Speakers

AIA, RIBA, LEED AP BD+C

Alex Korter is a principal at CO Architects and leads the firm’s Building Facades Group. With over 25 years of international experience, he specializes in strategic planning, design, technical coordination, and management on diverse projects. With a focus on place, craft and performance-driven solutions, Alex has led the design and delivery processes for academic, healthcare, commercial and civic projects. Notable work includes the award-winning Health Sciences Innovation Building at the University of Arizona and the Student Services Building at Cal Poly Pomona. He is committed to developing innovative exterior envelope systems and making environmental, economic, social and functional sustainable design a fundamental part of every projects. Alex holds a Bachelor in Architecture from the University of Manchester and a Diploma in Architecture from the Glasgow School of Art. 

Lyndon Neri co-founded Neri&Hu Design and Research Office with Rossana Hu in 2006, an inter-disciplinary architectural design practice based in Shanghai. Neri received his Master of Architecture at Harvard Graduate School of Design and his Bachelor of Arts in Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley. Alongside his design practice, Neri has been deeply committed to architectural education and has taught and lectured in numerous universities. He was recently appointed as Visiting Faculty at Princeton University School of Architecture, starting spring semester 2024. Neri was appointed the Howard Friedman Visiting Professor of Practice at the University of California, Berkeley in 2023, the Design Critic in 2023 and the John C. Portman Design Critic in Architecture in 2019 and 2021 at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, the Eero Saarinen Visiting Professor in 2022 and Norman R. Foster Visiting Professor Chair in 2018 at the Yale School of Architecture. Neri co-authored and edited Persistence of Vision: Shanghai Architects in Dialogue published by MCCM Creations in 2007. In 2017, his first monograph Neri&Hu Design and Research Office was published by Park Books. In 2021, the second monograph Thresholds: Space, Time and Practice was published by Thames&Hudson and the Chinese edition was translated and published in 2023 by Guangxi Normal University Press.

With deep roots in Southern California, founder Robin Donaldson studied painting, printmaking, and architectural theory at UCSB, earned his Master’s degree in Architecture from SCI-Arc, and spent his early career working at Morphosis. Since founding Donaldson + Partners, he has developed a trans-disciplinary design team working with a diverse range of clients to realize extraordinary ground-up residential projects and create homes for creative enterprises ranging from company headquarters to a home for quantum computers; and—on the home front—founded an R+D lab dedicated to formulating and articulating new materials, methods, design strategies,
and architectural applications.

Donaldson has been widely recognized for his interdisciplinary creativity, collaboration-intensive teamwork and creative cultural awareness. His architectural work has been published locally, nationally, and internationally in Elle Decor, GA Houses, The Wall Street Journal, Architectural Digest, and more. With offices in Los Angeles and Orange County, he lives in Santa Barbara, above
the store.

Esther Chao is a senior associate at CO Architects with over nine years of experience on higher education, science & technology, and healthcare projects. Esther has worked on advanced facilities for clients such as the University of Texas at Austin, Northern Kentucky University, Arizona State University, University of California, Caltech, and the Terasaki Institute. She holds a special interest in facades, and recently worked on the facade development for the Engineering Discovery Building at UT Austin. The design uses terracotta, glass, limestone, and metal in unique and cohesive ways. Esther received her Bachelor of Arts in Architecture Studies from UCLA and a Master of Architecture from the University of Michigan.

Stephen Maher has nine years of experience in healthcare, mixed-use, commercial, residential, and transit projects. Since joining CO Architects in 2020, Stephen’s focus has been on the UCI Health – Irvine’s exterior envelope design, development and structural coordination. The façade utilizes a unified curtainwall system and plays a key role in contributing to the energy performance on this all-electric hospital. Stephen received a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Oregon. Additionally, he has served as a studio instructor and a guest critic at the University of Oregon School of Architecture & Environment and the Ohio State University Knowlton School of Architecture.

Lisa leads Eckersley O’Callaghan’s West Coast offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles. She joined EOC in 2013 to support the practice’s emerging facade engineering group in London and after playing a significant role in the group’s exceptional growth, Lisa has been responsible for the expansion of EOC’s West Coast presence.

Lisa directs EOC’s R&D efforts, focusing on innovative glass designs and technology.

