Spaces Podcast
- Folgen
- 275
- Erscheint
- wöchentlich
- Letzte Folge
- 11. Nov. 2026
Über den Podcast
Discover the powerful forces—environmental, political, cultural, and economic—that shape our built environment and, in turn, our lives. Hosted by award winning architect Dimitrius Lynch, each episode brings you insightful conversations with top industry professionals who reveal how our spaces evolve and impact society. From historical shifts to future trends, SPACES Podcast uncovers the stories behind the places we inhabit and explores how these transformations will continue to influence us all. Tune in to this leading architecture + design podcast to understand the connections between the spaces around us and the lives we lead.
Folgen 275
228. Staying in Control During Construction
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius explains how building owners can stay engaged and maintain control during construction through three key areas: communication, decisions, and expectations.He discusses the …
Shownotes
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius explains how building owners can stay engaged and maintain control during construction through three key areas: communication, decisions, and expectations.
He discusses the importance of having a clear chain of communication, properly using RFIs, documenting important decisions, understanding when a question is truly urgent, tracking changes against the budget, and staying involved without micromanaging the team.
As discussed:
Before You Build is Dimitrius’ strategic pre-design framework for homeowners and business owners planning kitchens, ADUs, additions, renovations, and small commercial tenant improvements.
It helps you define scope, understand costs, think through soft costs and contingency, assemble the right team, understand timelines, and avoid common mistakes before spending money in the wrong direction.
Before You Build Guidebook Download
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
227. How Technology Should Shape the Built Environment with Kate Reggev
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius sits down with architect, project manager, historian, writer, and educator Kate Reggev for a wide-ranging conversation about technology, AI, risk, and the future of the …
Shownotes
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius sits down with architect, project manager, historian, writer, and educator Kate Reggev for a wide-ranging conversation about technology, AI, risk, and the future of the built environment.
Originally recorded as part of DATM 2026, Gābl Media’s inaugural virtual summit exploring the ideas, technologies, and people shaping the future of the built world, the conversation examines how architecture, construction, ownership, and education are responding to a period of rapid technological change.
Topics include:
- AI and automation in architecture
- Fear of technological change and job displacement
- How owners evaluate new technology
- Risk, liability, and project decision-making
- Lessons from past technological revolutions
- CAD, BIM, prefabrication, and 3D printing
- Why technological optimism has changed
- The growing complexity of building documentation
- Teaching architecture in the age of AI
- Technology as a tool rather than a fallback
- The continued importance of hand drawing and physical experience
- Where AI is useful—and where it can become dangerous
- The future of construction and the skilled trades
- Why human judgment must remain central
This conversation originally aired during DATM 2026, Gābl Media’s virtual summit focused on the ideas, technologies, and people shaping the future of the built world.
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
226. The Cost of Speed
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius examines the pressure for speed that exists throughout design and construction and why compressing a project schedule can lead to rushed decisions, incomplete coordination …
Shownotes
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius examines the pressure for speed that exists throughout design and construction and why compressing a project schedule can lead to rushed decisions, incomplete coordination, rework, and higher costs.
He explains why buildings require coordination across multiple systems, how unresolved decisions tend to move downstream into more expensive phases, and why cutting time from a schedule usually requires a tradeoff in scope, cost, quality, or risk.
**Slow early can mean fast later.**
As discussed:
Before You Build is Dimitrius’ strategic pre-design framework for homeowners and business owners planning kitchens, ADUs, additions, renovations, and small commercial tenant improvements.
It helps you define scope, understand costs, think through soft costs and contingency, assemble the right team, understand timelines, and avoid common mistakes before spending money in the wrong direction.
Before You Build Guidebook Download
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
225. Giving Architects More Time to be Architects with Aurimas Sabulis
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius sits down with Aurimas Sabulis, founder of Kora Studio, to explore how technology could reshape architectural practice by connecting design more directly to manufacturing …
Shownotes
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius sits down with Aurimas Sabulis, founder of Kora Studio, to explore how technology could reshape architectural practice by connecting design more directly to manufacturing, construction, and real-world building constraints.
The conversation explores Kora Studio, a Revit-based, facade design and modeling platform developed to help bridge that gap. Aurimas explains how manufacturing data and constructability intelligence can be built into the design process, allowing architects to understand whether facade components can realistically be fabricated, transported, and installed while they are still designing.
Throughout the conversation, Dimitrius and Aurimas return to a larger question surrounding technology and architecture: How do we use increasingly powerful tools without sacrificing creativity or turning designers into passive operators?
