Speakers

David M Powell

HASTINGS

David M. Powell has been creating nationally recognized, award-winning architecture since 1991. As a former musician, Dave’s work shares vocabularies across art forms—drawing from a perspective of sincere storytelling rooted in the legendary songwriters and music producers of his home city of Nashville, Tennessee. As a Principal at HASTINGS, Dave’s diverse body of work has garnered over fifty AIA design awards, including one of AIA’s top honors for “Excellence in Public Architecture,” and has been recognized by ARCHITECT Magazine, Architectural Record, The Chicago Athenaeum, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Urban Land Institute.

In 2016, Dave was elevated to the American Institute of Architect’s prestigious College of Fellows for his design excellence, leadership, and positive contributions to architecture and society. Dave has served a variety of non-profit organizations serving on boards and committees for the Urban Land Institute, Thistle Farms, Restore Ministries, and Nashville Repertory and acting as President of the Board of Directors for AIA Middle Tennessee and the Civic Design Center.

Z Smith

EskewDumezRipple

Z Smith is Principal and Director of Sustainability and Building Performance at EskewDumezRipple, winner of the AIA Firm Award. His built work includes academic, laboratory and residential buildings earning LEED Gold and Platinum certification, and winners the AIA COTE Top Ten award, the RAIC Green Building award (Canada), and the international Urban Land 10 Extra Green award. He brings training and experience in physics and engineering to the field of architecture, is named as inventor on 10 patents, and author on over 50 peer-reviewed scientific publications He teaches at the Tulane School of Architecture, and has served on state, national and international bodies including the Louisiana Energy Code Commission, the Louisiana Climate Initiatives Task Force, the US Green Building Council Louisiana Chapter, the national Advisory Group of the AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE), and the International Union of Architects Sustainable Development Commission.

Vladimir Andrejevic

Goettsch Partners

Vladimir Andrejevic is a principal and senior project designer at Goettsch Partners. In this role, he leads the design of multifamily projects, with a focus on urban, high-density apartment, condominium and mixed-use buildings.

With more than 25 years of professional experience, Vlad has worked on a variety of multifamily and mixed-use projects in the United States, Europe and Asia. His approach unites resourceful programming and innovation, making judicious design choices while maintaining contextual coherence within the local culture and climate. As a design leader, Vladimir oversees the delivery of projects and ensures continuity in design and execution. Committed to cultivating a growing knowledge base of urban residential design, Vlad pioneered the firm’s multifamily focus group, which explores and integrates leading technologies and methodologies in the design process.

Vlad holds both Bachelor and Master of Architecture degrees from the University of Belgrade in Serbia. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects as well as the Urban Land Institute.

Diana Hun

Oak Ridge National Laboratories

Diana Hun’s research includes integrating the latest developments in materials and manufacturing techniques into building envelopes. For instance, she leads several interdisciplinary teams that are developing autonomous self-healing sealants; pre-installed sealants for prefab construction; overclad panels for building envelope retrofits; low-carbon, recyclable, biobased foam insulation; and lighter and thinner precast insulated panels. She is also a member of teams that are investigating active envelope systems, non-intrusive building envelope diagnostic tools, and low-carbon concrete mixes. Under Hun’s leadership, ORNL has expanded its capabilities to include the Advanced Construction Lab and the Sustainable Materials Lab.

Before joining ORNL, Hun was a Senior Associate at Walter P. Moore, which is an international consulting firm that specializes on the design of complex structures. Hun received a PhD in Civil Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin with a grant from the National Science Foundation.

Dominyka Voelkle

BIG

Dominyka Voelkle is an Associate at BIG after returning to the firm’s New York office in 2015 as a Senior Designer. She has extensive experience with building envelope design and planning for commercial and cultural buildings throughout the United States and Europe. With her experience, Dominyka has become a crucial resource for several high-rise and skyscraper projects at BIG, including The Spiral on Manhattan’s west side and River Ring, a residential high-rise in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Morgan Stengel

Giarratana

Morgan Stengel serves as VP Development for Giarratana where her responsibilities include leading the development and execution of 900 Church, 801 Church, 1010 Church and Downtown YMCA vertical expansion, with combined value approaching $1 billion. Additionally, Morgan supports predevelopment efforts for Giarratana’s market-rate and mixed-income multifamily platforms. Morgan is passionate about bringing a multidisciplinary and team-building approach to development to increase the success and value of Giarratana’ s projects and the downtown Nashville community where we all live, work and play.

From 2019 to 2021, Morgan served as Vice President of Wood Partners new Nashville office, leading the firm’s development efforts in Tennessee and closing 5 new multifamily projects totaling over 1,500 units. Prior to 2019, Morgan served as Senior Project Manager for Giarratana Development, responsible for the development of 505 Church, a 45-story, 525-foot, 543-unit residential tower completed in 2018 in downtown Nashville. Early in her career, Morgan held positions at Mesa Capital Partners, Jones Lang LaSalle, Cassidy Turley and Carter.

Morgan is a Nashville native where she went to Harpeth Hall School, and later earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2009 where she was team captain for the varsity cross-country and track teams. When not working she can be found running, skiing or off the grid hiking in the mountains. She loves all dogs, particularly her two Scottish Terriers, and the Tennessee Titans.

Scott Brown

DPR Construction

Scott Brown has over 22 yrs in construction and manufacturing leadership experience. He has spent the last 5 years working with vertically integrated volumetric modular technology, prefab components for construction integration and large multi-story mass timber projects. Leading for solutions through lessons learned from both project site and manufacturing facilities management bringing offsite manufactured components into construction processes. Proving prefab concepts of efficiency, quality, safety, schedule and cost.

