Luís Fernandes

Head of Building Technology

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Dr. Luís Fernandes has over two decades of experience in researching, developing and demonstrating the energy and visual performance of daylighting and electric lighting technologies, using a variety of methods including computer simulation, optimization, laboratory tests and field demonstrations. Fernandes holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the Building Systems Program of the University of Colorado, Boulder. He has authored 30 publications. Currently Department Head for the Building Technology Department in the Building Technology and Urban Systems Division.

Natalie Telewiak

Principal

MGA

Principal — Architect AIBC, AIA, B.Eng., LEED AP

With an education in both architecture and engineering, Natalie’s approach to design is rooted in material logic, collaboration, and connection. As a Principal at MGA since 2018, she leads and inspires her team to deliver elegant solutions that marry structure, systems, manufacturing, and architecture. Natalie focuses on the potential for design to foster community, enhance health and well-being, and connect us back to nature by creating projects that are meaningful, innovative, and more sustainable.

Zach Pozner

Director of Architecture

Stanford University

Zachary Pozner is the Director of Architecture and a Campus Planner with Stanford University Land, Buildings and Real Estate. He oversees the long-range planning and design of a broad range of building types across all of Stanford’s lands. Believing that good ideas come from everyone, Zachary works collaboratively and closely with faculty, staff, and students to translate their values and aspirations into potent place-making programs that support and sustain group interaction and team-based learning. Leveraging Palo Alto’s wonderful climate and Stanford’s renown culture of interdisciplinary collaboration, he works closely with design and construction teams to create campus spaces that, beyond simply supporting the immediate building program, invite cross-pollination from the broader campus community.

Lisa Rammig

Director

Eckersley O’Callaghan

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.

Rebecca Sharkey

Partner

EHDD

An architect for over two decades and partner at EHDD, Rebecca is passionate about the power of design to enhance people’s lives and create positive change. Her career is defined by work with significant mission-driven organizations around the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, and the diverse range of innovative workplace, community, and cultural destinations she has brought to life with them. Recent projects include the transformation of KQED’s San Francisco Headquarters into a state-of-the-art center for civic and cultural engagement, and the soon to be completed AIA Headquarters Renewal in Washington, DC. Under her leadership the AIA’s 1973 Brutalist building is being transformed around the theme of advocacy; it will be one of the first fully decarbonized major renovations in the US, demonstrating a cost-effective and replicable approach to addressing carbon in existing buildings, and a reimagined environment of wellness, belonging, connection, and delight.

Ethan Martin

Director of Projects

Generate

Ethan Martin, PE brings a wealth of engineering design experience to the team of developers, architects, and contractors. Having helped develop CLT in the US, Ethan assists general contractors with mass timber constructability and collaborates with architects on construction types and acoustics to create exciting projects for clients. Ethan collaborated with state officials in Oregon to set up the permitting process for tall mass timber buildings. This process developed the prototype buildings creating the Type IV-A, IV-B, and IV-C construction types, which allow for mass timber up to 18 stories. Driven to inform his team and professionals in the AEC industries, Ethan quickly becomes an asset to any multi-discipline project team looking for answers on proformas, construction types, constructability, supply chain, and product usage. He also co-founded the International Mass Timber Conference with Forest Business Network in Portland, now one of the leading mass timber conferences in the world.

Lisa Podesto

Regional Director of Preconstruction

Swinerton

Lisa Podesto offers 15+ years of leadership in developing, designing, and constructing projects using mass timber and offsite construction technologies. Utilizing a broad range of industry experience, she supports Swinerton’s project teams regionally to achieve cost and schedule efficiency in enabling the use of mass timber and expanding the market for more sustainable innovation.

As a recognized subject matter expert, Lisa is active on several industry and professional advisory boards supporting mass timber research and market development for organizations such as the Tallwood Design Institute (TDI), the Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In 2012, Lisa began her contribution to the market development of mass timber as a co-author and peer reviewer for the United States Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) Handbook. Over a decade later, she continues to advance the cause—speaking and authoring papers on designing and constructing cost-efficient, high-performing, low-carbon buildings.

Philip Tidwell

Assistant Professor of Architecture

UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design

Philip Tidwell is a registered architect in Finland and director of Peripheral Projects. He has practiced professionally in the offices of Juhani Pallasmaa, Agrest & Gandelsonas, and Perkins Eastman. As a designer and educator, Philip focuses on wood construction and emerging technologies in timber. His teaching and research examine the relationships among architectural form, constructive technique, and the agency of matter. For more than a decade, he served as studio coordinator for the Wood Program at Aalto University in Helsinki. From 2021 to 2023 he was an assistant professor of architecture at McGill University and he has served as a visiting professor at the Universities of Florida, Massachusetts, and Arkansas.

Together with Kristo Vesikansa and Laura Berger, Philip was curator of the Pavilion of Finland for the 2021 Venice Biennale of Architecture. The exhibition and book, New Standards, examines the industrialization of the wood industry in Finland during and after the Second World War. Philip’s research has been supported by grants and fellowships from numerous organizations including the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the U.S. Fulbright program, and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. His work and teaching have been recognized by The Architectural Review and the Espoo Museum of Modern Art, among others.

Sean Quinn

Director of Regenerative Design

HOK

Sean Quinn AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, BREEAM, BEAM Pro

Sean Quinn leads HOK’s global regenerative design practice, leveraging natural systems and building technology to enhance development as a steward of the environment. Over the past two decades, he has demonstrated his commitment to performance-based sustainable design and progressive approaches to biomimicry in planning and design projects all over the world. Sean is committed to ensuring that the built environment of tomorrow goes beyond net-zero strategies, yielding mutualistic, net-positive benefits for nature, buildings and communities.

Felix Weber

Facade Specialist

RDH

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).

