San
Francisco

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.

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.

Francesca Oliveira

Principal

SOM

Francesca Oliveira, AIA NCARB LEED AP BD+C, is a Principal at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, where she champions sustainability principles on projects across the globe, and leads the firm’s West Coast Technical Designers. Working across all building types from civic buildings to skyscrapers, Francesca consistently generates creative solutions that expand our capacity for environmental resilience. She strategically synthesizes elements of vernacular architecture with innovations in building science. With curiosity and ambition, she pushes her projects to achieve even greater reductions in both embodied and operational carbon. Francesca specializes in high-performance buildings and strategic programming. Francesca earned a Bachelor of Architecture from Drexel University, and a Master’s in Business Administration from Villanova University. She currently teaches at the Academy of Art.

Angela Wu

Director

KPF

As Director of KPF’s San Francisco office, Angela leads KPF’s on-the-ground project coordination on the west coast, meeting regularly with clients to provide seamless communication and a streamlined approach to project management.

With more than 20 years of architecture experience, Angela has led a variety of projects in terms of both type and scale, ranging from singular residential, office, retail and institutional buildings to large-scale, mixed-program, multi-building complexes.

Her interest in multidisciplinary collaboration to create synthesized architectural projects is key to her approach. Angela is a deep believer in the integration of architecture, structure, sustainability, and planning for a human-scaled environment, and these guiding principles are behind her design and management of numerous award-winning and prominent projects, such as Platform 16 and South Almaden Boulevard in San Jose and 415 Natoma and 10 South Van Ness in San Francisco.

Earl Patrick

Director of Design

Enclos

Earl Patrick is Director of Design and oversees Enclos’ design efforts in new and prospective work.

With over 22 years of experience in the facades industry, including 9 with Enclos, he has worked on monumental projects across the United States. Throughout his career, he has assisted clients with refining design alternatives and worked diligently to help architects achieve their vision while helping project teams meet their budgets.

Notable projects with which he’s been involved at Enclos include The Golden State Warriors Arena Complex, Raiders Stadium, The Australian Embassy, 415 Natoma, San Diego Terminal 1, Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute, and the Sherwin Willams Headquarters.

Before facade work, his background included carpentry, cabinetry, welding, and residential construction. He’s also a musician and graduated from the Berklee College of Music with a degree in Classical Composition.

Adam Kyle

Associate Principal

MEYERS + ENGINEERS

Adam is a mechanical engineer with experience in high-performance building systems design promoting a balance of finely tuned engineering systems and sound passive design principles. He believes successful design performs across a spectrum of quantitative and measurable to qualitative and aesthetic.

Courtenay Bauer

Principal

Verse Design

Courtenay Bauer is a Principal of Los Angeles-based architectural firm Verse Design, which has a sister studio in Shanghai. Prior to co-founding Verse Design LA in 2015, Courtenay worked as a project architect at offices on both coasts of the United States.

Courtenay leverages more than 20 years of focused experience in architectural planning, design, and contract administration on a variety of projects in the United States and China. Her work is committed to the ideas and importance of efficient and sustainable construction, while advocating for the implementation of innovation in our built environment. As Principal, Courtenay’s strengths lie in her ability to adroitly identify a project’s status and manage teams to exceed delivery expectations.

Courtenay holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the Catholic University of America and a Master of Architecture from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. Furthering her connectivity with the profession, Courtenay has been involved in the academic community, teaching visual studies seminars and design studios at SCI-Arc, UCLA, and USC.

Paul Tang

Founding Principal

Verse Design

Paul Tang is the founding principal of Verse Design. Prior to establishing his current practice, Paul was a former partner of Hakomori + Tang Architecture, Pleskow Rael Tang, and was formerly the Asia Pacific Specialist with focus on China for SOM. He has taught at USC School of Architecture for over 19 years. He was the former and founding Academic Director of USC American Academy in China.

Humphrey Yap

Chief Design Engineer

AGA (Architectural Glass & Aluminum)

Humphrey Yap is a leader in the curtainwall industry, bridging aesthetic, environmental and safety goals with custom curtainwall systems that fit within budget, schedule, and project constraints. Sustainability of building materials and lifecycle of buildings, drives a focus on both embodied and operational carbon. Humphrey works closely with his team at AGA and partners in the industry to achieve high-performance façades, find fabrication efficiencies within the curtainwall frame, and drive projects in the direction of the architect’s vision. With nearly two decades in the industry, Humphrey strives to stay ahead of the curve, always seeing the big picture to ensure the buildings are going to serve the communities in which they are built and be successful for many years to come.

