Agenda

Darling is CEO and cofounder of The Architect’s Newspaper, celebrating its 12th year. The A|N media company consists of print and digital publications covering architecture and design news, as well as the Facades+ conferences. As A|N’s publisher, Darling won the AIA National Collaboration Award, Grassroots Preservation Award, and ASLA NY’s President’s Award. She began her publishing career as director of print production for The Gap’s European markets. She holds a BS from The University of Texas at Austin.

As a founding Principal of DIGSAU, Mark combines an ability to capture conceptual clarity with an acute attention to detail. In a built environment where authenticity is increasingly scarce, DIGSAU’s work focuses on Architecture’s capacity to communicate via its materials and explores innovative ways that the craft of building can connect people to the experience of place, history, and time. Mark’s thoughtful use of materials and consistent pursuit of innovative construction techniques, creates a direct link between the design process and built form.

A principal at GWWO, Eric Feiss, AIA, LEED AP skillfully leads large and multi-faceted design teams fostering creative design processes that result in elegantly detailed buildings for GWWO’s educational and cultural clients. Eric keeps a constant pulse on the construction marketplace and is dedicated to helping clients achieve their monetary, scheduling, and programmatic goals. He is an active member of COAA and currently serves as an instructor for their Owner’s Training Institute and on the education committee. He holds a Master of Architecture degree from Morgan State University, where he previously served as an adjunct faculty member, and a Bachelor of Arts from Franklin & Marshall College.

As a Principal at Teeple Architects, Tomer Diamant leads projects in higher education, performing arts, residential and mixed-use development. Since joining the practice is 2008, Tomer has helped guide the design and implementation of award-winning projects including Tyler Hall, Morgan State University’s new 140,000 SF Student Services Center (Baltimore), and Langara College’s 130,000 SF Science and Technology Building (Vancouver).

Nathan studied Art, Architecture and Business in Oregon, Copenhagen, and Rome. After graduating in 1996 from the University of Oregon, he worked for two years in Portland, Oregon before moving to New York City. Nathan joined Snøhetta in 2011. As Director, Nathan is leading the work for Ford Motor Company in Michigan, beginning with a Master Plan for their Research and Engineering Campus and currently beginning Design on the first major building. Nathan has led other Master Planning efforts as well as several libraries, including Temple University Library, which began with site selection, and is currently finishing construction, and the Far Rockaway Community Library in Queens.

As a founding Principal of DIGSAU, Mark combines an ability to capture conceptual clarity with an acute attention to detail. In a built environment where authenticity is increasingly scarce, DIGSAU’s work focuses on Architecture’s capacity to communicate via its materials and explores innovative ways that the craft of building can connect people to the experience of place, history, and time. Mark’s thoughtful use of materials and consistent pursuit of innovative construction techniques, creates a direct link between the design process and built form.

Kristin works collaboratively on large, complex architectural projects, bringing over 10 years of expertise to each one. Having worked primarily for higher education clients, Kristin has established herself as a versatile team player on housing, student center, and academic renovations. Her most recent work included the documentation and construction administration of the Charles Library at Temple University. As a LEED accredited professional and with a passion for sustainability, Kristin challenges her team and clients alike to deliver beyond the status quo. Knowing that sustainable outcomes require a rigorous effort from all, she strives to facilitate a collaborative environment to reach intended goals.

Derek Tasch is the health system architect for the University of Pennsylvania Health System, also known as Penn Medicine. His role focuses on real estate master planning for the system and individual hospital entities, driving the successful planning of large capital projects, interfacing with the Penn Medicine executive team and the university’s Facilities and Real Estate Services group, and managing external architectural vendor relationships.

Mr. Tasch joined Penn Medicine from the London-based design firm Foster + Partners, where he had been a valued member of the PennFIRST team for five years. As an associate partner with F+P, Mr. Tasch oversaw design and planning locally for the envelope and public spaces of the HUP Pavilion project. Prior to F+P, Mr. Tasch spent 10 years as a project manager with Rafael Vinoly Architects of New York. During this time, he was involved in all phases of the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and Smilow Center for Translational Research, the Clyde F. Barker Transplant House, the South Pavilion Expansion, and the Jordan Medical Education Center. Mr. Tasch received his Bachelor of Science degree in architecture from Lawrence Technological University and his Master of Architecture degree from the University of Oregon. He is a registered architect in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of New York.

Sara Gally is an Interior Design Principal with HDR, specializing in Healthcare Design. Her passion is designing beautiful spaces that impact people and improve their quality of life in some way, whether it is how efficiently they work, how effectively they collaborate, or how quickly they heal. She enjoys collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to deliver complex architectural projects, like the Pavilion at Penn Medicine, where she led interior design for the PennFIRST team. In addition to her professional practice, Sara spent 10 years teaching courses at Jefferson University, teaching undergraduate design studios focused on design for demographics and human behavior.

Chris is a Partner at Foster + Partners based in New York. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1986 and from Rice University in 1994. He joined Foster + Partners in 1995, initially working on the design of a mixed-use scheme for the King Faisal Foundation in Riyadh. More recently, he led the team designing the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, as well as the new Pavilion for Penn Medicine. Chris has a wealth of experience developing the design of healthcare and education buildings. He has completed projects across the US and has worked with some of the country’s most prestigious institutions including Stanford, Yale, and the University of Pennsylvania.

Ed began his career in the construction industry in 1987. Ed offers exceptional problem solving abilities and benefits from a strong technical A/E background. He consistently earns the respect of subcontractors for his ability to anticipate and quickly address problems. Ed’s project experience includes multi-phased complex additions to existing healthcare facilities and ground-up construction. Ed’s strong communication skills, leadership, and technical expertise are currently guiding the Penn Medicine Pavilion, a 1.5 M sf integrated project delivery (IPD) project.

