The Building Culture Podcast

In this episode, I sit down with Jan Sramek, Founder and CEO of California Forever, to talk about one of the most ambitious development efforts in the country: they're building the next great American city.
Chapters
0:00 — Why This Conversation Matters
02:05 — Meeting Jan and the Origins of California Forever
06:45 — Growing Up in the Czech Republic and Coming to America
12:10 — What California Forever Is Actually Trying to Build
17:55 — The Housing Crisis and Why Incremental Fixes Aren’t Enough
23:40 — Walkability, Safety, and Designing for Families
30:15 — Why Cities Should Work for Kids and the Elderly Alike
35:50 — The Reality of Building a New City in California
41:30 — Regulation, Risk, and the Cost of Not Building
47:20 — Reviving American Manufacturing and Shipbuilding
53:10 — Master Planning, Density, and Mixed-Use Neighborhoods
59:00 — Learning from Traditional Urban Design
1:04:45 — Community, Belonging, and Social Trust
1:10:30 — What Success Would Actually Look Like
1:15:40 — Long-Term Vision and Final Reflections

CONNECT WITH JAN SRAMEK
California Forever - Building the next great American city
Jan Sramek | LinkedIn
https://x.com/jansramek?s=11

CONNECT WITH AUSTIN TUNNELL
Newsletter: https://playbook.buildingculture.com/
https://www.instagram.com/austintunnell/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-tunnell-2a41894a/
https://twitter.com/AustinTunnell

CONNECT WITH BUILDING CULTURE
https://www.buildingculture.com/
https://www.instagram.com/buildingculture/
https://twitter.com/build_culture
https://www.facebook.com/BuildCulture/

What if the future of affordable housing doesn’t come from prefab or 3D printing, but from building vertically integrated factories that travel to where homes are needed most?
In this episode, I sit down with Aleksandr Gampel, co-founder and COO of Cuby Technologies, to talk about their radical approach: Mobile Micro-Factories. Instead of shipping oversized boxes across the country, they bring a full factory on-site – producing windows, panels, framing, and even helical piers locally, then assembling homes with unskilled labor.
We get into why housing costs have exploded (up 40–50% since pre-COVID), how Cuby’s system cuts hard costs by reducing skilled labor, and why most prefab and modular ventures have failed. Aleks explains how their vertically integrated model works, why they’re targeting small-to-mid-sized builders instead of one-off homeowners, and what it will mean when dozens, or even hundreds, of mobile microfactories are running across the U.S.
We also dive into design: steel tube framing, magnetic facades, and the surprisingly elegant logic behind Toyota’s production system applied to housing. If you’ve ever wondered how we might actually build cost-effective, durable homes at scale – without sacrificing beauty or quality – this episode is worth your time.

CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introduction to Housing Challenges
02:53 The Concept of Mobile Micro Factories
05:35 Manufacturing Process and Product Offerings
08:24 Building Systems and Structural Integrity
11:17 Cost Management and Market Strategy
14:05 Design Flexibility and Market Demand
17:07 Community Development and Housing Affordability
19:53 Operational Dynamics of Mobile Micro Factories
24:43 Building Efficient Factories with Unskilled Labor
27:30 The Role of Automation in Construction
28:54 Phased Business Plan for Housing Production
30:34 Funding and Capital Efficiency in Startups
32:33 Design Versatility and Limitations in Home Building
34:10 Long-Term Vision and Growth Strategy
35:15 Innovative Problem Solving in Construction
39:13 Challenges of Prefabrication in the Housing Market
41:33 Material Science Innovations for Housing
43:11 The Journey of Co-Founding a Startup
44:33 Connecting with Cuby Technologies

CONNECT WITH ALEKSANDR GAMPEL
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamaleksandrgampel/ 
Twitter/X: https://x.com/agampel1 
Cuby Technologies: https://www.cubytechnologies.com/ 

CONNECT WITH AUSTIN TUNNELL
Newsletter: https://playbook.buildingculture.com/ 
https://www.instagram.com/austintunnell/ 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-tunnell-2a41894a/ 
https://twitter.com/AustinTunnell

