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Regenerative Metropolis ’24
September 27
DATE: Friday, September 27, 2024
TIME: 9:00 A.M. - 7:00 P.M. (EST) - Door opens at 8:45 A.M.
VENUE: Starr Foundation, 63 Fifth Avenue, New York NY, 10011
PHI credits: 4 LUsAbout the Event:
Architecture, at its best, embodies our wisest systems knowledge. It provides for human thriving while integrating within all regenerative systems that support the thriving of all life. Positive feedback loops within this type of infrastructure can ensure that abundance is ever increasing, rather than degrading. How can our cities deploy our best understanding of regenerative stewardship? Can urban architecture support best practices within sibling systems such as agriculture, land use, energy, and ecosystem stewardship?
We have many tools ready to create the regenerative metropolis: all-electric passive house high performance buildings, carbon sequestering materials such as those created from regenerating soils, holistic local ecological stewardship, and low toxicity products that support health along the entire value chain. How do we scale these solutions so they become the norm? Can we design our cities to enable human activity to support these wise circular systems? Can we align climate policy with social justice goals? Please join us as we seek to unpack these topics and discuss technologies, design, material science, un-siloed science, policy, frameworks, and project examples!
9:00 A.M. - 10:15 A.M. | Keynote & Big Picture
Welcome, and Introduction:
Parsons School of Design & New York Passive House
AIA Credits: 1 LU
Learnings from the ‘Doughnut for Urban Development: A Manual’:
“Doughnut for Urban Development: A Manual” is a groundbreaking framework for scaling urban development within social and planetary boundaries. The manual aims to empower professionals with the knowledge and tools for steering the building industry towards a safe and just space for humanity, within the limits of the planet’s natural resources. From setting building targets to taking material choices – How can the Doughnut be applied in practice?
Dani Hill-Hansen – Architect, Sustainable Design Engineer | EFFEKT Architects
10:15 A.M. - 11:30 A.M. | Regenerative Materials
AIA Credits: 1 LU
Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Carbon Solution:
Rodale Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to growing the regenerative organic agriculture movement through rigorous research, farmer training, and education. The Institute’s groundbreaking science and direct farmer-support programs serve as a catalyst for change in farming and food production worldwide. Over its 77-year history, Rodale Institute has proven that organic farming is not only viable but essential to mankind’s survival.
Dr. Andrew Smith – Chief Scientific Officer | Rodale Institute
Andrew leads research and farm operations activities at all Rodale Institute campuses in the United States and Europe.
With over twenty years of experience working in the organic industry as an agronomist, researcher, and farmer, Dr. Smith is passionate about providing science-based solutions to farmers and expanding the number of organic farmers and farmland across the globe.
Bio-Based Materials Collective: Scaling Renewable Building Materials:
Buildings have the opportunity to become carbon sinks. In partnership with regenerative agriculture and forestry systems, we can create buildings with non-toxic carbon-storing products from residues and purpose-grown materials, such as hemp, straw, and forest residues. How can regionally-produced renewable building materials be brought to market at scale?
Jacob Deva Racusin – Co-Founder and Director | New Frameworks
Jacob Deva Racusin is Co-Founder and Director of Building Science and Sustainability with New Frameworks, Vermont-based worker-owned cooperative. As a consultant, designer, and educator, Jacob merges his passions for ecological stewardship, relationship to place, and social justice. Jacob is Lead Embodied Carbon Researcher and BEAM Trainer and Co-Developer with Builders For Climate Action.
Ace McArleton – |
Ace McArleton is Co-CEO and Director of Vision & Strategy at New Frameworks. Ace founded New Frameworks in 2006 to offer design/build services that blend natural materials and methods, with high-performance design, and with a focus on climate regeneration and social justice.
Navigating Biogenic Carbon Accounting: Agricultural Fibers and the Path to PCR Development:
Explore the evolving landscape of biogenic carbon accounting for agricultural fibers and residues, highlighting key updates in PCR development and industry-wide efforts toward standardization.
