Impact Centred Design: From Architecture to Real Estate

You’re a full-time real estate developer with a background in architecture. Tell us about your journey. 

I grew up on construction sites. My dad is a real estate developer, so I remember being fascinated with seeing the process of how buildings are planned and constructed. I was also always keen on fine art. I did photography, painting, and drawing - so it honestly wasn’t a big surprise that I became drawn to architecture. I see the field as the best blend of all my childhood interests. 

But, my first real introduction to architecture as a potential career was through my mentor. He had a lot of mutuals who were architecture students who I got a chance to speak with. In my summer before university, I also had the opportunity to participate in Cornell’s summer college which let me explore architecture even more through different projects. My interest only grew from there.

After a while though, I realized I was missing an essential element to my work - the logistical and practical sides to construction. While I had incredible design ideas, I always wanted to be able to see a tangible result. How can my building designs actually be effectively implemented? How do you best finance your projects? 

From there, I applied to Columbia for grad school. There, I tapped into real estate. Now, I use my architectural background to bridge the gap between architect and business as a real estate developer. 

Were there some “aha” moments or big turning points you experienced in the course of your career? 

For sure. My first big moment was sitting in my first architecture class at Cornell. I remember my professor saying - “you are not here to learn how to be an architect. You are here to learn how to think like an architect.”

My second epiphany was after I had been in architecture for a couple years. I worked as an in-house architect for a developer and in this project, I had the incredible opportunity to go on this trip across China. My goal was to pinpoint what a “modern Chinese aesthetic” looked like. I spent months researching and seeing designs from all these different time periods in Chinese history. I’ll always remember the late nights I spent with my colleagues getting excited over what we were seeing and pushing our crazy creative ideas forwards. 

But after months of research, workshopping, and designing - the developer stopped our project.

I think this ultimately changed my approach towards my work forever and gave me the basis to find the intersection between architecture and real estate. 

What is your goal with your career? What is your current path for the next few years?

These days, I’m focused on creating impact within my field, no matter the scale. With all my projects, I want to build great homes for people to live in. The space you spend time in has a huge impact on your well-being - so I get fulfillment from elevating people’s quality of life. I also think being socially responsible is really important as a working adult. For example, I’m really focused on thinking about solutions to tackle the housing crisis in Vancouver. 

People make sweeping statements about housing all the time, but when you’re in the field you realize there are so many more aspects to consider. You have to think about rising construction costs, land prices, financing & additional factors, and social housing policies. There is also government red tape and bureaucracy that often slows down progress.