Below is a re-post of a press release in the Wall Street Journal from our Chapter sponsor, Thornton Tomasetti. Congratulations on this major corporate advancement, and thank you for your continued commitment to sustainability and green buildings!
Engineering Firms Merge, Aim to Drive Innovation
Thornton Tomasetti and Weidlinger Associates, both based in Manhattan, are combining
[From left, Raymond Daddazio, co-president of Thornton Tomasetti after the merger; Robert DeScenza, co-president; and Thomas Scarangello, chairman and chief executive.]
PHOTO: ADRIENNE GRUNWALD FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
By KEIKO MORRIS
Sept. 7, 2015 9:04 p.m. ET
Thornton Tomasetti Inc. and Weidlinger Associates Inc. have been friendly for years, their leaders working together on projects and industry organizations. The relationship didn’t get serious, though, until talk turned to innovation.
Now, the engineering firms are tying the knot.
“There was a lot of respect and there were similarities, but I think it took this idea of driving innovation,” said Thomas Scarangello, chairman and chief executive of Thornton Tomasetti. “The big 20-year goal is to be the driver of innovation globally in our industry.”
The Manhattan-based companies, known for their work on buildings, stadiums and public infrastructure projects, are coming together under the Thornton Tomasetti name.
The merger, expected to be completed through an exchange of stock on Tuesday, creates a privately held company with a broader range of expertise and services, and a wider geographical reach.
The combined entity hopes to influence innovation in the industry. The firm plans to create a research-and-development holding company that will support and potentially market innovations in the construction industry and elsewhere, and bring in outside investors, officials said.
Thornton Tomasetti and Weidlinger have complementary practices and rarely competed with each other, except for talent, company leaders said.
The firms’ combined revenue is projected to be about $240 million in 2015, with about $180 million from Thornton Tomasetti and $60 million from Weidlinger, company officials said.
The new company will have about 1,200 employees and offices in 34 cities. Thornton Tomasetti has about 950 employees and offices in 27 cities, and Weidlinger has 260 employees in 10 cities. The firms both have offices in New York City, Washington, and Boston.
The construction industry, compared with other sectors, has been a slow adopter of innovations, partly because of the way projects are often managed with several companies handling various parts of the building process, industry experts say. By contrast, a manufacturing firm, for example, owns and controls its plant and its labor, a structure that makes it easier to incorporate innovations, said Greg Gerstenhaber,partner in the Dallas office of Bain & Co., a management consulting firm.
But there has been a big push in using digital technology to do design work more efficiently with such tools as advanced modeling software and 3-D printing, Mr. Gerstenhaber said.
“These tools are powerful and driving a lot of innovation,” he said. “But this is an industry that’s tougher to drive innovation,” and a “high level of coordination” is often required to put new concepts into practice, he said.
Individually, both firms encouraged employees to develop ideas and, in some cases, formed niche businesses around these developments, company leaders said.
Thornton Tomasetti is working with NASA to create more cost-efficient tuned mass dampers from technology that had been developed to control vibrations on vehicles launched into space. Tuned mass dampers are devices typically employed in many skyscrapers built today to reduce movement and vibrations.
One Weidlinger software product enabling virtual prototyping has had uses outside of the firm’s main focus area. One application of it has allowed the medical ultrasound industry to drastically reduce the time it takes to bring improved equipment to market, saidRaymond Daddazio, formerly Weidlinger’s chief executive who will now serve as co-president. That software emerged out of other applications designed to simulate and analyze seismic waves and shock waves.
A dedicated research-and-development holding company can pave the way for more of these developments that eventually generate revenue to support similar projects, company heads said.
“The people who do that work in our firm aren’t on the traditional path of becoming a principal in a structural engineering firm,” Mr. Daddazio said. “So we have been trying to explore ways to continue that type of innovation and have a structure to motivate those people as well.”
One of the goals behind the union is similar to those driving mergers and acquisitions in the construction and engineering industry world-wide. The merged company can offer a number of integrated services on a project; it now has 10 practice areas.
“Instead of working as two independent firms and sharing data through an intermediary, we have people working hand in hand in the same office working on the same design,” said Robert DeScenza, president of Thornton Tomasetti, who becomes co-president of the combined companies.
And the merger can boost the company’s competitive edge in a global marketplace, where engineering and construction industry mergers are on the rise. In the second quarter of this year, acquisition and merger activity “accelerated sharply” from the first quarter with the number of both mergers and acquisitions of $50 million and more increasing to 64, a 73% jump, according to a report from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
But leaders at the newly merged Thornton Tomasetti said they aren’t interested in growing purely to boost the number of projects it handles and will continue to be selective about the jobs it takes.
“We don’t do assembly-line engineering,” said Mr. Daddazio.
Both firms had resumes filled with high-profile, complex projects. Thornton Tomasetti has provided structural engineering and design services for some of the tallest skyscrapers in the world, including the Shanghai Tower in China, which is 2,074 feet high, and the planned Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which will rise more than 3,280 feet.
Weidlinger, the smaller of the two, is known for its transportation and protective design work. The firm provided structural-design and blast-engineering services for the U.S. Embassy in Berlin and designed the San-Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, a self-anchored suspension bridge that replaced the one damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
Weidlinger’s applied science, protective design and transportation practices, which have garnered industry recognition, will continue to carry the Weidlinger brand.
“For us, bringing those practices to the Thornton Tomasetti platform gives us so much wider reach, more opportunity,” Mr. Daddazio said. “…Engineers get good based on the projects they have worked on. This is just a bigger platform for growth for our people.”
How about a nice green breakfast on 12/17 in Boston?
Join us and Boston Properties for a visit to 100 Federal St in the Financial District (this is the Bank of America building) to check out their Dynamic Plaque installation. Here we will talk about the Dynamic Plaque system and occupant engagement. Let's hear more about the Boston Properties team's story and how they came to adopt the plaque. This is a new way to manage your green building certification – how does it happen, is it easier than other processes? What are the benefits to the owner?
Are you working on the greening of an existing building? This will be a great way to connect with colleagues. This is a free event and open our members and their guests. Usually our Green Breakfast sessions are at our headquarters on Milk Street, but this time we will be at 100 Federal St, a few blocks away. We look forward to seeing everyone interested. Light refreshments will be served.
Increase in attendance, sold-out sessions and high-level speakers among highlights of week
Dallas (Dec. 8, 2015) – Informa Exhibitions and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) have announced the results of the 2015 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, held Nov. 18-20 at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Attendance was 19,058, a significant increase over the 2014 event. There were 548 exhibiting companies participating in 144,300 square feet of exhibit and display space on the trade show floor.
Greenbuild featured more than 200 sessions, tours, summits and workshops in the robust education program and throughout the week, with many sold-out sessions. An impressive 34,494 hours of continuing education credits were also earned at Greenbuild.
“In true Greenbuild fashion, sustainability remained at the forefront of this year’s event, and we hope each participant walked away with fresh motivation, inspiration and the most cutting-edge knowledge in the market,” noted Lindsay Roberts, Greenbuild show director. “From an increase in participation of our exhibitor greening guidelines to an increase in attendance to notable sustainability benchmarks, Greenbuild was a success and we continue to be grateful to the community for driving the green building movement forward.”
