AIA 2015 National Convention and Design Expo
May 14-16, 2015
Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta
Expo Hours:
Thursday, May 14: Noon-6 p.m.
Friday, May 15: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Saturday, May 16: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
The 2015 AIA Convention brings together more than 170,000 square feet of booths, galleries and lounges with more than 800 exhibiting companies representing everything from software and technology to energy efficiency, building systems to restoration and more for three full days in Atlanta.
Keynotes
Former President Bill Clinton will give the keynote address on Thursday, May 14 at 10:45 a.m. The 42nd president of the United States, Clinton was the first Democratic president in six decades to be elected twice, and under his leadership, the country enjoyed the strongest economy in a generation and the longest economic expansion in U.S. history. After leaving the White House, Clinton established the Clinton Foundation to improve global health, strengthen economies, promote health and wellness, and protect the environment. Clinton also served as the top United Nations enjoy for the Indian Ocean tsunami recovery effort and as the UN Special Envoy to Haiti.
Day two brings Welby Altidor, executive creative director of Cirque du Soleil, Montreal, and Julie Dixon, research director of the National Journal’s communications council, Washington, D.C. Altidor is an eclectic thinker with business acumen who will explain how to tap your creative courage through engagement, collaboration and controlled failure, while Dixon is an expert in the art of compelling communication who will share strategies for engaging audiences and inspiring them to react. Together, they will share insights and strategies on embracing failure and finishing your narrative arc to generate new ideas and push you and your teams to greater success. Check them out on Friday, May 15 at 10 a.m.
Expo Chat
Attendees can earn up to six learning units (LUs) for meeting with any of the 800-plus exhibitors for at least 15 minutes and receiving a verification code. Discussions can cover any topic of interest, such as product solutions or the pros or cons of a new material. After the convention and by June 1, complete a short learning statement form online, with four 15-minute chats adding up to one LU. Additional credits can be earned in 0.25 increments for each 15-minute exhibitor chat.
FutureHAUS
A project of the Virginia Tech Center for Design Research, School of Architecture + Design, College of Engineering, and Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology, FutureHAUS is a fully functional working prototype of a next-generation responsive home. Visit booth 3827 to see how the house “learns” residents’ needs and responds to changing conditions by adapting temperature, security, lighting and more based on voice recognition, touch, gestures and motion. It also monitors living patterns by keeping track of how much food is on hand and how much energy is used.
Tailgate Party
Join friends and colleagues at the convention’s biggest party. Brought to you by AIA Atlanta and AIA National, this year’s party, called the AIA Tailgate Experience, will take place at the College Football Hall of Fame at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 15. Guests can enjoy drinks and dancing to music by Yacht Club Revue, known for their popular renditions of ’70s soft rock, while exploring multiple floors of high-tech, interactive fun, including a 45-foot indoor field, the ESPN Game Day set and a 52-foot touchscreen wall. Tickets are $25 before April 15 and include two free drinks.
Seminars of Interest to Metal Architecture Readers:
Defining an Agenda for Resilient Design
Thursday, May 14 | 7:30-8:30 a.m.
Program Code: TH101
Learning Unit: 1.0 HSW
Speakers: Mary Ann Lazarus, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, AIA Resident Fellow and sustainable design leader, AIA and HOK, St. Louis, with panelists Z Smith, AIA, Ph.D., LEED AP BD+C, principal/director of sustainability and building performance, Eskew+Dumez+Ripple, New Orleans, and Alex Wilson, president, Resilient Design Institute, Dummerston, Vt.
Can your buildings stand up to floods, hurricanes and other natural disasters? Will they withstand climate changes and wear and tear over the years? Resilient design is all about improving how structures respond to outside impacts, from major disturbances like Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy to more subtle, gradual influences.
This session will help you understand the complexities of resilient design so you can clearly communicate them to your clients. Plus, you’ll gain the tools and knowledge you need to build structures that stand the test of time.
