Most Podern Podcast

The housing crisis is real. So why isn't modular construction fixing it?

Dwayne Torrey is the Director of Construction and Infrastructure at CSA Group — the organization that writes the standards every builder, regulator, and manufacturer in Canada has to follow. He's been working at the intersection of modular construction and policy for seven years, and his answer might surprise you: the technology isn't the problem. The rulebook is.

In this episode we get into how consensus standards actually get written, who's fighting in the room when they do, and why a 1972 document about school portables is still shaping how Canada builds homes today.

🔗 CSA Group: https://www.csagroup.org/

CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro1:20 What is CSA Group?3:45 Standards vs. regulation — what's the difference?6:30 Who sits in the room when the rules get written10:00 The modular construction problem nobody talks about14:15 CSA A277 — the standard that's been around since 197218:00 What the new structural design standard actually covers22:30 Certification — what it means and why it matters27:00 Why building officials are nervous about modular31:00 The education gap — who needs to learn what35:30 "Inflection point" — what this moment means for housing

#modular #housingcrisis #construction

What happens when an architect stops designing one-off buildings and starts designing a system?
Justin Brechtel is a licensed architect in California, principal of Iterate Architecture, and VP of Architecture at West Modular — and he's making the case that the way we deliver buildings is broken. Architects have spent decades reinventing the wheel on every project, slowly ceding their leadership role to developers and contractors. Justin's answer: treat architecture like a product. Build the bones once. Refine them like an iPhone.
In this episode we get into what it actually looks like to embed architects on a factory floor, why talking to a modular manufacturer early can save your entire project, and why "slow is responsible" has quietly become one of the most expensive ideas in American cities.

Links:
Website: www.iterae.com
Instagram: @iteraearchitecture
https://www.westmodular.com/

Have you ever walked through a city and felt, almost physically, that it was too much or not enough? That feeling has a name. Alex Yuen, architect, urbanist, and host of Most Podern, calls it density appetite and it might be the most fundamental idea in urbanism that no one is talking about. From the way Tokyo reinvents itself decade after decade to the way San Francisco has quietly frozen itself in place, the cities we live in are a direct reflection of how much growth we're actually willing to stomach. This conversation unpacks how density works not just as a planning metric but as a deeply personal, political, and cultural force, one that shapes your rent, your commute, your neighborhood, and your quality of life. Whether you're a lifelong city dweller or someone who just moved out to the suburbs, you probably already have a density appetite. You just didn't know what to call it.
Read the original essay that sparked the conversation on Alex's Substack, Dust to Density: https://www.dusttodensity.com/p/density-appetite
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Keywords
density, urban density, density appetite, city planning, housing policy, housing crisis, urbanism, urban design, NIMBY, NIMBYism, urban growth, zoning, ADU, accessory dwelling units, urban metabolism, Tokyo housing, San Francisco housing, Los Angeles housing, built environment, walkability, public transit, housing affordability, mixed-use development, floor area ratio, FAR, population density, city development, city life, suburb vs city, urban planning podcast, urban culture
Chapters
00:00 Understanding Density Appetite03:02 Density in Urban Environments07:07 Comparing Density Appetite Across Regions10:12 California's Evolving Density Policies11:34 Metabolism of Urban Density14:48 Challenges of Density in American Cities18:27 Cultural Influences on Density Appetite19:33 Cultural Perspectives on Public Spaces21:24 Understanding Urban Density and Infrastructure23:38 The Complexity of Density Appetite25:39 Leadership in Urban Planning27:36 The Role of Architects in Politics28:24 Personal Experiences with Density32:14 Future Directions in Urban Density Discussions

If your city, office, or retail district feels emptier than it used to, it’s not just “remote work” or “online shopping.” It’s a deeper problem: digital convenience is quietly fueling loneliness—and the built environment is being forced to evolve. Winston Fisher argues the next era isn’t virtual-first…it’s a renewed fight for real-world connection.
Winston (Managing Partner at Fisher Brothers, CEO of AREA15) breaks down why the future is physical—and what developers, operators, and city leaders get wrong when they treat real estate like a spreadsheet instead of a living platform. You’ll hear how AREA15 was designed as “real estate as content,” why programming is the true moat, and how brand + technology + operations can turn a space into an “always-on” destination. He also goes deep on authenticity, uncompromising standards, and why playing it safe is the real risk.

https://www.fisherbrothers.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/winstonfisher/
https://area15.com/

Chapters00:00 – Programming as the Cure for Loneliness00:28 – Why the Built Environment Matters More Than 20 Years Ago01:56 – The “Future Is Physical” Moment (and Why Zoom Isn’t Enough)03:54 – Physical + Digital: The Overlay That Actually Works04:41 – “Real Estate as Content”: What Great Space Feels Like06:17 – Profit vs. Purpose: The Honest Economics of Real Estate08:47 – How Developers Decide the “Qualitative” Choices10:28 – Inside AREA15: The Original Bet and the Creative Thesis12:24 – The 30-Acre Campus: Art-Forward Entertainment as a New Category13:16 – Concrete Examples: Meow Wolf, John Wick, Barbie Cafe + More14:23 – The Big Surprise: Scale, Stitching, and Diversified Entertainment15:47 – Why Programming Became the Secret Weapon17:08 – Owner-Operator Advantage: Owning the Guest Journey18:15 – Brand as Real Estate’s Hidden Multiplier19:39 – From Box to Platform: Tech + Ops + Real Estate Working Together22:18 – Taking the Model to Other Cities (and What Must Change)24:18 – Why Being a Conformist Is the Real Risk29:28 – Authenticity Is Hard: The Internal Fight Against “Shortcuts”32:21 – Can AREA15 Work Outside Vegas (or Go Vertical in Manhattan)?37:10 – Fixing Downtowns: Cities Need a Vision Big Enough to Anchor41:09 – 30 Years From Now: A Healthier Relationship With Technology44:13 – The Algorithm of Humanity: Why Live Experiences Will Surge46:13 – Where to Find Winston + AREA15

Every year, 12 million tons of architectural glass from skyscrapers and office buildings ends up in landfills. Even though you diligently put your glass bottles in the recycling bin, only 30% of collected glass actually gets recycled back into glass.

Sydney Mainster, VP of Sustainability at The Durst Organization, is on a mission to change that. After watching hundreds of tons of perfectly recyclable glass from a 40-story building go to waste, she pioneered a partnership to recycle skyscraper windows across New York City.

In this episode, Sydney and David Entwistle (Director of Major Projects at Saint-Gobain Glass) reveal:
- Why glass is the ONLY material recyclers lose money on
- The hidden contamination problem that shuts down $40M furnaces
- How "sneaky sustainability" is making glass recycling standard practice
- Why interior office glass is the secret to scaling this solution
- The roadblocks preventing this from going national

Sydney and David are completely reimagining how we handle one of our most valuable building materials.

🔗 Connect with Sydney Mainster: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smainster/🔗 Connect with David Entwistle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-entwistle-b51b2531/

Chapters
00:00 Circular Economy in Glass Recycling00:37 Roles and Responsibilities in Sustainability00:54 The Glass Recycling Challenge07:37 Understanding Architectural Glass vs. Container Glass16:15 Origin Stories of Glass Recycling Programs27:03 Collaboration and Learning in the Industry31:30 The Journey of Deconstruction and Sustainability33:37 Overcoming the Status Quo in Construction35:12 Convincing Stakeholders for Sustainable Practices38:40 The Role of Case Studies in Advocacy40:19 Scaling Challenges in Sustainability43:46 Looking Forward: The Future of Sustainability