Greenbuild 2015 featured several key events, such as:
Opening Plenary, which featured a conversation on climate change with award-winning filmmaker James Cameron and MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski, co-host of Morning Joe
Greenbuild Celebration, held at the Washington, D.C. Newseum, included a special concert performance by Fitz and the Tantrums and a lively evening of networking
Closing Plenary, which concluded the week with a fast-paced discussion moderated by NPR President Emeritus Kevin Klose and prominent sustainability leaders
Combined Summit Closing Plenary featured Dr. Deepak Chopra, a pioneer and global leader in the mind-body medicine field
Master speaker Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
USGBC Leadership Awards Luncheon, which annually recognizes outstanding efforts to advance green building design and construction
Communities & Affordable Homes Summit, Materials & Human Health Summit and International Summit
Women in Green Power Breakfast, which celebrated females who are actively making a difference in sustainability
Greenbuild Legacy Project, which celebrated a new urban food studio at the Capital Area Food Bank
Attendees also spent significant time discovering and enjoying Washington, D.C. USGBC-National Capital Region led the official host committee of Greenbuild 2015 with 24 tours throughout the week, exploring residential and commercial buildings as well as historical buildings throughout the city.
“Every year, Greenbuild brings world-class education and programming to the green building community and continues to maintain the standards that make Greenbuild the most sustainable building conference in the world,” said Kate Hurst, vice president of community, conferences and events, USGBC. “From impactful education sessions to dynamic speakers and engaging summits, this year’s show represented all facets of green building for the nearly 20,000 attendees.”
The expo hall again showcased the leading products and services available to professionals within the sustainable building industry and had several notable areas, including:
Greenbuild Unity Home, a 1,620-square-foot demonstration home designed to achieve LEED Platinum, WaterSense certification and net zero, which also included a full array of Cradle to Cradle-certified products
World’s only Net Zero Zone, a 3,200-square-foot pavilion powered by alternative power collected on-site at the Washington Convention Center
Expo Stage that hosted relevant and engaging sessions complimentary to all attendees
Nine sponsored Education Labs with CE accredited education on the show floor, all sold out
A display featuring sustainability-themed art from local children
Greenbuild 2016 Iconic Green is scheduled for Oct. 5-7 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA. More information can be found at greenbuildexpo.com.
The Call for Proposals and Reviewers for Greenbuild 2016 is open and the deadline to submit is Jan. 8, 2016.
Video footage from the Opening Plenary, Closing Plenary, Master Series and Special Sets will be posted on the Greenbuild website this month.
After a week of lectures and meetings at the Paris climate talks (including a Building Day, that focused on the role that sustainable buildings could have in mitigating climate change), it is time for delegates to finalize an agreement between 196 countries. After spending four years to get the document to its current point, some delegates are concerned that too weighty of a decision is being left to politicians, who must come to an agreement by the end of the week. It is not yet decided if the entire agreement will be legally-binding, or just certain components.
The current document is 48 pages long and contains more than 900 brackets, which indicate areas of disagreement. In the next week, the world's leaders truly have the fate of the world in their hands–and they have a lot of opposing viewpoints to consider.
Many island nations want this document to reflect the fact that with a global temperature rise of more than 1.5°Celsius, their homes may be lost to the rising sea. Other countries are pushing for a 2°C goal.
There is disagreement about financing: richer countries want to expand the base of donor countries, if there will be an increase in the promised $100 billion from 2020. This funding will help the poorer countries cope with climate change and ease their transition to low-carbon electricity.
There are major divisions over how the carbon-cutting promises made in this agreement will be reviewed, how frequently, and using what standard.
Representatives from some of the poorest nations are concerned that their development will be sacrificed to reach the Paris climate goals. They argue that today's wealthiest nations got rich after decades of industrialization and pollution, and without the same “development space,” or chance to develop their economies, a stringent climate agreement that strictly limits pollution levels will are condemn them to the same poor future. Other poor nations are concerned that they will be disproportionately affected by climate change if the agreement isn't hard enough on the wealthiest, highest polluting nations. Most of the world's poorest countries are closer to the equator, in regions much more susceptible to the storms and rising sea levels that are associated with higher global temperatures.
According to an article from the BBC, “By the end of October, 146 countries had submitted national climate plans on curbing emissions that are expected to form the cornerstone of a binding, global treaty on climate change. According to a UN report, submissions in their current form point to a rise of 2.7°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100.Scientists have determined that if temperature rises surpass 2°C, this will lead to substantial and dangerous climate impacts, which will hit the world's poor in particular.” [See graph above].
It was timely that in the midst of these momentous climate talks, yesterday morning Beijing issued its first ever “red alert” over smog levels. According to the state-run Xinhua news agency, “The red alert is the highest possible, and has not been used in the city before.” In the early morning, the air pollution monitor operated by the U.S. Embassy in Beijing reported that the intensity of the poisonous, tiny particles of PM 2.5 was 10 times higher than the recommended limit.
The effects of greenhouse gases on our environment are becoming increasingly clear, as seen in this shocking photo from a smog-filled Beijing. But the one positive outcome of seeing these dramatic changes to our planet is that it has forced world leaders to find grounds for compromise.
In a speech yesterday morning, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said that the top government officials have the power, and responsibility, to set a sustainable foundation that will enable security and prosperity for all. Yet, in spite of the mountain of challenges these delegates face at COP21, Mr. Ban was optimistic. “A week ago, 150 world leaders stood here and pledged their full support for a robust global climate agreement that is equal to the test we face,” Mr. Ban remembered. “Never before have so many Heads of State and Government gathered in one place at one time with one common purpose.”
The Paris climate talks have inspired a willingness to compromise that has never been seen before. Four of the biggest pollutors–the U.S., European Union, Canada and China–declared yesterday that they were now open to the 1.5°C goal endorsed by the most environmentally vulnerable countries.
It is not clear if there are strings attached to these pledges, but with only a week left for delegates to come to a final agreement, it will soon be clear.
One thing is clear, though: these climate talks are raising the profile of sustainable industries, and will soon increase the demand for much higher energy efficiency across the board. And that's great news for green buildings.
U.S. Green Building Council Commits to Scaling LEED Green Buildings to More Than 5 Billion Square Feet Over Next Five Years
USGBC’s ambitious commitment made at COP21 in Paris on the 3rd
We hope you will join us in our efforts to support the green building agenda here in Massachusetts. it is very excited to be a part of a worldwide movement to transform our societies toward sustainability. Embracing change in the building sector is one of the most powerful and scalable ways that we can address social and environmental challenges at the global level. Join us and visit our advocacy priorities page.
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced December 3rd, that it will commit to scaling green buildings to more than 5 billion square feet (478 million square meters) over the next five years through the LEED and EDGE green building rating systems. USGBC’s commitment was made at Buildings Day, an official event at the United Nations climate negotiations conference known as COP21.
“As we gather around the imperatives to address climate change at COP21, we know that buildings must continue be a key focus area for countries to reach carbon emissions reduction goals,” said Roger Platt, president, USGBC. “By encouraging the use of green building rating systems like LEED and EDGE in both the public and private sectors, countries can log immediate and measurable reductions of these emissions as their building stock uses less energy and water, creates less waste, saves money and creates a healthier environment for everyone.”
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the world’s most widely used green building rating system. LEED projects can be found in more than 150 countries and territories throughout the world, with more than 1.85 million square feet of space being certified everyday. Designed for emerging economies, EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies) is a green building certification system for new residential and commercial buildings that enables design teams and project owners in developing countries to assess the most cost effective ways to incorporate energy and water saving options into their buildings.