Katie Poss – Director of Global Policy & Procurement | Building Transparency
Katie is the Director of Global Policy & Procurement at Building Transparency, the developers of the EC3 tool and tallyLCA. In this role, Katie supports the nonprofit’s core mission of providing the open access data and tools necessary to enable broad and swift action across the building industry in addressing embodied carbon’s role in climate change.
11:30 A.M. - 12:30 P.M. | Biogenic Construction Case Study
AIA Credits: 1 LU
Farming and building in a new way:
The building and agriculture industries together account for around 53% of CO₂ emissions worldwide. By farming and building in a new way, we have the opportunity to sequester more CO₂ than we consume and at the same time grow our homes and cities on a larger scale. In a way we heal our soil and produce real organic food and make buildings that last for generations to come. By co-creating together with nature we can create a better future today.
Peter Jensen – US Representative for EcoCocon, & CEO | Build With Nature
Peter is a Danish designer and building consultant with over 20 years of natural building experience. For the last 5 years, he has partnered with EcoCocon to introduce their certified straw-based construction system to the US.
Paul Lynch – International Sales Manager for EcoCocon, & CEO | SustainaBuild Oy
Paul is the International Sales Manager of EcoCocon where he also runs the Irish, Swedish, and Finnish markets. For the last 20 years, he has specialized in bio based building materials.
Isabel Rangel – Business Development Director | Build With Nature
Isabel has 10+ years experience in brand design and strategy, product development, manufacturing, and supply chain management in CPGs, tech & hospitality. Previously, she was the co-founder of proptech startup, aether, and business development for multi-disciplinary consultancy, Third Vista.
12:30 P.M. - 1:30 P.M. | Lunch Break
Light lunch & Beverages + Biogenic Materials Showcase presented by the Healthy Materials Lab.
1:30 P.M. - 2:40 P.M. | Climate Smart Wood
AIA Credits: 1 LU
Unlocking the Potential of Wood for Climate Good:
Wood products are a key part of a sustainable bioeconomy, but it is important we consider both the upstream forest management and the downstream use in the built environment. This talk will outline the value and principles of climate-smart forestry, and explore the cross-sector collaboration that is needed to scale the production and use of climate-smart wood.
Jennifer Shakun – New England Forestry Foundation
Jennifer’s areas of expertise include the science of climate change impacts on forest ecosystems, climate-smart approaches to forest management, and the use of wood for lower-carbon building construction. She leads New England Forestry Foundation’s work to develop a regional forest bioeconomy that benefits communities, our climate, and our forests.
The Promise and Challenges of Wood as a Climate Solution:
Building with wood can reduce the climate impacts of construction, but carbon claims are often hard to quantify. This talk will explore the complexities of biogenic carbon accounting and the importance of supply chain traceability in a regenerative bioeconomy.
Stephanie is a researcher at the Life Cycle Lab at the University of Washington and the Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF), focusing on developing open-access LCA data, tools, and methods to decarbonize the building sector. Her work brings together diverse stakeholders from design, industry, land management, labor, and policy to find new approaches to climate justice.
Elevating Decarbonization in Construction:
Accelerating the global transition to carbon-negative construction using sustainable building materials optimized by AI and produced through robotic manufacturing.
François Cordier is a maker and inventor with a lifelong passion for construction. With a degree in timber engineering and experience as a partner at a leading Passive House architecture firm in Paris, François founded LEKO with the mission to accelerate the global transition towards sustainable construction.
2:40 P.M. - 3:50 P.M. | Urban Projects
AIA Credits: 1 LU
“Earthshot” low emission construction with assemblies optimized for design-for-disassembly:
Henning Larsen Architects and the Nordic developer NREP have combined forces in an “earthshot” multi-story residential project, a project that challenges the Danish low carbon requirements and delivers open-source solutions for best practice low emission construction with assemblies optimized for design-for-disassembly.
