Safety Guidelines

Areta Pawlynsky, AIA, has overseen complex facades in the United States, Asia, and the Middle East since joining the firm in 1991. Areta is interested in exploring the energy efficiency, technical capabilities, and design potential of cladding materials and systems. Her work has included the assessment and renovation of historically sensitive facades, as well as the execution of new enclosure walls. Areta holds degrees from University of Illinois and Columbia University in architecture and historic preservation.

Brian Delaney is an Associate at Heintges, and joined the firm in 2017. During this time, he has worked on major projects in the New York City area, including Citigroup’s Trading Headquarters reclad, The Edge at 30 Hudson Yards, and NYU’s 181 Mercer St. He is also part of the firm’s OBO Embassy team, where he has been involved in the Design and Construction Administration phases of U.S. Embassy and governmental office buildings in both Thailand and Mexico. In addition to his professional work, Brian has served as an architecture studio critic, in a design and technical capacity, at Louisiana Tech University, Columbia University, and Pratt Institute. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies degree and a Master of Architecture degree from Louisiana Tech University and is a licensed architect in the state of New York.

Benjamin Gilmartin joined Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) in 2004 and became a partner in 2015. Ben led the redesign of Alice Tully Hall, multiple public spaces within the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts campus, and the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive at the University of California, Berkeley. Most recently, Ben completed the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, hailed as one of the most accessible museums in the country, and led the design of the adjoining Park Union Bridge, a 250-foot floating curved steel structure. In addition to recently completing DS+R’s first building in Australia at the University of Sydney, Ben is also currently co-leading the design for the new home of MIT's School of Architecture and Planning in Cambridge and a major tech headquarters in the Pacific Northwest.

John Krouse is a Ceramic Engineer and the CEO of Boston Valley Terra Cotta in Orchard Park, NY. Boston Valley specializes in the manufacturing of historic terra cotta replication, new construction and innovation in contemporary rain screen design and production. Krouse is a graduate of Alfred University with a B.S. in Ceramic Engineering and a minor in Ceramic Sculpture and has over 37 years of experience in terra cotta manufacturing. Boston Valley has successfully completed well over 3,000 building projects with Krouse leading the company. These projects range in size and scope from large government buildings to small private art galleries.

Matt Capone is a design and construction professional driven to create projects which leave lasting positive impacts for our communities and environment. As the founder of facades X Inc. in 2015, Matt has worked on many prominent and complex projects to bridge the gap between the architect's vision and ultimate reality of built work.

Matt graduated from Roger Williams School of Architecture and began professional life in a boutique design firm in Boston before progressing towards the “dark side” of construction and façade systems. With a passion for sustainability with facades Matt studied Passiv Haus design and was fortunate to work on some of the very first large scale projects in North America. Always a Boston guy with a love for family and baseball – Matt now serves on the Executive Board for Little League in Trumbull, CT.

Based in New York, Chris Cooper is an ambitious design leader who brings foresight, elegance, tectonic rigor, and artful experiences to his buildings. Throughout his two decades at SOM, he has led projects with a careful attention to scale, sustainability, and placemaking.

As a founding partner of SOM’s Climate Action Group, Chris always seeks to elevate standards for sustainable design in his work—from 7 World Trade Center, which was the first commercial office building to achieve LEED- C/S Gold certification; to the redevelopment of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe Center in Cambridge, a cutting-edge headquarters designed to achieve net zero carbon; to a new, secure and sustainable production facility for the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D.C.

James Carpenter has worked at the intersection of architecture, fine art, and engineering for nearly 50 years, advancing a distinctive vision based on the use of natural light as the foundational element of the built environment. Originally studying architecture before concentrating on the fine arts, Carpenter founded the cross-disciplinary design firm James Carpenter Design Associates in 1979 to support the application of these aesthetic principles to large-scale architectural projects. Carpenter’s work is driven by a deep awareness of materiality and craft as a means of enhancing the individual human experience within the built environment.

James has been recognized with numerous national and international awards, including an Academy Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship and the Smithsonian National Environment Design Award. He holds a degree from the Rhode Island School of Design and was a Loeb Fellow of Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and a Mellon Teaching Fellow at the University of Chicago.

Joseph Welker is Studio Director at James Carpenter Design Associates, managing the studio’s cross-disciplinary staff and coordinating its collaborations with landscape architects, architects, structural engineers, environmental engineers, fabricators and materials engineers. Joseph works across the studio’s diverse range of projects, from public art to design elements and spaces that enhance the public realm. Fundamental to each project is an enhanced experience of light, unique to each project site and resulting in integrated art and structural designs that transcend form and style. Joseph studied architecture and design at Cornell University, holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree. He recently led JCDA’s design efforts at the Nordstrom NYC flagship store.

Michael Signorile is an expert in building envelopes, and is a critical member of all of PMG’s project teams. Michael is experienced in all phases of the design and construction process and has worked on projects ranging from residential and commercial to higher education and cultural facilities. During preconstruction, he works to develop logistics, desired visual aesthetics, and design criteria to achieve a successful building envelope. He assists the team to integrate that same design intent into a cost effective, efficient, and high performing system during the precon phase which eventually translates into the built product. Michael is a Registered Architect. He received a Master of Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology and Bachelor of Architecture from New Jersey Institute of Technology.

