About us
Plugin House Company is a collaboration between social-impact-minded developer Anmol Mehra and architect James Shen, principal of People’s Architecture Office (PAO), an international, multi-disciplinary design practice. Having grown up in immigrant families, both recognize the setbacks that result from a lack of safe, affordable, and stable housing.
The two met at Harvard University—James was a Loeb Fellow developing design strategies for prefabricated affordable housing; Anmol was studying housing policy after a 15-year career in finance. Together James and Anmol envisioned the Plugin House’s modular low-cost design and turnkey services as a way to help tackle the housing crises facing many cities, and to provide relief to populations struggling with homelessness or displacement.
James Shen (left) and Anmol Mehra at Austin Design Week, 2021.
Our Team
Anmol Mehra is the co-founder of Plugin House and an impact driven real estate developer. After 15 years as a senior equity analyst and portfolio manager at Fidelity Investments, Anmol Mehra graduated from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government with a Masters in Public Administration. Anmol also received a Bachelor of Science and an MBA both from the University of Texas. He is an advisor and board member of numerous non-profit organizations.
As the founder and owner of AusBos Social Housing, Anmol has been an investor and developer for 30 residential projects in Austin and Boston with over half of them benefiting underserved groups including: asylum seekers, artists, individuals transitioning out of homelessness, and for low-income residents in Austin and Boston. He has partnered with the City Of Austin, CDCs, and local neighborhood groups on projects in Austin which resulted in zoning changes that will increase density with a significant affordability component. He was recently named by Axios as one of Austin’s power players, and his largest project was the subject of a long-form article in Texas Monthly.
Lauren Hartnett joined Plugin House in 2023, where she brings her extensive expertise in land use, business development, and public policy to drive innovative, sustainable housing solutions. As the former Policy Director and Chief of Staff for Austin City Council District 1, Lauren has profound experience in navigating housing and municipal policy affairs.
At Plugin House, Lauren leverages her extensive background in land and business development to oversee operations. Committed to the vision that housing is foundational to improving educational, health, and economic outcomes, Lauren is dedicated to advancing Plugin House’s mission to transform housing accessibility.
James Shen is the co-founder of Plugin House and Principal and Founding Partner of People’s Architecture Office (PAO) based in Beijing and Los Angeles. He grew up in California and studied product design, before going on to earn his Masters of Architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Shen has been a Loeb Fellow at Harvard, a Senior Research Fellow at the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, and an Innovation Fellow at MIT’s China Future City Lab. He has taught at MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning and Harvard’s Graduate School of Design.
Matt Arnold joined the Plugin House team in 2023, bringing his extensive expertise as a seasoned residential housing contractor and home repair professional. His approach to construction management emphasizes clear communication and rigorous job management, ensuring every project meets high standards of quality and efficiency.
With a meticulous eye for project management, Matt oversees all phases of construction, from initial planning to final execution. Passionate about humanitarian efforts, he aims to make a meaningful impact through each Plugin House initiative.
Plugin’s origins.
James Shen and his team at People’s Architecture Office originally conceived the Plugin system in 2013 as a strategy to upgrade dilapidated neighborhoods in China. Rather than demolishing old buildings and relocating residents, PAO invented a system for building a “house within a house, ” leaving the original structures intact. They later expanded its applications to include extensions, urban infill, and rural housing. The low cost and highly customizable system has brought superior living standards to disadvantaged households in difficult to access locations. Since 2013, PAO has built over 60 Plugin Houses.
Plugin House, Shangwei Village rehabilitation, Shenzhen, China.