Get to know Nabr: Virtual Town Hall

Our co-founders give an update on Nabr’s mission, vision, and first building: SoFA One — now open for presales.

On October 4, Nabr hosted its first Virtual Town Hall, led by our co-founders: Roni Bahar, Bjarke Ingels, and Nick Chim. Based on questions submitted in advance, the leaders spoke about the origins and long-term vision of Nabr and gave updates on our first building: SoFA One in San Jose, which just opened for presales.

Catch the full presentation below:

Roni Bahar, Bjarke Ingels and Nick Chim sound off on Nabr’s goals for the coming months — and years.

Part 1: Roni Bahar on Nabr’s Mission

minutes 0–10

Bahar breaks down the Nabr model: connecting with consumers to build demand; streamlining the design process, leading with customization and flexibility; and connecting our consumers with the supply chain.

Prior to co-founding and leading Nabr, Roni Bahar was an early executive at WeWork, where he launched the company’s development division and digital project delivery platform. In his portion of the Town Hall, Bahar speaks to the need for more housing in the U.S., particularly for ownership — and how these options need to be of higher quality, in desired urban locations, where people want to plant roots.

“We don’t see ourselves as a normal development company. We build to demand. We connect with consumers directly and want to understand where they want to live, what price points we need to be at, what size apartments they’re looking for, and how they need to pay for it.

When everybody is working to optimize for the same goal, there’s constant improvement in quality, in pricing, in speed, and we’re able to constantly look at that input and improve the process so we can scale the product to other places.”

—Roni Bahar

Part 2: Bjarke Ingels on Nabr’s Architectural Vision

minutes 10–27

The facade of SoFA One is modular and flexible; however, the infrastructural core is standardized and easily repeated.

Bjarke Ingels, founder of the eponymous global architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), believes that shaping the built environment around sustainability, community, and technology creates the highest quality of life for people. Ingels discusses how his extensive professional experience has shaped the architectural vision for a Nabr building and home.

“At its core, architecture is the art and science of creating a framework, accommodating to the life that we would like to live. In no place is that more crucial than in designing our homes.

We founded Nabr on the understanding that we need to update the way we build our homes. We want to use the power of productization, because it’s very clear that the things we make many of — like smartphones, televisions, washing machines and cars — become better and better, at a more and more attainable cost.”

—Bjarke Ingels

Part 3: Nick Chim on Nabr’s Tech Stack

minutes 27–35

Chim breaks down how a Nabr Home will have a ‘central brain,’ with a dedicated computer connecting all of your devices.

A Founder of Flux, a spinoff of Google[X], Nick Chim serves as Nabr’s Chief Technology Officer. In his portion of the Town Hall, he speaks to how a Nabr Home incorporates technology as a utility. For example, a Nabr Home comes with internet, which gets bundled in your monthly homeowners association (HOA) dues. Chim also explains how the variety of smart devices are interconnected and meter energy usage to both reduce carbon footprint and increase quality of life for residents.

“We also thought a lot about how the devices interoperate. We think of the Nabr home as having a ‘central brain,’ having a dedicated computer that connects to all of our central devices. To make all of this possible, the entire Nabr home will act as a single Matter device. Matter enables interoperability between all of the different smart home devices.”

— Nick Chim

Conclusion: Roni on Starting in San Jose

minutes 35-end

San Jose’s downtown, known as SoFA, is well known for its public art displays, particularly its extensive murals. The arts and culture district serves as the home of Nabr’s first building: SoFA One. Image courtesy of Team San Jose.

Roni concludes the presentation by sharing more about why San Jose was selected as the location for Nabr’s first building — and how Nabr aims to not only provide access to a walkable, vibrant community but also to build value for our residents, through homeownership.

“San Jose has amazing infrastructure all around — we want to be able to offer consumers the opportunity to create value and live in a great neighborhood.”

— Roni Bahar

Nabr co-founders Bjarke Ingels, Nick Chim, and Roni Bahar.

Interested in a Nabr Home? Create an account with us for the opportunity to own an apartment in our first building or show your interest in other cities, where Nabr could build next!