Oh crud it’s Friday which means I missed that Thursday night City Council Work Session: Organizational Structure, Technology & Processes 

You really missed it. Shoulda been there yesterday evening.

What did I miss? 

It was interesting and intense. I feel like the City is sinking in terms of processing and people are not aware. Something needs to be done and I was able to translate that message. Now it is on the council and staff to act.
That little conference room layout wasn’t ideal. I didn't have a projector or screen to show the presentation I prepared! No technology to discuss technology!

I’ve been to Spain. Spain rules: Surfed Mundaka, partied in Guernica, ate mass quantities of paella, visited the Prado in Madrid, visited the Picasso Museum and celebrated Noche Vieja in Barthelona.  Donde en Ethpana? 

I was born and raised in Pamplona. Hemingway made our running of the bulls famous in the world.

Hemingway made it cool to write in bars, which is why I am at Zinque all the time. Were you educated in Spain? 

Yes, even though my dad’s family comes from Bilbao and Vigo and my mom’s is in Valencia, they raised us (I have a sister who now lives in NYC) in Pamplona, and I loved it.

Learn anything? 

I learned that I wanted to get out of there and explore the world.

Can you in 50 words or less describe the arc that brought you from Ethpana to the New World - and why Malibu in particular? 

I wanted to surf before going to work. I was craving the experience of living abroad, in a cosmopolitan city, with good weather all year round, meeting tons of cool people and being close to the Silicon Valley world. LA and Malibu had it all: surfing, weather, tech and people.

Olas y oportunidades to build creative, fancy houses for sophisticated people? 

That came organically to be honest. But yes, it is a dream come true to have my own architecture firm, be able to “choose” my clients and design homes surrounded by so much beauty.

What projects have you worked on around the world? 

Many! As an architecture student I started my own rendering company when I was 20. When I first moved to LA being 25 I worked for two architecture firms with projects all over the world. I remember working on a cool competition for an urban development and museum on the Gold Coast in Australia. I also worked as a builder in LA for three years, obtained my permanent residency and started designing my own architecture projects while living in Malibou Lake. 

What projects have you worked on in Malibu? 

My first jobsite visit ever in the US was the amazing Tadao Ando house (or museum) that Beyonce and Jay-Z recently bought for $200m, so the stakes started kinda high. 

IN MALIBU DID BEYONCE AND JAY ZEE, A STATELY PLEASURE DOME DECREE. THEIR $200,000,000 HOME ON ESCONDIDO BEACH

Go big. that’s a Tadao Ando house? On Google Earth it looks like a university. What did you do on that pleasure palace?

ANSWER ??????

The guy you sent me to the other day - Bill Rhodes - told me they pay $300 an hour property tax on that place. Sheesh.

I was part of the design team working on the Nobu Ryokan and I was Norm Haynie’s architectural right hand for his finally-approved Malibu Sea View Hotel.

Was the Sea View Hotel approved? I thought it got shot down by the City Council. Looks cool anyway.

ANSWER?????

SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE SEA VIEW

I have helped more than 12 Woolsey Fire victims since I started luis tena Design back in 2019 and I have another eight “regular” Coastal Development Permit and Administrative Planning Review projects, which require tons of patience and perseverance: CDP’s take 2 or 3 years in the planning phase and APR’s around 1-2 years. PV’s (Planning Verification) for fire rebuilds take from 1 to 2 months in the planning phase, for reference. 

I guess the point of my three-part interview with Kevin Keegan is: This is the modern world. These are the days of miracles and wonders. 

Nice Paul Simon reference. This would be your opportunity to mention Alvin Toffler.

Okay I am not Toffliterate so I ran this by Chat GPT: “In an interview with a high tech architect I used the line "These are the days of miracles and wonders." He said "Nice Paul Simon reference. This would be your opportunity to mention Alvin Toffler. " So what should I say about Alvin Toffler?”

This was Chat GPT’s answer. Yeesh!

That’s a great exchange — and very on-brand for a high-tech architect! If he opened the door for Alvin Toffler, you can step right through with something smooth and thoughtful. Here’s a suggestion for what you could say next: “Absolutely — Toffler was ahead of his time. Future Shock really nailed that feeling of disorientation we get from rapid change. He saw the tech-driven acceleration of society long before it became the norm. What’s wild is how much of what he warned about — information overload, transient relationships, the rise of the prosumer — has become everyday life. It’s not just miracles and wonders anymore; it’s constant reinvention.”

