With escalating climate impacts alongside a world-altering pandemic and major societal shifts, architects have reached a critical crossroads. Our clients, government, and our professional organization are prompting a redefinition of design excellence that integrates sustainability and equity as a new standard for the built environment. 

Join us for two morning discussions with architects, business, and government representatives to explore how design firms of all sizes and types can enhance their sustainable design leadership efforts, and thrive in changing times.

As part of the Symposium, the Leading By Design Exhibition will run from October 7 and continues through the month on the AIASF website along with a panel discussion with the exhibit creators will be held on the third morning of the symposium. Join us for one, two, or all three morning events! 

EVENT ENDED | REGISTRATION CLOSED

DAY 1 REGISTRATION (2.0 LUs)
AIA Member: $25 | General: $35 | Student: $10

DAY 2 REGISTRATION (2.0 LUs)
REGISTER[/button] AIA Member: $25 | General: $35 | Student: $10

DAY 3 REGISTRATION
AIA Member: $25 | General: $35 | Student: $10

FULL 3-DAY REGISTRATION (Note: available on the Day 1 registration page)
REGISTER[/button] AIA Member: $60 | General: $90 | Student: $15

Note: All times are listed in Pacific Day Time (PDT)

Day 1: Wednesday, October 7 | 9:00 - 10:50 AM (2.0 LUs)

9:00 - 9:05 AM
WELCOME
Charles Stott, LEED AP, Principal | Stott Architects + AIASF COTE Co-Chair

9:05 - 9:15 AM
OPENING ADDRESS
Mark Chambers, Director | New York City Mayor’s Office of Sustainability

9:15 - 10:50 AM
PANEL DISCUSSION | Leading By Design: Where do we need to go?
Design excellence includes beauty, health, equity, climate response, and much more. Join a conversation on the opportunities for architects to create a thriving practice centered on this integrated approach. This roundtable will consider how clients and government are setting new design and sustainability standards and how architects can play a more significant role in shaping their communities.

Moderator: Mary Ann Lazarus, FAIA, LEED Fellow | Cameron MacAllister Group + Washington University in St. Louis Sustainability Program Coordinator

Panelists:
William Leddy, FAIA, Principal | Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects | Chair AIA CA COTE | Past Chair National AIA COTE
Christiana Moss, FAIA, Founding Partner | Studio Ma
Allison Brooks, Executive Director | Bay Area Regional Collaborative (BARC)
Renee Loveland, LEED AP, Director of Sustainability | Gerding Edlen

Learning Objectives (Day 1):

• Explore the design, ethical and business arguments for a practice guided by human health, environmental and social justice concerns.
• Hear design, business and government professionals describe their vision of design excellence, and how sustainability is central to those stories.
• Learn how architects can play a more meaningful and powerful role in the conversations and outcomes surrounding human health, environmental equity and social justice.
• Understand emerging local and state mandates and incentives that will drive business demand for sustainability focused practices and leadership in the coming years.

Day 2: Thursday, October 8 | 9:00 - 10:50 AM (2.0 LUs)

9:00 - 9:05 AM
WELCOME
Charles Stott, LEED AP, Principal | Stott Architects + AIASF COTE Co-Chair

9:05 - 9:10 AM
FILM SHORT | Leading By Design Exhibition
See Day 3: Friday, October 9 schedule for Exhibition description + Panel Discussion

9:10 - 10:40 AM
PANEL DISCUSSION | Leading By Design: What can we do now?
Architecture firm success requires focused leadership and an awareness that sustainability is crucial to design excellence. Join a conversation on how firms of all sizes and types, including small and medium firms, can boost sustainability leadership to the next level. Discussion will include best practices to enhance sustainability and design literacy, effective client communications, and other key steps to elevate your firm.

