Come To The USGBC MA Sponsored Sessions At ABX 2016

By Alexander Landa

Coming up November 15th to 17th will be ABX 2016! As part of the Northeast's largest building industry conference and tradeshow, the USGBC MA Chapter will be sponsoring multiple panels this year. Below, you can see all of the events that we're directly involved with, and how to attend them. We hope to see you there!

Before ABX properly begins on Tuesday the 15th, join us for a fun pre-mixer on Monday, 11/14. ILFI's Amanda Sturgeon will be here to discuss the Living Building Challenge, and drinks & appetizers will be served as well. Learn more here and register here.

If you're looking for a mid-week networking event, please also attend the Quebec is Quality Reception for food, drinks, and to meet a diverse group of ABX attendees. You can register here and learn more about the Quebec is Quality session here.

A05: Good Medicine: the WELL Building Standard, Tuesday 11/15, 8:00AM-9:30AM. This session provides a deeper review of the WELL Building Standard and the certification process. The medical basis for the concept categories is explored along with design and construction strategies to create healthy buildings. Whitney Austin Gray (Executive Director of Research and Innovation at Delos) will speak.

A25: Integrative Design (LEEDv4 IP): Where the rubber meets the road, Tuesday 11/15, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM. This workshop is a practical and applied look at how your firm can capture the value provided by institutionalizing IP. Successfully implementing IP requires a clear, shared understanding of what integration means in your firm culture, how individuals in different roles participate and alignment with consultants around your project delivery objectives. Barbra Batshalom (Founder & CEO at Sustainable Performance Institute) will speak.

A44: Beyond Inspiration: Implement a successful biophilic project, Tuesday 11/15, 1:00PM-2:30PM. How do designers go above superficial references to nature and use of natural materials to design environments that are truly connecting, inspiring, and regenerative? Amanda Sturgeon (CEO of International Living Future Institute) will speak.

B04: Ask the Experts: Live up to the Living Building Challenge, Wednesday, 11/16, 8:00AM-9:30AM. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the Living Building Challenge-a philosophy, advocacy tool, and certification program that addresses development at all scales. Speakers will be Deborah Frieze (Owner at Old Doak Dojo), Shawn Hesse (Boston Office Leader Emersion DESIGN), Julie Johnson (Executive Director at Hitchcock Center for the Environment), DiAnn Mroszczak (Designer at Prellwitz Chilinski Associates), and Carl Weber (Interim Director of Facilities & Grounds at Hampshire College)

B25: Transforming Inertia, Wednesday, 11/16, 10:00AM-11:30AM. There is a huge opportunity for practitioners to learn how to change firm culture and overcome inertia in order to pursue sustainability in their projects. The presentation will cover the insight of those outside of a firm but working on this issue with firms, as well as the perspectives of those in an architecture and engineering firm. Speakers are Barbra Batshalom (Founder & CEO at the Sustainable Performance Institute), Jacob Knowles (Director of Sustainable Design at BR+A Consulting Engineers), and Andrea Love, (Director of Building Science at Payette).

B44: Mapping the Materials Universe: Lessons and Strategies, Wednesday 11/16, 1:00PM-2:30PM. We explore the hardest specification sections and the most opaque market sectors, inviting discussion and exploration of the greatest challenges. Speakers are Lisa Carey-Moore (Sustainability Analyst at Integrated Eco Strategy), Lisa Goodwin-Robbins (Architect Specifier at Kalin Associates), Jason Jewhurst (Senior Associate at Bruner/Cott & Associates), and Charley Stevenson (Principal at Integrated Eco Stategy).

B68: Designing for Net Positive Water and Energy, Wednesday 11/16, 3:30PM-5:00PM. Net positive energy is a key component in the battle against climate change. Buildings emit nearly 50% of carbon emissions, and architects can play a leadership role in moving beyond incremental reductions to regenerative design now. Speakers are Jason Forney (Principal at Bruner/Cott Architects) and Jason Jewhurst (Senior Associate at Bruner/Cott & Associates).

C21: How Green Building Make Your Clients Smarter – Harvard Study, Thursday 11/17, 10:00AM-11:30AM. Green Buildings have measurable positive effects on brain function. The ability to provide data on how design impacts occupant productivity is key to moving client towards valuing and advocating for green building features. Speakers are Joseph Allen (Assistant Professor of Exposure Assessment Science at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health), Piers MacNaughton (Project Manager at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health), and John Spengler (Director and Proram Director at Harvard T.H. School of Public Health).

Stay tuned for more updates on ABX and the speakers!