Today I get to speak with Alan Pullman, founder of Studio One Eleven, an architecture, urban design and landscape architecture practice focused on human scaled, mixed-use infill projects.  They have a truly impressive portfolio of work.  I love their “practice themes” which I think will resonate with many of you: housing for all, building community + place, renewing the public realm, 21st century mobility, and equitable practice.

I was truly inspired by this conversation with Alan, particularly around the community integration and engagement they cultivate in their office.  He intentionally moved the practice out of their “ivory tower” and down into the heart of the community, sharing their office space with artists and facilitating all kinds of community-wide events and workshops.  It’s given me vision for how I want Building Culture to evolve.

Alan and his team work closely with developers around the country looking to do difficult and messy – but meaningful – infill projects.  They relish the mess.  And, between running a sizeable practice and doing some of their own development projects, I was extremely impressed with Alan’s practical approach (you know, understanding that the economics have to work to do the project!).  They strike the right balance between idealism + pragmatism to actually pull off incredible projects, and keep people at the center of what they do and why they do it.

I hope you find this episode as inspiring as I did!  

TAKEAWAYS

• Reinvesting in cities and putting people at the center of architecture and urban design is crucial for creating meaningful and impactful spaces.

  
  



• Studio One Eleven specializes in infill development, mixed-use projects, and adaptive reuse, focusing on creating places for people and collaborating with developers and public-private partnerships.

  
  

• Affordable housing development is complex and requires specialized knowledge and collaboration with various funding sources, such as state, city, and federal programs.

  
  



• Collaboration and agility are essential in the design process, allowing for co-creation with clients and the ability to adapt to changing needs and circumstances. Studio One Eleven focuses on incremental development and creating human-scale cities.

  
  

• The firm has transformed their own office into a community space, hosting events, workshops, and an artist-in-residence program.

  
  

• They are passionate about creating places for people and breaking away from the traditional, car-centric approach to city planning

  
  

  
  

  
  

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction

00:57 Studio One Eleven: Focusing on Infill Development and Community Impact

06:04 The Evolution of Studio Eleven: From Large Retail Projects to Community Impact

19:14 Challenges and Opportunities in Affordable Housing Development

32:41 Collaboration and Agility: Keys to Successful Design and Development

37:29 Incremental Development and Human-Scale Cities

38:56 The Financialization of Architecture and Cities

39:23 Curating the Right Mix of Tenants

43:10 Transforming Their Office into a Community Space

48:36 Building Connections and Social Capital

53:28 Creating Places for People

01:05:33 Optimism for the Future and Opportunities for Progress

CONTACT ALAN & STUDIO ONE ELEVEN

Website: https://studio-111.com/

https://www.instagram.com/studiooneeleven/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-pullman-06197159

https://www.linkedin.com/company/studio-one-eleven

https://www.facebook.com/studioneleven/

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PODCAST SPONSORS

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