Opening Keynote: Embodied Carbon, Why Now?

Climate advocate and author Bill Caplan, Assoc. AIA, delivers a powerful opening keynote address at the 7th Annual 1.5°C Symposium on Climate Change and challenges design professionals to leverage their roles in reducing carbon emissions. Bill discusses the significance of embodied carbon in the context of sustainable design and global warming, identifies key strategies for minimizing embodied carbon emissions in construction, and helps assess the global warming potential of various building materials and construction processes.

Presenter:
Bill Caplan, Assoc. AIA

Circular Economy & Embodied Carbon

Moderated by Don Davies, Co-Founder, Principal | Davis-Crooks Associates, this esteemed group of panelists explore innovative design and construction strategies for reducing embodied carbon.

Presenter:
Don Davies, Co-Founder, Principal | Davis-Crooks Associates, Jan Top, Attache | Netherlands Consulate General in San Francisco, Sophie Pennetier, Associate Director | Enclos; Adjunct Faculty | SCI-Arc, and Pablo La Roche, Ph.D., Assoc. AIA, LEED AB BD+C, Principal & Sustainable Services Director | ARCADIS

Can We Grow Carbon-Storing Buildings?

Wil Srubar, III, PhD, Associate Professor | University of Colorado Boulder delivers a fast-moving overview of the environmental consequences of current building materials, particularly steel and concrete, and their contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions. Wil guides us through new directions in material science, focusing on biomimetic and living materials, that reduce or store carbon, and takes us on a fascinating journal through nature’s most effective mechanisms for carbon storage that can be applied to the built environment.

After viewing this course, you will better understand how to harness natural building materials such as responsibly grown, wood, straw, hemp and algae-based products to reduce embodied carbon emissions.

Presenter:
Dr. Wil Srubar, III, Associate Professor of civil and architectural engineering and materials science at the University of Colorado Boulder

Financial Feasibility (De-Risking) of Low-EC Construction

Ben Stapleton, Executive Director of USGBC California, deftly moderates a discussion with an architect, a contractor and a developer, who discuss low embodied-carbon projects in the construction industry. They cover the financial risks and costs associated with low embodied-carbon projects and innovative strategies and tools for reducing embodied carbon in construction projects. Among the projects discussed is the PAE Living Building, which is the first certified living building that is both located in a metropolitan area and developer-driven.

Presenter:
Kathy Berg, AIA, Partner | ZGF Partners LLP, Celia Hoag, P.E., BEMP, True Advisor, Regional Sustainability Leader | DPR Construction, and Sarah Neff, Head of ESG | Landlease Americas

Heading Toward Zero

Don Davies, PE, SE, an industry champion for the promotion of urban density and low-carbon construction, demonstrates the use of CLT, low-cement concrete and other alternative strategies to reduce cement usage in structural systems. Don shows us how Hubbard’s Corner, his own experimental development, repurposes existing building stock and reuses materials to minimize embodied carbon while examining the challenges of implementing low carbon concrete in construction. Don’s enthusiasm and stellar visuals will inspire design professionals to rethink their approach to design and construction.

Presenter:
Don Davies, PE, SE, Principal | Davies-Crooks Associates

The Role of Government in Addressing Embodied Carbon

In preparation for CAL Green’s July 1, 2024 implementation, California State Architect Ida Clair, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, CASp, leads us through CAL Green’s prescriptive- and performance-based compliance pathways, including the maintenance of existing structures, Whole Building LCA and product GWP limits. Ida also discusses the impact and future directions of Cal Green regulations and their potential for reducing global warming, and the difficulties faced by enforcement entities, such as building officials, in integrating new sustainability requirements into existing frameworks.

Presenter:
Ida Clair, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, CASp, State Architect | California Dept. of General Services, Division of the State Architect

Building Materials and Climate: Constructing a New Future

Anna Dyson, Hines Professor of Architecture and Founding Director of the Yale Center for Ecosystems + Architecture (Yale CEA), delivers this closing keynote full of useful strategies for decarbonizing our built environment. Professor Dyson discusses strategies for decarbonizing building materials, lifecycle thinking and a circular economy, the benefits and challenges of using biomaterials in building construction to lower embodied carbon, and how living biomass can contribute to lowering embodied and operational carbon.