Moderator:  Barbra Batshalom, Founder + CEO | Sustainable Performance Institute

Panelists:
John Delaney, LEED AP, Architect + Sustainability Coordinator | Koning Eizenberg Architecture
Jonathan Feldman, AIA, LEED AP, Principal | Feldman Architecture
Lisa Fisher, LEED AP, Resilience + Sustainability Lead, Senior Urban Planner | San Francisco Planning Department
Courtney Lorenz, LEED AP, Director of Sustainability | XL Construction

10:40 - 10:50 AM
CLOSING ADDRESS
Julie Hiromoto, AIA, Firmwide Director of Integration | HKS Architects | 2020 National AIA COTE Chair

Learning Objectives (Day 2):

• Recognize the multiple strategies firms can take to enhance their sustainability leadership and prioritize design excellence, helping their businesses survive and thrive.
• Understand how to communicate effectively with clients and the community about the many benefits of designing low carbon, resilient, equitable, healthy and beautiful built environments.
• Learn best practices for enhancing in-house sustainability education and sustainable design literacy that will elevate firms above their peers.
• Discover steps to promote early team integration and sustainability measures, including using the AIA Framework for Design Excellence, to realize project goals.

Day 3: Friday, October 9 | 9:00 - 10:00 AM

ROUNDTABLE CONVERSATION | Leading By Design Exhibition
The Leading by Design Exhibition begins on October 7 and continues through the month on the AIASF website through the month. The exhibition of photographs and videos, submitted by a diverse group of designers and curated by Filmmaker Richard Neill, will provide a wide angle view of some of today’s best private and public realm work. Its intent is to showcase noteworthy building and urban design projects from around the world that express exemplary values in health and social equity, resiliency, and energy conservation. The exhibition will serve as the starting point for a live Panel Discussion on the final day when Frances Anderton, Author and Host of KCRW’s DnA podcast, will moderate a conversation between notable design leaders discussing their visions of a sustainable future for all.

Moderator: Frances Anderton, Author/Host, DnA Podcast, KCRW

Panelists:
Richard Mullane, Principal / Environment & Communities Sector Leader, Hassell
Katie Swenson, Senior Principal, MASS Design Group
Stet Sanborn, Principal, SmithGroup

Leading by Design Exhibition

SPEAKER BIOS

Frances Anderton, Design Journalist/Host, DnA Podcast, KCRW
Frances covers design and architecture at KCRW public radio station and beyond. Her DnA series "Bridges and Walls," about the infrastructure connecting and dividing communities in California, won the 2019 LA Press Club award for investigative reporting. That series was supported by the California Arts Council, which is now supporting “Wasted”, a DnA series on innovative approaches to processing, repurposing or preempting waste. Anderton has written extensively about West Coast design for publications including the New York Times, Metropolis and Dwell. Her books include “Grand Illusion: A Story of Ambition, and its Limits”, on LA’s Bunker Hill, based on a studio she co-taught with Frank Gehry and partners at USC School of Architecture; "You Are Here", about the work of Jon Jerde; and, upcoming, an online publication about the repurposing of parking spaces in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Design Festival gave her its 2020 ICON award, which recognizes “singular women in design for their contributions to their industry, their city, and society at large.”

Barbra Batshalom, Founder + CEO | Sustainable Performance Institute
With a background in social psychology, architecture, and 20+ years of sustainability consulting, Barbra brings a unique perspective engaging the human dynamics of decision-making and creative collaboration to technical work. She works with local governments, corporations and institutions to create policies and programs that require green building and net zero communities and helps companies all over the world to institutionalize sustainability and improve performance and profitability. She helps companies of all sizes to set new goals, develop strategies and implement change management initiatives to move them from “random acts” of sustainability to high levels of success and effectiveness.

Allison Brooks, Executive Director | Bay Area Regional Collaborative (BARC)
Allison is Executive Director of Bay Area Regional Collaborative (BARC), a consortium of regional and state agencies working together to address significant challenges impacting the 7.8 million people, 9-counties and 101 cities that make up the San Francisco Bay Area. Created through state legislation, BARC member agencies include the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), and the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC). BARC also includes active partnership with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), the State Coastal Conservancy and the San Francisco Bay Water Quality Control Board. Prior to joining BARC, Allison helped lead the national organization Reconnecting America focused on advancing equitable transit-oriented development (TOD) in metro areas across the US and across federal agencies. She also led the Livable Communities Initiative at the East Bay Community Foundation where she founded a national model of non-profit, philanthropic and public sector partnership called the Great Communities Collaborative to support equitable TOD across the Bay Area.

