In the latest episode of Building the Future, RICS’ senior vice president Ann Gray FRICS speaks to Native American architect Sam Olbekson, a citizen of the White Earth Nation of Minnesota Ojibwe.

Olbekson, who works with indigenous organisations across the US, describes how and why he launched a Native American-owned architecture practice, Full Circle Indigenous Planning & Design. He says that having a small company has allowed him to develop a sense of trust with people that is harder to achieve if you are a large practice coming into a small community.

They also discuss the fine line between cultural appropriation and cultural specificity, as well as the process of working with communities who have never undertaken a building project before. Olbekson highlights the different goals and priorities of the wide range of indigenous communities living in the US and describes the value of a well-executed project.

Following on from part one of our episode focusing on North America’s post-pandemic recovery, Ali Sims AssocRICS and Julia Chesher MRICS continue their conversation with Alexandra Faciu MRICS, who sits on the RICS Americas regional board.

They discuss the varied career paths available to those working in the built environment, the value to your clients of being chartered and the importance of a strong company culture, especially for new recruits.

In this episode of the Modus podcast Building the Future, we’ve brought together two rising stars based in San Francisco and New York to discuss the issues affecting their work in the built environment. 

How has COVID-19 impacted their work and the types of projects taking place? Are cities recovering from the economic impact of the pandemic and how has the industry benefitted from the shift to flexible working practices? We also focus on sustainability and ESG (environmental social and governance) factors in the sector. 

The podcast is hosted by Alexandra Faciu MRICS, who sits on the RICS Americas regional board and specialises in portfolio and asset management.