About this episode

The episode discusses the complexities of affordable multifamily housing and its role as community infrastructure with experts Peter Bafitis and Alex Brito.

Affordable multifamily housing is one of the most urgent design and development challenges in the U.S., but the reasons it remains so difficult to build go far beyond simple supply and demand. In this episode of I Hear Design, Robert Nieminen speaks with Peter Bafitis, managing principal at RKTB Architects, and Alex Brito, principal and leader of the firm’s affordable housing studio, about the forces shaping the housing crisis today—from approvals, zoning, financing, and public-private partnerships to construction costs, sustainability mandates, and the realities of building in New York City. The conversation also explores a larger idea: affordable housing as community infrastructure, not just real estate. Peter and Alex discuss why good affordable housing should be designed with the same care and dignity as market-rate housing, how durability and timelessness matter in projects meant to serve neighborhoods for decades, where office-to-residential conversions genuinely make sense, and why smaller “missing middle” projects may be just as important as large-scale developments in addressing the shortage. This episode is the first in the two-part series Designing the Foundations of…

People in this episode

Host: Robert Nieminen

Guests: Peter Bafitis, Alex Brito

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: RKTB Architects

Places: New York City

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