The Pragmatics of Integrating Building Material Health into Projects
Thursday, May 14 | 7:30-8:30 a.m.
Program Code: TH103
Learning Units: 1.0 HSW
Speakers: John Amatruda, RA, LEED Fellow, BREEAM International Assessor, and principal at Vidaris Inc., Norwalk, Conn.; Amanda S. Kaminsky, sustainable construction manager, The Durst Organization, New York City; and Bill Walsh, executive director, Healthy Building Network, Brattleboro, Vt.
What are the characteristics of a high-quality design? Safety, structural soundness, resilience, accessibility … and health. In today’s design projects, materials health and other environmental objectives should be prioritized right along with cost, performance, aesthetics and schedule.
This session will be led by a major real estate developer, an architect/sustainable materials consultant and a healthy products expert who have worked together on high-rise residential and mixed-use projects. The trio will describe the processes they’ve used to meet today’s higher health standards.
With the right knowledge and planning, you can develop and implement an effective healthy-materials screening process, resulting in safer, more sustainable buildings.
Life Cycle Assessment at the Speed of Design
Thursday, May 14 | 7:30-8:30 a.m.
Program Code: TH104
Learning Units: 1.0 HSW GBCI
Speakers: Stephanie Carlisle, environmental researcher, KieranTimberlake, Philadelphia; Jonathan Rowe, content marketing manager, Autodesk Sustainability Solutions, San Francisco; and Jason E. Smith, AIA, partner, KieranTimberlake, Philadelphia
Every building is composed of thousands of parts, each of which impacts the environment. Understanding a project’s life cycle is essential to reducing that impact. This session demystifies the new and important practice of life cycle assessment (LCA). Industry experts will teach you to use the LCA to compare options and identify low-impact materials. They’ll also discuss Tally, a Revit application that can be used in real-time during design development.
Resilience: Do You Have It? How To Get It?
Thursday, May 14 | 7:30-8:30 a.m.
Program Code: TH111
Learning Units: 1.0 LU GBCI
Speakers: Roger J. Grant, CSI, CDT, program director, National Institute of Building Sciences, Washington, D.C., and Rachel Minnery, FAIA, director, built environment policy, AIA, Alexandria, Va.
How resilient are your designs? Can they stand up to hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters? How well will they withstand years of wear and tear? With catastrophes and disasters on the rise, we must consider resilience early in the planning and design process. This course shows you how to define, gauge, and design for resilience.
You’ll evaluate the risk and resilience of buildings and designs by examining hazards, systems, practices, and procedures. Publications and tools will also be provided, so you can start applying these concepts in your practice right away.
Design Trends and Data on Sustainable Residential Design
Thursday, May 14 | 9-10 a.m.
Program Code: TH207
Learning Units: 1.00 LU
Speaker: Harvey M. Bernstein, F.ASCE, LEED AP, vice president, industry insights and alliances, Dodge Data & Analytics, Washington, D.C.
Want to learn how to incorporate the sustainable construction techniques and green features your clients want-and are willing to pay for? Join us for this highly informative, interactive session.
With a focus on green single-family and multifamily residential building, this session will deliver the latest survey data on buyer preferences, supplemented with graphs and charts that showcase real-world examples.
Takeaways from this session include tools and hands-on exercises that you can use with your client partners and stakeholder groups. Plus, discover the hottest trends and preferences among today’s single-family and multifamily clients to incorporate in your proposals.
Social Media: The Secret Sauce
Thursday, May 14 | 9-10 a.m.
Program Code: TH212
Learning Units: 1.00 LU
Speakers: Michael R. Davis, FAIA, LEED AP, vice president, Bergmeyer, Boston, and Karen E. Robichaud, communications editor, Payette, Boston
Design professionals are social by nature, after all, and visual media is the perfect partner for design. But social media can be confusing, and it’s easy to get lost in the noise, spending lots of time for little return.
