Today on the Brick & Wonder podcast we sat down with custom home builder and industry thought leader Nick Schiffer and James Robb, co-founder of Madera, specialists in hardwood finishes.

Recorded at 45 White Oak, an ambitious home Nick has developed and built in Wellesley, Massachusetts, this candid conversation explores how to have challenging conversations with clients, the ups and downs of business ventures that don’t yet pencil, and their goal of productizing their practices to create more seamless client experiences.

This episode is brought to you by Reilly Architectural, known for their custom windows and doors, and Madera, specialists in handcrafted wood floors and Seamless Wood Design® solutions.

This week on the Brick & Wonder podcast, we sat down with developer Sam Alison-Mayne of Tankhouse and architect Jing Liu of SO-IL, whose long-running collaboration is reshaping multifamily housing in Brooklyn.

Beginning with this episode, Ravi Arps joins as co-host of the podcast. Ravi is the founder and principal of Plane, a construction company based in New York City and the Hudson Valley.

This episode is brought to you by Reilly Architectural, known for their custom windows and doors, and Madera, specialists in handcrafted wood floors and Seamless Wood Design® solutions.

This week we were joined by Ravi Arps, the founder and principal of Plane, a general contracting company, and Max Michel, the owner of M2 Finish Works, a cabinetry and finished carpentry contractor.

They explore the shifting definition of perfection in handmade construction, building trust with clients and collaborators, and how an obsession with solving for scale in the industry keeps them up at night.

This episode is brought to you by Reilly Architectural, known for their custom windows and doors, and Madera, specialists in handcrafted wood floors and Seamless Wood Design® solutions.

This week, we were joined by Seth Weissman, founder and president of Urban Standard Capital, a real estate private equity firm focused on debt and equity investments, and Josef Goodman, founder and principal of Haussmann Development, a New York City–based residential real estate developer.

Seth shared that he aims to go on rewarding, challenging, and collaborative journeys with his clients—and to do so repeatedly with people he likes and trusts. He and Josef are longtime collaborators, having completed five deals together to date.

This episode of Working Together is sponsored by Reilly Architectural, a custom manufacturer of windows and doors.

This week on the Working Together podcast we were joined by Brad Hargreaves, a serial entrepreneur whose latest company, Thesis Driven, publishes content and offers courses for people in or aspiring to be in real estate. And Paul Stanton, a real estate professional who came together with Brad in the Thesis Driven journey. Brad and Paul say the world needs ten times the number of real estate developers that are currently active, and they are hard at work making real estate development more accessible.

This week on the Working Together podcast, we've pulled together standout moments from five of our favorite conversations, each one offering a unique perspective on the art, business, and human side of design and collaboration. Whether you're new to our show or a longtime listener, this episode is a chance to revisit big ideas and small moments that stuck with us and we think will resonate with you too.

Designing and constructing buildings takes place over many years, with many people collaborating together. In the Brick and Wonder podcast, we have conversations with people who work together to realize a collective vision. In this episode our host, Drew Lang, spoke to two people who first met at the American Academy in Rome and whose lifetime of work intersects in the public realm. Walter Hood, the landscape architect known for his cultural and civic work, and Mark Robbins, an architect and leading voice in government, academia and professional institutions.

Designing and constructing buildings takes place over many years, with many people collaborating together. In the Brick and Wonder podcast, we have conversations with people who work together to realize a collective vision.

In this episode our host, Drew Lang, was joined by two people whose collaborations evolved into years of partnership. Kiki Dennis, an interior designer and principal at TenBerke Architects, and Marc Leff an architect and principal at the firm.