Presenter:
Anna Dyson, Professor of Architecture | Yale University

2 Degrees Symposium: L.A.'s Green New Deal

In this 60-minute course filmed live at the AIA Los Angeles & AIA|LA COTE 2020 Two Degrees Symposium, Dominique Hargreaves, Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Los Angeles, provides an overview of LA's Green New Deal, one of the nation's most ambitious plans to combat climate change and achieve a zero-carbon grid, zero-carbon transportation, zero-carbon buildings, zero waste and zero wasted water. Dominique then illustrates how we can lead our industry and the world in mitigating climate change.

Berkeley City Council Member Kate Harrison inspires us to kick-start the Green New Deal with all-electric buildings and explains how Berkeley is implementing steps to eliminate fossil fuels from new buildings and creating well-paid jobs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution and economic inequality.

Presenter:
Dominique Hargreaves, Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Los Angeles, Kate Harrison, Councilmember, City of Berkeley

2 Degrees Symposium: Urban Scale

In this 75-minute course filmed live at the AIA Los Angeles & AIA|LA COTE 2020 Two Degrees Symposium, three presenters provide inspiring perspectives about how design professionals can help transform the urban regions into more sustainable, less carbon-intensive environments.

Dylan Jones, AIA, of Gensler's Mobility Lab discusses how mobility has shaped our communities and how the past decade of technology-driven disruption is shaping the way we move, connect and plan the cities of tomorrow.

Nick Saponara, Deputy Executive Officer of Transit Oriented Communities at LA Metro, provides an overview of one of the largest transportation infrastructure programs in the nation, and how LA Metro fosters transit-oriented communities.

Matthew Wintner, AIA, then leads us through the planning process for the Pacific Beach EcoDistrict, which focuses on place, prosperity, health + wellbeing, connectivity, living infrastructure and resource regeneration.

Presenter:
Dylan Jones, AIA, Gensler Mobility Lab, Nick Saponara, Deputy Executive Officer, Transit Oriented Communities, Matthew Wintner, AIA, President of beautfulPB

2 Degrees Symposium: Building Scale

In this 75-minute course filmed live at the AIA Los Angeles & AIA|LA COTE 2020 Two Degrees Symposium, three presenters share insights on the design of healthy, low intensity buildings that meet or exceed the goals set forth in the Green New Deal.

In “Adaptive Reuse,” William Leddy, FAIA, provides insights into why adaptive building reuse reduces both embodied operational carbon and why it is imperative in a climate-positive world. He then suggests tangible strategies for design professionals to promote adaptive reuse.

In “Building to Cool the Climate,” Bruce King, Founder and Director of the Ecological Building Network (EBNet) provides strategies for pulling carbon out of the atmosphere and sequestering it within foundations, walls, roofs and insulation, and inspires us to transform buildings from massive carbon emitters into carbon sponges.

In “Aligning Climate and Health Goals,” Bill Walsh, Founder and Board President, Healthy Building Network, discusses why reducing embodied carbon is essential to meeting our climate change goals and why this demands a revolution in how we specify and manufacture building materials.

Presenter:
William Leddy, FAIA, Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects, Bill Walsh, Founder and President of the Board of the Healthy Building Network (HBN), and Bruce King, Co-Founder & Director, Ecological Building Network (EBNet)

2 Degrees Symposium: The Terrestrial Biosphere

In this 75-minute course filmed live at the AIA Los Angeles & AIA|LA COTE 2020 Two Degrees Symposium, Dr. Joshua B. Fisher, a climate scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and one of the leaders of the ECOSTRESS mission, captivates us with stunning visuals, videos and metaphors about "The Fate of the Terrestrial Biosphere Under a Changing Climate." Dr. Fisher gives an overview of the latest remote-sensing datasets and model developments from JPL and discusses new insights into the behavior and understanding of terrestrial ecosystems.

Viewers will appreciate why Dr. Fisher has been named one of the world's most influential climate researchers and is a widely sought-after lecturer on climate change.

Presenter:
Dr. Joshua Fisher, NASA JPL Research Scientist