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About

American Building is a podcast series sponsored by Michael Graves Architecture & Design, headlined by Atif Qadir, AIA, and hosted at the Warehouse, the home of the late Michael Graves in Princeton, New Jersey.

With his unique perspective as both architect and developer, Atif interviews accomplished individuals who tell the stories of American buildings that they have designed and/or developed.  His guests talk about their processes and products on a deeply personal level, highlighting the teamwork, integrity, ingenuity, empathy, and commitment that are necessary to produce exceptional works that grace the skylines of our cities and towns.

The Warehouse

The Warehouse, once the home of Michael Graves, was converted into a residence from a 44-room rental warehouse built in the 1920s in a Tuscan vernacular style by Italian masons moonlighting from building Collegiate Gothic buildings at Princeton University. Michael Graves, the Robert Schirmer Professor of Architecture at the University, frequently entertained students and visiting scholars at the Warehouse. Owned today by Kean University’s Michael Graves College of Architecture & Design, it anchors of a two-building study center, making it a perfect location for the dialogue that American Building encourages.

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Your Host, Atif Qadir!

Atif Qadir, AIA founded REDIST, a proptech startup based at the Columbia Startup Lab, and Amanat Properties, a development company focused on renovation of historic real estate in New Jersey. He was previously a member of the acquisitions and development teams at Extell Development for real estate deals across the United States and Canada. He also worked at Turner Construction and at Gwathmey Siegel Kaufman Architects. A licensed architect, he is a frequent speaker on real estate and entrepreneurship at Columbia, Harvard, MIT, and Yale. Atif serves as a city planning commissioner in Hoboken, where he lives. He sits on the boards of The Hudson School, Haven Adolescent Community Respite Center, and En Garde Arts. He received his bachelor’s degrees in architecture and in urban planning from MIT and his MBA from Columbia Business School.

Recent Episodes
Season 2

#58: Building a Podcast | Lauren Popish of The Wave Podcasting | Season 2 Recap

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 and a total pro when it comes to successfully launching and scaling a podcast. We discuss what the top podcasts have in common, where the idea for American Building came from, what listeners can expect next season, and so much more.
Season 2

#57: Vancouver Innovation Center | Ron Schinik of New Blueprint Partners

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. We get into the details of the Vancouver Innovation Center in Washington State, which is what Ron calls the antithesis of the 1950s and 1960s suburbia movement. Ron also shares what kind of opportunities and challenges industrial manufacturing might face in the near future.
Season 2

#56: Stop Making Sense ADU | Bo Sundius of Bunch Design

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. Bo walks us through his firm’s typical design process and how they went about designing this specific project. We also talk about trends of pre-design without prefabrication, his thoughts about the sustainability of venture capital-driven innovation in design and construction, and the reality of 3D printed homes.

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