In this interactive session, you’ll learn the “secret sauce” for using social media to raise your firm’s profile, generate connections, and increase profitability. Discover the right mix of content, tone, frequency, and value to engage your audience and enhance initiatives such as staff on-boarding, community building and content curation.
By referencing both an individual architect’s social media presence and firm-wide efforts, this session will demonstrate strategies that increase visibility and forge serendipitous connections. As a result, you’ll be able to properly assess and utilize social media tools, and measure metrics of success.
Architecture 2030: Reducing the Built Environment’s Impact on Climate Change
Thursday, May 14 | 9-10 a.m.
Program Code: TH218
Learning Units: 1.00 LU HSW
Speaker: Vincent Martinez, director of research and operations, Architecture 2030, Seattle
Every building has some degree of impact on the environment and climate change. A tenet of good design is minimizing that impact as much as possible. As part of the AIA 2030 series, this session will explore how adopting the 2030 Challenge can enable you to create more energy-efficient designs. You’ll leave the session with knowledge of specific initiatives for responsible urban transformation, innovation, and design.
Making an Impact: Turning Existing Buildings into Net Zero Wonders
Friday, May 15 | 7-8 a.m.
Program Code: FR115
Learning Units: 1.00 LU HSW
Speakers: Pete Choquette, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, ID+C, O+M, design and consulting department manager, Epsten Group Inc., Atlanta, and Dagmar Epsten, FAIA, LEED Fellow, CxA, president and CEO, Epsten Group
When can existing buildings be transformed into net zero structures, and when should they be demolished and rebuilt? In this session, we’ll arrive at the answer by examining key factors, such as embodied energy, building properties, market forces and emerging trends.
Zero:The Path to 2030 for Buildings Defined
Friday, May 15 | 7-8 a.m.
Program Code: FR116
Learning Units: 1.00 LU HSW GBCI
Speakers: Roger J. Grant, CSI, CDT, program director, National Institute of Building Sciences, Washington, D.C.; Kent W. Peterson, PE, FASHRAE, vice president/chief engineer, P2S Engineering Inc., Long Beach, Calif.; and Sonia Punjabi, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, Fellow, U.S. Department of Energy, Alexandria, Va.
Zero-energy buildings (ZEBs) have enormous potential to transform the way buildings use energy. Large private commercial property owners are interested in developing ZEBs to meet corporate goals. Federal governmental agencies, along with many state and local entities, are starting to move toward zero-energy targets.
However, there’s no established consensus on what constitutes a ZEB. We need a widely accepted definition-and process to measure achievement-so that governments, utilities, and private entities can actually recognize and incentivize ZEBs.
This session will provide insights, including through the use of case studies, to push us closer to the goal of defining a ZEB. Join us for a lively discussion and implementation guidelines that you can use to plan, design, and operate a ZEB. Let’s establish a corps of practitioners advocating for zero-energy buildings, campuses, and communities-and working to meet the 2030 Challenge.
Health in the Built Environment
Friday, May 15 | 2-3 p.m.
Program Code: FR205
Learning Units: 1.00 LU HSW GBCI
Speakers: Natasha Franck, director, Delos, New York City; Josh Gould, AIA, LEED AP, CEO, RNL Design Inc., Denver; and Brian J. Levitt, MRECM, LEED AP, president, NAVA Real Estate Development, Denver
Placing health and wellness at the heart of design and construction decisions can have a positive impact on human health, social equity, and your return on investment. Learn how you can engineer healthy spaces for improved community health and increased real estate value at this session.
You’ll hear from the architects, developers, and healthy building consultants pioneering The WELL Building Standard, a protocol that centers design and construction around health concerns. Presenters will discuss the process of holding your projects to this standard and the positive impact it will have not only on health, wellness and the environment, but also your practice’s profits.
Developed in partnership with leading doctors, scientists, architects, designers and thought leaders, The WELL Building Standard represents a breakthrough in healthy building design. Learn how you can implement these standards into your practice and improve your community, along with the profile of your practice.
PHOTOS: © Todd Winters Photography Inc., 2014