That’s a computer program talking like that! What kind of a universe is this?!?!?!?

ANSWER????

If you had unlimited funds, where would you build a house in Malibu and what would you build? 

That lot overlooking First Point from Serra Retreat with a small golf course. 

I have a great photo of what I call The House on Dictator Hill, taken by a teenager with a drone standing on the roof of his house in the Malibu Colony, during Covid so there’s no one in the water. What a world.

Long story behind that place. African oil dictators and Housewives of Beverly Hills and that.
I would tear down the original ‘fake’ colonial style house and design something with a lower profile that would recreate the original mount shape with a lot of indoor-outdoor transitions. I would use concrete walls, glass and steel outside, a green roof and some warm wood interior walls and flooring inside. I will invite you to the housewarming party.

You said you met with Kevin Keegan and are on the same page? 

Yes, he is a tech nerd like me and an intellectual. My type of guy.

Which page is that? 

That when we talk about AI, it should be the same as talking about the internet or electricity. It is assumed it is part of our lives and we gotta make the most of it, or we will fall behind. Adapt or die!

About fixing Malibu permitting and planning? 

For example. That’s more a personal issue and one of the reasons why I recently started newArch (www.newArch.com).The world of land use, design and construction has not had any substantial holistic change for the last… 200 years? We still build the same way we used to, design one by one each structure and the zoning rules and building codes are reactionary, band-aid style and nobody has really tried to implement a holistic radical approach. I believe that now is the time to try. Let’s get inspired from the success of Big Tech, let’s use AI as a tool (not as a goal per-se) and let’s do it! I have a plan!

Seems to me the two biggest problems in Malibu are speed and safety on PCH, and the obfuscation and constipation of permitting and planning? 

I think that those issues are in Malibu’s DNA. Let me explain. I love Malibu. It is so unique. It is pure beauty, it has waves, good weather…

MALIBU’S MISSION AND VISION STATEMENT REDUX

Malibu marries the beautiful Santa Monica Mountains with the Pacific Ocean, and it is super close to the second largest city in the US.

It is also a very weird city. 

Define “weird.”
There’s no real downtown. It is elongated, hard to access, exposed to multiple natural hazards… it is basically the opposite from a standard Roman town that looks for a flat, easily accessible and guardable city “pad,” if possible adjacent to a river to impose a cool Cardo and Decumanus. Malibu wasn’t meant to be a city but it is one, and it requires a constant act of balance between its rural character and the basic means of modern civilization. Without the rural character, the Malibu that we love would die, and there’s no question about that. That’s why I am a huge supporter of Malibu’s Mission and Vision statement and try to work with it, not against it.

All of this ties directly into your double question: safety on PCH and permitting constipation. The PCH was imposed into Malibu and it is managed by Caltrans, a state agency. Malibu citizens want to get in and out of Malibu quickly, but they also want to be able to pull out from their garages directly abutting into PCH, which is kinda scary. 

Regarding the permitting process… some people say that it is broken by design to prevent any type of development (good or bad) and protect Malibu’s rural character (and keep the value of the existing homes high). I think that technology can help prevent bad development and promote the good kind. If we use tech to streamline the permitting process, clean up the MMC and LIP codes and finally write down a bunch of clear policies that avoid interpretation or discretion by making it clearer that the Mission and Vision Statements are to be always protected, then we all win. That way Malibu wins because it stays rural, and the normal peeps that cannot afford the crazy, stupid amounts of expediting and consultant fees or time that it takes to get a permit, can get their little clean sheet or small remodel projects right away. We need to help that type of homeowner development and tech is here to do so!

Sorry, define MMC and LIP codes?

The MMC is the Malibu Municipal Code and the LIP is the Local Implementation Plan, imposed by the California Coastal Commission in Malibu via de LCP (Local Coastal Program). Both are very complex and open to interpretation. The Malibu Council has the power to modify the MMC, but any LCP changes have to be approved by the California Coastal Commission, which doesn’t always agree with Malibu.

What is the most egregious example(s) you have seen of permitting and approvals taking way too much time? We both know someone who just wants to get a security gate approved, and it’s been two years?

Jo Drummond always talks about her small 64 square foot deck addition that took her three years to get approved. You told me about the Edge, who spent 14 years and had to give up in the end.

