Towards Zero Carbon 2025: Speakers and Agenda
Schedule
Symposium - A Future Vision for Sustainable Structural Design
The Symposium will share an inspiring vision for the structural engineering profession as it moves towards zero carbon, with practical and justified optimism, looking beyond today and envisioning the sustainable landscape in 15 years. We will explore novel and innovative approaches to addressing structural embodied carbon - from new materials to new approaches to design. We will hear perspectives from outside the structural engineering profession on the future of embodied carbon and how structural engineers can engage with partners working towards a zero carbon built environment.
Introduction - Towards Zero Carbon: A Roadmap for the Structural Engineering Profession
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 9 a.m.
Speakers: Jerome Hajjar & Jennifer Goupil
Session 1 - Motivating a Sustainable Future: Market Drivers, Regulation, and Incentives
Time: 9 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
This session will present a 15-year vision for embodied carbon policy and market incentives across federal, state, and local levels, exploring how both regulatory and voluntary mechanisms can drive progress. It will include an overview of emerging and evolving policy drivers, as well as the role of private market mechanisms such as financing tools, certification systems, and environmental attribute certificates (EACs), and will examine how these forces might evolve over time to accelerate meaningful impact.
Speaker: Anish Tilak
Session 2 - Building a Sustainable Future: Perspectives from Across the Industry
Time: 9:30 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
This session will offer a forward-looking exploration of the sustainable practices that developers, architects, and contractors will likely adopt within the next 15 years. The panel will delve into the primary factors influencing and motivating owners and the industry to prioritize sustainability, and how these changes will shape the future of the built environment.
Moderator: Erika Winters Downey
Speakers: Kjell Anderson, Amanda Kaminsky, Iris Loureiro
Break
Time 10:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Session 3 - The Future of Building Materials
Time: 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
This session will explore the cutting-edge materials and products that will shape the future of sustainable structural engineering. Discover the innovative materials that will revolutionize the construction industry and learn how to navigate the challenges and opportunities they present.
Speakers: John Kevern, Kim Olson, Will Lepry
Session 4 - Structural Design - Visions for the Future of Digital Design
Time: 11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
This session will feature industry experts discussing their vision for the future of sustainable structural design. We will explore how the structural engineering profession and practice may evolve over the next 15 years to address our environmental impact. Attendees will learn about new design goals and parameters to meet future sustainability requirements.
Speakers: Laura Karnath, Ian MacFarlane, Sheng Zheng
Embodied Carbon Bootcamp
Day 1: Thursday, June 26th
Day one of the bootcamp will focus on ensuring all attendees are fluent in the language of embodied carbon. Through a combination of lecture-style instruction and interactive workshops, attendees will learn the fundamentals of embodied carbon and best practices for incorporating embodied carbon measurement and reduction strategies into their designs. Come to the Session 5 with a project that you want to measure the embodied carbon of!
Morning (8:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.)
- Session 1: Embodied Carbon 101 for Structural Engineers
- Session 2: How to Calculate Embodied Carbon
- Session 3: Using EC3 and Environmental Product Declarations
Lunch (12:15 p.m.- 1 p.m.)
Afternoon (1 p.m. - 5 p.m.)
- Session 4: Embodied Carbon Workflows
- Session 5: Calculating the Embodied Carbon of a Structural System
- Session 6: Design Strategies to Reduce Embodied Carbon
Welcome Reception & SE 2050 Recognition Program (5 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.)
Day 2: Friday, June 27th
Day two of the bootcamp will bring attendees up to speed with the latest best practices for addressing embodied carbon as a structural engineer. Topics will include specifications, insights into the forthcoming SEI Prestandard for assessing embodied carbon and what structural engineers need to know about policy.
Symposium (8:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.)
Lunch (12 p.m. - 1 p.m.)
Afternoon (1 p.m. - 5 p.m.)
- Session 7: Reductions through Specifications
- Session 8: Policy: What do Structural Engineers Need to Know?
- Session 9: Using the SEI Prestandard for Assessing Embodied Carbon
SE 2050 Signatory Summit
The SE 2050 Program is fueled by the energy and vision of its participants. Learn and engage with the latest updates from Program working groups and Signatory Recognition honorees.
The Signatory Summit will be the gathering point of industry professionals to discuss and shape the direction of the Program, and with it the momentum of the structural engineering industry, for the year to come.
Day 1: Thursday, June 26th
Morning (8:30 a.m.-12 p.m.)
- Session 1: Education
- SE 2050: New Program Resources (Jessica Martinez, DCI Engineers)
- Signatory Spotlight: Education (Corey Beck, Degenkolb)
- Peer Firm Collaboration
- Session 2: Advocacy
- SE 2050: Existing and Emerging Policy Overview (Charlotte Ochoa, DCI Engineers)
- Signatory Spotlight: Advocacy (Daniella Blyakhman, Walter P Moore)
- Workshop Introduction
Lunch & Flex Time (12 p.m.- 1:45 p.m.)
Afternoon (1:45 p.m.-5 p.m.)
- Session 3: Database and Reporting
- SE 2050: Database 2.0 and Reporting Updates (Zach Chabot, Thornton Tomasetti)
- Signatory Spotlight: Reporting (Jaklyn Lee, HOK)
- Workshop Deep Dive
- Day 1 Report Out
Welcome Reception & SE 2050 Recognition Program (5 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.)
Day 2: Friday, June 27th
Day 2 will focus on the direction and future of the Program. The morning symposium will inspire Signatories, and we’ll spend the rest of the day assessing progress towards the mission and vision of SE 2050 as well as determining changes to it.
Symposium (8:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.)
Lunch (12 p.m. - 1 p.m.)
Afternoon (1 p.m. - 5 p.m.)
- Session 4: Reduction
- SE 2050: Annual Report and Program Mechanics (Annabel Shephard, PCS Structural)
- Signatory Spotlight: Reduction (Briana Pina, HKS)
- Program Requirements: Vision for the Future
- Day 2 Report Out
Firm Leader Round Table
Day 1: Thursday, June 26th
Welcome Reception & SE 2050 Recognition Program (5 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.)
Day 2: Thursday, June 27th
Symposium (8:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.)
Lunch (12 p.m. - 1 p.m.)
Afternoon (2 p.m. - 5 p.m.)
- Topics 1 & 2: TBD
- Topics 3 & 4: TBD