Chris Giovannielli

Global Director of Product Management

Kawneer

Chris Giovannielli is Director of Global Product Management for Kawneer, where he has been a leading contributor for more than 25 years. Chris directs product development, positioning and launch strategies across global markets with an emphasis on education and sustainability. His deep expertise on the benefit of Kawneer’s products in the educational setting and how they tie to sustainability in people’s daily lives is highly valued in the industry. He has been featured in Metropolis and Green Building and Design, and recently was the member spotlight for the Air Barrier Association of America. Chris earned his Executive MBA from University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business in 2021. (13) Christopher Giovannielli | LinkedIn

Robert Hart

Principal Scientific Engineering Associate

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Robert Hart performs research and model development of energy-efficient windows and window attachments within the Windows and Envelope Materials Group. His recent work includes the development and experimental analysis of highly insulating “super windows”, shading systems, and vacuum glazing. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University with concentrations in heat transfer and fluid dynamics. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of California, and a LEED AP.

Michelle Murray

Architectural Sales Representative

SAFTI First

Michelle Murray has over 15 years of experience in the architectural glazing industry. As the Architectural Sales Representative at SAFTI FIRST®, she brings her extensive knowledge and expertise of fire rated glazing systems and fenestration in general when working closely with architects, specifiers, glazing contractors and code officials. Michelle is a dynamic presenter and speaker who has been delivering our AIA-registered presentation to various architecture firms, AIA local chapters, CSI local chapters, and at other architectural and glazing industry events.

Dionne Darling

VP of Brand Partnerships

The Architect’s Newspaper

Dionne Darling has been with The A|N Media Group for over six years. As VP of Brand Partnerships and 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.

Yoko Takada

Sr Project Architect

HOK

Yoko is an architect with 25 years of experience. She brings a diverse range of international experiences and engineering background in high-rise office buildings, courthouses, laboratories, residential complexes, and bridges. Specializing in exterior wall, waterproofing, building systems, sustainable design, and code analysis. Her extensive experience in building systems guides interdisciplinary design team from concept to construction, combining strong engineering and international design with collaborative leadership style.

Beyond her professional work, Yoko is deeply engaged in her community, volunteering as a mentor, design adviser, and educator for students at all levels—from childcare centers to high schools. She also serves as a board director for the Architecture Foundation of San Francisco, supporting the education and mentorship of future professionals in architecture, engineering, and design.

David Brenner

Founder & CEO

Habitat Horticulture

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.

Graydon Cox

Regional Sales Manager

Kingspan Panels – Benchmark

With 25 years of experience via multiple division 7 and 8 materials, Graydon has a deep knowledge of building envelope applications. He supports architectural insulated metal panels in Northern California, Nevada, Oregon and Idaho.

Justin W. Ridley

Building Envelope Specialist

YKK AP

Justin is a Building Envelope Specialist with YKK AP America. He is a graduate of Texas Tech University, College of Architecture with a B.S. in Architecture. Justin’s career covers over 18 years of experience within the Architectural, Engineering, Building Material Manufacturing & Distribution communities. Justin is also actively involved in community development & volunteering where he resides in San Francisco, CA (Russian Hill). He is also member of SF AIA, SF Heritage, Junior Giants Coach, and a volunteer at Saints Peter & Paul School in North Beach.

Forrest Zhang

Structural Engineer

HOK

Forrest has five years of experience ranging from retail & commercial to healthcare, with specializations in steel and engineered wood. His strong decision making and communication skills allow him to handle difficult situations and continually focus on providing value to a project.

Jeffrey Stafford

Senior Associate

HOK

Jeffrey is a Senior Project Designer with HOK’s San Francisco studio with over 15 years of experience designing some of the most challenging and unprecedented architectural and urban design projects around the world. Working with complex design teams from schematic design through final documentation, his expertise lies in incorporating the latest in industry tools and technology throughout all stages of the design process to produce a truly unique design. As a project designer, Jeffrey understands the process of achieving design excellence requires the commitment to develop a dialogue with the client, listening to their needs, objectives, and aspirations, as well as comprehensively studying the program.

Youngsuk Choi

Sr. Project Designer

HOK

Young is a senior associate and senior project designer with 9 years of experience leading the design of a wide range of projects. With a proven ability to create visionary architecture, Young has an expansive portfolio of work both in the US and abroad. Most recently, he led the design effort for the International Arrivals Facility in Seattle and Kaiser Emergency Department Expansion project in Sacramento. He will be the day-to-day project designer, working collaboratively with Ernest Cirangle, Sutter Health and the rest of the design team to develop and achieve the project vision. Young leverages the latest technology for design and visual representations to communicate the team’s ideas and build consensus around the design and planning solutions.

Melissa Barry

Senior Associate

HOK

Melissa has over 16 years of experience as a project architect and brings a diverse range of experience includes commercial + residential developments, arena and sports centers and science and technology facilities. As a Sr. Project Architect, Melissa manages the development of the contract documents, implements the owner’s design goals, manages budgets and schedules, is a liaison with the governing bodies, and is an on-site representative during the construction phase. She also provides daily coordination between HOK, the general contractor, and the client. Melissa has diverse experience in projects of varying sizes including San Francisco’s high-profile Oceanwide Center. She brings extensive experience with the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection and regulatory agencies.

Chad Howden

Technical Director

RAICO

Chad is a Technical Director with Blackcomb Façade Technologies which represents RAICO systems in North America. He found a love for technical drawing at an early age, winning a number of awards throughout his high school years that ultimately led to being acquired by Overdraught CAD Services (now known as Commercial CAD) as an apprentice. Chad has been in the glazing industry for 13 years working on projects at many scales and typologies.

Michael Zanotelli

Facade & Curtain Wall Specialist – Western US & Canada

STI Specified Technologies

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.