She remains heavily involved in academia particularly with the Facade Research Group at TU Delft where she pursued her doctoral research and has built strong links between research and industry.

Kevin Nyhoff is a Design Principal based in Cannon Design’s San Diego office. With 30 years of experience, including a decade co-leading his own firm, he has significantly contributed to the built environment along the West Coast. He is renowned for his ability to merge aesthetics with functionality, creating cohesive and elegant architectural solutions that enhance communities and business outcomes. His designs prioritize the human condition, ensuring that spaces are both beautiful and beneficial for all who use them. His current work spans typologies, including a major airport, a community library, a fire station, multiple higher education buildings and more. Along with numerous project awards, Kevin was named a Leader of Influence in Architecture Design in 2023 by the San Diego Business Journal.

Peter Birkholz, AIA, LEED AP, DBIA, is president and principal of architecture and historic preservation firm, Page & Turnbull located in San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, and Sacramento.

An authority on architecture and preservation impacting cities and waterfronts, Birkholz’ major architecture and planning projects include the Exploratorium at Pier 15 interactive museum, the rehabilitated Pacific Telephone Building in San Francisco, waterfront buildings such as Piers 1-1/2, 3 and 5, and mixed-use projects including Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco’s Market Square. He has led the Page & Turnbull team on the award-winning Livermore Rail Depot Renovation and is working on privately funded resiliency efforts for several piers in the National Register-listed Embarcadero Historic District.

Birkholz joined Page & Turnbull in 2007 after serving as project architect while at the firm Tom Eliot Fisch. He received an architecture degree from Iowa State University in 1984 and is a registered architect in California and a LEED Accredited Professional (BD+C) by the U.S. Green Building Council. Birkholz is also a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and past chair of the Oakland Landmark Preservation Advisory Board.

As a Façade Specialist, Felix has a deep knowledge in complex façade and glass design. He is a highly creative engineer and experienced team leader with over 15 years of experience in façade consulting and structural engineering. He enjoys designing structures and façades influenced by individual materials or products. He has worked with many cladding types and specializes in structural facades, structural glass, complex geometry structures, and uncommon building materials such as ETFE and fiber-reinforced polymers. Felix was involved, for example, in the Bombay Sapphire Greenhouses (Laverstoke, UK), a Large Confidential Campus Project (Cupertino, CA), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (San Francisco, CA) and the Berkeley Hotel Entrance (London, UK).

Ross Wimer, FAIA, leads AECOM’s national architectural design practice. His award-winning projects range from industrial design to city planning and super-tall buildings and have been built in 20 cities on five continents. He is known for exploring the link between architecture and engineering, and for an emphasis on the environmental performance of design. This broad perspective corresponds well with the new demands of Social Infrastructure which must address the needs of the local ecology and surrounding community as well as the building occupants and ownership. Ross’s projects have been published widely and shown at distinguished art exhibitions and institutions such as the Venice Biennale, the Los Angeles County Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His projects have also received numerous prestigious international awards, including three Progressive Architecture awards. Mr. Wimer continues an active relationship with academia as a visiting design critic at Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University, Southern California Institute of Architecture, UCLA, USC, Illinois Institute of Technology, and the University of Illinois – Chicago.

Jeremy McCarthy is an Architect with CannonDesign’s San Diego Office. With a background in fine art, he brings a unique appreciation for craft and fabrication to his work. He excels at integrating technical details to support outstanding design. As an emerging professional, he has a diverse range of experience across various project types, scales, and functions. His contributions have been featured at the European Cultural Center during the Venice Architecture Biennale.

Dionne Darling has been with The A|N Media Group for over six years. As A|N’s Associate Publisher, she manages A|N’s Texas headquarters and handles accounts in the West, Southwest and Europe territories. Dionne has over 28 years of direct B2B sales, management and business development experience.

John D. Lesak, AIA, LEED AP, FAPT, is based in Los Angeles and is Principal-in-Charge of Page & Turnbull’s Los Angeles office. With an interdisciplinary education in architecture, engineering, and materials science, Lesak has specialized in the preservation, rehabilitation, repair, and reuse of historic structures since 1993. Lesak meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards for Architecture and Historic Architecture. He served as a historic architect on numerous award-winning preservation projects, including the exterior rehabilitations of the Old Orange County Courthouse, Wisconsin State Capital, and Los Angeles City Hall; the relocation of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse; and the restoration of the spire at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Marin County Civic Center. Lesak also teaches a course on sustainable historic preservation within the USC School of Architecture’s Masters of Heritage Conservation program.

