Innovations and Advancements in Modular Construction

Exploring Cutting-Edge Developments, Strategies, and Technologies Driving Efficiency, Cost Savings, and Speed

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  Tyler Pullen

  Tyler advises the program design and impending launch of the Builders Lab program, which will help companies pursuing innovative and industrialized construction methods refine and scale up their work. He has a background in research and practice across numerous fields in the built environment industry. These include civil and environmental engineering, construction management, energy efficient architectural design and analysis, urban planning and data science, climate change impact modeling, and housing development and policy. He also conducts research at the Terner Center. His research includes work both in the U.S. and abroad, particularly on the topic of industrialized construction as a means of expanding and improving housing production. This interdisciplinary experience and curiosity are critical in his research, which hopes to align policies and industry towards critical housing, environmental, and social goals.

  Terner Housing Innovation Labs

  Interim Director of the Builders Lab

  Tyler Pullen

  Interim Director of the Builders Lab

  Terner Housing Innovation Labs

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  Ramon Weber

  Ramon Elias Weber is an Assistant Professor of Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley. He earned a PhD in Building Technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he was a researcher with the Digital Structures Group and the Sustainable Design Lab. At Berkeley he is investigating how computational design methods and simulation tools can create more sustainable architecture. His personal and professional work has been published and presented internationally in both scientific and design venues such as the Journal Nature Communications, Building and Environment, 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing, ACADIA, SF MoMA, the Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial in New York and Ars Electronica.

  UC Berkeley, College of Environmental Design

  Assistant Professor

  Ramon Weber

  Assistant Professor

  UC Berkeley, College of Environmental Design

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  Curtis Wong

  Wong, the Cloud Apartments CEO, is a former engineer for SpaceX and worked on the spacecraft company's launch pads. He hopes to bring the innovative approach at SpaceX to his new company. “We see ourselves as a product company and a technology company,” Wong stated on his LinkedIn page

  Cloud Apartments

  Founder & CEO

  Curtis Wong

  Founder & CEO

  Cloud Apartments

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  Sean Roberts

  Sean Roberts is Villa’s CEO. He has a passion for making housing more available and affordable by driving innovation to bring offsite construction into the modern era. Prior to Villa, he served as both COO and CFO at Orchard, a proptech company with vertically-integrated real estate brokerage, title/escrow, and mortgage offerings and innovative capital-enabled consumer offerings. Prior to Orchard, Sean was an investor at TPG, a leading global private equity firm, where he focused on investments in operationally-intensive real estate oriented businesses. He began his career as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs. He has served on corporate boards in the past. Sean holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University in Canada.

  Villa Homes

  CEO

  Sean Roberts

  CEO

  Villa Homes

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  Chris Neufeld

  Chris Neufeld is DPR Construction's Northwest Prefabrication Leader. With a background in healthcare and life science project management, Chris partners with teams to implement innovative prefabrication strategies across of all DPR's commercial markets. Chris is passionate about using the principles of industrialized construction to streamline project delivery and ultimately create safer, more efficient, and more sustainable jobsites.

  DPR Construction

  Prefabrication Leader

  Moderator

  Chris Neufeld

  Prefabrication Leader

  DPR Construction

Innovative Mass Timber and CLT Solutions for Sustainable Construction

Structural and Building Envelope Applications, Emerging Trends, and Creating Spaces that Enhance Wellness, Satisfaction, and Productivity

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  Danny Haber

  Danny Haber is the co-founder of oWOW, a B2B and B2C real estate company. An innovative entrepreneur, with a flair for providing workable solutions to the burgeoning housing crisis in California, Haber has been labelled the ‘Oracle of Oakland’ with visionary solutions to the housing crisis. His company, oWOW develops, designs, and constructs net new housing units for consumers and also builds modular units for resale to developers. As a vertically integrated corporation, oWOW operations are geared towards cost-cutting measures, and luxury living courtesy of adaptable units.