Eric Swanson is a design principal at Ballinger, where he has practiced for the last 37 years. He is keenly aware of the challenges facing today’s healthcare institutions and has drawn upon his expertise to develop thoughtful, visionary concepts for clients such as Weill Cornell Medicine, the University of Maryland Medical Center and Penn Medicine.

A tireless and imaginative designer, Jules brings a unique combination of skill and passion to everything he does. He has particular interests in materials, construction methods, and structural exploration. He has taught design studios at Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Design, and has served as a guest critic and lecturer at numerous design schools. He is a Registered Architect in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the State of Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, and Vermont. Jules has served on the AIA Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Boards of Directors. He was recognized with the Philadelphia Young Architect Award in 2012 and AIA Fellowship in 2018. A founder of DIGSAU Softbau, Jules can still sometimes be found on the pitcher’s mound.

As Technical Partner, Eric brings into being Moto’s creative vision through the sophisticated application of assemblies, material science, building systems, and construction knowledge. Joining the firm in 2012, his substantial previous experience, which includes working at the Pritzker Prize winning office of Venturi Scott Brown, allows him to efficiently lead our large-scale and institutional projects, while navigating their intricate dynamics.

Eric’s studied approach to design is driven by an enthusiastic engagement of the making process and the descriptive tools used to reveal solutions. These studies enhance and expand the firm’s design vision with a sophistication that has fundamentally changed the scale and level at which Moto’s work can be expressed. His understanding and use of digital production tools, creates a beneficial reciprocation between digital technology and building technique. Eric maintains his connection to academics as an Associate Professor of Practice in the Architecture Department at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University. In 2018 he was recognized as a Philadelphia Minority Business Leader by the Philadelphia Business Journal. Eric holds an MArch from Cornell University.

Molly is a Project Manager at Moto with over 10 years of experience in the design and delivery of residential, commercial, and institutional projects. Having come to architecture by way of theater set design, she appreciates the narrative power of space and the opportunity for visual spectacle. She is detail-oriented and loves the complex processes often behind elegant design solutions.

Bunny Tucker, AIA is an architect at DIGSAU and an Adjunct Professor at Temple University. She co-chaired AIA Philadelphia’s Committee on the Environment from 2020-2021 and she serves as a network co-chair for AIA’s Committee on the Environment.

Jesse Mainwaring, AIA is an Associate at DIGSAU. He draws insight from a multidisciplinary background to create buildings and landscapes that engage visitors through surprising contrasts between technical and natural materials and systems. Jesse studied anthropology and woodworking before migrating towards architecture. He has substantial experience working with Universities, Independent Schools and Non-Profit Organizations and is an Adjunct Professor at Drexel University. He holds a Master’s of Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin where he researched building thermal envelope performance at the school’s Center for Sustainable Development.

Rashida Ng is a Presidential Associate Professor of Architecture with the Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania. A licensed architect and educator, Ng’s research lies at the intersection of the climate crisis and social justice. She considers the collective impact of the climate crisis and systems of racial oppression on architecture and the urban realm. Ng has also authored numerous papers on advanced materials and is co-editor of the book, Performative Materials in Architecture and Design (Intellect, 2013). She was the 2019-2020 President of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), the first African American woman to hold this position.

Jeff Dorneman joined EDA Contractors as an Estimator in June of 2016. Jeff is a graduate of Virginia Tech with an undergraduate and master’s degree in Civil Engineering with a concentraction in Construction Management. The opportunity with EDA was a leap of faith by both parties as Jeff was previously a masonry contractor for 22 plus years working in the mid-Atlantic markets.

Cory is the current President of CSI Philadelphia and is an established presenter for over a decade and works for EDA Contractors, the innovators of the EDA Envelope. His single focus is to become the spearhead of a movement in the construction industry where installers and architects alike are responsible/liable for the work they create. Therefore raising workmanship and motivation to perform work right the first time. Personally, Cory is a devoted husband and father of two and die-hard Philadelphia sports fan.

A skilled project manager, Jill has contributed to the design and delivery of high-performance building enclosures for buildings around the world. Our clients benefit from the depth of her technical knowledge – especially in building performance modeling – as well as the breadth of her project experience. Jill’s work has focused in particular on balancing daylight and heat gain in glass facades, and on developing a holistic understanding of the life cycles of various building-enclosure assembly types. A LEED accredited consultant, Jill believes in the power of rigorous energy analysis to drive outstanding building performance.

Shannon Kaplan specializes in the design and analysis of sustainable and zero net energy buildings. She has 20 years of experience in the industry and has worked projects from schools to hospitals to offices. At AKF Shannon works as a project manager, a project electrical engineer, and a charrette facilitator. She is a licensed PE in PA, DE, MD and DC.

Roderick Wolfson, AIA, LEED AP is the Senior Planner/Project Manager at Swarthmore College. Roderick is coordinating the College’s net-zero energy planning, which includes building energy efficiency upgrades, with the planning of other major capital renewal projects and deferred maintenance renovations.

An architect and planner, Mary Holland has over 30 years of experience working with project stakeholders to translate their facilities needs into projects that surpass the expectations of their owners and users. Her body of work includes performing arts, education, civic, commercial, and healthcare projects. Mary is a founding principal of CICADA.

During more than 15 years of project work, Jim has earned a reputation for effectively assessing and designing repairs for buildings. He is an expert in the materials and enclosure systems of buildings from the 19th and mid-20th centuries, and has in-depth knowledge about the methods and materials used in the repair and restoration of existing buildings. In addition to his extensive project experience with building enclosures, Jim’s background includes several years of carpentry work as well as academic training and research in historic preservation.