Topics include:
- Why architecture, engineering, manufacturing, and construction remain siloed
- Giving architects more time to design
- Bridging design intent and constructability
- Parametric facade modeling in Revit
- Bringing manufacturing knowledge into early design decisions
- Designing around fabrication and transportation constraints
- Reducing redesign and value engineering
- Automating repetitive architectural tasks
- Energy and code compliance
- AI and the future of architectural software
- Why architects need to retain creative control
- Making architectural technology easier to use
- The future of Kora Studio
As Discussed:
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
224. Starting Construction Too Early
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius explains why construction depends on having the right information in place before work begins. He explores how incomplete plans, unresolved decisions, allowances, premature …
Shownotes
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius explains why construction depends on having the right information in place before work begins. He explores how incomplete plans, unresolved decisions, allowances, premature demolition, and pressure to keep crews moving can turn relatively inexpensive design decisions into costly field changes.
He also breaks down why smaller projects are particularly difficult to design and build concurrently, how one unresolved decision can impact multiple trades, and why planning should be viewed as progress rather than a delay.
As discussed:
Before You Build is Dimitrius’ strategic pre-design framework for homeowners and business owners planning kitchens, ADUs, additions, renovations, and small commercial tenant improvements.
It helps you define scope, understand costs, think through soft costs and contingency, assemble the right team, understand timelines, and avoid common mistakes before spending money in the wrong direction.
Before You Build Guidebook Download
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
223. A Restaurant Design Masterclass with Greg Bleier: Concept, Operations & Experience
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius sits down with Greg Bleier, founding principal and project director of Studio UNLTD, to explore what it takes to design restaurants that are not only memorable, but …
Shownotes
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius sits down with Greg Bleier, founding principal and project director of Studio UNLTD, to explore what it takes to design restaurants that are not only memorable, but operationally successful.
Greg shares his path from studying studio art and interior design to founding Studio UNLTD and developing a specialty in hospitality design. He discusses how early relationships, time spent on construction sites, and a willingness to learn the business of restaurants helped shape the firm’s approach.
The conversation explores Studio UNLTD’s design process and the importance of understanding the vision behind a restaurant before developing its aesthetic. Greg describes designers as interpreters—using their expertise to translate the goals, personality, food, and culture of a client into a physical experience.
Greg also makes the case that restaurant design cannot be viewed only from the guest’s perspective. Kitchens, service paths, bar operations, durability, maintenance, staffing, and economics all have to work together. A beautiful space that creates operational problems, he argues, is ultimately unsuccessful.
Dimitrius and Greg then take a closer look at Bavel in Los Angeles, including the inspiration behind its bright, plant-filled environment, the integration of its open kitchen and outdoor spaces, and the technical challenges required to turn ambitious design ideas into something that can actually be built and maintained.
Topics include:
- Breaking into restaurant and hospitality design
- Designing around the client’s vision
- Storytelling and concept development
- Balancing aesthetics with restaurant operations
- Designing for chefs, servers, bartenders, and guests
- The design and evolution of Bavel
- Maintenance, durability, and client education
- Mockups and testing ambitious design ideas
- Restaurant economics and changing service models
- AI, analog experiences, and the future of hospitality
As Discussed:
Studio UNLTD | Instagram | LinkedIn
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
222. Biggest Mistakes Building Owners Make
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius breaks down some of the most common mistakes building owners make, including skipping permits, hiring the wrong team, starting construction too early, underestimating total …
Shownotes
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius breaks down some of the most common mistakes building owners make, including skipping permits, hiring the wrong team, starting construction too early, underestimating total project costs, making changes without understanding their impact, and prioritizing speed over clarity.
For a deeper look at these issues, Chapter 5 of Before You Build covers common project mistakes and strategies for reducing risk before construction starts.
As discussed:
Before You Build is Dimitrius’ strategic pre-design framework for homeowners and business owners planning kitchens, ADUs, additions, renovations, and small commercial tenant improvements.
It helps you define scope, understand costs, think through soft costs and contingency, assemble the right team, understand timelines, and avoid common mistakes before spending money in the wrong direction.
Before You Build Guidebook Download
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
221. How to Deliver Middle Housing with Garland Harris Jr
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius sits down with Garland Harris Jr., President of Middle Housing Design Co., to discuss how small-scale housing can help address affordability, infill development, and the …
Shownotes
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius sits down with Garland Harris Jr., President of Middle Housing Design Co., to discuss how small-scale housing can help address affordability, infill development, and the changing needs of American cities.
Garland shares how his experience in residential design, production homebuilding, and development led him to build a business around duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhomes, and other forms of middle housing. He explains how repeatable plans, construction efficiency, and firsthand development experience allow his team to move projects faster while controlling costs.