(Opening Address | Day 1) Mark Chambers, Director | New York City Mayor’s Office of Sustainability
Mark serves as Director of Sustainability for New York City. He leads policy and programs to confront climate change and inequality, two inextricable threats to America’s largest city and our shared planet. An architect and urbanist, Mark leverages the power of public policy and design to enable a resilient built environment, where all New York City’s 8.6 million residents can thrive and quickly transition to a zero-carbon society. Previously, Mark served as the Director of Sustainability and Energy for Washington, DC. He holds a graduate degree in Public Policy & Management and an undergraduate degree in Architecture, both from Carnegie Mellon University. Mark is the recent recipient of the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum’s National Director Award.

John Delaney, LEED AP, Architect + Sustainability Coordinator | Koning Eizenberg Architecture
John is a project architect and sustainability coordinator at Koning Eizenberg Architecture with a research focus on policy, construction methods, technologies, and materials. He has contributed to numerous award-winning institutional and multi-family residential buildings in the US and abroad and brings expertise in building systems and BIM integration. He is a LEED Accredited Professional and is managing the firm’s 2030 Challenge initiative, which is striving to combine a holistic, community-centered, socially-conscious design approach with optimized building performance. John has a Master’s Degree in Architecture from the University of Southern California where he was awarded the AIA Henry James Medal. He lives with his wife and son in Santa Monica and enjoys cooking, baking, and spending his Sundays on the soccer field.

Jonathan Feldman, AIA, LEED, AP, Principal, Feldman Architecture
Since establishing the firm in 2003, Jonathan has led its development into a residential and commercial design practice recognized for creating warm, light-filled spaces with an understated modern aesthetic. Jonathan is passionate about design that solves complex, human problems and is committed to creating solutions that significantly improve the way we live and interact with our planet. Jonathan’s work reflects an understanding of the elemental connections between buildings and their surrounding environment, whether urban or rural. “In addition to his Master of Architecture degree from the University of Oregon, Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Arts from Amherst College, where he majored in Astronomy and English. A registered architect in California, Hawaii, Oregon, Massachusetts, and New Mexico, Jonathan enjoys sharing his knowledge of architecture and sustainable design on panels and regularly serves on competition juries for local and national design awards, as well as the AIA California’s Committee on the Environment (COTE). He lives in San Francisco with his wife, two daughters, and an ever-increasing number of rescued animals.

Lisa Fisher, LEED AP, Resilience + Sustainability Lead, Senior Urban Planner | San Francisco Planning Department
Merging her experience in planning, design, and policy, Lisa helps elevate and drive sustainability, climate resilience, and equity across a broad set of plans and projects. She convenes and connects multi-disciplinary and often inter-agency teams to collaborate on efforts that enhance environmental performance and amplify community benefits. City-wide highlights include the recently adopted SF Hazards and Climate Resilience Plan, ongoing Climate Action Plan, and Biodiversity Resolution. At the community scale, she leads the development of a Sustainable Neighborhood Framework, conceived during the Central SoMa Eco-District Plan and piloted in Balboa Reservoir and other major developments. Previously, Lisa was an Associate Principal with AECOM Design & Planning for 10 years and managed complex urban regeneration projects in Latin and North America. She holds an MS in Urban Planning from Columbia University, where she focused on international development and resilience (back when it was called "disaster planning"). Lisa’s called San Francisco home for more than 20 years -- proud to have served on the Board of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and now a fierce SFUSD parent volunteer. She's an avid adventurer and spends as much time outside as possible.

