Community Is on the Agenda at Reimagine Buildings ‘26: The Solutions

By Jay Fox

The Accelerator is once again inviting you to Reimagine Buildings at our RB26 conference. While Passive House design continues to be the foundation of our work, this year’s event will bring together four distinct communities to discuss how our work intersects and how we can work together to overcome the biggest challenges facing the building decarbonization movement.

Materials

Presented in collaboration with CLF, our first focal point will be materials. Speakers will explore how the right decisions on materials can improve occupant health, impact durability, and boost building performance. They’ll also discuss how materials choices affect a building’s whole life cycle, look into policies at the state and local level that help create markets for low-carbon building practices, and even describe how the proverbial sausage gets made.

Materials Part 1: From Policy to Practice: The Tools and Strategies Driving Embodied Carbon Reduction

• Mikhail Haramati – Natural Resources Defense Council, State Industrial Decarbonization Lead

• Mel Chafart – CLF, Low Carbon Buildings Lead

Materials Part 2: Material Innovation at Scale: Low-Carbon Concrete, Biobased Solutions, and Supply Chains

• Rachel Wrublik – PAE, Mechanical Engineer

• Kristy Walson – BranchPattern, Vice President

• Dirk Kestner – Walter P Moore, Senior Principal and Director of Sustainable Design

• James Kitchin – Model of Architecture Serving Society (MASS), Director of the Abundant Futures Design Lab

Materials Part 3: Panel: Making Low-Carbon, Affordable Housing a Reality

• Rita Haberman – Oregon Dept. of Environmental Quality, Built Environment Specialist

• Amanda Ingmire – Oregon Dept. of Environmental Quality, Registered Architect, Senior Policy Analyst

• Chris Magwood – RMI, Manager, Carbon Free Buildings

• Jacob Racusin – New Frameworks, Director of Building Science and Sustainability

Following the materials segment, the event features an EcoCocon product showcase, followed by another NYSERDA project spotlight, open networking, and a break.

Design

The design portion of the day is being presented in collaboration with AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE). Presenters will discuss how passive principles boost building performance and help practitioners hit their sustainability targets. Additionally, the sessions will look into how passive strategies can ease energy burdens, improve occupant health, and build community resilience.

Design Part 1: Better Together: Connecting Passive Design and the AIA COTE Framework for Design Excellence

• Ellen Mitchell – LPA Design Studios, Director of Sustainability and Applied Research

• Corey Squire – Bora Architecture, Sustainability Director

• Tate Walker – OPN Architects, Principal

• Lisa Ferretto – AIA, Sr. Director, Climate Action & Design Excellence

• Shefali Sanghvi – Dattner Architects, Associate Principal, Director of Sustainability

• Michael Ingui – Ingui Architecture, Principal; PHA, Founder; Source 2050, Co-Founder

• Timothy Lock – OPAL, Management Partner (moderator)

• Ilijana Soldan – HCM, Senior Sustainability Manager (moderator)

Design Part 2: Closing the Gaps: Equity, Performance, and the Next Frontier of Sustainable Design

• Seonhee Kim – Design Collective, Principal, Director of Sustainability

• Lindsey Falasca – Gensler, Design Manager

• Timothy Lock – OPAL, Management Partner

Design Part 3: Design Excellence in Action: Award-Winning Projects Advancing Building Performance

• Katie Ackerly – David Baker Architects, Principal and Sustainable Design Director

• Teresa Hamm-Modley – VMDO, Associate

• Gwen Fuertes – Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects, Associate Principal

Following the Design segment, the event continues with another NYSERDA project spotlight, open networking, and a break.

Delivery

Delivery is where the rubber meets the road, and this requires real-world experience or what the Greeks called technê. It’s where we get the words “technical,” “technique,” and “technology” and is often seen as standing in contrast to purely theoretical knowledge (epistêmê). Without this kind of construction tech, buildings can’t be built. The final cluster of sessions, presented in collaboration with The BS + Beer Show, will provide practical solutions for simplifying building systems, improving efficiency, and getting the details right so that builders, designers, and tradespeople can effectively work together to enact industrywide change.

Delivery Part 1: Rethinking the Rules: Better Business Models, Smarter Buildings, and Practical Solutions

• Katrina Belle – Maine Passive House Construction, President and Chief Executive Officer

• Gary Klein – Gary Klein and Associates, Inc., President

• Aron Jones – Big Dog Construction, Supervisor

• Michael Maines – BS + Beer Show, Host

Delivery Part 2: Built to Last: Building Science, Resilience, and Getting the Details Right

• Josh Salinger – Birdsmouth Design-Build, Founder & CEO

• Alexandra Baczek – Steven Baczek Architect, Associate

Delivery Part 3: Panel: Less Talk, More Building—What Will It Take to Scale Better Buildings?

• Josh Salinger

• Katrina Belle

• Gary Klein

• Aron Jones

• Michael Maines

• Michael Ingui

As far as Accelerator events go, this is really the crown jewel for the year, so make sure you get your tickets now. Additionally, all sessions have been approved for AIA HSW and Phius continuing education credits, with 9 credits available for each program (1 credit per hour attended). Credit opportunities are planned for both live attendance and on-demand viewing. PHI continuing education credits are pending approval.