Yes I wrote a very detailed account of the Edge’s 14-year development saga that’s on my www.benmarcusrules.com website with a clever title: If You Wanna Kiss the Sky, Better Learn How to Kneel. Should be required reading for anyone diving into a project around these parts.

And we both know someone who has been waiting two years for a security gate. And they work for Malibu!  What kind of experiences have you had with Malibu planning and permitting, or LA County or the State of California? 

I work a lot in the City of Malibu, LA County Unincorporated and the City of LA. I also have a project in a remote location in Lake Michigan. Bureaucrazy…is like a parasite  to society, very hard to remove, but it is there, and must deal with it.  

The City of Malibu has better personnel than any other jurisdiction that I work at, but terrible processes. LA County personnel are extremely slow, but they have better technology and that makes up for their lack of human resources. 

In Malibu it takes three years what in Michigan takes three months. At this lake project that I have, they also have their own Coastal Commission called EGLE, so that shouldn’t be an excuse to be so extremely slow.

Seems like it’s a Third World process in a First World town, yes/no? 

Yes.

If you were King of Malibu and could wave your scepter and rearrange Malibu however you wanted, what would you do?
I would give more power to the council to make more changes and faster. One of the changes would be to implement a digital Ecosystem in the whole city, as Kevin Keegan described in your articles, and start now. There’s always a reason not to do something (Woolsey fire, Covid, bad projects clogging the system, elections, Palisades fire…) if we don’t put in the work now, we will pay the consequences later. We just entered a 5-10 year period of heavy workload to the already overworked staff and they need to be reorganized. Let’s spend a few months getting properly organized so we don’t suffer the next 5-10 years, don’t you think?

Step one is becoming 100% digital giving the option to meet in person too but understanding that adds an unnecessary load to the staff. We are 25% digital now, because each digital interaction still requires a human behind the scenes approving each move. This includes digital submissions, payments, it is ridiculous. 

LA County has imposed on us a digital platform ecosystem called EPIC-LA for us to get approvals from the Fire Department and the Waterworks District 29. I say we join them. It is not the best system in the world, but it gets the work done, implements a lot of efficiencies that we don’t have, and we already have to use it! One of the keys in streamlining is to avoid duplicities, and maximize the use of a single ecosystem. Perfection is the enemy of the good!

Once we are 100% digital, I say we implement one of those out-of-the-box AI permit screening tools that analyze your plans or BIM models and tell you where you are not complying, before you submit your plans. 

Once we are comfortable with that, we start rethinking our codes holistically and digitally, we create a digital version of Malibu, and we start creating zoning simulations of what we want Malibu to be in the next 10, 20 or 50 years! This is one of my goals with newArch.

Where do you think the worst obfuscation and constipation comes from? 

AGOURAPHOBIA, AS DEFINED IN FLEXICON

Bad inherited management processes, bad prioritization and, of course, issues with staffing. If we prioritize improving the processes now, we will end up needing less staff. That’s the way to go.

I sometimes wonder if the slowness of the process is intentional. To dissuade people from building so Malibu doesn’t suffer the ugly population density problems that plague most of the rest of Southern California. It’s a fear of overdevelopment and suburbanization I call Agouraphobia.
Yes I have heard that term before and I agree. We humans act based on fear most of the time. And I empathize with the people who are afraid that if we improve the permitting process it will open the door to bad development.. That’s why the process improvement has to have a tattoo on its forehead that says “Malibu’s Mission and Vision Statement”. Better processes are compatible with keeping Malibu rural and I am going to keep fighting for both.

KEVIN KEEGAN FILLED IN THE BLANKS OF THIS INTERVIEW WITH HIS OWN QUESTIONS

What was the career break that allowed you, as an immigrant, to relocate to the U.S. and L.A. and make a mark as an architect in Malibu?

I finished my architecture master’s degree in Pamplona and wanted to try and live abroad, being able to surf before going to work in the morning. I chose LA because it was close to Silicon Valley, had good weather and a good surfing history. I only had a one-year internship visa first, then I got a specialty-occupation visa and finally my permanent residency. I had to work hard, didn’t get much vacation as we are typically used to in Europe, and then work extra hard to save money, start my own firm and obtain my California architect license. The beauty of LA and Malibu is that every weekend feels like a vacation. When you can get in the water almost everyday and love what you do for work, it makes you feel like you are doing something right. 