Jack Murphy is the Executive Editor of The Architect’s Newspaper. Previously, he was Editor of Cite: The Architecture and Design Review of Houston and Adjunct Professor at the Gerald D. Hines University of Houston College of Architecture and Design. He earned an undergraduate degree in architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a graduate degree in architecture from Rice University. He has worked for award-winning architects in New York City, Houston, Austin, and Boston. His writing has appeared in Places Journal, Dwell, Architectural Record, The Architect’s Newspaper, Texas Architect, Cite, PLAT, Paprika!, New York Review of Architecture, The Houston Chronicle, and SF Gate, among other publications. He was Co-Editor-in-Chief for PLAT 7.5 Oversharing and PLAT 8.0 Simplicity and Assistant Editor of Totalization, edited by Troy Schaum and published by Park Books. He lives in Brooklyn.

Fernando Fernandez is a Senior Estimator at Pullman San Francisco, with over 30 years in the historic preservation and construction industry. His experience spans project management, estimating, and construction operations—a trifecta that positions him as a key player in shaping successful construction endeavors. With three decades of hands-on experience, Fernandez brings unparalleled knowledge to the table on topics including restoring and repairing masonry, terra-cotta, stone, and wood windows. He is committed to the integrity of historical preservation and project efficiencies for projects ranging from rehabilitation and repair to adaptive reuse of existing structures. Fernandez has led his team to successful project awards such as the Senator Hotel Office Building in Sacramento, Mt Umunhum in SJ, the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park, and Pier 70 in San Francisco.

Nancy Jones is a senior project architect based in Los Angeles, California in the United States. She leads the design and sustainability efforts for Intuit Dome, integrating eco-friendly solutions. Boasting over 30 years’ expertise, her passion transforms the vision of clients like the LA Clippers into reality, shaping the company’s legacy.

Watson is an experienced people manager, technical lead and project manager working on High Performance Building projects. Her specialties include advanced energy simulation, code compliance, ZNE design, facade optimization, LEED.

Jaime Rivera, a Project Designer based in CannonDesign’s Los Angeles office, excels at bridging creativity with functionality to redefine architectural norms. His approach turns conventional ideas into compelling realities, characterized by bold forms, refined graphic design and seamless digital integration. Jaime’s designs push the boundaries of contemporary aesthetics while addressing crucial disciplinary challenges. His extensive portfolio includes exhibition design, urban design development, mission-critical projects and higher education. Noteworthy accolades from the A+D Museum, LA Design Festival and Denver Arts highlights Jaime’s significant influence in today’s architectural landscape.

Tim Nass has nearly 30 years of experience in the architectural glazing industry. As the Vice President of Sales at SAFTI FIRST, leading USA-manufacturer of fire rated glass and framing systems, he brings his extensive knowledge and expertise when working closely with architects, consultants, general contractors and glaziers to deliver a code-compliant glazing solution that meets all the aesthetic, performance and budget requirements of the project. Tim also oversees SAFTI FIRST’s global network of architectural sales representatives.

Tim Nass is a dynamic presenter and speaker who has been delivering educational presentations to various architecture firms, AIA local chapters, CSI local chapters, at the CSI National Convention and other architectural and glazing industry events.

Working at the intersection of horticulture, art and architecture, David has applied his passion for plants to a growing list of innovative projects, building a broad variety of modern, human-centric spaces with abundant plant life at their heart.

David is a pioneer in the field of vertical gardens. He holds a degree in Environmental Horticulture Sciences and Psychology from California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo. He credits his time spent apprenticing at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, London, with setting him on the path to living wall design. It was at Kew that he came to appreciate the beauty of epiphytic plants—those which have naturally evolved to grow vertically on trees.

David sees his work as an integral part of a public shift in consciousness towards a renewed desire for closeness with nature and an appreciation of the restorative effect of plants, especially in urban environments. For David, creating living walls affords the chance not only to promote awareness of native and endangered plant species, but also to have a direct impact on quality of life.

