Past CLF Washington DC Events

Jeremy Betts with Lehigh Hanson joins the CLF DC Hub for a discussion on Portland Limestone Cement and it's benefits for low-carbon construction.

The Rocky Mountain Institute joins the CLF DC Hub to discuss decarbonization of the cement and concrete sector and select low-carbon concrete strategies from the RMI Concrete Solutions Guide.

Join the CLF DC Hub and team members of the 80 M Street Mass Timber project for a presentation on design approach, sustainability, procurement, scheduling, and more! Lauren Wingo (Arup), Jason Wright (Hickok Cole), and Sean Fox (DAVIS) will walk us through the innovative Washington, DC project.

Kristina Miele (Fast + Epp) joins CLF DC for a discussion on Mass Timber! Kristina is an Associate at Fast + Epp’s New York office. She has worked on a variety of public, commercial, and residential projects, including the 9-story CLT and Glulam "Intro" building currently in design in Cleveland, Ohio; one of the first buildings to adapt the 2021 Tallwood Provisions in IBC. She also acts as a Visiting Professor at the Pratt Graduate School of Architecture and Parsons, where she works with students to integrate structure into innovative architectural concepts. Kristina is passionate about sustainability in design and developing an understanding of the environmental costs of construction materials and systems, which has been illustrated by her leadership of the New York chapter of the Carbon Leadership Forum. She also leads the Embodied Carbon sub-committee for AIA NY’s Committee on The Environment.

In Part 2 of our series on Reducing Embodied Carbon in Design, we will focus on Process and Strategy. Chris Chatto and Baha Sadreddin (ZGF Architects) will kick us off on their experience and process working through projects with a focus on embodied carbon and life-cycle assessments. Michael Cropper (Thornton Tomasetti) will then dive into some structural strategies to reduce embodied carbon in design. The event will end with a discussion and Q&A session with the speakers. Chris Flint Chatto is a principal and high-performance building specialist at ZGF. He focuses on integrating architectural design and building systems, working closely with project teams throughout all phases of a project to explore, identify and integrate sustainable design components, and optimize for building and occupant performance. He has taught climate responsive design, net zero energy, and integrated design studios at the University of Oregon, University of Washington, and Portland State University. His recent Rocky Mountain Institute Innovation Center project has been hailed as one of the highest performing buildings in the U.S., achieving Living Building Challenge petal certification with Net Zero Energy, and LEED Platinum certification, while operating “net positive.” Current projects in design include the PAE Living Building and two carbon-neutral central utility plants. Baha Sadreddin is a high-performance design specialist at ZGF Architects. He focuses on climate-responsive optimization through quantitative simulations and is interested in an integrated approach that leads to a meaningful balance between the quantitative performance and the qualitative essence of design. Baha has been integral to the development of ZGF’s life-cycle assessment tools and workflows to analyze carbon in concrete mixtures and envelope assemblies. His fluency with LCA modeling helps provide a deep understanding of applying low-embodied carbon strategies to ZGF’s designs. Baha received a Master in Design Studies in Energy and Environments from Harvard University (GSD), took graduate courses in Building Technology at MIT, and holds a Bachelor of Architecture from University of Oregon. Michael Cropper is a structural engineer with Thornton Tomasetti in their Washington, DC, office. He has over thirteen years of experience designing structures for commercial, retail, residential, hospital, government and cultural projects. Mr. Cropper also gained an increased awareness of global design and construction practices by working for four years in Thornton Tomasetti’s UAE offices. He is currently the project manager for the structural design of a large commercial office complex that is targeting significant reductions in embodied carbon.

CLF DC - Reducing Embodied Carbon in Design Pt. 1 (April 16, 2021) Benchmarking, Timeline, and SE 2050 This will be the first of a two-part series on the strategies and tools for addressing embodied carbon in design. Lauren Wingo (Arup) and Kirsten Smith (Sustainable Building Partners) will join us for Part 1, focusing on benchmarking, timeline, and The Structural Engineering Institute's SE 2050. Lauren Wingo is a licensed structural engineer in Arup’s Washington, DC office. She is a regional expert in structural sustainability and applies this knowledge to her projects, focusing on reinvigorating existing building assets and utilizing low embodied carbon structural materials. Her project work ranges from a mass timber high school gymnasium to a large-scale adaptive reuse project. Lauren serves on the Structural Engineering Institute's Sustainability Committee and leads the database development effort for the SE 2050 Commitment Program. Lauren is a member of the District of Columbia Construction Codes Coordinating Board Structural Task Group where she supports efforts to review and update local building codes. Lauren has a degree in Civil Engineering from Johns Hopkins University and a Master’s in Civil Engineering from George Washington University. Kirsten Smith is a Sustainable Program Specialist at Sustainable Building Partners (SBP) where she consults on green building projects in the DMV area and beyond. She has jump-started the Life-Cycle Assessment services at SBP and works to educate, benchmark, guide, and reduce the environmental impact associated with material choices in the built environment. She is also a co-chair of the new CLF Washington DC Hub, with which she hopes to bring industry professionals together to discuss and tackle the problems associated with embodied carbon locally. Kirsten has a degree in Construction Engineering and Management from Virginia Tech.

CLF DC - Low Carbon Concrete (February 12, 2021) We're excited to kick off our CLF DC speaker series with a focus on low carbon concrete! Teck Chua (Vulcan Materials Company), Eric Dunford (CarbonCure Technologies), and Michael Cropper (Thornton Tomasetti) will join us to discuss concrete basics and the strategies, materials, and technologies available in the DC area to reduce embodied carbon in concrete. The event will end with a Q&A session. Teck Chua is the Director of Technical Services at Vulcan Materials Company ready mixed concrete division servicing the markets in Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Maryland. Teck’s duties include concrete product research and development, concrete troubleshooting, and QC/QA. An ACI Fellow, Teck is a Professional Engineer registered in VA, DC, and MD. He is a voting member of ACI 301 Specifications for Structural Concrete, ACI 207 Mass and Thermally controlled Concrete, ACI 211 Proportions for Concrete, and the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association Research, Engineering, and Standards Committee. Teck’s 36-year industry experience includes precast, prestressed, and ready-mixed concrete. Teck is a graduate of Purdue University, where he received both a bachelor’s and a master's degree in Civil Engineering. Eric Dunford is the Director of Sustainability at CarbonCure Technologies. In this role, he works with partners in the design and construction community to drive the adoption of low-carbon concrete materials options and solutions. Eric also leads CarbonCure’s regulatory and government relations efforts and is an expert on embodied carbon policy issues. Based in Toronto, Eric holds graduate degrees in business and science from the University of Waterloo and Dalhousie University. Michael Cropper is a structural engineer with Thornton Tomasetti in their Washington, DC, office. He has over thirteen years of experience designing structures for commercial, retail, residential, hospital, government and cultural projects. Mr. Cropper also gained an increased awareness of global design and construction practices by working for four years in Thornton Tomasetti’s UAE offices. He is currently the project manager for the structural design of a large commercial office complex that is targeting significant reductions in embodied carbon.