In partnership with AIA Chicago and IBPSA-USA Chicago
The Chicago Chapter of IBPSA-USA and AIA-Chicago will host the Design 2 Decarb: Chicago Conference in June 2022. This one-day event offers the Chicago AEC community a deep dive into decarbonization strategies local and relevant to the City and surrounding region. The conference will explore Chicago-area decarbonization policy, carbon data analysis, best practice case studies, and carbon reduction strategies for the future. A diverse slate of presenters includes local leading architects, engineers, scientists, students, government officials, utility company representatives, product designers, and ESG professionals. The anticipated program includes a keynote speaker, four moderated panel presentations, and a closing session.
Sponsors & Supporting Organizations
8:00 – 8:30 AM – KEYNOTE
Gordon Gill – Gordon Gill FAIA, OAA, is a founding partner of the award-winning Chicago design firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture. His work includes the design of the world’s first net zero-energy skyscraper, Pearl River Tower in Guangzhou, China; the world’s first large-scale positive energy building, Masdar Headquarters designed for Abu Dhabi, UAE; the world’s tallest tower, Jeddah Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; and Al Wasl Plaza, the central open space for Expo2020 Dubai featuring an intricate domed trellis that is world’s largest immersive projection experience
8:30 – 10:00 AM – TRACK 1 – Chicago & Illinois Sustainability, Energy Efficiency, and Decarbonization Policy
MODERATOR – Katie Kaluzny (Illinois Green Alliance)
Illinois Clean Energy Jobs Act – Andrew Barbeau (Accelerate Group)
New 2021 IL Energy Code – Saagar Patel (ESD)
Chicago Decarbonization Recommendations: The Process – Sandra Henry (Elevate)
10:30 – 12:00 PM – TRACK 2 – Calculating Chicago’s Carbon Footprint
MODERATOR – Scott Farbman (dbHMS)
Embodied Carbon Analysis – Luke Leung (SOM)
Operational Carbon & Energy Usage – Amy Jewel (Elevate)
Carbon Interdependencies & Analysis –Ralph Muehleisen (Argonne)
1:00 – 2:30 PM – TRACK 3 – Chicago’s Best Practices
MODERATOR: –Mark Milby (ComEd)
A Low Rise Residential Success Story – Tom Basset-Dilley (TBD Architects)
An Institutional Success Story – Doug Farr (Farr Architects)
The Array of Things – Charlie Catlett (Discovery Partners Institute)
3:00 – 4:30 PM – TRACK 4 – Looking to Chicago’s Future
MODERATOR – Brian Imus (Illinois Green Alliance)
Student Presentation – Illinois Institute of Technology
New Technologies – Tommy Gibbons (Hempitecture)
Corporate Carbon Reduction Strategies – Jessica Bollhoefer (Google)
4:30 – 5:00 PM – CLOSING
Angela Tovar (City of Chicago)
Angela Tovar has worked as a community planner, program manager and climate and environmental justice advocate for over 15 years. In 2020, Angela was appointed as the Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Chicago by Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Angela has committed to centering the City of Chicago’s climate and sustainability agenda on equity and mitigating environmental harm in Chicago’s most overburdened and underserved communities. Angela began her career in the public sector in 2019 as a Program Manager for Cook County Department of Environment and Sustainability where she focused her efforts primarily on clean energy programming. Prior to that, Angela worked in the South Bronx for over a decade, first as the Director of Policy for Sustainable South Bronx and later as the Director of Community Development for the POINT CDC. In these roles, Angela oversaw community partnerships, advocacy and environmental justice efforts, and climate mitigation, including the development and implementation of a community-based climate resiliency plan known as The South Bronx Community Resiliency Agenda. Angela’s passion for social and environmental justice stems from her experience growing up on the industrial waterfront of Lake Michigan on Chicago’s Southeast side. She holds a B.A. in Urban Studies from the College of Charleston and a Masters in Urban Planning from City University of New York – Hunter College.
Ticket prices:
General Admission – $75
IBPSA-USA Members – $50
AIA Chicago Members – $50
Students – $15
Get Your Tickets Today
Sponsorship:
PLATINUM – $2,000
- 5 min talk or demo (limit of two)
- Before opener and before closer (first come first served)
- Booth in Pre-function (limit of two)
- Name on Conference Collateral
- Free registration (5)
GOLD – $1,000
- 5 min talk during coffee or lunch
- Name on Conference Collateral
- Free registration (3)
SILVER – $500
- Name on Conference Collateral
- Free registration (1)
Enquire about becoming a Sponsor here.
Design to Decarb Steering Committee
Ajit Niak – Energy & building systems engineer interested in holistic sustainable building design + construction, building performance simulation, MEP + envelope commissioning, energy code consulting, indoor air quality, thermal comfort, facade optimization, building systems troubleshooting, performance verification, and feasibly achieving better buildings in general.
Mohammad Heidarinejad – An Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, IL. Mohammad is recipient of several prestigious awards, including the ASHRAE New Investigator Award in support of his early career research. Mohammad teaches several courses such as Instrumentation and Measurements in Building Science, Energy Conservation in Building Design, HVAC Systems Design, and Control of Building Environmental Systems. Mohammad is also the Co-Director of The Built Environment Research Group (BERG) at Illinois Institute of Technology where he leads research in the areas of building energy and environmental systems, building automation systems, computational fluid dynamics, and indoor air quality.
Ralph T. Muehleisen – Chief Building Scientist and Buildings and Industrial Technologies Section Leader at Argonne National Laboratory. At Argonne, Ralph develops teams and leads research to improve the energy efficiency, resilience, and sustainability of the built environment. Together we help the world to see alternative futures and improve the return on infrastructure investment.
Supriya Goel – Supriya is a Senior Research Engineer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Her current research focused on development of codes and standards for energy efficient buildings, tools and metrics for evaluation building performance.
Erik Kolderup – Erik Kolderup provides consulting services focusing on energy efficient design of commercial and institutional buildings. He identifies and evaluates design alternatives to optimize the integrated performance of a building’s systems. He employs computer simulation tools and other analysis methods to assist building designers in planning, designing, and specifying high performance systems. His experience covers envelope, lighting, daylighting, natural ventilation, and HVAC systems.
David Swain is a licensed architect and LEED BD+C accredited professional who co-leads the sustainability task force at the Chicago office of Studio Gang. In addition to being an in-house sustainability advocate advising multiple project teams, David is also the AIA Chicago Chair for the Committee on the Environment and co-leads the Chicago hub for Carbon Leadership Forum.
Anthony Viola is an architect with Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture where he has been working on high performance projects since 2008. He specializes in the design, development and use of parametric computational tools to push the boundaries of integrated performance-based design.