The conversation also explores how Garland evaluates land, identifies neighborhoods with long-term growth potential, approaches development financing, and navigates regulations often written for projects much larger than the small infill developments he is trying to build.
Dimitrius and Garland also look toward the future, discussing how smaller homes, changing transportation habits, delivery services, autonomous vehicles, and reduced dependence on cars could reshape housing, parking, density, and neighborhood design.
Topics include:
- The business model behind Middle Housing Design Co.
- Duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and missing-middle housing
- Designing repeatable, cost-efficient housing
- Small-scale infill development
- Land acquisition and neighborhood growth indicators
- Financing development projects
- Permitting and regulations that make small projects harder
- Housing affordability and the need to build smaller
- The relationship between transportation, parking, and housing
- How changing mobility could reshape future communities
As Discussed:
Enjoyed this episode? You might want to also listen to the limited series Going Green & Built to Divide
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
220. The Impact of Interior Design
This episode of SPACES explores the vital role of interior design in construction projects, emphasizing how early involvement can save time, reduce costs, and enhance the final space. Dimitrius highlights how …
Shownotes
This episode of SPACES explores the vital role of interior design in construction projects, emphasizing how early involvement can save time, reduce costs, and enhance the final space. Dimitrius highlights how interior designers add value beyond aesthetics, especially in kitchens, bathrooms, and commercial spaces.
As discussed:
Before You Build is Dimitrius’ strategic pre-design framework for homeowners and business owners planning kitchens, ADUs, additions, renovations, and small commercial tenant improvements.
It helps you define scope, understand costs, think through soft costs and contingency, assemble the right team, understand timelines, and avoid common mistakes before spending money in the wrong direction.
ACT NOW: the next 25 purchasers get it for a special discount rate of $9!
Before You Build Guidebook Download
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
219. Sustainability Beyond Altruism with Helen Neal
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius speaks with Helen Neal, founder of HN Communications and a sustainability communications specialist working with global corporations and NGOs, about greenwashing …
Shownotes
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius speaks with Helen Neal, founder of HN Communications and a sustainability communications specialist working with global corporations and NGOs, about greenwashing, regulation, AI, and the changing business case for sustainability.
Helen explains that greenwashing is not always the result of intentional deception. More often, problems emerge when detailed sustainability data moves from technical teams into marketing and communications, where complex information can become simplified, polished, or overstated.
The conversation also explores a broader shift in how sustainability is being understood inside business. Rather than framing it solely as carbon reduction or an altruistic responsibility, Helen sees sustainability increasingly becoming a conversation about long-term business resilience.
Dimitrius and Helen also discuss the role of artificial intelligence in sustainability communications. AI can help organizations analyze increasingly complex regulations and identify potential risks in their messaging—but it can also hallucinate regulations, produce inconsistent answers, and confidently rewrite claims in ways that create even greater exposure.
Ultimately, the human expert remains essential.
In this episode:
- What greenwashing actually means
- Why many greenwashing problems are unintentional
- How sustainability data gets distorted through marketing and communications
- Why environmental claims increasingly require evidence and verification
- Examples of companies getting sustainability messaging wrong
- The growing regulatory landscape surrounding green claims
- What “green hushing” means and why companies are doing it
- Why staying silent about sustainability can also create risk
- The importance of honesty, humility, and transparency
- How sustainability is becoming a boardroom and business-resilience issue
- Supply chain security, energy security, and resource management
- Why sustainability and profitability do not have to conflict
- How AI can help analyze sustainability regulations
- The risks of relying on large language models for factual or regulatory guidance
- Why human expertise becomes even more important as AI adoption grows
- The continued importance of human stories in sustainability communications
- Why Helen is optimistic about the next generation of business leaders
As Discussed:
Webinar: Getting Ready for ECGT: What the New Rules Mean for Sustainability Communications
Enjoyed this episode? You might want to also listen to the limited series Going Green
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
218. How to Hire the Right Contractor
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius breaks down how homeowners and business owners should evaluate contractors before committing to a renovation, ADU, addition, kitchen remodel, or small commercial project.The …
Shownotes
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius breaks down how homeowners and business owners should evaluate contractors before committing to a renovation, ADU, addition, kitchen remodel, or small commercial project.
The episode explains why price without context can be dangerous, why vague scope leads to incomparable bids, and how drawings, specifications, communication, qualifications, and transparency all shape the success of a project.
In This Episode
- Why the lowest bid is not always the best value
- How unclear scope leads to confusing contractor estimates
- What to look for when reviewing contractor qualifications
- Why communication is one of the strongest indicators of project experience
- What questions to ask about pricing, allowances, exclusions, permits, and change orders
- Why early contractor input can be helpful, but is not the same as a final construction contract
- How an architect can help review bids and identify inconsistencies
- Red flags to watch for before hiring a contractor
As discussed:
Before You Build is Dimitrius’ strategic pre-design framework for homeowners and business owners planning kitchens, ADUs, additions, renovations, and small commercial tenant improvements.
