Lecture/Presentation

Material Transparency: The Evolution of an Industry

August 8, 2013 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

• Where: Syska Hennessy, 1515 Broadway (15th Floor), New York, NY 10036
• Hosted by: Urban Green Council
• Go to event website »

How can we tell the environmental impact of a material if we don’t know what it’s made of? Designers, manufacturers and chemists are shifting to an era of transparency, partially induced by health and environmental concerns. Still, even once the material make-up is known, there may only be limited knowledge of its impact. How can we be sure a product is safe for those who extract, manufacture, install, maintain or use a product? Two positions currently dominate the conversation; one is founded on the precautionary principal, while the other is based on an assessment of risk and exposure to a material.   Our panelists will describe the evolution of transparency in materials, explain how the concept is being applied within the industry and discuss anticipated future trends. Case studies will be presented to illustrate how material transparency is impacting actual projects during the design, material specification and construction phases.   MODERATOR   Tiffany Broyles Yost | Director of Programs, Urban Green Council   Tiffany has been involved in the research, design, and development of green building and master planning projects for over 10 years. As the Director of Programs, she is responsible for developing educational programs for the green building community and promoting green building in and around New York City. Prior to joining Urban Green, Tiffany was an Associate Principal at Kohn Pedersen Fox. Trained as an architect, she led KPF’s global Environmental Network providing sustainable design strategies for a variety of commercial office, residential, academic, and mixed-use projects.   SPEAKERS   Michael Fletcher | Senior Advisor, BASF Corporation   As the Senior Advisor of the Center for Building Excellence at BASF, Michael works with architects, engineers, and construction professionals, leveraging BASF’s global network of expertise to accelerate the adoption of sustainable, affordable solutions for design and construction challenges. As one of the first LEED APs in the cement industry, Michael served on the Board of the Urban Green Council and has been nationally recognized for his efforts to promote sustainable development and affordable housing.   Chris Garvin | Partner, Terrapin Bright Green   A partner at Terrapin Bright Green, Chris serves as a project lead for many of Terrapin’s consulting engagements while also managing projects for Cook+Fox Architects, where he is a Senior Associate. His interests include high-performance design at both the building and community scale, zero energy communities, biomimicry, and water conservation. Since moving to New York in 1998, he has specialized in environmental architecture and materials research, while serving on numerous advisory boards and in organizations that advocate for sustainability in design, including the Board of Directors for Urban Green Council.   Amanda Kaminsky | Sustainable Construction Manager, The Durst Organization   At The Durst Organization, Amanda currently collaborates with Construction Management, Contractors, Manufacturers, and Consultants to optimize materials procurement and handling for improved performance and health in design, construction, and ongoing operations for existing and new construction projects. She is currently focused on completion of The New School University Center, and design and construction of 855 Avenue of the Americas and 625 West 57th Street. Amanda is Vice Chair of the Health Product Declaration Collaborative Board, which oversees the HPD open standard format for reporting transparent building product content and associated health data.   Caspar Wagner | Google Green Team Design and Construction Lead, Google, Inc.   Caspar works to improve peoples’ relationships with the built environment as the Green Team Design and Construction Lead across Google’s global real estate portfolio. With 11 years of experience in the design and construction industry as a general contractor, design build project manager, LEED administrator, and owner, he is focused on developing building performance and outcome based metrics to maximize user experience, health, and sustainability while freeing design and building professionals to find the most creative and cost effective solutions possible.   SCHEDULE 6:00 – 6:30pm Registration and Reception 6:30 – 8:00pm Presentation and Panel Discussion

Back to all events