Having spent time over the years attending City of Malibu meetings, what have you learned about the Planning and Building and Safety departments and the related bureaucracy and how do those lessons translate to how you advise your clients and partners? 

I have been studying the Malibu Council and Planning Commission since 2020 and haven’t missed a single meeting. Covid was good because the meetings were remote and easy to watch live or the day after. Same happens now but I like to show up in person as much as I can. I learn a lot and, even if it sounds masochistic, I enjoy it.

What I would tell my clients is: Malibu is not your typical California town. Here we prioritize what is better for Malibu as a whole first, then what is better for you. If you don’t agree with this, then don’t worry because the permitting process will do it for you. Don’t max out what you can do, be sensitive and communicative with your neighbors. Don’t ask for variances unless there’s no way around them. Don’t buy a cheap piece of land thinking that you are smarter than everyone else and that you will be able to get it approved by pushing the staff. Don’t build higher than 18ft! 

In a Like-for-Like-plus-10% project, at a high level, what are some creative (maybe new) opportunities for a property owner to consider when working with their architect? 

I LOVE L4L+10% projects. You can do so much, get so creative… and get it approved much faster than a standard CDP ground up project. It sucks that fire victims had to suffer the loss of a house, and I empathize with them, as I was convinced I had lost everything during Woolsey while living in Malibou Lake back in 2018. When I sneaked into the fire zone two days after the fire and saw my little guest house still untouched I couldn’t believe it.

Like-for-likes (this implies the +10% by default) are the way to go and you don’t have to focus on other aspects like setbacks, slope analysis, etc. You do whatever you want within your previous “box” and you get it approved right away. I got one approved in one week in the planning phase during Woolsey, because it was as clean-sheet as it could be. I suggest everybody do so. 

With the recent changes to the LCP and Malibu Municipal Code and the streamlined Planning steps, looking at the Building and Safety steps, what one or two steps (e.g., Environmental Health, Geology, Coastal Engineering, Fire Department, Waterworks, etc.) do you recommend a property owner focus most of their time and attention on preparing for (such as ensuring they have their paperwork or the right relationships and contacts) in order to increase the likelihood that the step(s) will not slow down their process? 

I suggest property owners to get their ducks in a row quickly and attack the most stringent “deal-breaker” items first. Those are the ones related to safety, like Fire Department access, water availability and geology. Don’t get your plans all the way through without making sure that you comply with FD and Geology first. The key is to get a basic set of architectural plans for the planning approval phase, basic enough that can get adjusted if required by the FD and Geology during the plan check phase. Talk to your neighbors. Once you have FD and Geology resolved, then you go full throttle and get all your construction plans done to get approved in the plan check phase and issue your permits.  

How do you design for the “bulk” 10% addition for a property or what is a good example (maybe from the Woolsey Fire Rebuild) of how you have been able to incorporate that extra bulk successfully? 

My fire rebuild project in Verde Mesa Lane was a good example. It was an existing and complicated downslope three-story, 24-foot high house that had burned twice before. We were able to increase the square footage by 10% and extend the original footprint within the “substantial limits.” The volume 10% addition was lower than 18 feet to avoid the SPR (Site Plan Review) discretionary review and we got it approved in planning, during Covid times, in 2-3 months. The plan check approval took us six months. The house has been designed to be all steel frame and concrete, to make it harder to burn for the next fire.

Why is the coalition of architects that you, Lester, and others have formed so unique and important? 

That coalition came from a meeting that the Building & Safety department organized with the most “active” design professionals at the City. Someone took that invitation list and decided to create this coalition, association, group, call it as you wish. I was skeptical at the beginning, and I still am, because not all design professionals in Malibu have the same goals. My interest is to improve the permitting process and identify the areas that can improve and help as much as we can with feedback and ideas. Feedback can come in the form of “demands” but those need to come with “solutions”. We also need to do our part and propose good projects. That is hard sometimes because clients want what they want, but we need to try and “educate” them. The goal is to meet their needs and rebuild Malibu better than before, with the Mission and Vision statement always in mind. I really like the coalition because we are all connected now, sharing what we are learning with our projects, potential improvements, brainstorming… it is useful for the moment but we will see. This might sound as a criticism but please don’t get me wrong, I have always had issues with belonging to groups and my therapist loves to talk about it. 
Groucho Marx said something like “I don’t like to be a member of a club that would have me as a member.” That’s me, ha! 