  oWow

  CEO

  Danny Haber

  CEO

  oWow

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  Yvonne Fisher

  Yvonne Fisher joined SKS Partners in 2018 is currently Vice President and Director of Asset Management. She has over 25 years of experience in the management of commercial real estate including office, industrial, life sciences, historical, and PDR uses. She is responsible for the leasing, value creation, investment strategy, and investor communication for all operating assets. Yvonne is a member of the Senior Leadership Team and plays an active role in implementing the company’s strategy for operations and objectives. Prior to joining SKS Partners, Yvonne served as a Director for CBRE working with private equity investors, family offices, and institutional investors including Clarion Partners, Prudential Real Estate, and Zurich. Her portfolio consisted of fourteen buildings totaling over 2 million square feet. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles and holds the Real Property Administrator (RPA) designation and a California Real Estate License. Yvonne is a member of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Network and Building Owners and Managers Association. She has served on multiple non-profit boards primarily in the education sector and currently serves on the Board of Leaders for University of Southern California Marshall School of Business and Women’s Philanthropy Initiative.

  SKS Partners

  VP, Director of Asset Management

  Yvonne Fisher

  VP, Director of Asset Management

  SKS Partners

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  Peter Pfau

  Peter approaches architecture through the prism of fine art. He studied sculpture and painting at the California College of the Arts, and ultimately turned his interest in carpentry into a business. While running his business, it dawned on Peter that architecture brought together his love of building and aesthetic enterprise, so he returned to school to earn his architecture degree. Peter brings his love of art and building to all of his work. He believes that great architecture lifts the spirits of its inhabitants and that each new project presents an opportunity to learn. Never tiring of the process, Peter is always amazed by how much there is to discover and how much that can inform decisions about the design. A San Francisco native, Peter spends every Saturday cycling with a group of local designers and developers. He views cycling as an extension of his passion for green architecture – it’s an energy-efficient way of experiencing the world.

  Perkins & Will

  Principal, Design Director SF

  Peter Pfau

  Principal, Design Director SF

  Perkins & Will

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  Alex Pugh

  Alexander J. Pugh is a Partner in Lubin Olson's Real Estate, Business, Finance and Workouts, and Construction Law Practice Groups. Mr. Pugh represents clients in a wide range of real estate and business transactions, including debt and equity financing, real estate acquisitions and sales, real estate construction and development, commercial and industrial leasing and ground leases, workouts, mortgage loan repurchase transactions, and UCC and mortgage foreclosures. He represents private equity funds, hedge funds, corporate and individual developers and owners of office, multi-family, retail, hotel, industrial, recreational and high end residential real estate, mortgage and mezzanine lenders, and other public and privately-held companies investing in or using real estate. Mr. Pugh also has particular expertise in matters relating to California broker licensing. Before joining Lubin Olson, Mr. Pugh practiced in the real estate and finance group at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in San Francisco. Mr. Pugh lives with his wife, son and daughter in San Francisco. Mr. Pugh was honored by Thompson Reuters as a Northern California Super Lawyer “Rising Star” in 2016 and 2017.

  Lubin Olson

  Partner

  Moderator

  Alex Pugh

  Partner

  Lubin Olson

From Blueprint to Build: The Life Cycle of a Prefabricated Project

An In-Depth Exploration of Construction, Design, Fabrication, and Installation Strategies

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  Thor Hoskins

  Thor Hoskins joined the Sares Regis Group of Northern California (SRGNC) Development Team in 2017. Thor brings with him over a decade of project management experience ranging from development, design, and preconstruction to project closeout and everything in between. Hoskins is akey member of the award-winning development team for a public-private partnership between a non-profit foundation and the City of Mountain View that delivered 124 homeless beds in response to COVID-19. As a part of this team, he managed relationships with the modular vendors to ensure that the project was delivered within six months of the start of construction to satisfy government funding requirements from the CARES Act. Hoskins holds a B.A. in Architecture with a minor in Construction Management from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

  Sares Regis Group of Northern California

  Assistant Vice President

  Thor Hoskins

  Assistant Vice President

  Sares Regis Group of Northern California

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  Doug Bevier

  Doug Bevier is a Product Manager for Clark Pacific and helps drive the Products department, create the vision for the burgeoning and highly successful Facades division. Doug is a professional engineer and precast/GFRC envelope specialist. He received his Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.Sc.) in Architectural Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He is a registered Professional Engineer (P.E.) since 2016 in California. He is an experienced project manager with a demonstrated history of working in the construction industry. He has worked for Clark Pacific in different capacities since starting as a plant laborer in 2006, he became a field erector in 2010 and then joined the project management ranks in 2014, before moving to his current role in 2021. Doug also manages the Clark Pacific Foundation which is a charity that provides support to the Yolo, Sacramento, Ontario and Adelanto communities.