It helps you define scope, understand costs, think through soft costs and contingency, assemble the right team, understand timelines, and avoid common mistakes before spending money in the wrong direction.
ACT NOW: the next 25 purchasers get it for a special discount rate of $9!
Before You Build Guidebook Download
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
217. Small Developers Are Gonna Close the Gap with Desmond Dunn
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius speaks with Raleigh-based developer, consultant, and writer Desmond Dunn, founder of The Emerging Developer, about why density alone is not a sufficient measure of …
Shownotes
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius speaks with Raleigh-based developer, consultant, and writer Desmond Dunn, founder of The Emerging Developer, about why density alone is not a sufficient measure of successful community development.
The conversation was inspired by Desmond’s article, “Density Without Infrastructure Is a Recipe for Disaster,” and his argument that density tends to multiply the conditions already present in a neighborhood. If a community lacks walkability, schools, transportation, recreation, grocery stores, economic opportunity, or basic infrastructure, simply adding more residents can intensify those deficiencies rather than solve them.
Desmond and Dimitrius also examine how concentrating affordable housing in historically disinvested communities can reinforce existing inequities, why the built environment influences behavior and opportunity, and how development can become disconnected from human outcomes when projects are optimized primarily around financial performance.
They discuss the role of small, community-based developers and why people who actually understand a neighborhood may be better positioned to identify what it needs—whether that is housing, mixed-use development, local businesses, public space, or something else entirely.
Desmond also explains why meaningful community engagement should happen before a project is designed, not after the major decisions have already been made.
Ultimately, the conversation asks developers, architects, planners, and policymakers to think beyond unit counts and consider a larger question:
Does what we are building actually make the community better?
In this episode:
- Why density without supporting infrastructure can create new problems
- Why housing unit count is an incomplete measure of success
- How density can amplify existing neighborhood conditions
- The consequences of concentrating affordable housing
- The relationship between the built environment, psychology, and behavior
- How historic disinvestment continues to shape communities today
- Why many developments are optimized for capital rather than people
- The importance of neighborhood services, schools, transportation, and economic opportunity
- Why small developers matter to the housing ecosystem
- Community-based development versus standardized development models
- Why community engagement needs to happen before design begins
- The “hardware and software” of healthy communities
- Creating places that encourage human connection
- Why responsible development should create more value for a community than it extracts
As Discussed:
Density Without Infrastructure Is a Recipe for Disaster
Enjoyed this episode? You might want to also listen to the limited series Going Green & Built to Divide
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
216. Is Design-Build Right for You?
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius breaks down design-build — where it works well, where it can create risk, and what homeowners and business owners need to understand before choosing it as their project …
Shownotes
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius breaks down design-build — where it works well, where it can create risk, and what homeowners and business owners need to understand before choosing it as their project delivery method.
In This Episode:
- What design-build actually means
- Why one team and one contract can be appealing
- When design-build can work well
- Why design-build is not automatically cheaper, faster, or less risky
- The importance of scope clarity and transparent pricing
- How design-build can reduce independent checks and balances
- Why design depth and client advocacy matter
- Questions to ask before hiring a design-build firm
- When an independent architect may be the better starting point
As discussed:
Before You Build is Dimitrius’ strategic pre-design framework for homeowners and business owners planning kitchens, ADUs, additions, renovations, and small commercial tenant improvements.
It helps you define scope, understand costs, think through soft costs and contingency, assemble the right team, understand timelines, and avoid common mistakes before spending money in the wrong direction.
ACT NOW: the next 25 purchasers get it for a special discount rate of $9!
Before You Build Guidebook Download
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
215. Data Centers: The New Oil Plant with Drew Small
In this episode, Dimitrius speaks with Drew Small, founder of No New Data Centers, a grassroots platform challenging a proposed data center near his Nashville home and the Nashville Zoo.They examine the …
Shownotes
In this episode, Dimitrius speaks with Drew Small, founder of No New Data Centers, a grassroots platform challenging a proposed data center near his Nashville home and the Nashville Zoo.
They examine the enormous energy, water, land, and infrastructure demands of modern data centers, along with concerns about pollution, heat, noise, flooding, and development in working-class, immigrant, and historically Black communities.
Drew also explains how tax incentives, utility interests, and weak local regulations are accelerating construction—often before communities fully understand what is being proposed.