USGBC’s sister organization, Green Business Certification Inc., is the exclusive certification body for LEED globally and EDGE in India and also certifies EDGE projects in other countries throughout the world. GBCI oversees a portfolio of additional rating systems and programs that support carbon reductions as a way to mitigate climate change.
As part of USGBC’s commitment this week, over the next five years the organization is working to expand in several areas:
Area of Focus
USGBC Commitment
Green Certified Buildings
Scale up to support certification of a projected over 5 billion square feet(478 million square meters) of green building with LEED and EDGE.
Workforce Capacity
Expand platform worldwide for green building education, and with educational partners, double the non-English offerings.
Finance
Advance building performance transparency metrics for the financial community, including tools for investors, lenders and underwriters through USGBC’s involvement withGRESBand other initiatives to recognize and reward green attributes in building portfolios.
Government Policy and Strategy
Continue to advocate for and assist with the development of policies and strategiesfor public and private sector green building at all levels of government throughout the world.
Measurement and Accountability
Support key tools that enable and encourage building performance transparency: theLEED Dynamic Plaque, which looks at performance feedback at the building scale; the Green Building Information Gateway (GBIG.org), which consolidates building achievement information; andbenchmarking ordinances, which create accountability and incentive for improvement.
USGBC joined 25 other Green Building Councils from around the world that unveiled commitments at COP21 to transform the sustainability of buildings to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ensure that the building and construction industry plays its part in limiting global warming to 2 degrees.
Buildings in general currently account for about one third of global emissions, and green buildings are one of the most cost-effective solutions to climate change, by generating significant environmental, economic and societal benefits.
“USGBC has long been at the forefront of real leadership on green buildings and its ambitious commitments at these critical climate change negotiations in Paris are an excellent example of that leadership,” said Terri Wills, CEO of the World Green Building Council. “We know how to build bigger and bigger. The challenge is to build bigger and better and at the same time improve our existing buildings stock. And it is commitments like these that will underscore the critical importance of using every tool at our disposal to achieve the 2 degree world we need to ensure for our future.”
Notes Regarding the World Green Building Council
The commitments form part of the World Green Building Council’s Better Build Green campaign, which has been focusing on COP21 and Buildings Day.
A summary of the commitments:
All 74 national Green Building Councils support the high level commitment from the World Green Building Council (the global network of which they are members) to achieve Net Zero carbon new building and energy efficient refurbishment of the existing building stock by 2050.
25 Green Building Councils commit to register, renovate or certify over 1.25 billion square metres of green building space – almost twice the size of Singapore – and train over 127,000 qualified green building professionals by 2020.
3 Green Building Councils (Canada, Australia and South Africa) commit to introduce Net Zero certification for buildings.
More than 125 corporate members of Green Building Councils have made commitments, including the French product manufacturing giant Saint-Gobain, Australian developer LendLease and Swedish construction firm Skanska.
All Green Building Council and corporate member commitments are available here.
Key statistics/messages
To play its part in limiting global warming to 2 degrees, the buildings sector must reduce emissions by 84 gigatonnes by 2050 – the equivalent of not building 22,000 coal powered plants. WorldGBC has committed to achieving this goal by enabling a market transformation.
This large-scale reduction of emissions is possible – but it will take transformative action and collaboration.
By 2018, green building in the US will account for over 3.3 million jobs, more than one third of the entire US construction sector.
Green Building can improve people’s health, wellbeing and productivity – for example, improved indoor air quality can lead to productivity improvements of up to 11 percent.
The West Branch of the USGBC Massachusetts Chapter was honored to present the 2015 Green Giants with their awards on Tuesday night! Thank you to the Western Mass AIA for co-hosting a wonderful event to celebrate green building, education and innovation in practice. Thanks also to everyone who made it happen including this year’s sponsor, PeoplesBank, without whom the program would not have been possible.
The event was a great success and was held in the festive Red Barn at Hampshire College. The WMAIA started off the night with the presentation of two student scholarship awards for exceptional design submittals of student work. Two University of Massachusetts Masters of Architecture students were recognized: Peng Zhang and Lukasz Czarniecki.
Following a lovely dinner, we heard from Wright Builders about their collaborative design process for the Kern Center, a Living Building Challenge project being constructed on the Hampshire campus. Hampshire College president, Jonathan Lash, was in attendance as well, and provided inspiring insight into the Living Building Challenge process from the college’s perspective. Very much in the spirit of the evening, both parties shared innovative and collaborative instances of problem solving at play to make the project a reality for Hampshire.
The night concluded with the USGBCMA West Branch presentation of awards in each of the three Green Giants categories. We want to thank all those who submitted a stellar collection of nominations, with a total of 33 nominees. We would also like to thank our Boston counterpart for their man hours to act as jury in selecting the Green Giants winners. They chose to award 10 nominees within the 3 categories, as well as a lifetime achievement award. The 2015 Green Giant awardees are as follows:
Lifetime Achievement Award: Peter Talmage, for his lifetime passion for learning about, teaching and engaging in the conversation about sustainable design. Peter is well known in the sustainable design community, but is particularly well-known as a founding technical instructor for the Greenfield Community College Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Program.
Trades Category
Honorable Mention:
Sean Jeffords, Beyond Green Construction
Joe Miles and Andy Clogston of r.k. Miles Lumber Yard
Runner-up: Kent Hicks, Kent Hicks Construction
Green Giant Award: Mark Newey for his work at the Center for Eco Technology
Education Category
Honorable Mention: NESEA- Building Energy PRO-TOURS, Miryam Aylward & Jenny Goldberg
Runner-Up: Kathleen Lugosch, Professor& Master of Architecture Program Director, U. Mass.
Green Giant Award: The U. Mass. Building & Construction Technology Department, nominated by Alexander C. Schreyer
Owner Category
Honorable Mention: Wright Builders for their investment in green construction at Village Hill
Runner-Up: Jonathan Lash and Hampshire College for their investment in the R.W. Kern Center
Green Giant Award: Amy Johns, Director, Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives, Class of 1966 Environmental Center, Williams College
Read the West Branch's press release for a full description of award winners.
Congratulations to all the 2015 Green Giants, and to the West Branch of our Chapter for hosting this great event! We're already looking forward to next year.
In just a couple of days we'll be holding our next LEED Green Associate Exam Preparation course! I'm excited to say that I received my LEED Green Associate Accreditation just a few months ago, and the course I attended to prepare was invaluable in helping me learn what would be included in the exam and what to focus on. This is also the perfect opportunity to get ahead of the game because we will be transitioning to an updated version of LEED next year, and this will give you a better grasp of the updated certification information for the new version.
Find more details about the course and register here!
The full day comprehensive course covers the following topics:
Chapter #1 – Introduction
This 1-hour chapter will explain the LEED Green Associate credentialing process and serve as an introduction to LEED, sustainability, the USGBC, the GBCI and the LEED rating system.
Chapter #2 – Location and Transportation / Sustainable Sites
This 1-hour chapter will focus on site issues such as connectivity, transportation, erosion, landscaping, and heat island effect.
Chapter #3 – Water Efficiency / Energy and Atmosphere
This 1-hour chapter will focus on water issues (plumbing efficiency, irrigation, process water, etc.) and energy and atmosphere issues (demand, efficiency, renewable energy, ozone depleting substances, etc.)
Chapter #4 – Materials and Resources
This 1-hour chapter will focus on procurement and waste diversion.
Chapter #5 – Indoor Environmental Quality
This 1-hour chapter will focus on indoor environmental quality issues such as indoor air quality, occupant comfort and green cleaning.