CONNECT WITH BUILDING CULTURE
https://www.buildingculture.com/ 
https://www.instagram.com/buildingculture/ 
https://twitter.com/build_culture 
https://www.facebook.com/BuildCulture/ 

SPONSORS
Thank you so much to the sponsors of The Building Culture Podcast!
Sierra Pacific Windows: https://www.sierrapacificwindows.com/ 
One Source Windows: https://onesourcewindows.com/

What if the key to designing better cities wasn’t just in concrete, code, or cost, but in understanding how our brains actually work?
In this episode, I talk with Ann Sussman and Kelsey Bradley of the Human Architecture and Planning Institute (HAPI) about a subject that’s as profound as it is underdiscussed: how our unconscious biology reacts to the built environment – and how that should change everything about how we design.
Ann, architect and author of Cognitive Architecture  and Kelsey, founder of Design Cause Inc., now Executive Director at HAPI, walk us through the neuroscience of placemaking. We talk eye tracking. Skin conductivity. Heart rate variability. And how our “Stone Age brains” are still calibrated for the Savannah, even when we’re stuck in a strip mall.
This episode will validate what many of us feel but can’t quite explain why some places energize us, and others quietly drain us. The answers aren’t just aesthetic. They’re evolutionary.

CHAPTERS:
00:00 The Car-Free City: Oslo's Urban Transformation
03:43 Human Architecture: Merging Biology and Design
08:03 Understanding Human Experience: The Emotional Brain
11:24 The Impact of Environment on Human Behavior
18:37 The Influence of Modernism on Architecture
23:28 The Threatening Nature of Suburban Design
26:47 Measuring Human Responses: Biometrics in Architecture
31:25 The Science of Emotions in Design
33:52 The Power of Empathy in Leadership
36:57 Designing for Human Flourishing
40:07 The Impact of Built Environments on Mental Health
45:35 Understanding Human Perception in Urban Design
49:13 The Need for Beautiful and Functional Spaces
53:00 The Future of Urban Planning and Community Well-being

MENTIONED RESOURCES
Book: Cognitive Architecture: Designing for how we respond to the built environment

Book: Urban Experience & Design
https://thehapi.org/

Free course on "The Genetics of Design" – HAPI.org Courses 
Design Cause Inc. – Kelsey’s nonprofit building schools in Africa

CONNECT WITH ANN SUSSMAN
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-sussman-a1a34a14/
X: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-sussman-a1a34a14/ 
Ann’s Blog: https://annsussman.com/ 
The Genetics of Design: https://geneticsofdesign.com/about 

CONNECT WITH KELSEY BRADLEY
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelseybradley/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelseydeebradley/ 

CONNECT WITH AUSTIN TUNNELL
Newsletter: https://playbook.buildingculture.com/ 
https://www.instagram.com/austintunnell/ 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-tunnell-2a41894a/ 
https://twitter.com/AustinTunnell

CONNECT WITH BUILDING CULTURE
https://www.buildingculture.com/ 
https://www.instagram.com/buildingculture/ 
https://twitter.com/build_culture 
https://www.facebook.com/BuildCulture/ 

SPONSORS
Thank you so much to the sponsors of The Building Culture Podcast!
Sierra Pacific Windows: https://www.sierrapacificwindows.com/ 
One Source Windows: https://onesourcewindows.com/

In this episode, I talk with Isaac French, founder of Live Oak Lake and one of the most thoughtful voices I’ve come across in the world of experiential real estate. Isaac’s story reads like an adventure novel: raised with eight siblings on a Texas farm, homeschooled, steeped in grit. Well before turning 30, he walked five acres of tangled brush – no money, just a vision – and figured out how to design and build a seven-cabin, Nordic-inspired retreat that went viral, grossed over $1M in bookings, and sold for $7M. All in under two years. And plenty went wrong along the way.
He’s basically a case study in the idea: you can just do things.
We talk about how Isaac blends hardware – design, layout, light – with software – hospitality, scent, story – to create spaces that are both deeply personal and universally resonant. He shares how a glitch in the Airbnb matrix led him to build a direct-to-consumer brand from scratch, and how beauty often begins by submitting to constraint, whether it’s the land, the budget, or your own limits.
If you’ve ever wondered what it would mean to build with your soul, not just your spreadsheet, this one’s for you.