David speaks on the benefit of living walls in urban architecture and his work has been featured in publications such as Fast Company, CBS, Wall StreetJournal, Dwell, Architectural Digest, The Los Angeles Times, Wired, Work Design Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, andSan Francisco Magazine. In 2019 he was honored to join the 2019 Class of the “Top 40 Under 40” by The San Francisco Business Times.

Peter has 18 years’ experience in the facade industry and joined WindowMaster Clearline Inc as Sales Director in 2022. Peter is an engineer who brings extensive international facade product sales experience and technical expertise to WindowMaster’s growing automation hardware and control systems business. Peter is committed to providing optimized solutions that create impactful, real-world benefits for commercial and educational building stakeholders, but also for the environment using WindowMaster’s innovative, intelligently controlled natural ventilation technology.

Michael has over 20 years of real-world experience on many of largest, high profile projects throughout the Western United States. Through his knowledge and expertise, Michael developed a solid reputation working closely with inspectors, glazing contractors, and curtain wall consultants as a trusted resource on a wide range of curtain wall projects.
Michael is committed to ensure your project stays on budget and gets done right the first time from conception to close out. Prior to his role as Façade and Curtain Wall Specialist for the Western US and Canada, Michael was the Western United States and Hawaii Regional Manager.

Bob is the Sales Director of Tianjin Northglass for North America, the leading fabricator of specialty and oversized architectural glass for the global construction industry.
Bob has many years of experience working with Quality Control department. Bob was the project manager for Apple Park project in Cupertino, supporting the design team on the glass selection for Apple’s new headquarters. In 2015, Bob came to the US to make more connections with architects and support their designs of future projects with the innovation and capabilities that Northglass has to offer.

Frederico Fontana is a Façades specialist with an architectural background. His skills include façade design, site work and knowledge of thermal and optical performance applied to building envelope systems.

Isabelle is a Senior Façade Engineer in Arup’s Los Angeles office with a background in structural engineering and materials. Isabelle holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge. Her research focused on GFRP Sandwich panels in façade applications. After transitioning from academia to the industry, Isabelle works as a project manager and oversees the structural design of building enclosure systems and structural glass applications. In this role she has worked on challenging projects including high profile corporate campuses in California with Google.

Conor, a façade engineer at Arup’s Los Angeles office, specializes in computational design and leads digital design initiatives for Arup Facades West. With a background in both structural engineering and architecture, Conor develops digital tools that enhance collaborative architect-engineer workflows.

Tyler Tucker focuses on the design, engineering, and installation of specialty façade systems. He specializes in connection design, parametric modeling and geometric rationalization of complex projects.

Chris Gall is Business Development Manager at Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope (OBE), North America’s leading vertically integrated manufacturer, fabricator and distributor of architectural hardware, glass and glazing systems. He is a technical product professional dedicated to working directly with architects from ideation to completion of projects using traditional and design / assist project delivery.

Chris has over 35 years of experience in the design, testing and product development for exterior facades. This includes product development in the General Services Administration (GSA) and Department of Defense (DoD) with a focus on new product and field testing, and product cross-over to meet many different applications. Chris also has extensive experience in Hurricane Impact Products, Security Glazing, ASTM/FPA & TAS, Building Forensics, and LEED Compliance and Documentation.

Prior to OBE, Chris spent decades in the building products industry, and began his career at U.S. Aluminum, an OBE subsidiary business brand, where he spent nearly 15 years.

AIA

Benjamin Bye is a skilled project designer with extensive experience in designing new buildings and renovations that foster collaboration, innovation, and discovery. He employs a thoughtful and engaging approach to design, ensuring that the client’s vision and goals are realized. His portfolio includes advanced science and technology, academic medical and health sciences, and healthcare facilities across the country for clients such as UCLA, UC San Diego, Kansas City University, and Wexford Science & Technology. One of his notable projects is the UC San Diego Tata Hall for the Sciences for which he led the design and detailing of the facade that consists of a light-weight filigree of layered aluminum fins, concrete and glass. Ben holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Oregon.

AIA

Chris Kaiser has over 10 years of experience working on a variety of projects, including health sciences and schools of medicine, healthcare facilities, and higher education buildings. He served as a designer on the 245,000-square-foot University of Arizona Biomedical Sciences Partnership Building. This 10-story building features a striking copper facade inspired by the deep recesses of desert cliff dwellings. Additionally, Chris has worked on a new school of medicine for the University of Nevada and a new medical center for UCI Health. He brings expertise in designing and technically executing complex forms and programs using 3D BIM modeling and detailing. Chris earned his Master of Architecture from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of New Mexico.