But this is also a conversation about people power. Drew shares how concerned residents turned a local development fight into a growing movement and why zoning, public participation, and collective attention may be the strongest tools communities have to demand more responsible development.
A timely conversation about technology, environmental justice, corporate influence, and the power of ordinary people to shape the places they call home.
Enjoyed this episode? You might want to also listen to the limited series Going Green & Built to Divide
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
214. When & Why You Actually Need an Architect
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius explains that while not every project requires an architect, the right time to bring one in is often much earlier than most people think.He explores why architecture can be …
Shownotes
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius explains that while not every project requires an architect, the right time to bring one in is often much earlier than most people think.
He explores why architecture can be difficult to value upfront, why drawings are often misunderstood as a simple commodity, and how the real value of an architect is revealed through clarity, coordination, risk reduction, and a more guided process.
Through examples involving wall removals, additions, ADUs, commercial spaces, and unpermitted work, this episode highlights the hidden complexity behind projects that may seem simple on the surface.
In this episode:
- Why “I just need plans” can be a costly assumption
- When cosmetic work becomes architectural complexity
- How removing a wall can create structural and financial risk
- Why additions and ADUs require more planning than many owners expect
- How architects help make the process feel easier and less stressful
- Why clients often appreciate the value of architectural services most after the project is complete
As discussed:
Before You Build Guidebook Download
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
213. The Future of Learning Environments with Todd Ferking
In this episode of SPACES, architect Todd Ferking returns to the show to discuss the future of learning environments. He shares his decision to leave a national leadership role at DLR Group and launch Arcis …
Shownotes
In this episode of SPACES, architect Todd Ferking returns to the show to discuss the future of learning environments. He shares his decision to leave a national leadership role at DLR Group and launch Arcis Studio, a consultancy focused on helping school districts and design teams establish the vision, educational strategy, and planning foundations that lead to more meaningful learning environments.
We revisit his work on Compton High School and Centennial High School, including the challenge of creating innovative educational facilities within California’s exceptionally high construction costs. Todd also explains how program visibility, interdisciplinary connections, smaller learning communities, and stronger relationships between students and adults can influence learning and school safety.
We also look ahead to the impact of artificial intelligence on education and the built environment. If students can increasingly receive personalized instruction through digital tools, should schools continue dedicating most of their space to traditional classrooms? Or could the schools of the future become application hubs—places where students gather to experiment, build, collaborate, socialize, and put knowledge into practice?
In this episode:
- Why Todd launched Arcis Studio after 25 years with DLR Group
- The importance of establishing educational vision before design begins
- Lessons from the planning and design of Compton and Centennial High Schools
- Designing flexible, visible, and interdisciplinary learning environments
- Why California schools must accomplish more with less space
- Creating stronger connections between career technical education and core academics
- Approaching school safety through relationships, scale, and layered security
- How AI could transform teaching, learning, and educational facilities
- Reimagining schools as hubs for application, creation, and collaboration
As discussed:
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
212. Architect vs. Designer vs. Drafter
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius breaks down the important differences between architects, designers, and drafters — and why choosing the right type of help early can have a major impact on your budget …
Shownotes
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius breaks down the important differences between architects, designers, and drafters — and why choosing the right type of help early can have a major impact on your budget, permitting, construction process, and overall project success.
While each role can bring value, they are not interchangeable.
The key question is not simply, “Who can draw this?”
The better question is: What does this project actually require?
In this episode:
- The difference between architects, designers, and drafters
- Where designers can add significant value
- What drafters typically provide
- Why removing a wall can trigger structural, electrical, permitting, and budget considerations
- How project complexity should determine your team
- Why the cheapest path upfront is not always the least expensive path overall
- What questions to ask before hiring someone to prepare drawings
Once you understand the scope, risks, systems, and approvals involved, it becomes much easier to assemble the right team.
As discussed:
Before You Build Guidebook Download
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
211. State of Architecture with Andrew Goodwin
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius speaks with Andrew Goodwin, AIA, founder of AGD, about the evolving role of the architect in a profession being reshaped by technology, entrepreneurship, education, and …
Shownotes
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius speaks with Andrew Goodwin, AIA, founder of AGD, about the evolving role of the architect in a profession being reshaped by technology, entrepreneurship, education, and social responsibility.
Andrew shares how his career has moved between traditional practice, public interest design, teaching, publishing, nonprofit work, and firm leadership—and why he believes architects can no longer rely on outdated definitions of the profession. Instead of returning to the old idea of the “master builder,” Andrew makes the case for the architect as a master entrepreneur, advocate, communicator, educator, and citizen leader.
The conversation explores how liability narrowed the role of architects, how design-build and integrated delivery may be shifting it again, and how AI is forcing schools and firms to rethink what future architects actually need to learn. Andrew also discusses building AGD around purpose, innovation, remote flexibility, community engagement, and a commitment to doing good first.