(Closing Address | Day 2) Julie Hiromoto, AIA, Firmwide Director of Integration | HKS Architects | 2020 National AIA COTE Chair
Julie's experience managing a diverse portfolio of large and complex projects to boutique installations transforms the built environment by synergizing research, systems thinking, and inclusive best practices. She balances business, design excellence and technical expertise while instilling her passion for socially and environmentally responsible design to our next generation of leaders through mentoring. A recognized national leader in the sustainable design community, Julie drives positive change through various organizations. Her work launching the Center for Architecture Science and Ecology (CASE), chairing the AIA Large Firm Roundtable Sustainability Group, contributing as a WELL Community Working Group member, volunteering as a Living Future Ambassador, and as the 2020 AIA COTE® Advisory Group Chair collectively leverages the impact of designers, owners and operators on high-performance design and equity.

Mary Ann Lazarus, FAIA, LEED Fellow | Cameron MacAllister Group & Washington University in St. Louis Sustainability Program Coordinator
Mary Ann co-leads the Cameron MacAllister Group’s sustainability consulting practice working with design firms to accelerate their sustainable and resilient design outcomes. Mary Ann is an architect with over 40 years of experience who served as Firmwide Director of Sustainable Design at HOK. In addition, she was the Resident Fellow on Sustainability at the AIA and authored the AIA’s Sustainability Leadership Opportunity Scan. Mary Ann has been active in the green building movement as an author, national lecturer, community advocate, and volunteer at the local and national levels. She served as 2017 Chair of the AIA’s Committee on the Environment Advisory Group. Mary Ann is also an Adjunct Faculty at Washington University in St. Louis and serves as Coordinator for the Sustainability Program at WashU’s University College. She received her Master of Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis, studied architecture at Boston Architectural College and has an undergraduate degree from Mount Holyoke College.

William Leddy, FAIA, Principal | Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects | Chair AIA CA COTE | Past Chair National AIA COTE
William is a Founding Principal of San Francisco-based Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects (LMS^A), the 2017 recipient of the national AIA Firm Award.  For over 30 years, he has been a national leader in the design of environments that celebrate our place in the natural world.  LMS^A has received more than 175 regional, national and international design awards, and is one of only three firms in the nation to have received ten or more national AIA Committee on the Environment Top Ten Green Project awards.  Leddy has lectured widely and served as visiting professor at the Southern California Institute of Architecture and the California College of the Arts, as the Howard A. Friedman Visiting Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Pietro Belluschi Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Oregon.

Courtney Lorenz, LEED AP, Director of Sustainability | XL Construction

Courtney Lorenz leads the Sustainability department at XL Construction.  With 15 years of construction experience, she knows how to work “behind enemy lines” as an environmental professional to influence the outcomes of high performing projects. Courtney aims to balance environmental, social, and economic variables on all projects and at XL.  This goes beyond green building into supporting diversity of thought, increasing the impact of XL’s community investment, and increasing internal engagement in sustainability. Courtney holds bachelor’s degrees in Environmental Management and Spanish from Indiana University, as well as a Master’s of Environmental Management in Environmental and Economic Policy from the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. Aside from work, Courtney has a passion for National Parks, and protection of wild places.  While she has 50 parks and 44 countries under her belt, she is eagerly looking to see the rest.  She is also a proud and avowed cat lady.

Renee Loveland, LEED AP, Director of Sustainability | Gerding Edlen

Renee is a sustainability professional with over 20 years of experience in commercial real estate. At Gerding Edlen, Renee leads the firm’s engagement in global sustainability initiatives and is responsible for ESG reporting including the firm’s annual Environmental and Community Impact Report. Renee manages all sustainability initiatives  and green building certifications across the firm’s standing assets and development projects, leveraging her experience in energy efficiency implementation and commissioning project management to optimize building performance. Renee also oversees robust and innovative tenant programming and community engagement that aligns with the firm’s sustainability objectives. Renee is a graduate of the American University in Paris and a LEED AP with BD&C and Homes credentials.