  Clark Pacific

  Associate Director of Preconstruction

  Doug Bevier

  Associate Director of Preconstruction

  Clark Pacific

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  Michael Mathews

  Michael Mathews is the Founder and CEO of Assemblage Works, Inc. (AWI), a multi-disciplinary, vertically integrated architecture, construction management and development company that operates throughout the nation. We specialize in the creation, management and execution of sustainable urban infill multi-family, hospitality and commercial projects across the western United States. Mathews’ expertise as a senior development, design and construction executive spans all facets of complex and large-scale ($500MM+) real estate projects for a variety of prominent design, development and construction organizations nationwide, including executive roles with KB Urban, Forest City and Davis Reed Construction, among others. In these roles, he has delivered over 6,000 units to the markets in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Southern California, Texas, Seattle and Denver metropolitan areas. Mathews, a licensed Architect, is also an expert in off-site construction methodologies, including prefab, volumetric, panelized and mass timber construction. He has national experience in project due diligence, entitlement, design, finance, construction and construction management. Through the formation of AWI, Mathews has created a collective of experienced and dedicated design, construction and development professionals that believe in the use of modern methods of construction and progressive delivery techniques to provide clear and predictable outcomes to their clients and investors. AWI was created to understand the needs of development, investigate emerging technologies and collaborate with our construction partners, pushing the practice of architecture and development into the future. We eliminate unnecessary time designing systems that can be repeated, leaving more time to solve the unique design challenges of our clients, the environment and the places we design for.

  Assemblage-Works

  Founder & CEO

  Michael Mathews

  Founder & CEO

  Assemblage-Works

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  John Belperio

  John Belperio is the Northern District Manager at the Nor Cal Carpenters Union (NCCU) where he assumes leadership responsibilities for the northern 26 counties of California. Over the last 12 years, he has spent his efforts in creating work opportunities, and representing roughly 37,000 carpenters, while building successful partnerships in the development and construction community. John started his career as a Carpenter apprentice in 2005 and completed as a journeyperson in 2009. In 2013, he was given the opportunity to become an organizer for the NCCU. Since then, he has served in many roles prior to his current position as Northern District Manager.

  Nor Cal Carpenters Union

  Northern District Manager

  Moderator

  John Belperio

  Northern District Manager

  Nor Cal Carpenters Union

Scaling Affordable Housing with Modular Construction

Addressing the Housing Crisis Through Replicable, Efficient, and Cost-Effective Modular Solutions

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  Joanne Price

  Joanne has two decades in real estate development, focusing on homelessness initiatives for the past several years. She drove the LifeMoves|Mountain View project funded by the State of California’s Homekey program, delivering 100 new construction units in an eye-popping six months. She helped surpass this effort on Labath Landing, Rohnert Park, a second wave Homekey project, that also used prefabricated construction, delivering 60 units in a draw-dropping four months enabling the city to achieve an Early Occupancy Bonus and additional funding. It’s Joanne’s unique, creative and ‘out of the box’ way of thinking that allows her to tackle challenges and come up with new ideas and solutions to help push boundaries and achieve the impossible. She wants to share this magic across communities to bring our unhoused and most vulnerable neighbors indoors and firmly believes our homelessness crisis is not rocket science and can be solved. Jo holds a BSc (Hons) in Architecture, Building, Planning & Environmental Studies from the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London and a MSc in Project Management (with a major in Private Finance Initiatives) from the University of Reading, UK.

