Early Access: Ulama

There is an ongoing legislative debate about what the government’s role in homebuilding should be. Subsidies, zoning reform, tax incentives, and public private partnerships tend to dominate the conversation. But underneath these policy discussions sits a far more operational constraint that determines whether housing actually gets built at all: permitting.

In a world shaped by a seemingly permanent housing shortage, delays are often not caused by a lack of capital or demand. Instead, they emerge from the friction between architectural design and regulatory compliance. Building codes are complex, vary by jurisdiction, and continue to expand in scope. Today, most compliance review remains manual, slow, and reactive, forcing architects and builders into costly revision cycles after plans are already submitted.

This is the gap Ulama is designed to address. (Below, Ulama's product in action.)

Ulama’s core function is to automatically identify building code violations directly within an architect’s design, allowing teams to resolve issues before submitting plans for permit approval. Rather than waiting weeks or months for feedback from reviewers, architects can design with compliance in mind from the very beginning.

By tightening the feedback loop between design and regulation, Ulama can significantly reduce permitting timelines, one of the most overlooked constraints in the global housing supply chain. At scale, faster approvals do more than save time and money. They unlock the ability to build more housing, more predictably, in cities and regions facing acute shortages.

Read More in the Early Access by Coeus Collective Newsletter