Has the City of Malibu embraced the coalition or are you working more with the residents and neighborhood task forces?

There’s a sentiment that our egos haven’t been invited to the decision-making table, but that’s normal in public service. I have attended 99% of the public meetings and we are all being heard, which is great. The key now is to follow that with action. I think that the City of Malibu staff is really trying and I want to give them a chance. I can say that I have been able to meet with everyone that I have requested to meet with and they have taken notes of my feedback and ideas, like newArch. I am also part of the Malibu rebuild task force and I really like that group (dear therapist look, I am improving!). I help them with my expertise being at the “trenches” of the permitting process, my knowledge of the code but also my good relationship with the staff. We all need to work together. 

Do you as an architect have any concerns about availability of building materials and supply chain strains based on the amount of demand, both locally and nationally, for rebuilds, and if so, what materials are you watching and taking into consideration (maybe avoiding) for your designs? 

It is a bit soon to know this, as the construction process hasn’t really started yet. It will begin to get hectic by the end of this year, but 2026 and 2027 are going to be intense for material supply. I choose materials depending on the site, the client and the budget, but for sure I will push for fire-proof materials and creative solutions. 
Sustainability is very important and construction is the number one source of global warming (it accounts for 37% of the global emission of greenhouse gases). That’s why if we can avoid having to rebuild multiple times after each fire, we will be more sustainable. Using wood is very sustainable, but sometimes it is better to use more fire-resistant core materials like concrete and avoid having to rebuild after each fire. 

Can you talk about your new business idea: newArch?

newArch is the name of the startup that I’ve been wanting to “start” for the last 8-9 years. It is a new ecosystem to analyze, design and build better, greener and faster. It has three legs: analyze, systematize and fabricate/assemble, all connected with a machine learning self-improvement “mesh.” 
I was meeting at the patio of a coffee shop in Mar Vista with my developer, the morning of January 7th, with the goal to start developing a simple tool for slope analysis to keep this newArch analyze “leg” started. We began to see how the ash was falling on us from the sky, even though the fast-growing Palisades Fire seemed to be far from us. A few weeks later I decided to pivot and develop a free tool to obtain topographic and parcel data information combined with the location and approximate shape of the structure that was at the site prior to the fire. I did this based on my experience during the Woolsey Fire rebuild efforts, knowing that the debris removal could take up to one year and you need a topographic survey to get started with the design. Topographic surveys have to be done after the debris has been cleared, which means that a lot of victims need to wait for the completion of the debris removal to get started. newArch allows them to download their topography, previous building and parcel data and get started with their design and approval process without having to wait for the debris removal. I am confident that the planning department will accept the data as good enough to issue the planning phase approval, deferring the requirement for an actual stamped topographic survey at the time of final plan check approval. 

What are practical ways that an architect can save time during a rebuild project for a property owner?

Using newArch is one way hehe. Of course, as an architect, you need to familiarize yourself with the owners and their needs. You need to visit the site multiple times, photograph it, take drone shots, do some historical investigation, gather as much documentation about the structure before the fire as possible and reach out to your trusted consultants to make sure that they have availability for your project.

The number one trick to save time during a rebuild project for a client is not to make changes once the permit process has been started. Sometimes changes are imposed by the permit reviewers, and you have to be flexible if that happens. 

What is the fastest, or most efficient, project you have been a part of in Malibu? 

That’s a unicorn! Just kidding. I have a few fire rebuild projects on Busch Dr that went through pretty smoothly. If you work in Malibu you have to be comfortable dealing with challenges and have a problem-solving attitude. You have to be impatient by nature, but learn when to push and pick your battles. And of course never give up.

What helped accelerate that project? 

Both were L4L+10%, not pushing anything too much. No changes imposed by the clients during the review, and a lot of follow up with the departments to make sure that the reviews were issued and responded to quickly. 

Have you seen an example of AI or a machine learning tool or solution – even just Chat GPT for brainstorming or research – being used in your architecture practice?

Yes, there’s a great tool that was developed in Australia that would be great for Malibu for this current rebuild effort. NAME OF THE TOOL? WEBSITE? I will be able to discuss it after April 3rd! Its implementation would require a seamless coordination with the planning department and I want to offer myself to be the liaison between them. I don’t want to put the cart in front of the horse and make sure that due process is followed with the City management. I am sure that we will hear more about this soon, or by the time this interview is published. 