William Mandara Jr., AIA, is the CEO and co-owner of Mancini Duffy, a national design firm with a 100+-year-old history and tech-forward approach based in New York City. Bill comes from a family in the business: his father and grandfather were general contractors. He got the most thankless tasks during his teenage summers at his father’s job sites. In retrospect, it was a great way to instill understanding and respect for the profession. It was also a not-so-subtle hint from his father that he should be thinking about architecture school instead.

He had been at TSC Design for five years when Mancini Duffy purchased the firm’s assets in 2011, at which point he was named a Senior Associate. He was later named a principal in 2014, became co-owner of the firm in 2017, and was named chief executive officer in 2018.

Throughout his career, Bill’s believed in having consistency of vision and values: that we should never put ourselves or our vision ahead of the client’s. This consistency lets us respond to our clients quickly, with clarity and authority.

Bill lives with his wife and two children in Paramus, New Jersey.

Roberto Garcia is an Associate Principal at Perkins Eastman. He brings over 28 years of experience as a project designer, project architect, graphic designer, and draftsperson on a variety of mixed-use commercial and residential projects. Roberto is currently involved in the firm’s work with residential projects, office buildings, interiors, and historic preservation. Recent project experience includes TSX Broadway in Times Square and Pacific Park Building 4, a residential tower in Brooklyn. Roberto is a licensed architect registered in New York and also a LEED Accredited Professional.

Benjamin Alper joined Severud Associates in 2005 as an engineer. He steadily progressed upward through the ranks and, in 2020, was promoted to associate principal. Throughout his career, Ben has taken on increasingly challenging projects such as the TSX Broadway redevelopment in Manhattan, the Weeksville Heritage Center in Brooklyn, and the LA Forum renovation in Inglewood, California. Outside of the office, Ben serves the structural engineering community as a member of the ASCE 7-22 Minimum Design Loads committee as well as its Seismic Loads subcommittee. He is also active with NCSEA, NYC Buildings, and SEAoNY, where he is a past director.

Ben is co-author of several magazine articles, including “Cold and Hot Weather Concrete,” and “Power of the Ring” (LA Forum).

Ben is licensed as a structural engineer in California and Nevada and as a professional engineer in six states. He earned a Bachelor and a Master of Engineering in civil engineering, both from the Cooper Union.

At L&L since 2017, Robert Israel leads and directs all aspects of the TSX Broadway project development's design and construction activities, including budget, schedule and delivery of the newly created asset including the theater, retail and hotel uses.

Robert was co-founder of Solid Development Group, a subcontracting firm with revenues annually of $12mm, with a labor force of 80+ people from 2015-2017. Prior to that, Robert served as Project Director for RFR Holding, where he led all aspects of the historic conversion of five former warehouse buildings into one million square feet of retail and office space known as Dumbo Heights in Brooklyn. From 2000 thru 2013 he served in various roles at CBRE, which included Managing Director - Project Management, which included a role as project director for a 500,000 square foot phase of a 1.5 million square foot campus development in Bangalore India.

Robert also served as an Alliance Director, within the Northeast Region of Global Corporate Services, with roles leading the Morgan Stanley and Hertz accounts directing teams of up to 250 FTE’s.

Robert attended Roanoke College and has a Bachelor of Arts degree (History).

Morris Adjmi loves cities. As the founder and principal of MA, he is dedicated to understanding the history and complex forces that shape them to create buildings and environments that are contextual but unmistakably contemporary. The resulting work has become a favorite of both forward-thinking developers and history-minded preservationists. Morris' passion for historic and industrial architecture was formed by the cast-iron French Quarter balconies and crumbling Creole cottages in his hometown of New Orleans and refined in New York and Milan during a 13-year collaboration with Pritzker Prize-winning architect Aldo Rossi. Today, the multidisciplinary design practice is best known for thoughtful engagement with the arts, distinct interpretation of industrial forms, and creative expression of innovative materials. Morris is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a graduate of Tulane University, where he received a Master of Architecture.

Melissa Wong is an Associate Principal in Thornton Tomasetti’s Façade Engineering practice. Based in New York, she has been leading the design and construction of façade and enclosure systems from residential & commercial developments, to prominent institutions throughout the east coast, including Harvard University, Columbia University and the Empire State Building. With a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Pratt Institute, Melissa’s background bridge the gap between engineering and design. Her expertise has brought her to work on iconic international landmarks across the globe such as the Shanghai Tower, the third tallest building in the world, and the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, an integral sports complex as part of Al Ain’s new, wider community development.

Marcin March is a Vice President in Thornton Tomasetti’s Façade Engineering practice. Originally based in the United Kingdom where he earned a master’s of engineering degree from the University of Oxford, Marcin has built a global portfolio of experience that intersects structure and building envelope solutions. He has designed many structural glass constructions, alongside fabric, tension, long-span, and carbon fiber for clients ranging from private individuals through commercial entities to governmental organizations. Some of his notable projects include an ETFE canopy integrated into a courtyard of existing buildings at George Washington University and extensive experience of façade and specialty engineering of various Apple stores around the globe, where he proposed solutions that push the boundaries of design.