Chapter #6 – Innovation / Regional Priority / Certification Process
This 1-hour chapter will explain the LEED certification process and the Innovation and Regional Priority categories.
Chapter #7 – Exam Review
This 1-hour chapter will focus on exam format and registration and strategies to pass the exam.
Chapter #8 – Exam Review
This 1-hour chapter will focus on sample exam questions.
Yale University and the Global Network for Advanced Management collaborated on a study that surveyed 3,700 students at 29 of the world's top business schools. The survey showed that these students are demanding strong and immediate environmental action from their future employers, who happen to be the corporations dragging their feet on environmental issues.
The study found that 44% of the students surveyed were willing to take a lower salary to work with a company that is environmentally aware and active. One-fifth of the students surveyed said they would be unwilling to work for a company with a bad environmental reputation. A majority of the respondents agreed that investing in environmental protection is a profitable course of action, and that it will stimulate economic growth. Nearly three-quarters of the students said they plan on integrating environmental sustainability within their careers.
This is heartening news to the environmental community, and especially for green building. As the demand for environmental responsbility grows, the green building economy will continue to expand at the behest of these future leaders.
In the past month, 48 projects in Massachusetts gained their LEED or Energy Star certification. Everytime we look at the numbers and trends, it support the fact that we are succeeding on our mission, Green Buildings within a Generation! – This is all thanks to what you all are doing – Kudos!
Just in last month alone we saw:
1 LEED New Consruction v2.2
4 LEED Commercial Interior v2009
4 LEED Existing Building v2009
4 LEED New Construction v2009
1 LEED Core and Shell v2009
5 Energy Star k-12 School
24 Energy Star Office
2 LEED for Homes v2008
1 Energy Star Multi-family
To all of our practitioneers in the field, congrats on the great work and we look forward to seeing and celebrating more in the months ahead!
On December 11th Jonathan Wright of The Wright Builders and his project team leaders will lead professional tours of two buildings designed to meet the rigorous standards of the Living Building Challenge (LBC) – of which there are only eight certified projects in the world. Currently under construction, both The R.W. Kern Center (80% complete) and The Hitchcock Center for the Environment (framing is in place) are on Hampshire College's Campus in Amherst, MA.
Light refreshments will be provided by The Wright Builders and the conversation with continue after dark at the Kern Center with the Facility Owners participating in a Question and Answer session, led by the Boston LBC Collaborative.
Project Details:
The first building is the 17,000 square-foot R.W. Kern Center. Upon its completion, the Kern Center will be a multifunctional learning, teaching, and exhibition space; the point of entry for prospective students and their families into the Hampshire community; and the location of the admissions financial aid and new student programs offices. Project completion is scheduled for the winter of 2016.
The second building is the new 9,000 square-foot Hitchcock Center. The building will be New England's first public environmental education center to meet the LBC (version 2.1), more than doubling the Center’s capacity to host programs for all ages, while also being a one-of-a-kind teaching tool. The new “living” Hitchcock Center is designed to model and mimic natural systems with interpretive and interactive exhibits, and will be an extension of Hitchcock’s mission to create a healthier more sustainable future. The building will be completed in the summer of 2016.
Annie is widely regarded within the marketplace as an expert in third-party verification and sustainable program development. She previously held positions like Vice President of Certification Services at GreenCircle Certified, LLC until starting her own independent organization in 2017. She sits as a technical advisor to: the US Green Building Council’s Materials and Resources TAG, the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), Clean Production Action and the GreenScreen Program, the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council, the ASTM E 60 Committee, and the Collaborative for High Performing Schools National Technical Committee.
LAUREN HILDEBRAND
Sustainability Director, Steven Winter Associates
Lauren Hildebrand is a Sustainability Director at SWA. Her work focuses on sustainable and high performance residential and commercial building design, construction, renovation, and operation. Ms. Hildebrand’s expertise includes: sustainable design integration; indoor air quality and energy performance testing; and implementing project certification for both commercial and residential programs, such as LEED®, ENERGY STAR®, NYSERDA, NJ Clean Energy, and Enterprise Green Communities. Awards presented to her clients include the 2013 USGBC NJ Urban Green Project Award. Ms. Hildebrand works as a LEED® for Homes Green Rater and verifies implementation of the LEED® for Homes criteria. She is an integral part of the initial strategic planning sessions and workshops with builders, architects, and homeowners based on the LEED for Homes program. She also partners with and implements criteria for Enterprise Green Communities (EGCC), NYSERDA’s Multi-Family Performance Program, and the ENERGY STAR® Multi-Family High-Rise Program Certification. Ms. Hildebrand also has experience with a variety of commercial and mixed use projects, including LEED® for New Construction, Commercial Interior, Core and Shell, and Schools. In addition to her project experience and program guidance, Ms. Hildebrand manages classroom training and curriculum development for architects, owners, developers and building management staff on green and high performance building design strategies, cost effective building system operation, and energy-saving maintenance practices.
MICHAEL GRYNIUK
PE | Associate, LeMessurier
Michael Gryniuk, PE is a Structural Engineer at LeMessurier in Boston. As the leader of LeMessurier’s Sustainability practice, he is responsible for strategy, project consulting, and education for LeMessurier. He is currently on the Steering Committee of Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) Sustainability Committee of ASCE and currently serves as Chair of the Structural Engineers (SE 2050) Commitment Program Working Group whose aim to establish a national commitment program for structural engineers for the purpose of achieving net zero embodied carbon in structural systems by 2050. Mike taught for many years at the Boston Architectural College. His current projects include the 2 million square foot Hub on Causeway development as well as upcoming developments of Kenmore Square. Mike has also led several other projects for institutions including Boston College, Holy Cross, RISD and UNH. Mike attended Syracuse University and Tufts University.
ANNE PECK
Vice President, AEW’s Architecture & Engineering group
As Vice President in AEW’s Architecture & Engineering group, Ms. Peck is responsible for physical property inspections, engineering and mechanical system evaluations and environmental audits on potential investments for all commercial property types. She is also responsible for the review and analysis of energy audits and LEED gap analysis with respect to acquisitions, and oversees the scope and results of third-party due diligence reports on property acquisitions. For development projects, Ms. Peck is responsible for the evaluation of construction documents to assess the constructability and recommend sustainable products and practices. She is responsible for overseeing the construction of new development projects from AEW’s initial involvement through closeout and warranty completions. Ms. Peck assists asset managers with large capital improvement projects or physical problems at various properties. In addition, Ms. Peck Co-Chairs AEW’s Sustainability Committee and provides guidance and assistance with most sustainability initiatives with the objective of reducing operating costs, improving indoor air quality and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. She sits on the GRESB Real Estate Benchmark Committee in North America and assists with all sustainability reporting for AEW. Ms. Peck is a licensed Massachusetts Construction Supervisor with LEED AP Certification, and passed her FE exam towards a mechanical engineer/registered professional engineering license.
ANDREA ALAOWNIS
Interior Designer, Jacobs, Boston
Andrea Alaownis is an Interior Designer with the Jacobs, Boston, MA office. After graduating from Radford University, she has concentrated on commercial projects through all phases of design and construction. As a WELL Accredited Professional, she participated in assisting the Jacobs Boston office to achieve WELL V1 Gold, Fitwel 3 Stars, and LEED V4 Gold certifications and continues to educate the design community and clients on wellness through design.