It’s a conversation about architecture as a practice, but also as a platform—for storytelling, leadership, service, advocacy, and impact.
In this episode:
- Why the architect’s role needs to expand beyond traditional services
- How AI may reshape architectural education and early-career practice
- What students should understand about entrepreneurship and business
- How storytelling and communication help clients understand design
- Why purpose, innovation, and social impact are central to AGD’s work
- How architects can define their own path instead of inheriting an outdated one
As discussed:
Disrupted: The Architecture Profession
Metamorphosis of the Future Architect
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
210. The Hidden Costs No One Talks About
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius examines one of the most overlooked parts of any construction project: soft costs. He highlights what the total project budget should include and explores why soft costs are …
Shownotes
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius examines one of the most overlooked parts of any construction project: soft costs.
He highlights what the total project budget should include and explores why soft costs are not “extras” — they are the services and approvals that make a project buildable, coordinated, and legally permitted.
For owners, understanding these costs early can help prevent financial stress, delays, and costly surprises later.
In this episode:
- Why construction cost is only one part of your total project budget
- What soft costs are and why they matter
- Why architecture is more than “drawing plans”
- When engineering becomes necessary
- Why permits and plan check fees vary so widely
- How Title 24 energy compliance affects California projects
- When surveys, soils reports, and specialty consultants may be required
- Why contingency should be included and tracked separately
- How better planning reduces risk before construction begins
If your budget only includes construction, it is not your real project budget. A realistic project budget should account for construction, soft costs, and contingency.
Before You Build Guidebook Download
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
209. Building Communities that Combat Loneliness with Colby Cox
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius sits down with Colby Cox, founder and CEO of Convergence Communities, to explore how the built environment can either isolate us or help bring us back together.Colby has …
Shownotes
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius sits down with Colby Cox, founder and CEO of Convergence Communities, to explore how the built environment can either isolate us or help bring us back together.
Colby has spent more than two decades developing mixed-use, master-planned communities rooted in human connection, wellbeing, and intentional living. For him, development is not just about what pencils out on a pro forma. It is about legacy: how a place feels 50 or 100 years from now, how it supports the people who live there, and whether it helps create a true sense of belonging.
Through projects like The Granary in Milton, Delaware, Colby is challenging the conventional suburban model by rethinking porches, lot sizes, shared green space, public amenities, programming, and community gathering places. His goal is not simply to build houses, but to create places that gently pull people out of isolation and into relationship with their neighbors, their town, nature, and themselves.
The conversation explores why many modern neighborhoods fail to foster connection, how fear and liability often shape development decisions, and why the return on investment in real estate should include more than dollars and cents. Colby also shares how his team is experimenting with ideas like a brewery incubator, meditation gardens, shared living models, and community-serving amenities designed to invite the surrounding town in—not wall residents off from it.
This is a conversation about development, loneliness, legacy, and the role of design in rebuilding social connection.
As discussed:
Built to Divide Podcast Series
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
208. Why Your Budget Is Probably Wrong
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius explores why most project budgets are inaccurate and how to create realistic estimates for construction projects, especially in Southern California. He emphasizes the …
Shownotes
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius explores why most project budgets are inaccurate and how to create realistic estimates for construction projects, especially in Southern California. He emphasizes the importance of scope clarity, understanding cost layers, and early planning to avoid costly mistakes.
He breaks down:
- Why most project budgets are inaccurate
- The importance of scope clarity in budgeting
- Understanding the layers of construction costs
- The role of soft costs and contingency
- How to define your project scope effectively
If you’re planning a kitchen remodel, addition, ADU, or small commercial tenant improvement in Southern California, this episode provides foundational insight to help you develop your project budget.
Before You Build Guidebook Download
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
207. Office to Housing Conversion with Michael Bohn
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius speaks with Michael Bohn, AIA, Partner at Studio One Eleven, about the growing opportunity to convert underused office buildings into housing. As office vacancy rates remain …
Shownotes
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius speaks with Michael Bohn, AIA, Partner at Studio One Eleven, about the growing opportunity to convert underused office buildings into housing. As office vacancy rates remain elevated in many cities and communities continue to face severe housing shortages, adaptive reuse offers a powerful path forward—one that can reduce waste, lower embodied carbon, preserve community character, and bring new life to struggling urban districts.
Michael brings more than 35 years of architectural experience and leads Studio One Eleven’s affordable, modular, and adaptive reuse work. His projects span transit-oriented development, urban infill, mixed-use communities, and office-to-housing conversions across Southern California.
