Welcome to the Business of Architecture. This is a very special episode. So I'm your host, Ryan will art and a few weeks ago, I had the absolute pleasure and delight in hosting a live round table event in Manhattan, New York, in the offices of Andres Soleri, ancillary architecture, where we discussed the ins and outs, the benefits, the challenges, the methodologies of becoming an architect developer. So I chose this particular topic, because architect developer is probably one of the most mentioned, desires and aspirations that I hear from architects all around the world, the idea of becoming your own client, having complete freedom, having having building something which you're going to continually make money from creating an asset base, creating wealth, and getting to be creative and putting forward your own architectural ideology that can benefit society and contribute to humanity in a meaningful way. Why on earth would you not be an architect developer? So that's very much the nature of the conversation that we speak today. And we had some brilliant speakers with a number of Business of Architecture. Clients who begin with Jeff, Jeff Krieger, who is the esteemed president of Krieger architects. This is a Philadelphia based firm with a quarter century of service, they've ventured into the realms of residential and educational architecture, showcasing their versatility and dedication. And Jeff has recently completed a foray into development with a single family spec house. They've used inventive strategies and construction, financing and contractor compensation highlights highlighting their adaptability and forward thinking approach. So Jeff, as I said, he's just completed his first project, his first self initiated development project where he's financed it himself. He's raised the funds and now he's looking to sell the project. And he's very insightful in sharing some of the challenges, the insights, the insights of actually being an architect who serves this kind of client, and what he's learned from doing his own project. Next, we meet Marina, who has been on the podcast before she's a trailblazer. In self initiated projects. She is nothing short of formidable. In the past, she's developed a self initiated project that took them in its opacity to court and rewrote the zoning laws. This is she's on her fifth successful self initiated development project. She's led a process. She's led a protest to reclaim her unpaid fees. She negotiates percentage of sale price bonuses for services with developer clients. She has been featured in The New York Times for innovations with AD use. She has introduced gentle density for affordable housing into anti density towns. She has completed projects, utilizing a streamline concept and production service. She's even created a co working space to incubate Princeton's small businesses. And she has also built her own AIA award winning home of the year project that was modular in construction and installed in a single day, quite a force to be reckoned with lots and lots of experience here in both working for developers, and actually being a developer herself. And again, you'll get a sense of Marina her drive her vision, her mission is very much about what she calls loveable, livable density, having good quality, affordable housing accessible to everybody, and how being an architect of architect developer can actually facilitate that. We also have Andre Soleri. Andre is the principal of scenario architecture commands attention with his prolific body of work across New York, New Jersey and Washington State. His firm's accolades include a prestigious AIA, NY state Presidential Citation, which underscores his mastery in architecture. Andres role during the COVID 19 pandemic, especially in aid in New York City restaurants and small businesses showcases his dedication to community and innovation. He's won numerous awards. One of his projects was named by Fast Company Magazine among the 10 most innovative buildings of 2020. And Andre is a real innovator he has worked extensively with developers in New York, and is currently in the process of his first self initiated project, where he is putting and collaborating with a joint venture of a developer with putting in his own finance putting in his own sweat equity to create a project and he's also in the process of raising capital and developing a capital fund for future investments. Next on our round table is the formidable force, which is AJ Perez, and AJ has been practicing real estate design and development in New York for over 15 years, specifically, in Brooklyn in DUMBO. His career started as a project manager for Peter Walker and partners on the World Trade Center memorial in downtown Manhattan. In 2006, AJ became a founding member of ally development, a real estate development company based in Brooklyn, New York. Ally manage the acquisition the design, the capitalization, the construction and deposition of projects that seek to promote thoughtful design and add value to the built environment of New York City. AJ received his Bachelors of Arts from Amherst College and a master's of architecture and certificate in real estate from the University of Pennsylvania. He teaches and speaks regularly in the fields of real estate development and design has previously lectured at Syracuse University, Columbia University, New York University, and the University of Pennsylvania, Parsons, and Pratt. Ajay serves on the board for of the center of architecture, the Urban Design forum, and community bank, Delaware. He is a licensed architect, a LEED Accredited Professional and a licensed real estate salesperson. He lives with his wife and two children in Brooklyn, in one of the apartments have one of the developments that they were involved in and an ally. So again, AJ is really an incredible force. And for me, personally, I think one of the best if not the, one of the best example of architect developer probably on the planet, really, when what these guys have done, Ally is absolutely phenomenal. Go and check out the podcast I did with Jared, a few months back. Absolutely fascinating, absolutely incredible example of architect developer. And finally, but not least, we have the current AIA, New York president, and past Business of Architecture client, Matthew Bremmer, who is the founder and director of architecture information in New York. Matt's firm works include both customs, supportive, affordable and senior housing developments. They've got an extraordinary portfolio of beautiful high end luxury residential work. I love how that dovetails with their affordable, and senior housing developments and hospitality. They're currently engaged in the development of a 200 acre six generation old family ranch in the Texas Hill countryside, which they're turning into a mixed use development in Texas Hill Country, Matt has also developed his own house in upstate New York, the refurbishment of an extraordinary old church, which has been published in many magazines, you can go and check it out on his Instagram, as well as the development of many rezone properties which they use for short term rentals and leases. So, a really and of course, Matt's has a vast array of experience of speaking with and facilitating dialogue with hundreds of architecture firms in New York, many of which are engaged with working with developers or who have the aspirations of becoming developers themselves. So this was really a powerful dynamic group of architect developers, all with a very rich level of experience to be talking on this subject. There is loads of gold here, and just sit back, relax, and enjoy. And stay tuned for the next live event that we'll be doing here on the East Coast. We're going to have more of these. Also, I must give a little shout out to Aaron Pellegrino who was in the audience, because she makes some fantastic contributions in this podcast as well. So sit back, relax and enjoy the architects developer roundtable.