Emilio Todescato’s designs integrate the built environment with nature, context, and technology to create beautiful buildings that inspire, connect and encourage exploration. Emilio’s diverse experience spans higher education facilities, leading-edge research laboratories, workplace, and developer-led tech campuses. He is skilled at translating complex program requirements into responsive design solutions that are sustainable and stand the test of time. Emilio’s work includes the Wichita Biomedical Campus, a 350,000-sf new building that will transform downtown Wichita Kansas with an interdisciplinary biomedical research and health sciences education facility. The 8-story building features a unique stepped design inspired by the geological process that created the nearby Flint Hills. Emilio holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Oregon.

Matt Barnard, SE, is a Senior Principal with Degenkolb Engineers and leads both the firm’s SoCal Healthcare and Education Practice Areas. He is the Office Director for the Orange County Office. Matt also serves as the Principal-In-Charge and SEOR on various projects from new design-build hospitals to renovation, retrofit, evaluation, and review projects for various healthcare providers and for various educational systems. For the UCI Medical Center project, Matt is the Structural Principal-In-Charge and project SEOR.

Sabina is adept at designing high-performance places centered around culture and history to create lively public destinations. Her brilliant vision is mindful of sustainability and integrates placemaking to amplify connections between people and the environment.

Sabina’s wisdom empowers others to do their best work. She brings over a decade of architecture experience with a passion of creating human-centered designs that bring diverse groups together and support social interactions. Her approach responds to clients’ interests, while addressing efficiency to enhance everyday life.

Sabina excels at solving issues and organizing chaos by combing systems into strategic and environmentally impactful designs that help people connect and enhance living. Her work takes cues from the site’s surrounding environment and history to create places that are active and interconnected yet distinct. She’s contributed to commercial and educational projects of all scopes and sizes around the globe, from Turkey to Azerbaijan and Hawaii.

O’Hara is facade director for the Skins Group, a division of Studio NYL, established to provide full service facade design specializing in thermal modeling, moisture/condensation analysis, and in-depth detailing. Although Studio NYL is recognized for its skins work with cutting-edge glass and glazing, their team also specializes in digitally fabricated metal skins, GFRC, reinforced polymers, stone, ultra high performance concrete, terra cotta, and traditional precast. O’Hara is currently working on multiple projects in the Boston area.

Felipe Francisco, AIA is an Architect, Builder, and Fabricator with experience ranging from large-scale commercial and institution projects, medium scale Passive House residential projects, and small scale digital fabrication projects. At Studio NYL Felipe’s role is that of Technical Design Lead for the Boston Office. As part of the facades division, he works with architects, building teams, and contractors to provide expertise on challenging facade systems.

As a charter member and co-chair of the Boston Society of Architect’s MakeTank Knowledge Community, he has played a lead role in many of the committee’s efforts in the greater Boston area. This includes advocacy for STEM education and the development of a digitally fabricated model of the City of Boston for display at the Boston Society of Architects. His work has been exhibited at Architecture Boston Expo, deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, and World Maker Faire in NYC, and published in Architect’s Newspaper and Architecture Boston Magazine. In his spare time, he is a gravel cyclist, bike-packer, and backpacker.

An exceptional leader, Bradford J. Prestbo, FAIA, is advancing the profession through his practice, advocacy, and educational efforts in the use of cutting-edge design technologies, high-performance design, and the incorporation of maker culture into the design process.

Bradford also finds time to share his knowledge of advanced design technologies, high-performance design, and how maker culture is transforming our practice within the industry. He has practiced internationally, is a sought-after speaker, is frequently interviewed by publishers, and is an educator via his detailing workshops, higher-education classes, design juries, and mentorship of emerging professionals.

Bradford is actively involved in the AIA, and has been elevated to the College of Fellows for his notable contributions to the advancement of the profession of architecture. He is part of the leadership group in the AIA’s Technology in Architectural Practice Knowledge Community, and founded the Boston Society of Architect’s MakeTANK Knowledge Community, where he currently serves as the National Director.

Education
Bradford holds a degree from Syracuse University School of Architecture.