Together, Dimitrius and Michael discuss why office-to-housing conversion is about more than filling empty buildings. They explore the practical challenges of changing a building’s use, including floor plate depth, natural light, plumbing, structural upgrades, leases, façades, mechanical systems, and construction surprises. Michael also explains why adaptive reuse ordinances are essential for cities that want to make these projects viable.
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
206. Understanding Project Scope
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius highlights how one of the biggest mistakes owners make happens before they hire a contractor, define a budget, or submit plans: they don’t fully understand what kind of …
Shownotes
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius highlights how one of the biggest mistakes owners make happens before they hire a contractor, define a budget, or submit plans: they don’t fully understand what kind of project they’re actually taking on. And that misunderstanding can dramatically impact cost, timeline, permitting, engineering, and overall project complexity.
He breaks down the critical differences between:
- Renovations
- Remodels
- Additions
- ADUs
- Rebuilds
…and explains why these categories are not interchangeable.
Drawing from more than 20 years of experience, Dimitrius walks through the hidden structural, seismic, permitting, and systems implications that owners often overlook—especially when projects move beyond cosmetic updates into layout changes, structural modifications, or additions.
If you’re planning a kitchen remodel, addition, ADU, or small commercial tenant improvement in Southern California, this episode provides foundational clarity before you begin spending money or hiring a team.
Before You Build Guidebook Download
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
205. The Critical Role of Daylight with Joe Menchefski
In this episode of SPACES, Joe Menchefski shares his journey from chemical engineering to sustainable design and highlights the importance of daylighting in architecture.He discusses the challenges of glare and …
Shownotes
In this episode of SPACES, Joe Menchefski shares his journey from chemical engineering to sustainable design and highlights the importance of daylighting in architecture.
He discusses the challenges of glare and thermal discomfort in buildings, and explains innovative solutions like diffused glazing that enhances natural light while minimizing discomfort.
Joe identifies the health implications of natural versus artificial light, the importance of design considerations, and the future trends in daylighting and sustainability. He also touches on the Better Buildings for Humans podcast, where he explores the trade-offs in building design and the importance of connecting with the natural world.
Better Buildings for Humans podcast
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
204. Why California Housing is So Expensive, What 2026 Governor Candidates Got Wrong (and Right)
In this episode, Dimitrius breaks down why California housing costs are so high, exploring systemic drivers beyond just impact fees, contractor fees, and material prices.He reflects of the 2026 California …
Shownotes
In this episode, Dimitrius breaks down why California housing costs are so high, exploring systemic drivers beyond just impact fees, contractor fees, and material prices.
He reflects of the 2026 California Governor candidates housing platforms, dives into policy and structural factors influencing housing costs, and shares insights from his new guidebook, Before You Build, offering valuable guidance for homeowners and builders alike.
Before You Build Guidebook Download
Built to Divide Podcast Series
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
203. Off-Grid, the Hot Rod of Buildings, with David Sellers
This episode of SPACES features David Sellers, Principal Architect and co-founder of Hawaii Off-Grid, a pioneering firm committed to designing only net-zero new buildings.David shares his journey from Texas to …
Shownotes
This episode of SPACES features David Sellers, Principal Architect and co-founder of Hawaii Off-Grid, a pioneering firm committed to designing only net-zero new buildings.
David shares his journey from Texas to Hawaii, detailing the experiences that shaped his commitment to sustainable architecture.
He discusses the evolution of off-grid architecture, the importance of net-zero buildings, and the innovative materials and technologies that are transforming the industry. Sellers emphasizes the need for adaptability in design to address climate change and the significance of financial incentives in promoting sustainable practices.
He also highlights the role of community collaboration in achieving these goals and expresses his excitement for the future of architecture.
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
202. Most Problems Start Before Construction
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius shares practical insights on avoiding common pitfalls in construction projects, emphasizing the importance of clear scope, accurate budgeting, strategic team assembly, and …
Shownotes
In this episode of SPACES, Dimitrius shares practical insights on avoiding common pitfalls in construction projects, emphasizing the importance of clear scope, accurate budgeting, strategic team assembly, and proactive planning to prevent costly reactive problem solving during construction.
Before You Build Guidebook Download
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
201. Revolutionizing Lease Arbitrage with Alex Passler
In this episode of SPACES, I learn how Vallist is revolutionizing office design by creating high-quality shared spaces that cater to modern work needs. Discover insights from expert Alex Passler.In today’s …
Shownotes
In this episode of SPACES, I learn how Vallist is revolutionizing office design by creating high-quality shared spaces that cater to modern work needs. Discover insights from expert Alex Passler.