In your experience and with your relationships in the profession, are architects embracing AI and emerging technologies or do you believe they are generally resistant to the technology?

Not really. The architecture practice is about creativity, technical knowledge, responsible control, coordination of consultants and the city, communication with the owner and liability. AI is used by some as a source of inspiration with generative sources as Midjourney. I am most interested in Large Language Models and systems to analyze and improve systems and projects as proposed. 

Is there an AI-specific app or platform for architects yet?

Who doesn’t use Chat-GPT nowadays? My mom is in love with it hehe. I think that AI will be more and more implemented in architecture in the next two years. You will see! 

The City of Malibu’s Building Plan Check requires approximately 20 documents (including the Architectural Plans, surveys, standards sheets, calculations, reports, forms, and more) for submission.  Has that process been improved or enhanced by technology recently, in your opinion?  If so, how? 

No, it hasn’t. This is another thing that I want to change with newArch. Everything is formatted to the old-fashioned large sheet papers (24x36in or 30x42in) and then digitized to pdf. Each consultant/engineer creates its sets, the architect has to make sure everything is coordinated, and then submit. Each reviewer looks at what they have to look at, and they issue their own corrections not really knowing what the other reviewers are doing. The architect receives everything and coordinates all the responses with all the consultants. It is a very linear and inefficient way of doing business, and it only gets worse as more stringent codes are imposed on us. I have been saying for years that we need to come up with a new format of visualizing, reviewing and transmitting project data, some sort of “flattening of a BIM (Building Information Model) file that can be seen from any device and you just tell your AI assistant to show you whatever you want to see. Changes and corrections live on the cloud version of the file, which makes it much easier to visualize and understand the magnitude of each revision/change. 

What should property owners be thinking about or asking when considering Like-for-Lilke-plus-10% rebuilds as it relates to their Architectural Plans and beginning to engage with a design professional like you? 

I would insist on communicating as much as possible at the beginning. Meet with your architect multiple times, understand how the process works and create realistic expectations. Hire a good architect and give him/her creative freedom to interpret your needs and translate them into something functional and beautiful. Trust is key. 

3D printing is taking off worldwide and, in California, it appears owners, builders, and designers in the desert near Palm Springs are embracing the technology.  Of course, the California Building Code has strict seismic regulations and there are other design details that may complicate a 3D printing project, not to mention this may be more expensive than traditional methods, but inevitably someone will be the first to use the technology in Malibu.  Do you believe a 3D printed house could be constructed in Malibu during the Palisades Fire Rebuild within the next three or four years? 

I have a 3D printer for my models and I love it. I have been using 3D printers and laser-cut machines for 15 years and I like it because it helps the architecture world to benefit from an industrial design approach. I am in favor of it as long as the end result meets the needs of the client, is beautiful and safe. Like a painter, an architect has different tools or brushes for each art-piece or building that we design. Sometimes a painter uses a brush, sometimes their hands, sometimes they splash… We architects do the same with materials. I don’t think it is appropriate to say that I am going to use X material or technique on my next project not knowing what or where the project is located. Each project requires its own approach, but we can create standardized approaches that adapt to each circumstance. That’s the goal of newArch’s second leg called “systematize.” For a concrete 3D print home, like the ones that ICON does, you need flat sites, absence of geological hazards (if the 3D printed walls are load-bearing and have lateral resistance) and you need to make sure it is properly waterproof. Maybe a fire victim in one of those flat sites in the Palisades will be able to use it, but only if they do a batch of 20 homes at least, to maximize the utilization of the equipment (I am totally guessing this). 

If not, why not? 

It is not about the tool itself, it is about the need and purpose. If 3D printed homes make them safer, more affordable and quicker to be built, they will become the norm. Until then… the technology needs to prove itself. 

Who is your favorite character (besides Howard Rourke) in The Fountainhead? 

The client that finally trusts in him to design that cool tower. I believe the character’s name is Roger Enright. Some clients can be a pain (please watch The Brutalist) but others become family. I have one who constantly invites me to surf Sunset Beach on the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii and stay at his little shack while we plan his next design. 

If Hollywood produces a remake of the Gary Cooper film, who should play Howard Rourke? 

My mom says I look like Dominic West, so he can play “us” hehe. He was also great in The Wire, my favorite show, depicting a cop who is very critical of the system and status quo. Are we finding a trend here?