Brendan Mercier began with Cosentino in 2015 as an architect & design sales manager, selling multiple applications, including facades. In 2017 he took on additional responsibility as the façade application specialist in the Northeast region and in 2019 became the National Façade Manager for North America. He studied at the University of Massachusetts in Boston and then at Harvard University, focusing on business and economics. Prior to Cosentino he worked as a designer and owned his own apparel company. Brendan currently sits on two sub-committees for the Rainscreen Association of North America (RAiNA), the industry outreach & marketing as well as the education & training committees. He has a passion for the exterior envelope and hopes to continue speaking about the importance of sustainable building design, focused on rainscreen facades, along with sustainable manufacturing.

Caitlin Mueller is a researcher and educator who works at the creative interface of architecture, structural engineering, and computation. She is currently an Associate Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Department of Architecture and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, in the Building Technology Program, where she leads the Digital Structures research group. Her work focuses on new computational design and digital fabrication methods for innovative, high-performance buildings and structures that empower a more sustainable and equitable future. Her research is funded by federal agencies and industry partners, including the National Science Foundation, FEMA, the MIT Tata Center, the Dar Group, Robert McNeel & Associates, and Altair Engineering. Caitlin was awarded the ACADIA Innovative Research Award of Excellence by the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture in 2021 and the Diversity Achievement Award from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture in 2022.

Dan Reynolds has spent the majority of his career engineering complex projects that are generally considered “specialty structures” due to aspects requiring advanced analysis methods. He is driven by the challenge of capturing a designer’s intent by using creativity empowered by computation, and has developed a number of in-house tools to help colleagues unlock their creativity during project delivery. Building on a decade of experience with machine learning and software development, Dan was recently chosen to lead Walter P Moore’s firmwide efforts to develop artificial intelligence software products.

As FXCollaborative’s Chief Technology Officer, Alexandra leads the firm’s Digital Practice group, overseeing design technologies, information technologies, and business technologies. Alexandra has been instrumental in the development of digital methodologies and processes, and aims to further improve project delivery through leveraged data and evidence-based design.

Prior to her role in architectural technology, Alexandra was a practicing architect and remains a registered architect in New York. Her portfolio, which ranges in scale and global reach, maintains a consistent thread: the use of methodologies to predict factors that enhance the lives of people who live and work in an urban setting—and ensure that the built environment is above all, sustainable. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from New Jersey Institute of Technology and a Masters in Product Architecture & Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology.

Alan Cation is a computational designer, artist, and educator based in New York City. His work focuses on parametric architecture, complex geometry, sustainability, and simulating how natural behavioral systems interact with each other and their environments. Alan utilizes his expertise in generative and computational design to take both an experimental approach to the design process and a practical approach to managing and rationalizing complex formal systems from design to production.

As the Computational Design Leader in KPF’s Digital Practice Department, Alan sets the computational strategies for designing and delivering a variety of complex projects throughout KPF. He specializes in computational façade design where he develops project-specific design solutions as well as bespoke software that scales KPF’s design capabilities across multiple projects. Alan’s work provides further layers of customization for façade design beyond industry standard toolsets and facilitates project teams to seamlessly transition between design and documentation platforms.

Natasha Luthra is the Director of Emerging Technologies at Jacobs. She is a forward-thinking strategist who specializes in technology and innovation projects. As part of the Design Automation Initiative, she is focused on identifying automation opportunities across the markets that Jacobs serves and developing solutions for the same. She is also the Regional Solution Lead for Digital Delivery in the North region that looks to deliver solutions both to expand our internal delivery processes as well as to solve our clients' most challenging problems.

Natasha helps identify and demystify technology trends that will impact our clients’ needs and is trained in innovation facilitation programs that allow us to co-create new and innovative solutions with our clients. Her background is in architecture and she uses her training as an architect to bring design thinking skills to her problem solving approach.

She has spoken about technology, innovation and architecture at conferences like the Leadership Forum at Autodesk University, BILT NA, BILT Asia, BIMForum and the AIA National Convention. She has been featured in and written articles for the Architect Magazine, YAF Connection and AUGI World.

In the past, she was the 2018 Chair for Technology in Architectural Practice, the AIA knowledge community focused on the intersection of technology and architecture.

James Hickerson possesses a strong background in integrating design and technical elements on a broad range of project types, including commercial-office, mixed-use, and hospitality projects in North America, Asia, and the Middle East. His experience covers the complete development process from working with public agencies, preparation, and coordination of contract documents, to the project’s supervision and implementation during construction.

Having served as a senior technical coordinator with international architecture firms and as a project manager for a real estate and investment firm, James brings to Woods Bagot a unique perspective. He promotes and fosters an environment of open dialogue with clients and the entire consultant team that in turn maximizes the benefits of the building materials and environmental systems.

