Sustainable Building Week 2022

For the fifth year, Sustainable Building Week (SBW) 2022 is coming to Portland (October 10-15) with a diverse slate of events covering electrification, making our communities more resilient to wildfires and social equity to name a few topics.  Events are open to architects, interior designers, developers, general contractors, sub-contractors, and anyone interested in learning, connecting, and building collaborations with others in the industry.

“There are so many things we’ve been able to achieve in just five years’ time,” said Webly Bowles, co-founder of Sustainable Building Week. “We’ve become a stable and trusty event that Oregonians are counting on year after year.”

Since its first year in 2018, Sustainable Building Week has hosted 108 events for an estimated 2,500 attendees, despite the impact brought on by a global pandemic. Unlike a typical conference that’s organized by one planning committee, Sustainable Building Week offers a platform for multiple collaborators to design their own events as part of the week-long series. It’s also entirely volunteer-run.

This past spring, organizers launched a companion event called Sustainable Building Monthly.  This event takes place on the second Tuesday of each month from 5-7pm at Portland’s most sustainable commercial office space — the PAE Living Building.

Bowles says a top achievement has been the cross-organization collaboration she’s witnessed every year. This October, for example, Oregon Green Schools and the local chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects will be holding an event together.

Sustainable Building Week is supported by a broad network of organizations and businesses that are working daily to improve our state’s social inequities and environment, they include:

AIA Oregon, Oregon Green Schools, Portland Materials Transparency Collaborative, Solar Oregon, the Carbon Leadership Forum, Passive House NW, Women in Sustainable Endeavors, Electrify Now, the ZERO Coalition, Aris Hydronics, Bassetti Architects, Birdsmouth Design-Build, BORA, BRIC Architecture, Brightworks Sustainability, CLEAResult, Gensler, Glumac, Intertek, Lever Architecture, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, PAE, Portland General Electric, Resilient Framing Systems, SERA Architects, Skanska, Sustainable Northwest Wood, and Walsh Construction.

Events will start on Monday, October 10 with AIA COTE’s Green Champions Summit from 12 to 1:30pm.  Most events are free, but registration is recommended.  To see the full list events and get registered please go to: www.sustainablebuildingweek.com

Public Art and the Community Event at Opsis Architecture - Oct 7th

Opsis Architecture invites you to an evening where everyone's creativity is welcome.

The evening will begin with an art-based workshop where participants will devise a collective tapestry together. They will explore themes of connection and memory through various media stations: watercolor, graphite, found objects and more! The crowd-sourced mosaic will be displayed in the Opsis 920 gallery and will be followed by a panel that will discuss the role of interactive public art and how it can foster meaningful human connections.

The panel will discuss the role of interactive public art and how it can foster meaningful human connections. They will discuss various layers of the process, from community building, participation, collaboration, and involvement, along with a presentation of the project: from developing the concept, music, and graphics, storyboarding, animation, and augmented reality to the final execution of the mural and the public unveiling at Pride 2022.

They'll also talk about how the mural was received, and what they hope to accomplish in the future.

This discussion is for anyone interested in mural-making, LGBTQIA+ community involvement, and augmented reality!

Speakers:

  • Ridan Arellano Artist, mural designer

  • G. Stewart Animator, AIGA mentee

  • Crystal Meneses Director at Activate Arts

  • Garth Klippert Principal at XGSDX, Senior Designer at OMFGCO, AIGA mentor

Meet the 2022 Oregon Architecture Awards Jurors

As the 2022 OAA entry deadline approaches, please get to know the jurors who will be viewing, discussing, and awarding your projects.

Suchi Reddy, AIA – Jury Chair

This year’s OAA Jury Chair was also keynote speaker for ODC 2022, where she delivered a compelling presentation on neuroaesthetics and the importance of “carefully calibrated” spaces to positively influence wellbeing, creativity, and productivity. She is the founder of Reddymade,  a human-centric design firm, dedicated to celebrating diversity and equality, as well as addressing the economic, social, environmental and cultural impacts architecture on both the user and the planet.

She sits on the boards of the Design Trust for Public Space, Storefront for Art and Architecture, and Madame Architect; and she is a member of the Dean's Board of Advisors at University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture.

 

Hana Kassem, AIA, LEED AP, WELL AP
Principal, KPF

Hana Kassem is a Principal at Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates with more than 25 years of experience as an architect leading the design of projects in the US and across the world. Hana has been focused on people’s experience and perception of the built environment for a variety of typologies including academic, research, cultural, hospitality, residential and commercial mixed-use projects - with current work in Brazil, USA, France, the Philippines and China. (link to full bio on web)

 

Vivian Lee, FAIA, LEED AP
Design Director | Gensler

Vivian Lee is an accomplished architect of more than 30 years, translating design excellence to communities around the world. As Design Director at Gensler, she leads creative vision with aesthetically balanced, practical solutions that drive sustainability and human-centric spaces across commercial, residential, education, and cultural projects. With her career success, Vivian’s passion for design is seen in her work, and in her mentorship of students and emerging architects. (link to full bio on web)

Please join us in thanking our jurors for volunteering their time and energy to review, discuss, and ultimately award the projects entered into the 2022 OAA program. Best of luck!