Christiana Moss, FAIA, Founding Partner | Studio Ma
Christiana is a founding Principal of Studio Ma, an internationally recognized architecture firm that designs inspiring environments for all. She studied architecture at Cornell and with the Pritzker award winner, Sverre Fehn. After working in New York, she moved to Phoenix and founded Studio Ma in 2003 with her partner in life and work, Chris Alt. Guided by holistic perspective, deep expertise, and shared passion, the studio creates the balance of joy within and function throughout. Together with forward-thinking clients, they transform ideas into significant spaces that create lasting connections between people and places.  Studio Ma is ranked within the top ten 2019 Architect 50 Firms and was honored as the 2016 AIA Arizona Firm of the Year and as a 2014 Architectural Record Design Vanguard Firm.

Richard Mullane, Principal / Environment & Communities Sector Leader, Hassell
Richard is an architect, urban designer, and urban planner with extensive experience leading multidisciplinary master planning teams in delivering innovative place-oriented outcomes. His work aims to unlock the potential of sites within cities, creating unique local experiences for the users through a process built upon a deep understanding of the context and the client's project ambitions. Richard has lived and worked in London, Sydney and Shanghai, and now leads Hassell's urban design projects in the U.S. from the firm’s San Francisco studio.

Stet Sanborn, Principal, SmithGroup
An award-winning designer with a background in both engineering and architecture, Stet serves as the Engineering Discipline Leader in SmithGroup’s San Francisco office, where he specializes in Net Zero Energy and Net Zero Carbon design. Stet is a leading voice in statewide decarbonization efforts and building electrification; recently supporting the City of Berkeley’s Natural Gas ban ordinance community outreach workshops. He leads SmithGroup’s efforts to incorporate high performance building enclosures, passive design strategies, and advanced HVAC systems into a wide range of build types in pursuit of rapid decarbonization. Stet earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kettering University and a Master of Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley. He frequently returns to Berkeley to serve as a guest faculty member in the Department of Architecture and frequently serves as a member of Technical Advisory Committees for the California Energy Commission EPIC grant research projects focused on Net Zero Energy multifamily design. Stet is currently a co-author of the upcoming ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for Zero Energy multi-family buildings, and has also served as an Adjunct Professor of Architecture at the California College of the Arts, teaching courses in building systems, sustainable design, and integrated building design.

Charles Stott, Principal, LEED AP | Stott Architects
In practicing architecture, Charles Stott focuses on designing environments that respect nature, enhance place, and reveal the craft of construction, elegantly doing more with less. His architectural expertise ranges from adaptive reuse of historic structures to ground-up multi-story projects, with extensive experience leading the design of grade schools and higher ed academic buildings, multi-family affordable housing, community and institutional projects. As Principal at Stott Architects, Charles strives for design clarity, paying close attention to detail and systems, to material expression and to simplicity of architectural form. He has led collaborative project teams who have achieved national recognition for design excellence, including 4 AIA Committee on the Environment Top Ten Green awards and 4 LEED Platinum certifications. Charles shares his professional passions and expertise with his peers and the broader community through a longstanding leadership role with the San Francisco AIA's Committee on the Environment. He is a registered architect, a LEED accredited professional, and holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in architecture. When not inside, he is outside, enjoying the natural world.

Katie Swenson, Senior Principal, MASS Design Group

Katie is a nationally recognized design leader, researcher, writer, and educator. She is a Senior Principal of MASS Design Group, an international nonprofit architecture firm whose mission is to research, build, and advocate for architecture that promotes justice and human dignity. Before joining MASS in early 2020, Swenson was Vice President of Design & Sustainability at Enterprise Community Partners, a national nonprofit organization that invests more than $8 billion annually in community development. Under her leadership, the Enterprise Rose Fellowship has mentored 85 fellows who are the next generation of leaders in architecture and community development. Katie’s work explores how critical design practice can and should promote economic and social equity, environmental sustainability, and healthy communities. A prolific writer, she is releasing two books in the fall of 2020: “Design with Love: At Home in America”, and “In Bohemia: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Kindness”, both by Schiffer Publishing. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master of Architecture from The University of Virginia.