Keynote Sessions

Wednesday, December 12, 2007
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Creating a Case for Sustainable Design
Sponsored by:

While there have been many nationwide efforts surrounding the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions to curb climate change, such as using ethanol as an alternative fuel, there is a larger opportunity to change how we use energy that warrants serious attention from industry, lawmakers and the general public.

Unbeknownst to most Americans, buildings are the culprits consuming nearly three-quarters of all electricity generated at U.S. power plants, natural gas and coal fired power plants and responsible for 48 percent of the energy consumed in the nation.

This session will provide an overview of the contribution buildings make to carbon emissions, sustainable design trends within corporate America and client support for green design in the commercial and residential building sector, as well as the important role incentives and regulations - for business developers and consumers – play in creating change. 

The key role that Integrated Practice plays in project design, construction and operations to realize more sustainably designed projects also will be discussed. This session will highlight the impact of changing technology, such as BIM, how business relationships across the design and construction industry can enhance and accelerate the realization of healthy and vibrant communities across the country, and how the performance of the built environment lays solely in our hands.

Speaker:
RK Stewart, FAIA, Principal, Gensler and President, American Institute of Architects

RK Stewart joined Gensler in 1988 with extensive experience in large scale, mixed-use projects, institutional, renovation/restoration projects, and high-rise office towers. Mr. Stewart manages large-scale, complex projects applying his expertise in the architectural design, development and documentation process coupled with his understanding of engineering disciplines. Mr. Stewart's experience in complex regulatory approval processing makes him a firmwide resource for planning code, building code, historic preservation and similar issues. As a rotating member of the firm’s Management Committee in 2000 - 2001, Mr. Stewart led development of improvements in Gensler’s Design and Delivery Systems, including technical, specifications, CAD, project management and learning committees. To improve the communities in which we practice, Mr. Stewart has been involved in advocacy efforts across the state and nation. Mr. Stewart’s contributions to the profession were recognized with his investiture in the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows in 2001. At the 2005 American Institute of Architects Annual Meeting Mr. Stewart was elected to serve as the organization’s national President in 2007. He received his Bachelor of Environmental Design from The University of Kansas, and a Master of Architecture from the University of Michigan.

Thursday, December 13, 2007-
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

buildingSMART™: The Transformation of the Building Industry
Sponsored by:

This session will explore the contrast between the building and manufacturing industries, and what those of us who practice in the building industry can learn from the manufacturing industry.

The building industry is tradition-bound, with origins in antiquity. The manufacturing industry is 100 years old and not bound by tradition.

The building industry is highly fragmented, with many small participants. Manufacturing is highly coordinated with few large participants.

Manufacturing continues to improve in the design, usefulness, and quality of products while the building industry continues to diminish in design usefulness and quality.  Why is this true?  What constrains the building industry?  What can the building industry learn from manufacturing to improve our processes and products?

Discuss buildingSMART™, a strategy developed by the International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI). 

buildingSMART™   emulates the best manufacturing practices for the building industry.  MacLeamy believes this strategy must be followed aggressively to meet the needs of a modern world - or the manufacturing industry will do the job for us.

Keynote Speaker:
Patrick MacLeamy, FAIA, CEO, HOK and International Chair, IAI

Patrick MacLeamy is CEO of HOK, one of the world's most prominent and influential architectural design firms.  Appointed to this position in 2003, his vision and steady leadership have advanced the firm in the areas of design excellence, firmwide collaboration, technological innovation and operational efficiency.

Mr. MacLeamy's 40-year HOK career has included leadership roles in design, project management, marketing and management.  He has overseen the firm's expansion into new geographic regions and market sectors, as well as leading landmark design projects.

A pioneer in leveraging technology and collaboration to improve design quality and efficiency, Mr. MacLeamy has helped to inspire profound changes vital to ensuring that the architectural profession can positively shape the 21st century built environment.

He served as a founder and International Chairman of the International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI) and has continued to advocate for the development of open, non-proprietary standards for data exchange in the building industry. 

By advancing IAI's buildingSMART™ initiative within HOK, Mr. MacLeamy has positioned the firm to accelerate the building community's adoption of a seamless exchange of accurate, useful information among all team members throughout the lifecycle of a facility.

He has been a featured speaker and panelist for prominent building industry forums, including the Construction Users Roundtable (CURT), Construction Industry Roundtable (CIRT), American Institute of Architects (AIA), Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), National Institute for Building Sciences (NIBS), and American Society of Civil Engineers (AECE).

Mr. MacLeamy has studied in the United States and Europe, earning a Master's Degree in Architecture from the University of Illinois.  He is registered to practice architecture in 18 states and is certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards.  A LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) accredited professional, Mr. MacLeamy was elected to the College of Fellows of The American Institute of Architects in 2006.  He serves as a board member of ACE, a national organization which mentors, enlightens and motivates students toward architecture, construction, engineering, and related careers.  Mr. MacLeamy also serves as a board member of The Construction Industry Round Table.