KIMBERLY LEWIS
Senior Vice President, Market Transformation and Development U.S. Green Building Council
As Senior Vice President for Market Transformation and Development in North America, Kimberly Lewis knows better than anyone that market transformation begins with community. Kimberly is laser focused on diversity, inclusion, equity and advancing transparency and excellence. By honing our community’s focus on collaborative impact, Kimberly incorporates people‐centric strategies to provide the organization and movement with a strong foundation of stakeholder based support.
Kimberly’s efforts encourage innovation in the market and challenge all of our community members to go above and beyond what was possible yesterday, to define the built environment of tomorrow. Kimberly knows that when we celebrate our leaders and advocate for growth across sectors, regions, and programs, taking care to bring our best to underserved populations and communities, we achieve real and lasting market transformation of the highest order.
To this end, Kimberly directs all of USGBC’s local communities, volunteers, and emerging professionals around the world, delivering on the USGBC mission to improve the quality of life for all through more sustainable cities and communities worldwide.
Kimberly was the founder of the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, which is now globally represented in five international markets. She has served on the advisory boards of Starwood Hotels, Marriott International Hotels and the convention and visitors bureaus in New Orleans, Atlanta, and Denver. She is a member of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) and the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), where she has served on the CSR task force.
Kimberly serves on the board of directors for Groundswell and is the former chair of the board of trustees of the Green Building Foundation. Committed to healthy communities and equitable access to green buildings regardless of income level, Kimberly has been recognized with numerous awards. In April 2011, Kimberly received prestigious recognition as the White House Champion of Change for Clean Energy. She was also named Glamour Magazine 70th Anniversary 70 Women Leaders to Know in Sustainability. Most recently Kimberly was recognized with GB&D Magazine’s 2018 Women in Sustainability Leadership Award.
JIM STANISLASKI
AIA LEED AP BD+C | Senior Associate, Gensler Boston
Jim Stanislaski, AIA LEED AP BD+C is an Architect at Gensler in Boston. As co-leader of Gensler’s northeast region Design Resilience practice, he is responsible for strategy, project consulting, and education for over 1,000 staff in four offices. He is currently a Director on the Board of USGBC MA and a member of the Architecture Boston Magazine Editorial Board. Jim is a former President of AIA MA and has served on two National Academies research panels for renewable energy and energy efficiency at airports. As a past co-chair of the Boston Society of Architects Committee on the Environment (BSA/COTE), Jim led the AIA 2030 Professional Series at the BSA, serving to educate local designers on strategies to achieve net positive energy goals for buildings. Jim has also testified before state and city government committees to advocate for environmental legislation and regulation. Jim started his career as a US Air Force officer and attended Syracuse University.
CARLIE BULLOCK-JONES
LEED Fellow, WELL AP | Founder and Principal, Ecoworks Studio
Carlie Bullock-Jones, LEED Fellow, WELL AP, is the founder and managing Principal of Ecoworks Studio and has dedicated her entire career to bringing about a greener, healthier built environment. As a nationally known expert in sustainability, Carlie has facilitated on numerous award-winning projects. With a passion for green sports, Carlie has spearheaded LEED certification efforts for several stadiums, arenas, and training facilities for the NFL, NHL, NBA, MLS and higher education projects. Most notably, Carlie was the LEED consultant for the new home of the Atlanta Falcons, Mercedes-Benz stadium, which achieved the highest LEED Platinum score of any sports facility in the world.
As a LEED Faculty mentor for the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and the first external WELL Faculty for the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), Carlie is a highly sought-after speaker and writer for national events and publications. She has been extensively involved in the development of LEED standards over the years, serving as a Subject Matter Expert for USGBC and GBCI, assisting in course curriculum, exam development and reference guide creation. In 2012, Carlie was inducted by USGBC as a LEED Fellow, one of 77 in the world at that time. Carlie is also one of the first WELL Accredited Professionals on the planet, demonstrating expertise and extensive knowledge of human health and wellness in the built environment. As an early adopter of the WELL Building Standard, Carlie facilitated WELL certification efforts for the 27th, 37th and 100th WELL certified projects in the world (Silver, Gold and Platinum respectively). Most recently, Carlie was the recipient of the 2018 Inaugural IWBI WELL Leadership Recognition Award.
KOMAL KOTWAL
AIA, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP
Komal Kotwal is a Sustainable Design Leader and Project Manager at HOK with over 13 years of experience. Komal has led sustainable design and LEED Certification efforts for over 2M square feet including 1+M sf. of LEED Platinum projects and two Net-Zero projects. With the intent of bringing the human connection to sustainability, Komal currently focuses on intentional design to address human behavior and foster physical, mental, and emotional health. As a WELL AP, Komal is one of HOK’s leads in promoting and practicing health and wellness in architecture. Komal has served on the AIA Houston Chapter’s Board of Directors, Texas USGBC Regional Council and on USGBC’s Greenbuild Program Committee among others. A strong advocate for equity and inclusivity, Komal serves on HOK’s firm-wide Diversity Advisory Council and is a recent addition to HOK’s Management Board.
Speaking Engagements
TSA Convention 2016: Design for Healthy & Livable Communities
Gulf Coast Green Conference 2015: Integrating LEED ND Communities
CSI Chapter Annual Meeting 2014 : 2030 Commitment and how to get there
American Society of Indian Engineers ( ASIE) 2016: Getting to LEED Platinum
University of Houston, 2018: Staying Ahead of the Commercial Energy Code
Texas A&M University, 2016: Integrating Sustainability: A path to Net-zero
ANITA SNADER
LEED AP BD+C | Environmental Sustainability Manager, Armstrong World Industries
Anita Snader is the Environmental Sustainability Manager of Armstrong World Industries in Lancaster, PA. She manages the sustainability strategy for Armstrong Ceiling and Wall Solutions, and serves as an internal environmental advocate, and environmental spokesperson. She is a LEED accredited professional, and well versed in the LEED rating systems and USGBC initiatives. As co-chair of Armstrong’s LEED EB team, she led the corporation to a LEED EB Platinum for their Headquarters building in Lancaster, PA in June 2007, and served on the team obtaining LEED EB recertification in 2014.
Recently, Anita has led Armstrong in a new initiative focusing on the Health and Wellbeing of occupants called Better Spaces. She drives the material health and transparency efforts, and created and manages Armstrong’s commitment through our SUSTAIN™ portfolio of high performance ceiling systems.
Anita joined Armstrong in 1997. Her experience is in Marketing, Research, Product Development and Customer Satisfaction both in the consumer goods, hospitality, building products and advertising industries. Her passion centers in developing strategies for reducing our impact on the environment through product and process innovation, and is always looking at opportunities to share knowledge and innovation with others.
Speaking Engagements: • Mindful Materials Series (2018 – NYC, Chicago)
• USGBC Central PA – 2017 – Green Con – Healthier Buildings
• USGBC GreenBuild – 2016 – Los Angeles, CA – LEEDv4 and Material transparency
• Living Future – Seattle 2016 – Declare and Living Building Challenge
• Costa Rica Green Building Congress – May 2015 – Materials and LEEDv4
• Canada Green Building Conference – June 2015 – Panel on Material Transparency
• USGBC GreenBuild – 2014 New Orleans, PA – two sessions
• State of Green Business – 2011
• PA Green Growth Partnerships, Pittsburgh, PA 2009
• PennTap, Green Workshop, Harrisburg, PA 2008
• Central PA USGBC Chapter Construction Waste Workshop, 2008
• LEED for Existing Building Workshop, Lancaster, PA, November 2007
• NeoCon East, Green Building Workshop, Baltimore, MD, October 2007
• ICA International Conference – Madrid- Acoustics and Green Building, September 2007
• ASHRAE ‘007 Conference – Long Beach, CA – Acoustics and Green Building, May 2007
• GreenBuild 2006 – Got LCA?, November 2006
• Local Green Building Council of PA –LEED for Schools Workshop, October 2006
• Various Recycling Summits throughout the nation
• Customer and sales presentations each month
Tune in:
Listen to a podcast interview with Anita Snader here.