John Kuchen

Associate Principal

SOM

John Kuchen, AIA NCARB LEED AP BD+C is a Technical Architect, and Associate Principal at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. During his 17 years at SOM, John has designed enclosures for high-profile projects around the globe. John’s broad portfolio includes high-rise office and residential towers, life sciences laboratories, and even automotive R&D facilities. He has played a significant role in designing civic architecture for the United States in China, including the US Embassy in Beijing, the US Embassy New Office Building Expansion in Beijing, and the US Consulate General in Guangzhou. As a technical designer, John specializes in architectural systems integration and development, and acts as an advisor for QA/QC in the studio, and in the field.

Alex Welsh

Senior Associate Principal

SOM

Alex Welsh, AIA, RIAS, LEED AP BD+C is a Senior Associate Principal and Studio Head in SOM’s San Francisco office. Alex has a broad range of experience including over 30 years working internationally with leadership responsibilities in both design and management of significant projects. He has a strong design and technical background with proven competency in design management and coordination, and the resolution of technical issues.

Shona O’Dea

Sustainability Director

SOM

Shona O’Dea, LEED® AP BD+C, RESET AP, BEMP as Sustainability Director. Shona is dedicated to providing innovation and technical expertise in sustainable building design and operations at all scales; from indoor air quality to operational carbon. Focused on the West Coast, Shona joins the global Sustainable Engineering team who facilitate goal-setting, performance simulation expertise and the overall evaluation of building design options and their impact on the environment in real time. Having previously led the high-performance design team at DLR Group, Shona works closely with design teams to find opportunities for actionable change at key moments in the design process. Shona holds a master’s degree in Sustainability, Innovation & Technology and a bachelor’s degree in Building Services Engineering from the Dublin Institute of Technology, and a master’s degree in Technology from Purdue University.

J-F Robert

President

RAICO North America

As a Professional Engineer and owner of Blackcomb Facade Technology, J-F Robert has focused his practice on significant curtainwall projects. His experience ranges from 60 story high rise, PHI certified commercial buildings, high end residences and complex freeform structures. Blackcomb Façade Technology is the exclusive fabrication partner for RAICO Bautechnik in the Pacific Northwest for all systems types including Timber, Steel and Aluminum.

Sneh Kumar

Global Director of Sustainability

Kawneer

As Global Director, Sustainability & ESG, Sneh Kumar is responsible for the development and execution of strategy to deliver an increasingly sustainable product offering to customers and stakeholders. He is focused on product design and certification, along with supply chain transparency, and optimization of the overall manufacturing footprint to achieve Arconic’s sustainability commitments. With more than 20 years in the building products industry, Sneh has been involved in the commercialization of over 40 high-performance building facade products and has received multiple patent grants. He is a visionary leader with proven abilities to solve complex and relevant problems to unlock business value. Sneh has been actively involved with industry associations, architects and customers and has served on the Board of the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC). He is an invited speaker and panelist at multiple industry conferences.

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.

Andrea Zani

Innovation Manager & Sustainability Lead

Permasteelisa North America

Andrea Zani is the R&D Innovation Manager and Sustainability Lead at Permasteelisa North America, where he is responsible for managing and leading the development and delivery of innovative, low-carbon and high-performance façades. He is actively involved in shaping and driving Permasteelisa Group’s decarbonization strategies to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040.

Andrea holds a Masters degree and PhD in Building Engineering from the Politecnico di Milano, Italy. He is a member and co-chair of the Society of Façade Engineering North America Hub, is active in Façade Tectonics Institute (FTI) advocacy and is a member of its Embodied Carbon Working Group. He also collaborates with LBNL Window Group, CBE Berkeley and other research centers on several research activities.

Kevin Powell

Director of Emerging Building Technologies

GSA

Kevin M. Powell is the Director of Emerging Building Technologies for the General Services Administration’s Public Buildings Service (PBS), and program director for the GSA Proving Ground (GPG). Mr. Powell focuses on identifying innovative technologies, practices and processes that optimize how PBS designs, delivers and operates more than 185 million square feet of Federal real estate. Kevin brings two decades of experience in building science, design research and policy analysis. Kevin manages a portfolio of over twenty active test bed projects in the areas of next generation building envelope, energy management, HVAC, lighting and lighting control systems Kevin has a longstanding commitment to smart asset management, deployment of next generation building technologies and indoor environmental quality. He received his Master’s degree in Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley, and has published numerous articles about acoustics, workplaces, next generation building strategies and urban design.

Peter Buffington

Design Principal

SmithGroup

Peter Buffington is the Design Principal and Lead Designer for SmithGroup’s Workplace Studio. His depth of experience includes over 30 years practicing architecture and addressing a buildings’ context from an urban and regional perspective. He believes architecture should be expressive and environmentally responsive, but above all, it should seek and find a balance between beauty and function. His work amplifies our integrated practice by leveraging the experience of his expert colleagues, producing rich solutions rooted in broad design criteria.