Sebastian Claussnitzer is an Associate at BIG’s New York office. He has extensive architectural experience with a range of commercial and residential projects in New York City, California, China, and Germany. Sebastian has expertise in strategic design and computation; he has taught advanced scripting and research methodologies as a Research Consultant for Harvard University as well as presented at various conferences, including SimAUD, ASHRAE/IBPSA-USA, ACADIA and Thornton Tomasetti AEC Technology Symposium. Sebastian studied at the Architecture Department at RWTH-Aachen University in Germany, and as an interdisciplinary student in the College of Architecture, the Department of Computer Science, and the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.

Tommaso Bitossi focuses on two aspects of climate responsive design: architecture and climate engineering. His unique perspective on the integrated design process together with his understanding of both the architectural and the engineering approaches facilitate the communication of complex strategies to the design team. In addition to his international project management responsibilities, Tommaso developed and coordinated the education components of the Transsolar Academy, a program designed to enable young professionals to gain basic climate responsive design knowledge.

Arturo Lugo is an architect who, over ten years ago, developed a passion for coatings and supporting the design and construction industry in selecting perfect colors and specifications for projects. Arturo was born and raised in Puerto Rico, graduated Architecture from the City University of New York, started his career designing residential and commercial projects in the New York City area and continued his design experience developing projects in the Caribbean. In 2009, he joined AkzoNobel to develop the Architectural Market and help support Architects in specifying façade coatings for projects.

Miguel Silva has a relevant past experience of more than 15 years in the construction industry covering a wide range of façade systems in the weatherproofing thematic as well as special refurbishment, recladding and remedial works. With over 100 major projects completed as a weatherproofing consultant as well as technical project manager, he’s currently focused on the UK market on the façade weather proofing. Some of the recent projects ongoing in this region are the One Nine Elms (R&F Properties), 9 Millbank and Ergon House (St. Edward – Berkeley Group), Design District (Knight Dragon), Chelsea Creek and London Dock (St. George Berkeley Group).

Having a notable knowledge of the façade envelope weatherproofing requirements for the commercial, residential, educational and public sector, Miguel leads his team to deliver distinctive and complete support to the façade industry being responsible for the façade project design and specification, project and client support and research & development at EFFISUS.

Tansu Kumru has 30 years of experience in the glass sector and has been working for Şişecam which is currently one of the world's leading glass manufacturers with production operations located in 14 countries on four continents. She is currently responsible for Sales and Marketing Strategies and Performance Management of the company. Over her career, she has taken on many different roles in the Architectural Glass business of the company such as business development, product management, and marketing communication. She contributed to the development of energy-efficient architectural glass products and provided the right glass solutions for a wide variety of projects around the world. As the Vise President of the board of the Exporters’ Association, she is currently the representative of the Turkish Glass Sector. She continues to inform industry professionals about how Turkish glass products will enhance the capabilities of important construction projects all around the world. She graduated from the Department of Industrial Engineering and completed her master’s degree in the Faculty of Business Administration at Boğaziçi University.

Sameer Kumar is a Principal of Techne. With over 20 years of experience as an architect and a façade specialist, Sameer has distinguished himself as an emergent leader at the nexus of architectural design, engineering, fabrication, and material and process innovation. Through a critical balancing of craft, climate, and comfort, he creates sustainable and timeless solutions to complex design problems in the pursuit of a humanist vision of architecture.

Through a continuous engagement with academia spanning over fifteen years, Sameer has brought his passion for comprehensive and complete design study to graduate students at Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Pratt Institute. His experience designing building enclosures is founded upon a diverse and extensive career working with firms like FTL, Heingtes, KPF, and SHoP, where he has successfully participated in numerous prominent projects across the world.

Roman Schieber joined knippershelbig in 2007; since 2016 he is member of the board of directors. Leading the knippershelbig facades team in Europe and N.A. allows Roman the opportunity to work on unique, challenging projects all over the world. His association to structural engineering, environmental design and deep knowledge of the latest fabrication techniques allow him to transfer structural efficiency and thermal performance into façade design. The center aspiration of his work is to create a balanced link between architectural motivated and performance-driven design.

At the beginning of the century Roman worked on a number of outstanding and internationally published projects in Asia, such as the Massimiliano Fuksas – designed ~1mile long free formed terminal of the Bao’an International Airport in Shenzhen or the 0.7 mile long main axis for the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai. In the second decade of this century projects in the United States came to the fore. Roman's portfolio include projects like the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures In Los Angeles, by Renzo Piano Building Workshop; The Museum of Fine Arts In Houston, by Steven Holl Architects, or Harvard University’s Science and Engineering Complex In Boston, by Behnisch Architects.

Flora Bao is an Architect with 16 years of experience as a Designer and Project Manager. She received her Bachelor of Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University. Her architectural career began at Kohn Pedersen Fox in NY as a Junior Designer, working on projects in China. She then moved to Shanghai for 4 years and transitioned into management roles for Swanke Hayden Connell Architects and HLW. With her China experience, Flora returned to the States and continued working on China projects as a Project Manager at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in San Francisco. During the height of WeWork’s growth, she joined their West Coast Enterprise team. Flora moved back to the Big Apple in 2020 and joined BIG as a Senior Project Manager, overseeing projects in the US and China, with projects ranging from large-scale master plans, to commercial offices, to private properties.