DR. JOSEPH ALLEN
Assistant Professor of Exposure Science | Director of the Healthy Buildings program
Dr. Allen researches community and occupational exposures and health risks related to a broad range of chemical, biological, physical and radiological stressors. In particular, he focuses on the built environment, emissions from building materials and consumer products, and building system performance, each of which has the potential for both positive and negative impacts on human health, well-being and productivity. He is the Director of the Healthy Buildings program at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health and faculty director of the Harvard Sensors for Health research group. Dr. Allen teaches a class on the Impact of Buildings on Human Health, and is the faculty advisor for a new initiative out of Harvard’s Office for Sustainability – the Harvard Healthier Building Materials Academy.
HEATHER HENRIKSEN
Managing Director, Harvard University Office for Sustainability
Heather Henriksen has served as Harvard University’s chief sustainability officer since 2008, advising the President and senior leadership on strategy and building an organizational change enterprise. Heather leads the Office for Sustainability which oversees the implementation of the Harvard’s comprehensive Sustainability Plan (co-created with faculty and students in 2014) and the University’s ambitious new Climate Action Plan (to be fossil fuel-free by 2050 and fossil fuel-neutral by 2026) which builds upon the 2016 achievement of Harvard’s initial science-based climate goal.
The Office for Sustainability has expanded a multi-disciplinary living laboratory research program that partners with faculty and students to use the campus as a test bed for piloting and sharing innovative solutions to real-world sustainability challenges. A nationally recognized leader in healthier building materials, Heather is leading an effort with faculty within Harvard to translate research into practice related to heath in the built environment including a focus on addressing the use of chemicals of concern in common building products. Through this work, Harvard is partnering with business and non-profit leaders as they strive to transform the marketplace for a healthier built environment. Heather also advises courses throughout Harvard College and the professional graduate schools and speaks nationally and internationally on sustainability.
Heather is on the Board of Directors of the Health Product Declaration Collaborative. Heather serves as Advisory Committee Co-chair of the International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN), and she is a member of Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2). Heather holds a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.
LAUREN M. WALLACE
Principal & Director of Certifications and Consulting, Epsten Group, Inc.
Lauren M. Wallace is a Principal and the Director of Certifications and Consulting at Epsten Group, Inc., where she has helped facilitate sustainability and wellness measures for thousands of projects around the globe. Ms. Wallace is a USGBC and WELL Faculty member, WELL AP, LFA, LEED AP BD+C, LEED Project Reviewer, BREEAM USA In-Use Assessor, Fitwel Ambassador, Parksmart Advisor, and TRUE Advisor. With a background in Architecture, Ms. Wallace has more than ten years of experience in sustainability. She speaks regularly to audiences with varying expertise about implementing change in the building industry, focusing on technical information and application.
BECCA RUSHIN
Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility, Jamestown
Becca Rushin is the Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility at Jamestown where she leads ESG initiatives through the Jamestown Green program and the Jamestown Charitable Foundation. Prior to joining Jamestown in 2012, Ms. Rushin worked as a local government consultant for Clark Patterson Lee, where she served as Community Development Coordinator and Sustainability Commission Staff Liaison for the City of Dunwoody. She is a Certified Energy Manager (CEM) and holds a LEED AP O+M credential. Ms. Rushin is an active volunteer with the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Environmental Policy from Sewanee: the University of the South and a Master of Science in Sustainable Development: Environmental Policy and Management from Utrecht University.
JODI SMITS ANDERSON
Director of Sustainability Programs, DASNY | LEED AP BD+C
Jodi Smits Anderson is the Director of Sustainability Programs for DASNY, an architect, LEED AP BD+C, AIA member, lifetime member of NESEA, past regional and national U.S. Green Building Council committee member, wife, mom, hiker, kayaker, knitter, and storyteller. She has spoken at the ILFI unconference in Seattle, WA, at the NACUBO conference in Austin, TX, at the first Wellness in Design conference in San Diego, CA, and several times each at Greenbuild, NESEA’s Building Energy Boston, and the NYS Green Building Conference, and has been a guest teacher at SUNY ESF, RPI, Ithaca College, NYU, Cornell, and SUNY Albany. She is a NY Energy Code trainer, the 2018 recipient of the Green Building Advocate award, and has assisted in research and writing for Project Drawdown, which cites the 100 market-proven ways we already have in our toolkit to reduce CO2 in our atmosphere. She has a featured article appearing in the Journal of Green Building’s V14 N3 in July of 2019, on Excellence in Building Envelopes, and is currently working on a ZNE renovation to an existing residence hall, a project intended to change how we do renovation projects in New York state. Jodi’s goal is to understand and incorporate informed sustainable practices into design, construction, and living, and to share whatever she has learned and learn still more from whomever will talk with her.
JIM NEWMAN
Founder and Principal, Linnean Solutions | LEED AP, O+M; EcoDistrict AP
Jim is the Founder and Principal at Linnean Solutions, a mission-driven firm that helps local governments, organizations, and communities reach sustainability and resilience goals. Jim’s twenty years of experience includes carbon mitigation planning and life cycle assessment; sustainability and resilience building certification; climate action and adaptation planning for municipalities, agencies, and organizations; resilience analysis, policy, and design standard development; EcoDistrict planning and management; and stakeholder engagement processes to strengthen communities. As a Living Environments in Natural, Social, and Economic Systems (LENSES) Facilitator and Trainer, Jim regularly leads community planning workshops, and trains others in becoming effective facilitators.
Previous to Linnean, Jim worked with BuildingGreen as the Director of Strategy, where he led the development and introduction of most of BuildingGreen’s online products including LEEDuser.com, BuildingGreen Suite, and the High Performance Buildings Database. Jim is a founding board member of the Resilient Design Institute, and a key author of several influential resilience reports and tools—including the Building Resilience in Boston report and
the Enterprise Community Partners’ Ready to Respond: Strategies for Multifamily Building Resilience manual. He is a member of the RELi/USGBC Steering Committee, where he has worked to bring a social equity lens to the development of the new certification standard for resilient buildings.
JULIE JANISKI
Associate Principal, BuroHappold Engineering
Julie Janiski leads integrated teams of engineers, designers, analysts, and subject-matter experts at BuroHappold Engineering for projects with ambitious goals related to design innovation, building performance, and the health, wellbeing and experience of building occupants and community. Julie’s recent work includes: Cornell Tech’s new Verizon Executive Education Center with Snohetta; Glenstone Museum with Thomas Phifer and Partners, St. Ann’s Warehouse theatre in Brookyln with Marvel Architects; a number of U.S. Embassy projects internationally for the U.S. State Department; a new corporate headquarters campus in Baltimore for Under Armour; an integrated “roadmap” plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80% by the year 2050 (80×50) for the City of New York; and The House at Cornell Tech – a residential high-rise in New York City which is certified Passive House. Julie also teaches at Columbia University’s GSAPP in the first-year core studio, and has been a guest critic/lecturer at other universities including MIT, Tulane, and NYU.