  Dignity Moves

  Co-Founder and Chief Real Estate Officer

  Joanne Price

  Co-Founder and Chief Real Estate Officer

  Dignity Moves

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  Ellen Morris

  Ellen Morris is the Director of Real Estate Development at Eden Housing, a non-profit affordable housing developer based in Hayward, CA. Since joining Eden in 2016, Ellen has managed a range of affordable housing projects, including new construction, resyndication/rehabilitation, and adaptive reuse projects. As a Director, Ellen supervises a team of project managers working on the acquisition, financing, design, and construction of projects in Eden’s growing portfolio. Prior to joining Eden, Ellen attained her master’s degree in city planning with a focus on affordable housing and economic development at MIT’s Department of Urban Studies & Planning.

  Eden Housing

  Director of Real Estate Development

  Ellen Morris

  Director of Real Estate Development

  Eden Housing

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  Ioanna Magiati

  With more than a decade of experience, Ioanna leads multidisciplinary teams within AO’s Multifamily and Mixed-Use studios, specializing in market-rate, affordable, senior, and modular developments. She is a charismatic problem-solver with a passion for elevating the design vision of her clients and nurturing the success of her team. Ioanna is an avid researcher and lifelong learner valued for her strong project management and people skills, as well as her ability to foster trust and collaboration amongst developers, cities, designers, architects, and consultants. Ioanna is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and sits on the ARC Alumni Advisory Board for Cal Poly Pomona, and the Design Professional Council for the Modular Building Institute (MBI).

  AO

  Partner

  Ioanna Magiati

  Partner

  AO

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  Demien Farrell

  CEO

  West Modular Manufacturing

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  Ravi Bhagavatula

  Mr. Ravi Bhagavatula serves as a Partner and Head of the Lower Middle Market at Innovatus Capital Partners, where he leverages his extensive manufacturing leadership experience as both a board member and strategic investor for Guerdon. His comprehensive financial governance and strategic oversight approach has established a robust foundation for the organization's continued growth and operational excellence. As an accomplished Industrial Engineer, Mr. Bhagavatula has a sophisticated understanding of advanced manufacturing methodologies and deep knowledge of the construction industry. This distinctive combination of expertise enables him to address the specialized challenges inherent in factory-built structures with remarkable effectiveness and precision. His analytical capabilities are further enhanced by his dual professional credentials—the Chartered Financial Analyst and Certified Management Accountant designations

  Guerdon

  Principal

  Ravi Bhagavatula

  Principal

  Guerdon

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  Tony Mirenda

  Tony Mirenda, a seasoned Construction Executive with over 42 years of experience in the Bay Area, has been instrumental in leading and growing businesses across multiple market sectors, including mixed-use, multifamily residential, affordable housing, and education. His leadership has resulted in the successful completion of numerous high-profile affordable housing/mixed-use projects such as the Gateway to Millbrae Station (Millbrae BART), College Terrace Centre (Palo Alto), and Casa del Pueblo (San Jose). Mirenda’s extensive expertise spans all phases of contract delivery, and he has been a key player in public education construction for over 27 years. Throughout his career, Tony has built a robust network of relationships, serving on various industry and nonprofit boards, including chairing the San Jose Chamber of Commerce. With a passion for mentoring, Tony has dedicated 15 years to designing and building stage sets for his alma mater’s drama program and is deeply involved in community service, including youth coaching. Recently, Tony joined Kitchell CEM as Executive Director South Bay where he continues to drive innovation and growth.

  Kitchell

  Executive Director

  Moderator

  Tony Mirenda

  Executive Director

  Kitchell

Remarks from the Podium

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  Tim Ritter

  Tim Ritter is the Founder and Owner of BayStone, Inc., a design-build manufacturer and installer of architectural elements, themed environments and prefabricated exterior systems. With a career spanning 40 + years, Tim came from the field as a fireproofing and plastering Superintendent for one of the largest California exteriors contractors, transitioning to his own business in 1994. His approach has always been forethought, creativity and preplanning. The more difficult and extraordinary the project, the more likely BayStone can bring a solution with prefabrication applications being at the core. BayStone is known for its innovative approach to prefabrication in various building application aspects, conceptually rethinking how projects can be made more efficient. Under his leadership, BayStone has revolutionized construction methods with cutting-edge solutions and a commitment to excellence throughout a variety of building scope and projects.

  BayStone

  Founder

  Tim Ritter

  Founder

  BayStone