In today’s rapidly evolving work environment, the design of office spaces is more crucial than ever. With the rise of hybrid work strategies, companies are reevaluating how their office spaces function.
Alex Passler, founder of Vallist, offers a fresh perspective on this transformation, drawing from his extensive experience in the co-working sector. We explore key insights about the future of office design and how Vallist aims to reshape the shared workspace landscape.
Alex Passler has been a significant player in the real estate and co-working industries for over three decades. His journey began at IWG, where he contributed to the evolution of smaller office spaces into community-oriented environments. His experience includes a pivotal role at WeWork, where he helped expand the brand in Asia. Today, with Vallist, Alex is focused on creating a management platform that prioritizes quality and community in shared spaces.
As discussed in the show:
[EXPRESS] 'Noise & Mental Wellness'
If you enjoy our content, you can check out similar content from our fellow creators at Gābl Media.
Spaces Podcast Spaces Podcast website
LYNES // Gābl Media
All rights reserved
12: We're Not Done - LYNES Presents: Built to Divide
In this powerful season finale of Built to Divide, Dimitrius Lynch dismantles the myths that have kept America’s housing crisis misunderstood for decades. Drawing from personal experience, economic history, and …
Shownotes
In this powerful season finale of Built to Divide, Dimitrius Lynch dismantles the myths that have kept America’s housing crisis misunderstood for decades. Drawing from personal experience, economic history, and policy analysis, the episode reveals how housing transformed from shelter into one of the most powerful vehicles for wealth extraction in modern society.
From restrictive zoning and financial deregulation to labor shifts, political incentives, and the collapse of social infrastructure, Lynch exposes the deeper machinery driving unaffordability — and why tidy explanations often distract from systemic truths.
But this is not an episode about despair.
It is about agency.
Listeners are guided toward a practical path forward: legalizing more housing where opportunity exists, redesigning communities for connection rather than isolation, stabilizing vulnerable households, and reshaping financial incentives so that housing builds security instead of fragility.
At its core, the episode asks a defining question for the next generation:
Will we continue treating housing as a competitive asset — or reclaim it as the foundation of human stability?
Because the future of our cities isn’t predetermined.
It is designed.
And as Lynch reminds us — we’re not done building.
Episode Extras - Photos, videos, sources and links to additional content found during research.
Episode Credits:
Production in collaboration with Gābl Media
Written & Executive Produced by Dimitrius Lynch
Audio Engineering and Sound Design by Jeff Alvarez
11: The Tea Leaves of Feudalism 2.0 - LYNES Presents: Built to Divide
What if the future of America doesn’t resemble a democracy — but a modern form of feudalism?In this gripping episode of Built to Divide, Dimitrius Lynch traces a chilling throughline from 19th-century …
Shownotes
What if the future of America doesn’t resemble a democracy — but a modern form of feudalism?
In this gripping episode of Built to Divide, Dimitrius Lynch traces a chilling throughline from 19th-century “other-ism” to the emerging architecture of concentrated power shaping today’s housing markets, financial systems, and governance models.
Beginning with the displacement of Chinese and Japanese laborers and the weaponization of fear for economic gain, the episode reveals how crisis has repeatedly been used to reorganize ownership — transferring land, wealth, and opportunity upward.
Then the lens shifts to the present.
Faith merges with policy. Technology challenges democracy. Capital consolidates control.
From Project 2025 and the modern Religious Right… to technocratic visions backed by Silicon Valley billionaires… to privately governed cities, crypto-finance ecosystems, and institutional ownership of housing — a new hierarchy begins to take shape.
This isn’t about conspiracy. It’s about alignment.
As financial power grows increasingly intertwined with political influence, the episode asks a sobering question:
Are we witnessing the quiet construction of Feudalism 2.0 — a system where stability is privatized and dependence becomes structural?
If housing is the operating system of economic security, what happens when ownership concentrates and access becomes subscription-based?
Listen now to understand the forces redrawing the boundaries of belonging — and why the future of housing may depend on whether we recognize the machine before it fully locks into place.
Episode Extras - Photos, videos, sources and links to additional content found during research.
Episode Credits:
Production in collaboration with Gābl Media
Written & Executive Produced by Dimitrius Lynch
Audio Engineering and Sound Design by Jeff Alvarez
Hier stehen die neuesten 40 von 275 Folgen. Ältere Folgen findest du im Feed des Podcasts.
Ähnliche Podcasts
Mehr Geschichte-Podcasts
Ist das dein Podcast?
Bestätige es mit einem Eintrag in deinem Feed: Du bekommst hier einen Code, trägst ihn als podcast:txt in den Kanal deines Feeds ein, und wir prüfen ihn. Danach steht dein Podcast als „verifiziert“ bei SoundNode.