SARA NEFF
Senior Vice President, Sustainability at Kilroy Realty Corporation
Sara Neff is Senior Vice President, Sustainability at Kilroy Realty Corporation. Sara took Kilroy from having no sustainability program to being named the #1 publicly traded real estate company on sustainability in North America by GRESB, and under her leadership the company recently committed to becoming the first carbon neutral real estate company in North America by the end of 2020.
At Kilroy, she oversees all sustainability initiatives such as solar and battery deal-making, the implementation of energy and water efficiency initiatives throughout the existing and development portfolios, the integration of sustainability standards into annual financial reports, the launch of the Kilroy Innovation Lab, and the award-winning green leasing program. She holds a BS from Stanford and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
TRISTAN ROBERTS
Co-Founder, Facilitator at The Laurentia Project | LEED AP BD+C, LFA
Tristan Roberts is responsible for leading staff support for HPDC’s Technical Committee, education programs, and the evolution of the HPD Open Standard. Mr. Roberts is a leader in the advancement of green building practices. Prior to joining HPDC in May 2018, he was part of BuildingGreen, Inc. for eleven years, where he most recently served as Chief Strategy Officer, moderating and leading the community development of LEEDuser forum which supports over 10,000 users. He is the author of hundreds of articles and in-depth reports on building industry trends and technologies, and is a frequent speaker and educator in the areas of green building and sustainable design. His objective stance and focus on practical tools has earned him the trust of a wide spectrum of stakeholders in the industry, including architects, sustainability professionals, manufacturers, and nonprofit groups. Mr. Roberts has taught sustainability and building science at the Boston Architectural College.
TIM CONWAY
Vice President of Sustainable Development, Shaw
As a flooring industry expert, Tim Conway is focused on the positive affects that sustainable flooring products have on our buildings, and more importantly, the people that occupy and live in the spaces we design. Tim has worked closely with Bill McDonough and the internal team at Shaw for the past twelve years developing and maintaining Shaw’s Cradle to Cradle certifications, HPDs and EPDs. His unique role at Shaw enables him to drive the communication between clients’ requirements and the product development team at Shaw. He has presented at GreenBuild, Living Future, and Design Future Council and has been an integral part in the development of healthy carpet specifications for clients all over the world. Tim is passionate about collaborating with clients to develop flooring specifications that are safe throughout a product’s entire supply chain, from raw material chemical building blocks to end of life replication. He has a unique ability to translate complex systems like Cradle to Cradle and HPDs into simple stories that empower change and deliver buildings that have positive intent for the future of our people and our planet.
BILL WALSH
Founder and President, Board of the Healthy Building Network
Bill Walsh is the Founder and President of the Board of the Healthy Building Network (HBN). Since 2000 HBN has been defining the leading edge of healthy building practices that increase transparency in the building products industry, reduce human exposures to chemicals in building materials, and create market incentives for healthier innovations in manufacturing. He has been Visiting Professor at Parsons The New School for Design, is a Fellow of the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production at the University of Massachusetts, and a founding board member of the Health Product Declaration (HPD) Collaborative. Bill and HBN have been awarded the Design for Humanity Award by the American Society of Interior Designers (2019); WEACT for Environmental Justice Leadership Award (2018); Healthy Schools Network Hero (2013); US Green Building Council’s Leadership In Advocacy Award (2012). Previously he served as a national campaign director at Greenpeace USA, and held staff attorney positions with the US Public Interest Research Group and the Institute for Public Representation at Georgetown University Law Center. He holds a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law and LLM in Public Interest Advocacy from Georgetown University.
BRENT TRENGA
Building Technology Director, Kingspan North America
Brent has truly run the construction industry gamut serving in various roles including Architect, Construction Manager, Developer and even project owner, allowing him to fully understand the sustainability ecosystem. As Building Technology Director for Kingspan North America, Brent is committed to reducing the environmental impact of business operations, products and services through continuous improvement and environmental transparency.
JENNIFER TARANTO
LEED® AP ID+C, BD+C, USGBC Faculty, WELL® AP, WELL Faculty and Fitwel Ambassador Structure Tone, Director of Sustainability
Jennifer Taranto ensures the principals of sustainability, wellbeing, and Lean construction are incorporated into client projects and everyday work practices throughout the STO Building Group.
Jenn is a passionate advocate for reducing environmental impact of the built environment and enabling organizations to improve people’s health and wellbeing while reducing the construction and operating costs of facilities. She gets involved in the early stages of client projects to define the needs and the overall sustainability goals in order to create an internal road map to team success.
Jennifer brings more than eighteen years of experience in the commercial real estate and construction industry, and joined Structure Tone in 2001. Her previous roles included superintendent and project manager prior to becoming Structure Tone’s Director of Sustainability in 2008.
As a founder of the USGBC Massachusetts Chapter and the former Chair of the Chapter’s Board of Directors she is recognized as a leader in the sustainable built environment. She has lectured at Wentworth Institute of Technology and Boston University and spoken at Labs21 Conference (I2SL), Delaware Valley Green Building Council’s Sustainability Symposium, Living Futures and Greenbuild. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Engineering from North Carolina State University.
Jennifer has a Bacon number of 2.
LEIGH STRINGER
Workplace Strategy Expert and Researcher, EYP
Leigh Stringer is a workplace strategy expert and researcher whose work has been covered recently by BBC News, The Globe and Mail, Fortune, CNN and Good Morning America. She works for EYP, an architecture and engineering firm. She is the author of two best-selling books, The Green Workplace and The Healthy Workplace. Leigh is currently collaborating with Harvard University’s School of Public Health on a new Health and Human Performance Index and the Center for Active Design in New York on their Fitwel building certification program to create new tools, connect like minds and blur the boundaries across industries in order to advance our improve our well-being at work. Leigh is on the board of directors of a new non-profit, Global Women for Wellbeing, an organization that aims to give women a voice to create better health and wellbeing for themselves, their businesses, and their communities.
CHARLEY STEVENSON
Principal, Integrated Ecostrategy
Charley Stevenson has been delving deeper and deeper into healthier building materials since beginning work on his first Living Building Challenge project in 2011. With the team at IES, he has developed process and software to integrate better materials selections into all project types and to transform the market as quickly and easily as possible. The Red2Green platform has reduced Red List research and documentation effort by a factor of three while building up a library of over 10,000 products screened for compliance.
PETER SMITH
Senior Vice President, International WELL Building Institute
Peter is engaged with leading organizations and institutions seeking to transform their real estate portfolios to enhance health and business metrics. As Senior Vice President at IWBI, he leads a team driving the global growth and adoption of the WELL Building Standard, the first performance-based building standard to exclusively focus on human health. Peter is also an active speaker and educator, promoting health in the built environment through industry events and technical workshops. Previously, Peter served as Vice President of Delos Solutions, a team of consultants and subject matter experts incorporating health and wellness strategies into the pioneering WELL Certification projects. Working closely with Delos Labs, an internal research group, he identified best-in-class design solutions, products and technologies to improve the built environment and optimize for human health, well-being and environmentally sustainability. Peter has an extensive background in building science and energy efficiency. Prior to joining Delos and IWBI, he worked as a Sustainability Consultant at Steven Winter Associates, an industry leading green building consulting firm. Focusing on affordable housing in the greater New York City area, Peter worked with multifamily developers to implement sustainable design principles and energy efficiency measures into new construction projects and validate high-performance building criteria. Peter holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a Bachelor’s degree from Colgate University in Environmental Economics. He also maintains accreditations for WELL AP™ and WELL Faculty™.