CHAPTERS:
00:00 Creating Community Through Built Environments
03:48 The Journey of Live Oak Lake
17:54 The Art of Hospitality and Experience
27:40 Exploring New Urbanism and Placemaking
36:54 The Power of Saying No
39:02 Exploring Sacred Geometry and Beauty
44:16 Biophilic Design and Human Connection
49:45 The Role of Humans in Environmental Stewardship
54:43 Navigating Success and Humility
01:00:19 Future Visions and Community Building

MENTIONED RESOURCES:
Live Oak Lake | Modern Cabins in Waco, Texas

CONNECT WITH ISAAC FRENCH
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.isaacjfrench.com/ 
Twitter: https://x.com/isaacfrench_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isaacfrench_
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaacjfrench/
Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/c/IsaacFrench 

CONNECT WITH AUSTIN TUNNELL
Newsletter: https://playbook.buildingculture.com/ 
https://www.instagram.com/austintunnell/ 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-tunnell-2a41894a/ 
https://twitter.com/AustinTunnell

CONNECT WITH BUILDING CULTURE
https://www.buildingculture.com/ 
https://www.instagram.com/buildingculture/ 
https://twitter.com/build_culture 
https://www.facebook.com/BuildCulture/ 

SPONSORS
Thank you so much to the sponsors of The Building Culture Podcast!
Sierra Pacific Windows: https://www.sierrapacificwindows.com/ 
One Source Windows: https://onesourcewindows.com/

New episode out now with Charles Duff, author of The North Atlantic Cities. This is one I’ve wanted to record for years, ever since I read his book. Charles lays out a vision of city building that’s neither skyscraper-packed Manhattan nor endless suburban sprawl, but something in between. Something tested, timeless, and deeply human.
We talk about what makes cities like Amsterdam, London, and Boston so livable-and why they offer a roadmap for places like Oklahoma City and the Sunbelt. It’s not about replicating Parisian density or banning cars. It’s about building places where families can live in row houses, walk to a corner store, catch a train, and still have a backyard, space and privacy. It’s about recognizing that the built environment is one of our biggest levers for addressing the environment, culture, economics, and quality of life–all at once.
Charles explains how a bunch of brick houses built by 17th-century merchants ended up creating one of the most resilient, beautiful, and efficient urban forms the world has ever seen. And he makes a compelling case that we don’t need to invent a new future, we just need to remember what already works.
This one’s for anyone who cares about the intersection of beauty, density, and sanity in our cities. Hope you enjoy it–and if you do, go read the book. It’s changed the way I think about building.

CHAPTERS:
00:00 The Hidden Way of Building Cities
05:08 Understanding North Atlantic Cities
12:27 The Importance of Urban Density
21:01 The North Atlantic Way of Building
26:10 Lessons from North Atlantic Cities
36:11 Living Conditions in 1600s Europe
39:42 The Rise of the Dutch Middle Class
43:35 Architectural Innovations in the Netherlands
46:27 Contrasting Urban Developments: Paris vs. London
48:50 The Modern Row House and Urban Density
55:52 The Importance of Aesthetic in Urban Design
01:01:46 Integrating Density with Community Needs
01:05:45 Final Thoughts on Urban Development

MENTIONED RESOURCES:
Charles’ book- The North Atlantic Cities: https://lute-grasshopper-4hhr.squarespace.com/ 

CONNECT WITH CHARLES DUFF
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-duff-8a2486237/ 
Website: https://lute-grasshopper-4hhr.squarespace.com/ 

CONNECT WITH AUSTIN TUNNELL
Newsletter: https://playbook.buildingculture.com/ 
https://www.instagram.com/austintunnell/ 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-tunnell-2a41894a/ 
https://twitter.com/AustinTunnell

CONNECT WITH BUILDING CULTURE
https://www.buildingculture.com/ 
https://www.instagram.com/buildingculture/ 
https://twitter.com/build_culture 
https://www.facebook.com/BuildCulture/ 

SPONSORS
Thank you so much to the sponsors of The Building Culture Podcast!
Sierra Pacific Windows: https://www.sierrapacificwindows.com/ 
One Source Windows: https://onesourcewindows.com/