BUILDING LA PODCAST

A podcast about the people and projects shaping the future of Los Angeles.

Learn about the design and development of LA’s transformative projects.

Every episode of Building LA features a leading figure in the Los Angeles design, real estate and business sectors. We engage in discussion about the pivotal choices that propelled their professional journey, the driving forces that sustain their motivation, and the untold narratives underlying their most remarkable projects.

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EPISODES

Episodes

EP.29 / Leon Rost

Leon Rost, Partner at Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), reflects on the firm's decision to plant roots in Los Angeles, the projects they've built here, and what it will take for the city to realize its architectural potential.

EP.28 / Giancarlo Pagani

In Los Angeles, the ground floor is often where the identity of a neighborhood is established. In this episode, I sit down with Giancarlo Pagani, founder of Pagani Hospitality and Managing Partner of Mother Wolf Group, to discuss the mechanics of hospitality and the effort required to create local institutions that build community.

EP.27 / Dan Meis

Few architects ever achieve name recognition among the general public; fewer still become local heroes in northern English cities. Dan Meis, Managing/Design Partner at MEIS+ and SVP, Director of Global Sports Design at AECOM, is the exception. In this episode, I sit down with him to discuss the vision behind the new Everton football stadium and the unique challenge of designing venues that define entire cities.

EP.26 / Jake Heller

Jake Heller, founder of the AI for CRE Collective, argues that the true utility of these tools lies in their ability to make us significantly more agile so we can focus on the relationships and judgment calls that actually get deals to the finish line

EP.25 / Nella McOsker

Nella McOsker, President & CEO of Central City Association (CCA), details CCA's "Revive DTLA" plan.

EP.24 / Chris Torres and Eli Lipmen

Can LA still build things that serve everyday people? Chris Torres and Eli Lipmen think so, and their Festival Trail project is putting that belief to the test with a 28-mile mobility and culture corridor connecting neighborhoods from Downtown through Inglewood.

EP.23 / Vishaan Chakrabarti

Architect and urban planner Vishaan Chakrabarti draws on lessons from international cities and his time in Bloomberg's administration to explain how LA can rebuild after the fires with smart, gentle density.

EP.22 / Spencer Kallick

Governor Newsom recently signed a significant rollback to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), creating a new statutory exemption for urban infill housing projects, effective immediately. Land use attorney Spencer Kallick breaks down what this actually means for CA developers.

EP.21 / Jessica Lall & Carl Muhlstein

What's holding LA back from reaching its potential? Jessica Lall, Managing Director of CBRE's DTLA office, and Carl Muhlstein, a veteran LA commercial real estate advisor, have a few ideas.

EP.20 / Michael White and Sarah Koos on the Workplace of the Future

In the Building LA Season 1 finale, Michael White and Sarah Koos discuss Gensler’s post-COVID workplace strategy, highlighting their data-driven LA office redesign. They explore AI, sustainability, and urban transformation, emphasizing architecture’s role in shaping LA’s future amid upcoming global events.

EP.19 / Frances Anderton and David Kersh on Awesome and Affordable: Great Housing Now

Frances Anderton and David Kersh discuss their new initiative, Awesome and Affordable: Great Housing Now. This is a yearlong, new media project aimed at advancing understanding and appreciation for affordable housing: how it’s funded, produced and designed.

EP.18 / Robert Hale, FAIA on Sony Scenic Arts Building, Echelon Studios and the Future of Studios in LA

Robert Hale FAIA, Partner at RIOS, talks about two of his latest production studio projects - Echelon Studios and the Sony Scenic Arts Building. During our conversation, we discuss Robert's career before joining RIOS and his perspective on the future of production studio development.

EP.17 / Marcelo Spina and Georgina Huljich on Victory Wellness and Adaptive Reuse Projects

Marcelo Spina and Georgina Huljich, the co-founders of Patterns, discuss their latest project – The Victory Wellness Center in North Hollywood. The project involves the conversion of a former supermarket building originally built in the 1940s, into a contemporary medical office building.

EP.16 / John K Chan, AIA on Atwater Canyon and Creating Great Retail Spaces

John K Chan, AIA, LEED AP is the Co-Founder and Design Director at Formation Association. We discuss how to create a great retail experience, as exemplified by his firm’s design of the Atwater Canyon retail complex. Atwater Canyon is an adaptive reuse project located in the Atwater Village neighborhood of Los Angeles.

EP.15 / Babak Ziai on BrandView and Transforming Underutilized Properties

Babak Ziai is the Founder and Managing Principal at BrandView, Inc. His commercial real estate investment management firm focuses on acquiring underutilized properties in exceptional locations and transforming them into high-performing mixed-use developments. We discuss his investment on Windward Avenue in Venice.

EP.14 / Oliver Evans on The Kinn and Building Community in LA

Oliver Evans is the CEO and co-founder of The Kinn – a membership club and workspace in LA that caters to socially conscious entrepreneurs.

EP.13 / Ski Trip - Monica Cuervo on the Limelight Hotel Mammoth and the LA Hospitality Market

In this episode we get out of town for the weekend and go to Mammoth to discuss the Limelight Hotel Mammoth with the Managing Director of WATG's LA office, Monica Cuervo.

EP.12 / Mikey Taylor on Commune Capital and Multifamily Investing in LA

Commune Capital, a private equity real estate investment firm which invests primarily in multifamily in California, including a co-living development in Mar Vista which is currently under construction.

EP.11 / Kristi Paulson, AIA, Paulson Poei Projects on Healthy Haus and Sustainable Design in SoCal

The Healthy Haus is a case study for how to prioritize true sustainability in Southern California, rewilding the land, utilizing passive heating and cooling, specifying environmentally friendly construction materials, and promoting the well-being of not only the user, but also every construction worker.

EP.10 / David Kuo, Fatty Corp and Catherine Johnson AIA, ACLA, Design, Bitches on Fatty Mart

We discuss the creation of Fatty Mart, a vibrant neighborhood deli/grocery in Mar Vista with David Kuo, Owner of Fatty Mart and his architect, Catherine Johnson, AIA, ACLA, Founding Partner at Design, Bitches.

Your Host, Sam Pepper

Sam is a Principal at Padaro, where he manages all phases of development for his clients. With over 14 years of experience, he specializes in bridging the gap between complex development strategy and technical project execution across many asset types.

His background spans some of the most respected names in the industry. Prior to Padaro, Sam led development projects at Lincoln Property Company, managed large-scale urban infill at Alloy Development, and practiced as a project architect at SHoP Architects in New York.

Sam holds an Architecture degree from the University of Virginia and a Master’s in Real Estate Development from MIT. A licensed architect in New York since 2018, he combines design-led thinking with rigorous financial and operational management.

Though a fixture in the Los Angeles development community, Sam’s roots are across the Atlantic; he was born and raised in London a fact that will be obvious as soon as you listen to an episode.

Learn about the design and development of LA’s transformative projects.

EPISODES

Your Host, Sam Pepper

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BUILDING LA PODCAST