Shreshth Nagpal's professional focus over the past two decades has been to understand and model building performance that results from the interaction between envelope configuration, climatic context, functional requirements, conditioning systems, and occupant behavior. More recently, his doctoral research focused on developing automated workflows to construct living urban energy models that are designed to systematically explore future energy scenarios and identify areas of maximum potential savings.

Shreshth's day job is primarily to manage the holistic environmental design scope and work closely with the project teams to shape building and urban designs from the concept phase through implementation. He especially enjoys working on projects with a focus on designing with passive strategies for thermal and visual comfort; and has completed specialized building-physics analyses to help inform design decisions of several award-winning projects that represent a broad spectrum of types, scales, climates, and performance goals.

As VP and General Manager, Charlie Whitney is responsible for developing and overseeing short- and long-term strategic plans that affirm Turner’s position as one of New York City’s largest and most trusted construction service providers. In this capacity, he oversees a portfolio of projects across a broad spectrum of industries, and provides executive oversight on matters related to Turner’s operational, financial, and sales initiatives.

Charlie began his career with Turner in 1988 as an engineer. In the following years, he was promoted to positions of greater responsibility in the New York office, including Project Executive in 2006 and Construction Executive in 2012.

In addition to his day-to-day executive responsibilities, Charlie manages a diverse portfolio of construction projects across New York City, including lower Westchester and Long Island. Select feature projects include Columbia University Business School, Coney Island Hospital, Rockefeller University River Building, and the award-winning NYPH David H. Koch Center.

John is a licensed architect with over 20 years of experience working on large scale domestic and international projects.

He brings significant early-phase design expertise to projects by collaborating with teams to establish a design vision and then creating an integrated framework for executing that vision from concept through construction. Through his work on large scale residential, commercial, and mixed-use towers, John has a developed a broad depth of knowledge in the coordination of technical building systems, consultant management, and BIM project delivery. John also has a specialization in the design and execution of high-performance building envelopes, including custom unitized curtain walls, cable supported glass envelopes, and metal panel rain screen systems.

Before joining Snøhetta in 2016, John worked for over seven years at Kohn Pedersen Fox as a project architect working on various aspects of design, technical oversight, coordination, and project management. Among other projects, John spent four years developing the design, coordination, and construction of 10 Hudson Yards tower and podium retail building.

More recently at Snøhetta, John has focused on the design of a new high-rise residential tower, for Extell Development, on West 66th Street in New York City. He worked closely with the developer and executive architects to deliver a unique façade system which integrates dimensioned limestone into a unitized curtain wall system. Currently in construction, the tower will be completed in 2025. In addition to the Extell tower, John has managed the construction of a Far Rockaway Writer’s Library, a ground-up public library created by Snøhetta for Queens Public Library set to be completed in early 2023. He is also currently working on the design and construction of a 2 million square foot research and engineering building for Ford Motor Company in Dearborn Michigan.

Chris O'Hara is a Founding Principal of Studio NYL. Trained as a Structural Engineer, Chris has a passion for Architecture. This passion has fostered the collaborative approach that is a cornerstone of Studio NYL’s collaborative approach to structures and enclosures. Although Studio NYL is recognized for its skins work with cutting-edge glass and glazing, their team also specializes in digitally fabricated metal skins, GFRC, reinforced polymers, stone, ultra high performance concrete, terra cotta, and traditional precast. In addition to the structural aspects of facades, Chris’s focus is on constructability, fabrication and modularity within the Studio.

Chris has served as a board member on the AIA National TAP Committee as well as AIA Board of Directors. Chris has also been a board member of the Native American Sustainable Housing Initiative and participated in lectures with the Carbon Leadership Forum and the BSA’s Embodied Carbon 101 series for both Structure and Façade.

Will Babbington's passion lies in the leveraging of both high- and low-tech methods to merge high performance and high design. As both an architect and an engineer, he has designed award-winning and high performance building enclosures on local, national, and international levels.

Will sits on the Leadership Group of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Building Performance Knowledge Community and serves as an AIA National representative on the ASHRAE’s 90.1 Envelope Subcommittee. He is a leader and active member in other numerous professional organizations such as: National Institute of Building Science (NIBS) where he is the Past Chair of the Building Enclosure Council National, and American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) where he is a voting member on the E06 Performance of Buildings Committee. Will is also a member of the Facade Tectonics Institute's Special Advisory Committee and is a developer/trainer for ASTM/NIBS new Building Enclosure Commissioning (BECx) certificate program.

Danielle Tyson is the Architectural Design Manager covering the New York City area for Guardian Glass. In her current position she works directly with design professionals to assist with project review and provide guidance on glass and glazing selections for large commercial project work to ensure building envelope enclosures meet all aesthetic and performance requirements.

Danielle has worked for Guardian for six years and has developed a strong passion for enhancing façade design. During that time, she has conducted hundreds of consultations on glass selection including bird-friendly glass fundamentals and solutions.