Elisa Jue

Principal

SmithGroup

Elisa Jue, AIA, LEED AP B+C is a Principal with SmithGroup. Elisa Jue’s experience ranges from large residential projects to one of the largest medical center designs in San Francisco. She is interested in providing a supportive experience to the users of each space she designs. With a unique ability to translate complex concepts into graphic representation, Elisa often serves as a liaison on projects, working closely with clients to ensure their vision in the most efficient manner. Additionally, her positive, can-do attitude has been an important addition to teams, where she has helped drive the collaborative Integrated Project Delivery process.

Dave Rossi

Principal

KPFF

Dave Rossi has over 30 years of structural engineering experience including project management, design, and analysis of both new and existing buildings and other structures. He excels in conceptual and detailed design, as well as field investigations to assess potential seismic hazards. Dave develops solutions by integrating the building’s structural demands with the functional and aesthetic requirements. He has experience in steel, concrete, masonry and timber buildings of a variety of project types including higher education, k-12, residential, commercial and civic. Dave’s resume also includes work on unique structural elements such as glass pedestrian bridges, large pieces of public artwork requiring special bracing and architectural stairs. He joined KPFF in 1999.

Fredrik Nilsson

Design Director

Steinberg Hart

Born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden to a family of builders and craftsmen, Fredrik’s aptitude for design was shaped by his upbringing.

With more than two decades of experience on a range of project types and scales, Fredrik brings a keen design intelligence to residential, commercial and civic buildings in Los Angeles and around the world. Fredrik’s projects are characterized by a distinct thoughtfulness. Design ideas are manifested in unique spatial qualities and the subtle use of materials – often reflecting his Scandinavian heritage. In his role as Design Director, he leads the design for award-winning mixed-use and commercial projects while contributing to the firm’s robust design process. Fredrik’s attention to craft and detail further Steinberg Hart’s reputation for design innovation.

Fredrik is a licensed architect in the state of California and a LEED Accredited Professional. He is a board member of the Barnsdall Art Foundation.

Nino Adamo

Vice President

Turner Construction

With over 20 years of experience in the construction industry, Nino is currently the Vice President and General Manager of Bay Area at Turner Construction Company, one of the largest and most respected builders in the US. As a certified Associate DBIA, he has a strong background in design-build delivery and pre-construction services, and has successfully managed multiple large-scale and complex projects in various sectors, such as healthcare, education, commercial, and residential. Nino leads a team of talented and diverse professionals who share my passion for excellence, innovation, and customer satisfaction.He works closely with clients, partners, and stakeholders to ensure that their needs and expectations are met and exceeded. His mission is to deliver high-quality, sustainable, and cost-effective solutions that enhance the communities and the environment in the Bay Area and beyond.

Nicholas Bagatelos

President

Net Zero Envelope

Nick Bagatelos is an exterior envelope expert, running design-build projects for more than 35 years. Nick is the founder of four facade related businesses, including Bagatelos Architectural Glass Systems, (BAGS), an established, vertically integrated, unitized glazing enterprise.

With his latest initiative, SPR Consulting, Nick is delivering cost-effective exterior envelope renovations that reduce embodied carbon and operational costs.

Mazi Shirakh

ZNE and Decarbonization Lead

California Energy Commission

2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards Decarbonization Lead, California Energy Commission – The California Governor and Legislature, the Energy Commission, CPUC, and CARB, have established building decarbonization and Zero Net Energy (ZNE) as the principal goals for all newly constructed buildings in California. Building Energy Efficiency Standards (BEES), Parts 6 and 11, have been identified as the primary vehicles for delivering the decarbonization goals.

Mazi Shirakh, PE is a senior mechanical engineer; he served as the ZNE lead for the 2019 cycle of the BEES and served as the decarbonization lead for the upcoming 2022 Standards cycle at the California Energy Commission. Previously he was the project manager for the 2008, 2013, and 2016 cycles of the Standards, working with the PG&E, Edison, SDG&E, SMUD, LADWP, and a large team of consultants to couple efficient envelop, lighting, and mechanical systems with PV and storage systems to make decarbonization and ZNE goals a reality. Currently, he works in the Energy Research & Development Division of the Energy Commission and as a senior engineer, retired annuitant.

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.

Francesca Oliveira

Principal

SOM

Francesca Oliveira, AIA NCARB LEED AP BD+C, is a Principal at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, where she champions sustainability principles on projects across the globe, and leads the firm’s West Coast Technical Designers. Working across all building types from civic buildings to skyscrapers, Francesca consistently generates creative solutions that expand our capacity for environmental resilience. She strategically synthesizes elements of vernacular architecture with innovations in building science. With curiosity and ambition, she pushes her projects to achieve even greater reductions in both embodied and operational carbon. Francesca specializes in high-performance buildings and strategic programming. Francesca earned a Bachelor of Architecture from Drexel University, and a Master’s in Business Administration from Villanova University. She currently teaches at the Academy of Art.