JASON JEWHURST
Principal, Bruner/Cott
Jason’s passion for reconnecting with the natural environment informs all of his work as a specialist in sustainable and high-performance building design. With a strong technical background in building systems, technology, and sustainability, Jason is driven by a deep respect for craftsmanship and the art of making and by the possibilities created by merging tested traditions of construction with new fabrication technologies and material production. He leads design teams to explore possibilities inspired by a shared set of values and goals to create high-performance contemporary architecture that is beautiful and inspiring. He is a recipient of a 2017 Living Hero Award.
BLAKE JACKSON
Architect, Associate, and Sustainability Design Leader, Stantec Architecture and Engineering
Blake Jackson is an architect, Associate, and Sustainability Design Leader with Stantec Architecture and Engineering in Boston, Massachusetts. His work focuses on the nexus between sustainability, wellness, and resiliency, and he has over fifteen years’ experience in planning, retail, hospitality, labs, healthcare, commercial, higher-education, and multifamily projects. Blake is a prolific author and speaker on his three main areas of focus, is an adjunct faculty at the Boston Architectural College and at Mount Ida College, and he currently serves as the Vice President for Advocacy for the Boston Society of Architects. He was named a national top “40 Under 40” built environment professional by Building Design and Construction Magazine in 2015.
ANNE HARNEY
FAIA, LEED Fellow, Long Green Specs
Anne Hicks Harney has over 30 years of experience, focusing on high quality design imbued with a solid technical and sustainable foundation. Formed in 2016, Long Green Specs provides sustainability focused construction specifications and building science material expertise to Architectural firms across the country. She is a member of the AIA COTE Advisory Group. She was a founding co-chair of the Baltimore – Building Enclosure Council, chair of the AIA Materials Knowledge Working Group, and a member of the USGBC Materials & Resources Technical Advisory Group. In 2016, Ms. Harney was awarded fellowship by the AIA and became a LEED Fellow.
Speaking Engagements
Living Future unconference 2019 – Using the AIA COTE Toolkit to Elevate Every Project –
Living Future unconference 2019 – Entering the material pool – deep end jump or shallow slide?
2019 AIA Women’s Leadership Summit – Go Forth and Prosper, While Changing the World
Greenbuild 2018: Chicago IL, November 2018 – Closing the Transparency Loop: Collaboration in Action
AIA Conference on Architecture 2018, New York NY: Holding Ourselves to Higher Standards – Healthy Materials Every Time
BRENT EHRLICH
Products & Materials Specialist, BuildingGreen
Brent is the products & materials specialist at BuildingGreen, where he has been researching and writing about green building products, materials, and their health and environmental impacts for more than a decade. He brings a nuanced understanding of materials, their constituents, and lifecycles to his work as a consultant and speaker and leads a team of editors that selects products for the company’s BuildingGreen Approved database and annual Top 10 Products Award.
Speaking Engagements
• Annual BuildingGreen’s Top 10 Products award at Greenbuild (8 years as presenter)
• Northeast Sustainable Energy Association: NESEA 2014: The Forest and the Trees
• NESEA 2011: Materials Track Chair + Cool New Products presentation
MATT EDLEN
Director of Acquisitions and Development
Matt Edlen oversees acquisitions and development in the Midwest and East Coast for Gerding Edlen’s various investment funds. Matt is responsible for sourcing, negotiating and executing on investment opportunities across key urban markets within those regions.
Prior to his role in acquisitions, Matt was focused on the development and management of the firms internal multifamily marketing and sales platform. His efforts have helped the firm invest over $1 billion worth of real estate across the country in cities such as Seattle, Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco, Boston, and Chicago.
Matt currently serves as national chair of the board for Design Museum Foundation and as a board member for Boston’s NOAH (Neighborhood of Affordable Housing), and The Oregon Sports Authority. He has also served as board member and chair of the site selection committee for PHAME Academy, board member and co-chair of the Arts Connector Program of Business for Culture and the Arts, and alumni board member of Young People’s Theater Project. Matt earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Loyola University of Chicago.
MIKHAIL DAVIS
Director of Restorative Enterprise, Interface
Mikhail Davis is Director of Restorative Enterprise at Interface, a world-leading modular flooring company with a fully integrated collection of hard and soft flooring. Interface’s mission, Climate Take Back™, invites industry to commit to making a profit in a way that is restorative to the planet and creates a climate fit for life. Mikhail is responsible for advancing Interface’s mission in the Americas by building internal leadership capacity, facilitating strategic alignment of efforts, and creating external partnerships that shift the marketplace toward sustainability. He leads Interface’s product transparency efforts in the Americas and was lead author and editor of Interface’s Radical Industrialists column at GreenBiz.com for two years.
An expert in sustainable materials and NGO collaborations, he represents Interface in many organizations focused on sustainability innovation, closed-loop systems, recycling, and chemicals of concern, including serving as 2016-18 Chair of the US Green Building Council’s Technical Advisory Group on Materials and Resources (MR TAG), Co-Chair of the Materials Working Group of BizNGO and Program Advisor to the Next Generation Bio-based and Sustainable Chemicals Summit.
STEVEN BURKE
Sustainability Manager, Consigli Construction Company
Steven is a Sustainability Manager at Consigli Construction Co., Inc., an 800+ person construction firm based in Massachusetts. His position involves management of company sustainability processes and sustainable construction projects at Consigli. He has a Master of Science in Sustainability Management from Columbia University, and has delivered many presentations on how to integrate health and wellness into the design and construction of the built environment.
Global Head of Sustainability, Superior Essex
Sustainability Director, Steven Winter Associates
PE | Associate, LeMessurier
Vice President, AEW’s Architecture & Engineering group
Interior Designer, Jacobs, Boston
Senior Vice President, Market Transformation and Development U.S. Green Building Council
AIA LEED AP BD+C | Senior Associate, Gensler Boston 
LEED Fellow, WELL AP | Founder and Principal, Ecoworks Studio
AIA, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP
LEED AP BD+C | Environmental Sustainability Manager, Armstrong World Industries
Assistant Professor of Exposure Science | Director of the Healthy Buildings program
Managing Director, Harvard University Office for Sustainability
Principal & Director of Certifications and Consulting, Epsten Group, Inc.
Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility, Jamestown
Director of Sustainability Programs, DASNY | LEED AP BD+C
Associate Principal, BuroHappold Engineering
Senior Vice President, Sustainability at Kilroy Realty Corporation
Co-Founder, Facilitator at The Laurentia Project | LEED AP BD+C, LFA
Vice President of Sustainable Development, Shaw
Founder and President, Board of the Healthy Building Network
Building Technology Director, Kingspan North America
LEED® AP ID+C, BD+C, USGBC Faculty, WELL® AP, WELL Faculty and Fitwel Ambassador
Workplace Strategy Expert and Researcher, EYP
Principal, Integrated Ecostrategy
Senior Vice President, International WELL Building Institute
Principal, Bruner/Cott
Architect, Associate, and Sustainability Design Leader, Stantec Architecture and Engineering
FAIA, LEED Fellow, Long Green Specs
Products & Materials Specialist, BuildingGreen
Director of Acquisitions and Development
Director of Restorative Enterprise, Interface
Sustainability Manager, Consigli Construction Company