Alan Kinder is the Regional Architectural Manager covering the East Coast for Guardian Glass. In his current position he leads a team of Architectural Design Managers that work directly with design professionals to assist with project review and provide guidance on glass and glazing selections for commercial project work to ensure building envelope enclosures meet all aesthetic and performance requirements. Alan has worked with Guardian glass for 10 years and has also served as Territory Sales Manager and Architectural Design Manager during his tenure. He is a graduate of Clemson University with a degree in Industrial Management and currently lives in Fort Mill, SC.

Alberto Alarcon is the Kuraray Marketing Manager for Kuraray in the Advanced Interlayer Business located in Wilmington, DE. Alberto, through the Trosifol® and Sentryglas® interlayers for laminated glass, helps the Architects, Designers, Facade Consultants, and Engineers to improve the performance of their glass facade in terms of acoustics, aesthetics, structural, and safety requirements. He has over 14 years of experience in the industry including commercial and consulting positions in Mexico and Latin America. He is a Graduate of the ULSA (MX), Chemical Engineering. He has been a key resource for advanced design of building facade elements and is highly skilled in the area of structural glass and interlayers.

Daniel Sutton is a Product Manager within the Marketing and Innovations Group at Vitro Architectural Glass and was formerly the National Architectural Manager for the Great Lakes Region.

Daniel brings years of design and sustainability experience, having worked with stakeholders across all levels from project and program inception through completion. Furthermore, Daniel works across all segments for Vitro Architectural Glass, looking to create value-added solutions for commercial, residential, and specialty business units. He has hosted numerous virtual continuing education courses on low-e coatings and understanding glass performance for Vitro and was a Take 5 presenter at the 2022 BEC in Nashville.

Daniel holds a Bachelor of Architecture from The Pennsylvania State University and an MBA in Sustainable Business Practices from Duquesne University. In previous roles, Sutton has worked in retail design and construction as well as facilities management having been a university sustainability officer focused on implementing solutions to reduce operating costs while reducing environmental footprints.

Christoph Timm is the senior leader of the SOM Enclosure Group in New York and brings 20 years of experience to the team. Raised and educated in Germany his professional career has almost been exclusively based in New York City working on projects ranging from street furniture to supertall skyscrapers around the world. Before joining SOM in 2011, Christoph worked in the offices of James Carpenter and Thomas Phifer studying fine detailing and careful material selection. His interest and expertise lie in designing building enclosures, both in their aesthetic appearance in varying light conditions and their performance throughout the seasons. He takes great interest in efficient assemblies and structures featuring materials and techniques new to the building process. Christoph enjoys facilitating discussions within the glass industry to improve the quality and availability of glass products desired by architects and designers.

Most notable architectural projects in Christoph’s portfolio include 1 World Trade Center in New York City, the North Carolina Museum of Art and the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He is currently working on projects in India, South Korea, China and the US.

Yalin Uluaydin is a Senior Associate and Facade Leader in Eckersley O’Callaghan’s New York office. He has over 18 years’ experience providing facade design and building skin consulting services. Yalin has extensive knowledge of facade structures, building materials, testing, fabrication, procurement and installation for various parts of building enclosure.

Yalin has worked on a number of innovative and award-winning projects in his career to date both in the USA and globally including; LaGuardia Airport, New York, International Spy Museum, Washington D.C., and San Francisco Flower Market. His experience of facade types includes proprietary curtain wall, unitized curtain wall, steel and cable stay facades, glass roofs and atria, cold and heat bent glass, structural glass facades, stone, metal and terracotta cladding, custom brick masonry, GFRC, and ETFE inflated pillow facades.

Mr. Berger has over 24 years of façade project management and engineering experience as both a construction manager and façade contractor on numerous signature New York City structures. In his role as Engineering Manager – Facades - Americas for Lendlease, Mr. Berger oversees all façade functions within the firm’s Americas Region, coordinating efforts nationally and liaising with Lendlease Regional Leaders to ensure façade design, procurement, engineering, innovation, sustainability, installation and safety practices are in accordance with company plans and policies. Mr. Berger’s expertise has been applied to dozens high profile projects throughout the Americas region.

Tali Mejicovsky is an Associate Principal at Arup in New York and Façade Skills Leader across four façade groups in the Americas (Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Toronto). She has more than 20 years of façade experience around the globe, having worked in Australia, Asia, the Middle East, and America. With a background in design and structural engineering, She has expertise through all stages of design and construction and has presented and published widely on the discipline of façade engineering.

Her project typologies have been wide ranging in scale and performance and include humidity sensitive art museums, laboratories, and hospitals, retrofits, renovations, and expansions of existing historic buildings, large transit hubs for rail and airports as well as small, standalone art pieces, handrails, canopies, one-off glazed jewels, and temporary structures. With each project, Tali seeks to optimize the façade to dovetail with the architectural design intent, the multidisciplinary performance requirements, sustainability measures, and the client’s objectives.

François Guillemot has held several management positions in Research & Development for the Building Flat Glass Activity of Saint-Gobain over 10 years: innovation, surface chemistry, wet coatings, process expertize for mirror and laminated glass.

He has recently headed his career towards sustainability starting by a training at Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, and then put into practice by becoming the Program Manager for launching the market’s first low-carbon glass: ORAÉ®.

