Otis Odell on Power House Podcast
July 23, 2026
Power House features Otis Odell, AIA, LEED AP, on designing housing around human well-being
Housing quality depends on more than the number of units delivered.
As communities confront persistent affordability pressures and an urgent need for greater housing supply, the conversation is beginning to move beyond quantity alone. The design and delivery of housing also shape daily health, social connection, resilience, and whether a place can continue to serve residents as their lives change.
Otis Odell, AIA, LEED AP, Principal and National Sector Leader for Housing at HED, brings this human dimension into focus. Drawing on experience spanning carpentry, custom homebuilding, and housing design at a national scale, he discusses how natural light, access to outdoor space, flexible layouts, and thoughtful planning can produce an outsized effect on quality of life.
In the Power House episode “Otis Odell on the Human Side of Housing,” host Zeb Lowe of HousingWire examines how design influences the experience of home. Their conversation also considers modular construction, affordability, and why addressing the housing crisis will require new thinking about both what we build and how we deliver it.