Keep it Green. Keep it Real. Keep it Short.
COTE Committee presents at Firm Talk series "You've Got 5 Minutes Kid"
On Monday, September 16th the AIA Dallas Committee on the Environment presented at Firm Talk series' “You’ve Got 5 Minutes Kid.” The presenters had a wide range of topics, but all shared the common theme of sustainability and a focus on the environment. We were told to “Keep it Green. Keep it Real. Keep it Short.”
Presenters
Mary Dickinson, Assoc. AIA – Perkins+Will
Patrick Jones, AIA – Smith Group
Louis Sierra, AIA – Beck Architecture
Tricia Loe – Quest Sustainability
Ellen Mitchell, AIA – HKS
Laura Eder, AIA – GFF
Beth Brant, AIA – BRW
Sam Watkins, AIA – Corgan
Mary Dickinson was the first presenter and her key topic was Burden. She discussed how much time we spend indoors and the very few banned toxic chemicals in the indoor atmosphere. Mary stated that, as designers, we should respond to the information we have and not design unhealthy buildings. Patrick Jones presented the topic Breathe. He discussed flame retardant materials and promoted assemblies that don’t utilize harmful chemicals. Louis Sierra’s topic, Renewal, explored how the greenest building is the one that is already built. Tricia Loe presented her Zero Waste experiment and encouraged the audience to start their own recycle and compost bins.
After the break, Ellen Mitchell presented her topic Impact and discussed how the Social Environmental Economic Design (SEED) Newowrk expands the definition of sustainability. I presented the opportunity for a sustainability rating to Change the way we look at a rating system using a case study of the Green Globes certification on the Perot Museum of Nature and Science when compared to LEED. Beth Brant stated that the IgCC is Imminent and that everyone should just sit down and read it. Sam Watkins presented Relationships and the importance of understanding the life cycle analysis of a building or equipment and how your personal relationships can directly affect them.
Thank you to all who attended the presentation! If you are interested in getting involved, we hope you will join our next COTE meeting at the DCFA!
Talk About It
This was a blast to present at and I hope that all that attended walked away with a little more knowledge and inspiration.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge, Patrick and Laura. Looking forward to what COTE does in 2014!