Michael Buesing, AIA, LEED AP, CPHD, is a Principal at FXCollaborative, a New York City-based architecture, interiors, and planning design firm. With more than 25 years of experience, he is instrumental in the design and coordination of planning, interiors, code, and sustainability strategies. Michael believes that architects are an integral part of sustainable development and that we must always be thinking of how to build buildings that help the environment. He advocates for the research and application of advanced building enclosure technologies that lead to energy-use reduction—as well as a reassessment of existing, traditional materials. Michael earned his Bachelor of Architecture from University of Texas at Austin, is a registered architect in New York, and is a LEED Accredited Professional and Certified Passive House Designer.

John is responsible for Accsys Group Sales, managing a team across the globe. Following degrees in Forestry and Forest Products from University of Wales, Bangor and an MSc in Timber Engineering from the University of Maine, USA, John's career in the wood product industry started in the technical arena as Composite Products Technical Manager for Jeld-Wen, USA, the world's largest manufacturer of windows and doors. The role encompassed improving and optimising product performance from technical and environmental measures. He then moved to BSW Timber, the largest forestry and sawmilling Group in the UK and worked extensively on both modified wood and home grown timber products before joining Accsys in 2010 as Head of Product Development and shortly after, joining the companies Senior Management Team. In 2015 John took on responsibility for Group Sales.

Philipp Hofmann is the Managing Partner at HOFMANN FAÇADES GROUP. He has over 20 years of experience in the façades and construction industry, gaining knowledge and experience both domestically and abroad in the design, manufacturing, unitization and installation of primarily opaque façades covering a wide range of materials from natural stone, brick, terra-cotta to ultra-high-performance concrete as architectural precast.

For the last 15 years Philipp has been a regular speaker on the use, design and adoption of ultra-high performance concrete technology at the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and other conventions, and has pioneered the use of UHPC for a variety of applications, ranging from anti-terror force protection to innovative structural and architectural uses including most recently as substrate for stone, terra-cotta and brick façade panels.

Architect and team leader, Vice President Ross Cameron, creates environments for learning, living, and working. Recent work includes Boston University’s Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre and College of Fine Arts Production Center, University of Southern Maine Portland Commons Residence Hall and Career & Student Success Center, currently under construction and the recently completed Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport.

A member of the Boston Preservation Alliance’s Board of Directors, Ross’ integration of historical buildings with contemporary design is central to much of his work—including the repositioning of Emerson College’s Little Building.

Ross is a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, and the Society for College and University Planning.

Hauke Jungjohann has more than 20 years of international practical experience as a civil engineer and architect in the world's most innovative companies in the industry. In leadership positions at Buro Happold, Thornton Tomasetti and Knippers Helbig, he has worked with architects such as Bjarke Ingels, Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry, Grimshaw and Herzog & de Meuron.

His expertise includes materials science, parametric design, form finding, and digital information transfer throughout the design and construction process. A major focus of his work is materials research, resulting in the development of innovative façade solutions. His passions are projects that bring together engineering challenges with strong aesthetics and sustainable climate performance, customized software solutions in the design process, the creation of cooperative team structures, and interdisciplinary collaborations with project partners from business, art and science.

Hauke Jungjohann regularly speaks at international conferences and has taught in the U.S. and Europe at Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), ETH Zurich, the University of Stuttgart, and the Technical University of Braunschweig.

Since establishing ODA in 2007, Eran Chen has earned a reputation for mold-breaking designs that will deliver a better urban future. Having completed more than 50 buildings in just over a decade, he has become one of the most prolific architects in New York. Eran's work has been widely published around the world and recognized by the AIA, the Society of American Registered Architects and others. He is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, teaching Design by Development. His recent projects include the renovation of the former Postkantoor in Rotterdam, an urban plan in Chicago, and the conversion of a defunct parking garage into a public park and class A office building in Buenos Aires. His writings on architecture have been published in ODA’s book, Unboxing New York.

Guy Tremblay, Professional Engineer, graduated from Laval University in 2001, began his career in the precast concrete and building science industry over 20 years ago. His early years in the field has been dedicated to quality assurance management, project management, sales and estimation, which allowed him to acquire significant knowledge regarding the properties and capabilities of precast concrete both at the plant and on site. He currently holds the position of CEO, of a new precast concrete producer called SWBV. Guy also worked as Vice President in the window and curtain wall industry leading the departments of sales and estimating. With this expertise, he actively participated in over 1500 projects related to building envelop in Montreal, Quebec, Ottawa, Boston and New York in the institutional, industrial, commercial and multi housing sectors.

With over 20 years of building envelope expertise, Mr. Popadynec’s breadth of his experience spans consulting, design, testing, manufacturing, installation, special inspection and rehabilitation, with a focus primarily on new construction.

Assisting clients from the conceptual stages of a project through completion, he has participated in laboratory mock-ups where wall specimens were tested for air/water infiltration, high wind loading, extreme seismic movement and blast resistance. He has also investigated facade-related failures on several iconic buildings. Mr. Popadynec has a sound understanding of various technologies and how to combine them into a robust, economical and sustainable enclosure. He provides value-added ideas, up-to-date industry knowledge and a practical know-how gained from years on project sites.

