NorCal University Development & Student Housing

Based in Solana Beach, Mr. Vasbinder’s primary responsibilities include identifying, negotiating and acquiring development opportunities throughout the Western US. Since joining the company in 2008, he has been responsible for the acquisition and development of over 3,200 residential units with a valuation over $1.2B. He is currently active in a number of markets, including Los Angeles, Santa Monica, San Diego and Austin. He is a member of the San Diego Building Industry Association and the Mission Valley Planning Group.

Roy Griffith is Director of Corporate Development at Clark Pacific where he focuses on strategic planning, market and product development, enterprise technology solutions, and sales organizational support. Before Corporate Development, Roy led Clark Pacific’s Virtual Design and Technology practice, where he developed and implemented Industrialized Construction technologies and practices that are leading to increased efficiencies in the construction industry. Prior to joining Clark Pacific, Mr. Griffith was Director of Corporate Development at Gehry Technologies, where he led the Parametric Design and Risk Mitigation Practices that provided construction professionals with financial Building Information Models. Mr. Griffith was a project designer using CATIA at Gehry Partners after studying with Frank Gehry. While under Gehry’s guidance, Mr. Griffith worked as Architectural Designer and 3D Coordinator for complex building projects such as the Grand Avenue Project, The Brooklyn Arena, and the Louis Vuitton Museum in Paris. Mr. Griffith worked as an investment banker prior to entering the construction industry. He received his undergraduate degree from Columbia University and his M. Arch from Yale University.

Ken Lowney is the Founder and President of Lowney Architecture, a multidisciplinary practice offering architectural, interior, and master planning services. With locations in Oakland and Honolulu, the firm focuses its practice on residential, mixed-use, hospitality and retail projects. In his hometown of Oakland, Ken leads discussions about community development, affordable housing and off-site construction design methods while serving in leadership roles for the Modular Building Institute, SPUR, the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, and the Oakland Land Use Committee. Lowney Architecture first made its mark with expertise in urban retail, specifically grocery store design. The firm is now also synonymous with the design and delivery of innovative, prefabricated projects, having designed over 6,000 modular units.

Joseph Valerio’s portfolio includes a wide range of places for working, learning and living environments. His innovative designs are always surprising and unexpected. For him, creating inspired architecture is grounded in the interplay of data and the ambiguity of our times, while valuing organizational approaches that build consensus around design solutions. Dedicated to the pursuit of excellence across all aspects of the field, he is a five-time winner of the National AIA Honor Awards. He lives and breathes great design, winning more than 50 juried awards and having his work featured in over 150 journal articles. His tenure also includes university teaching and research, authoring multiple books, lecturing in the United States and abroad, and guiding the growth of one of the best firms in the country.

Ned brings over 20 years of real estate experience in finance, acquisitions, and development for both the public sector, notably for the fourth largest university system in the country, and for companies in the private sector.

Benjamin Kasdan, AIA, LEED AP, NCARB, is a Director, Design at KTGY Architecture+Planning. He has been involved in the design and planning of a wide variety of real estate projects located throughout California, the East Coast and internationally for more than a decade. Mr. Kasdan’s primary focus is the sustainable design of multifamily, mixed-use, and urban-infill housing developments. His experience includes affordable housing, market-rate apartments and condominiums, townhomes, student housing and commercial buildings. He is a frequent speaker and contributor of articles and blog posts on topics related to sustainable architecture, student housing, and multifamily housing to periodicals such as Professional Builder Magazine, Green Home Builder Magazine, and Builder & Developer Magazine. He has also been a guest architectural design critic at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Orange Coast College. Mr. Kasdan has held leadership positions with the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, AIA Orange County, AIA California Council and AIA National. He is currently an NCARB Architect Licensing Advisor for KTGY, the Vice President of the Academy for Emerging Professionals (AEP) on the AIA California Council (AIACC), an Architect Experience Program (AxP) (formerly IDP) mentor/supervisor, and is a licensed architect in California, Oregon and Washington, DC.

With over 20 years of experience in technical building, Zach Murphy currently serves as CEO of Digital Building Components. Zach began his career at DPR Construction, with a focus on biotech manufacturing projects. As many of these projects occurred during plant changeovers, successful execution required performing the majority of work before the project site was accessible. This drive toward off-site fabrication culminated in a completely modular sterile fill and finish facility which was fabricated in Sweden and delivered to South San Francisco, CA. Zach successfully guided the design team through the local permitting process, developed the site construction and installation estimates, and executed the preparation and assembly work on-site. Over the last decade, Zach executed large healthcare and office campus projects, leveraging Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) as a key planning tool. Combining VDC with off-site fabrication drives greater predictability into the design process. By using this integrated approach, Zach has maximized off- site fabrication early in the design and procurement phase for many projects. These projects achieved a level of quality unattainable through conventional means, and recognized a reduced margin of error associated with cost and schedule. In his current role, Zach leads Digital Building Components. Digital Building Components uses digital fabrication to transform computer models and CAD/CAM drawings directly into precise-to- spec building assemblies of load-bearing cold-formed steel structures, and interior/exterior building panels. Zach is a digital fabrication evangelist; his experience has demonstrated that the best way to see cost, speed, and quality benefits, while achieving the customer’s bespoke architecture, is to resolve the design in the computer model, fabricate digitally, and leverage digital technology in the field for installation.

Arturo is an accomplished architect, urban designer and educator with exemplary experience in design, architecture and institutional campus planning. Arturo brings an unmatched design vision and a collaborative team-based working spirit. He has over thirty-three years of experience merging design practice, master planning, and urban design solving complex sites and programs in Healthcare, Academic and Commercial mixed-use. Arturo has worked with private and public-sector entities, developers, institutions, community-based organizations, and city regulatory agencies leading teams on projects that involve a rigorous design process and with a variety of alternative delivery approaches including P3, Design Assist, Design-Build and IPD.