Thursday, April 13
Times in CST
8:00 - 9:30 AM CST
9:30 - 9:40 AM
9:40 - 9:45 AM
9:45 - 10:45 AM
This panel will look at faces of the reuse and renewal of Houston’s downtown, focusing on envelope retrofits and high-performing facades that activate the streetscape. RIOS’s Lynn Wyatt Square for the Performing Arts features a porcelain-tiled roof as the “fifth facade,” attached to a heavy timber roof structure that is inspired by the local landscape. This presentation will be paired with Gensler’s repositioning of 2 Houston Center, which introduced a three-story glass podium and new envelope to an existing building. Meeting client needs of activating the street level for pedestrian interaction, the project also serves as an example of facade renewal as opposed to demolition.
10:45 - 11:15 AM
11:15 - 11:45 PM
Research leaders from Gensler and Page will gather to present their leading work in envelope research, showing how internal research can be appleid in practice. Page’s facade research has been diving into the next generation of 3D-printed facades, looking at how to adopt optimized fabrication and installation frameworks. This presentation will look at how firms can leverage internal research on future projects, and the importance of considering fabrication and installation in addition to overarching design considerations. Gensler’s commitment to its Climate Cities Challenge goals has added urgency to designing with a smaller carbon footprint. Through building performance simulations, parametrics, and digital fabrication, the Gensler team aligns technology with its designs. Additionally, the Gensler Research Institute sponsors research between internal and external participants on advanced topics such as computational workflows and digital building diagnostics on existing buildings.
11:45 AM - 12:35 PM
This roundtable with leading building materials manufacturers will discuss the advanced materials newly available and just around the corner. Learn how architects can work together with manufacturers to build with the latest, most up-to-date technologies, code requirements, and products, and hear what’s next for the industry.
Moderator: Aaron Seward
12:35 - 1:30 PM
1:30 - 2:15 PM
The recently-completed Houston Endowment Headquarters features net-zero design with aluminum panels attached to a CLT frame. Designed by Kevin Daly Architects and PRODUCTORA, the building envelope’s energy performance, daylighting studies and natural ventilation methods—in addition to material choice—achieve the building’s high-level of energy performance. The panel will feature architectural, engineering, and fabrication perspectives, highlighting the project’s collaborative delivery.
2:15 - 2:45 PM
Rice University’s new Ralph S. O’Connor Engineering and Science Building features passive design strategies behind a brick-facing envelope, bridging environmentally-conscious design with the campus’s traditional look. SOM’s design combines a low window-to-wall ratio, daylighting strategies, advanced insulation, and low-carbon masonry, the project represents a 50 percent carbon reduction compared to the baseline for lab buildings. This presentation will leave attendees with an understanding of achieving energy reductions through passive design strategies at a large scale, as this building covers 250,000 square feet along Rice’s Residential Quad.
2:45 - 3:15 PM
3:15 - 4:00 PM
4:00 - 4:30 PM
The Montrose Collective is a local example of multi-material facades that are harmoniously designed into a mixed-use development. Michael Hsu Office of Architecture’s Design features wood shingles, tiling, and masonry, the project realizes an active material palette for the pedestrian scale, with planted terraces at each level. Tiling shapes the facades of the project’s retail portions, and all of the facades are oriented to an active streetscape. The presentation will focus on material selection, and creating a blend of facades for mixed-use development that meets diverse client needs.
4:30 - 4:45 PM