A skilled communicator and thoughtful leader, Mr. Popadynec’s promotion to Director of New Construction Facades in 2016 allows him to showcase his effectiveness of managing a team of over 40 consultants and inspectors. He is currently a part of several technical committees that are developing the next generation of industry standards and building codes.

Charlotte Escudier has been a Senior Project Manager at Werner Sobek New York since 2020. She also worked for 8 years at Eckersley O’Callaghan New York and has more than ten years of experience designing high end structural glass projects, facades and structures. Charlotte has collaborated with outstanding architects and clients and has managed projects from the early design stage to construction administration. She has worked with a wide range of materials including wood, steel, glass and composite materials. She has a master degree in Structural Engineering from the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris/France.

Cori Kwitkin, PE, LEED Green Associate is Associate Principal at Hatfield Group. She has over two decades of experience in structural design, analysis, and project management on buildings ranging from super-talls, hospitality developments, and restaurants to stadiums and academic hubs. She has managed award-winning projects around the world, including the Seoul International Finance Center in Seoul, South Korea, a 5.4-million-square-foot mixed-use development including three Grade A-office towers, a five-star hotel, and seven levels of below-grade parking and retail. Other notable projects of hers include the 190-meter tall Socar Tower in Baku, Azerbaijan; Hotel Crescent in Baku, Azerbaijan; the Advanced Surgical Pavilion at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York; and 30 Hudson Street, the Jersey City headquarters of leading global investment firm Goldman Sachs.

A Halio, Inc board member since 2015, Bruce Sohn was most recently the CEO of Siva Power. Prior to that, he led First Solar’s rise from start-up to the world’s largest solar manufacturer and utility systems contractor with $3.2 billion a year in revenue. Bruce began his career at Intel after graduating with an engineering degree from MIT, playing a leadership role in developing and manufacturing semiconductor technologies for 25 years.

Erik Verboon is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of the Walter P Moore New York office. Trained in both architecture and engineering, Erik brings a deep global experience with a focus on the design of complex and high performance building envelopes for a wide range of building types.

He has experience working with a wide variety of façade applications including high-performance double skin façades, geometrically complex composite façades, and custom unitized enclosures for both new buildings and existing building retrofits and extensions. His experience in digital design, geometric rationalization and environmental analysis allows him to bring the highest level of value to his clients, helping designers deliver projects to the highest level of design sophistication while maximizing performance and minimizing cost.

His portfolio expresses both national and international work with extensive experience in the New York market, bringing expertise in buildings old and new, across academic, commercial and cultural sectors. In addition to Erik’s professional accolades, he also teaches enclosure design at a number of leading universities.

Scott Rutledge is the Marketing Leader for the Anchoring Business Unit at Hilti North America. At Hilti, he also managed the Façade business development functions associated with Hilti Anchor Channel and spent 3 years in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Division Manager of Technical Services covering California, Oregon, and Washington.

Scott graduated with a Masters and Bachelor Degrees in Civil Engineering from Oklahoma State University and has 17 years of experience in the construction industry. He worked at Carter and Burgess and DR Horton Homes in Dallas Fort Worth Area doing large scale land development projects before joining Hilti as a Field Engineer in 2009.

Scott’s broad experience A&E consulting, ownership position, product marketing and product development has helped him to understand the value of strong partnerships between product manufacturers, consultants and contractors.

Jesus Barreda joined Hilti North America in 2014 as a Facade Structural Engineer II. Eighteen months later, he was promoted to Facade Structural Engineer III. From 2018-2019, he led the Hilti Facade Steuctural Engineering team where he also worked closely with marketing and global teams.

Jesus holds a Bachelor and Master's degree in civil engineering with structural emphasis from the University of Cincinnati and an MBA from the Washington State University.

As AECOM Tishman’s Senior Project Manager, Samaneh leads the curtain wall trade and complex structures where curtain wall and structural steel are highly integrated. She was the lead on managing the engineering and fabrication of 30 Hudson Yards Observation Deck and is currently overseeing curtain wall trade at One Madison Ave project. She manages all work related to curtain wall including pre-construction, design, scheduling, construction and cost control.

Coming from a background in Architectural Engineering and Sustainable Glass Façade Systems Design, her goal is to further develop her skills in interconnectedness of glazed building structural systems with sustainability and combine that with her passion in getting more young females involved with the diligent and elegant glass façade systems in the building industry.

Samaneh holds a Bachelor of Architectural Engineering, major in Structural, and a Masters in Architectural Engineering, major in Sustainable Glass Façade Systems, from the ABET Accredited Eastern Mediterranean University in Cyprus, and a Masters in Construction Management and MBA from Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA.

A LEED® Accredited Professional, Stanley is a building design and construction specialist for Dow. He has over 25 years experience in the global building enclosure industry working in curtain wall and exterior cladding contracting, as well as providing construction industry stakeholders with independent façade consulting expertise. Stanley’s specialties include: building enclosure design and construction practices, and performance consulting for air-water-vapor-thermal resistant design concepts and practices. He holds a Building Engineering degree from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. Stanley has previously served on the Board of Directors of the National Glass Association and currently also serves as a technical advisor and delegate on various ASTM and ISO technical committees.