9 Ways to Make Housing for People: Design as Multiplier of Good

The need for attainable housing is pressing in all regions of the country. David Baker Architects (DBA) delivers on this need in California, the Southeast, and beyond. DBA is known for exceptional housing, creative site strategies, and designing for density. The award-winning practice is at the forefront of the housing field, designing thoughtful, sustainable, future-oriented places that bolster community and elevate lives. Critic Michael Kimmelman has referred to DBA work as an example of the “multiplier effect of good design.”

9 Ways to Make Housing for People (ORO Editions, 2022), is DBA’s book about its approach to designing affordable and market-rate housing. DBA principals and authors David Baker and Amanda Loper will share these strategies through built and new work, making the case for the power of design, even on tight budgets, to make homes and communities that are vibrant and resilient.

Baker and Loper will be joined by two New York City voices. Katie Swenson, senior principal with MASS Design Group and author of Design With Love: At Home in America (Schiffer Publishing, 2020), will serve as moderator. Brad Leibin, AIA, founder of Leibin Architecture and a member of the AIANY Housing Committee, will provide perspective on New York City housing context. Together, they will discuss the "9 Ways"—accessible strategies for designers, developers, community residents, and policymakers.

Speakers:
David Baker, FAIA, Founding Principal, David Baker Architects
Amanda Loper, AIA, LEED AP, Principal, David Baker Architects
Katie Swenson, Senior Principal, MASS Design Group
Brad Leibin, AIA, Founding Director, Leibin Architecture

About the Speakers:
David Baker, FAIA, is the Founding Principal of David Baker Architects and an industry leader in urban affordable housing design, guiding the design of more than 15,000 homes. Under his leadership, the firm earned the 2020 AIA California Firm Award and the 2012 Distinguished Practice nods. He co-authored 9 Ways to Make Housing for People with Amanda Loper and Daniel Simons.

Amanda Loper, AIA, LEED AP, is a principal at David Baker Architects and leads the firm’s Southeast office in Birmingham, Alabama. Her work integrates architecture and urban design so that each project is a “small but mighty act of urbanism.” She lectures widely, including regular appearances at Auburn’s Rural Studio.

Katie Swenson is a nationally recognized design leader, researcher, writer, and educator. As Senior Principal at MASS Design Group, she focuses on how design promotes economic and social equity, environmental sustainability, and healthy communities. She is the author of two books: Design with Love and In Bohemia. An AIA Public Architecture Award recipient, she serves on the board of the Van Alen Institute and teaches at Columbia University and Parsons School of Design.

Brad Leibin, AIA, is Founding Director of Leibin Architecture in NYC and teaches at Pratt Institute. His award-winning projects include affordable family housing, permanent supportive housing, modular housing, market rate mixed-use, and hospitality. Leibin has guided the design and construction of thousands of homes for residents in NYC and the West Coast.