit architecture practice Ha/f Climate Design — Kelly Alvarez Doran's embodied-carbon consultancy Zonda — housing market research firm Future Place — Zonda/BUILDER master-planned community conference PCBC — Pacific Coast Builders Conference California Building Industry Association — CBIA Downtown Denver Partnership — downtown Denver business improvement organization Mortgage Bankers Association — MBA White House Council of Economic Advisers — CEA Bilt Rewards — rent-payment rewards platform WeWork — flexible workspace operator Los Angeles Dodgers — MLB franchise Los Angeles Rams — NFL franchise Insulating Concrete Forms (ICF) — Insulating Concrete Forms Manufacturers Association Otter.ai — transcription service used for this recording Publications, Papers & Works Cited Laboratory Life: The Construction of Scientific Facts — Bruno Latour and Steve Woolgar (Princeton University Press) Chain Drain: Why the Built Environment Struggles to Learn and How to Fix It — Bryan Boyer and Greg Lindsay, University of Michigan white paper Palaces for the People — Eric Klinenberg on social infrastructure The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces — William H. Whyte, Project for Public Spaces The Purpose Economy — Aaron Hurst Aerotropolis: The Way We'll Live Next — John D. Kasarda and Greg Lindsay Road to Housing Act of 2025 — U.S. Senate Banking Committee housing legislation Conquest of the Planet of the Apes — 1972 film shot partly at UC Irvine

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A podcast on architecture and urbanism.

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