Martha Lewis – Head of Materials, Architect | Henning Larsen Architects
Martha is Head of Materials at Henning Larsen, where she established a material database detailing healthy, ethical, and environmentally tenable materials and has launched the carbon literacy course, “Unboxing Carbon”. Formerly, as a member of the Buildings as Material Banks shareholders network, Martha worked to establish an EU material passport.
Sebastian Moreno-Vacca – Founder | A2M
Sebastian Moreno-Vacca is an architect and the founding member of A2M. His firm designs regenerative architecture for people and for the planet, operating at the crossroads of science, art, and technology, demonstrating for years that we can not only limit our impact on the environment but go beyond, to the point of regenerating it Since starting A2M in 2000, Sebastian has led it to international recognition through his knowledge-building in sustainable practices and his long tenure as president of the Board of the Belgian Passive House Association.
3:50 P.M. - 5:00 P.M. | Embodied Carbon Policy
AIA Credits: 1 LU
New York City’s Embodied Carbon Strategy:
New York City is leading by example through its Clean Construction and Embodied Carbon policies. This session will outline those initiatives coming out of the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice and will preview the future of citywide embodied carbon management.
Sylvie Binder – Policy Advisor | NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice.
Circularity in Public Projects:
Sustainable tactics in public projects & guidelines for implementing circularity in the project lifecycle.
Zack Aders – Vice President | New York City Economic Development Corporation
Zack is an architect who leads public projects and advocates for environmental stewardship, strength in community, and building cities that work for all. Zack oversees $1B of high priority capital projects for the City of New York, including buildings, streetscapes, and infrastructure.
We prepare New York City for the impacts of climate change:
Embodied Carbon Policy discussion and Q&A
Mariane Jang – Senior Policy Advisor | New York State
Mariane Jang is a Senior Policy Advisor at the Office of General Services, Division of Resiliency & Sustainability. She leads work on reducing embodied carbon in New York State construction projects and mitigating climate risks to new construction and major renovation projects.
5:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M. | Closing Plenary & Networking
AIA Credits: 1 LU
Nourishment for People and Planet
In the face of planetary crisis, it’s essential to reconnect with our collective metabolism—food and materials. What if agriculture and construction were the solution?
James Kitchin – Director of Engineering and Performance & Provenance | MASS Design Group
James is a structural and civil engineer with deep expertise in designing with natural and healthy materials. He has led research and policy change around building materials and embodied carbon. James strives to minimize the negative footprint of the built environment through intimate knowledge of place and process, and to maximize the maker’s handprint through collaboration.
Caitlin Taylor – Lead of the Food Systems Design Lab | MASS Design Group
Caitlin is an architect and farmer; she is the co-founder of Four Root Farm, an organic vegetable farm in East Haddam where she lives with her family. She has many years of interdisciplinary experience in the fields of architecture and construction, systems design, and agriculture.
Sponsored by NYSERDA:
NYPH is pleased to announce NYSERDA as a sponsor for our symposium this year, “Regenerative Metropolis,” which will be held on September 27th. Speakers and sessions are being confirmed, and the focus will be on aligning decarbonized architecture with regenerative practices of other large systems such as agriculture, forestry, and urban planning. Please mark your calendars for what we believe will be a hopeful, visionary, and actionable event!
Event Team:
- Sara Bayer (Event Chair), Board Member, New York Passive House
- Victoria Yee (Event Vice Chair), Board Member, New York Passive House
- Buck Moorhead, Chair, New York Passive House
- Sebastian Moreno, Board Member, New York Passive House
- Andreas M. Benzing, Executive Director, New York Passive House
- David J. Lewis, Professor of Architecture, School of Constructed Environments, Parsons School of Design
- Alison Mears, Director, Healthy Materials Lab
- Alexander Aptekar, Public Member
Contact us today:
Please hold the date for what we aim to be an inspiring, paradigm probing event! Members are strongly encouraged to reach out to us at info@nypassivehouse.org if you are interested in helping plan the program and event.
THIS EVENT IS SPONSORED BY
EVENT ORGANIZERS
MEDIA & OUTREACH PARTNERS
• Sponsors •
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