Chris Melander

HASTINGS

Chris Melander is an architect with the adept ability to face challenges with creativity, innovation, and technical knowledge. He brings ten years of experience to HASTINGS from notable firms including Gensler and CallisonRTKL. Since joining HASTINGS in 2018, he has served as Project Architect for the recently completed Major League Soccer Stadium, GEODIS Park, Nashville.

A Nashville native, Chris apprenticed with a master carpenter during his teenage years. This early passion for building led him to pursue a career in architecture. He received his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, College of Architecture + Design in 2011 and spent seven years practicing architecture in Baltimore before returning to Nashville to join HASTINGS.

At HASTINGS, Chris is a founding member of TACO, which strives to expand architectural boundaries with tools and technology. The group serves as a firm-wide resource to test, re-tool and deploy technology-driven workflows and visualization. The team focuses on office knowledge, training, and experimentation.

John Viise

DeSimone

John Viise is the Managing Principal of DeSimone’s Chicago office. His experience includes high-rise and specialty structures around the world. His area of expertise includes wind and seismic engineering in tall building design.

Mr. Viise’s most recent work in Chicago includes 900 W Randolph, a 500-foot-tall, condominium tower that achieves a slender form without the need for costly outriggers, and Lincoln Yards, a 22-story, 637,000 square foot building comprised of ground floor retail, office space, and parking. Mr Viise has overseen a large portfolio of tall buildings in the Middle East and Asia

Mr. Viise received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and his Masters of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In academia, Mr. Viise periodically lectures at universities around the country and participates in architectural jury work with institutions including The Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Laura Hollier

HASTINGS

Laura Martin Hollier is a Project Manager and Architect at HASTINGS with a broad range of experience in community, multifamily, academic, and workplace projects. With her wide range of project experience, Laura has developed extensive technical expertise in façade constructability and detailing as well as building code requirements and was appointed by the Mayor to Nashville’s Fire and Build Code Appeals Board.

Laura is also the Family Council Vice President of a 100-year-old family business in the forestry and forest products sector. Raised in an FSC-Certified timber business, she was immediately drawn to the sustainability potential of emerging Mass Timber technologies seven years ago and has become a leading expert at her firm. With the assistance of the HASTINGS Research Grant, Laura has traveled to cities across North America gaining insight from the top Mass Timber authorities as well as studying some of the most innovative wood projects in the world. She has shared her research at numerous events such as those hosted by Construction Specifications Institute, Woodworks, Forest Products Society, and the Carbon Leadership Forum.

Hugh Lowry

Elemex

Hugh Lowry, Strategic Account Manager – Solar Facades, has a passion for BIPV. After his undergraduate at Queen’s, Hugh worked in the solar industry, specifically ground-mount utility projects. Taking a year to pursue an M.Eng at Western University was followed by Hugh’s current role, where he has applied his solar knowledge to facades.

Mo Wright

Gate Precast

Mo has worked in the precast industry for nearly 20 years in a wide variety of positions including precast sales and marketing, estimating and project management. He has also been involved in several design-assist collaborations on large public and private projects. As marketing director, he is responsible for corporate communications as well as an education program for architects, owners and contractors regarding the unlimited options of using architectural and structural precast systems and the advancements made within the digital realm. His most recent speaking engagement was on the use of 3D printing within the precast industry and the workflow used to generate printed forms for use in prefabrication.

Dustin Mason

U.S. Green Building Council

Dustin Mason is the Associate Director for Market Transformation and Development at the U.S. Green Building Council, a nonprofit organization that supports the development of prosperous, healthy and resilient communities through the transformation of the built environment. Dustin’s role serves as the “front door” of USGBC by working with members, stakeholders, volunteers and communities to strengthen sustainability outreach, commitment and engagement within Georgia and Tennessee. Prior to his current role, he was the Development Manager at ASHRAE. His professional background includes non-profit management, membership, fundraising and volunteer management, having worked previously at organizations like the Alzheimer’s Association, Tennessee Aquarium and YMCA. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and has a passion for the southern Appalachian region.

Ripley Bickerstaff

Hoar Construction

Ripley Bickerstaff is a seasoned professional in the construction industry, currently serving as the Director of Business Development for Hoar Construction’s Tennessee Division. With over two decades of dedicated experience, Ripley has honed a deep understanding of the intricacies of construction. Ripley is pivotal in driving strategic growth initiatives for Hoar Construction, leveraging his extensive industry knowledge to identify opportunities, forge meaningful partnerships, and expand the company’s presence in competitive markets. Ripley received his Master’s in Civil Engineering and Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from Vanderbilt University.

Anne Marie Duvall Decker

Duvall Decker

Anne Marie Duvall Decker, FAIA, sees architecture as instrument, engaging the material phenomena of our environment and culture to create the potential for education and growth. She leads the studio in creating elusive forms and engaging spaces, no matter the type, size, or budget of projects. She has served the profession in many capacities, as a long-term board member and past president of AIA Mississippi and as a Trustee and 2021 Chair of the AIA Trust. Anne Marie is often invited to share her experience as a lecturer, critic, visiting professor, and design juror. She was recently appointed to serve the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations as a 2021-2023 Industry Advisory Group peer and was awarded the 2023 Mississippi State University College of Architecture, Art, & Design Alumna of the Year Recipient. In 2023, Anne Marie Duvall Decker was a recipient of Architectural Record’s Women in Architecture Design Leadership Award.