Re-use &
Renewal

• Dionne Darling
  VP, Brand Partnerships
  Architect's Newspaper

  Dionne Darling

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  Dionne Darling has been with The A|N Media Group for over six years. As A|N’s Associate Publisher, she manages A|N’s Texas headquarters and handles accounts in the West, Southwest and Europe territories. Dionne has over 28 years of direct B2B sales, management and business development experience.

Fundamental to the work of Hany Hassan, FAIA is respect for the historic, cultural, and civic significance of a place. It requires humility and empathy to explore these layers, to discover the intent of past designers, and to successfully integrate the contemporary with the historic. In this discussion, and anticipating that future generations will further embrace the potential of existing buildings, Hany will challenge preservationists to reframe their relationship with buildings and locate themselves on a multi-generation continuum of building stewardship. After all, in ensuring the long-term preservation of built environments, designers must consider today’s goals and the future’s unknowable aspirations.

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  Keynote
  Hany Hassan, FAIA
  Partner
  Beyer Blinder Belle

  Hany Hassan, FAIA

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  Hany Hassan, FAIA has served as a committed steward of Washington DC’s cultural and architectural heritage throughout a 35 year career. As Partner-in-Charge of Beyer Blinder Belle’s DC Office, he has revitalized numerous historic buildings and sites of civic importance throughout the nation’s capital including the Old Post Office and the Historic DC Courthouse. Currently, he is directing Historic Preservation for the Union Station Expansion Plan.

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  Moderator
  Samuel Medina
  Executive Editor
  The Architect’s Newspaper

  Samuel Medina

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  Samuel Medina is the executive editor of The Architect’s Newspaper. He was previously the editorial director of Metropolis magazine. As a writer, his work has been published in art and architecture magazines such as Artforum, the Art Newspaper, and Domus, among others. He recently edited a monograph on the architect Eric Owen Moss, due out this year.

The urban renewal era and its emphasis on car culture led to the destruction or abandonment of America's great rail terminals. A renewed interest in recent years for the architectural gems, and their catalytic role in revitalizing urban areas and transit networks, is driving massive restoration projects. This panel will examine two such campaigns; the recently completed Moynihan Train Hall, which transformed the Farley Post Office into a state-of-the-art Amtrak station and office building; and the ongoing restoration work of the Michigan Central Station in Detroit.

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  Speaker
  Marla Gayle
  Director
  SOM

  Marla Gayle

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  As a director in SOM’s New York office, Marla Gayle brings more than two decades of experience dedicated to the programming, planning, and project management of large-scale transportation and infrastructure programs, including state-of-the-art airports, light and heavy rail systems, and ferry terminals. She is passionate about the role of transit architecture in creating sustainable cities — improving the way we live and work, and creating gateways that connect us to new places, experiences, and ideas. Most recently, she served as project manager for the $1.6 billion transformation of McKim, Mead & White’s James Farley Post Office into the new Moynihan Train Hall.

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  Speaker
  Brian Falconer
  Principal
  Severud Associates

  Brian Falconer

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  Brian Falconer joined Severud Associates in 1990 and has been a principal since 2007, and is a Past-President of the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY).

  Brian’s body of work includes museums, athletic facilities, academic buildings, research facilities, medical complexes, transportation facilities, and commercial, residential, and retail developments. His industry reputation is for completing complex projects with renowned architects.

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  Speaker
  Angela Wyrembelski
  Associate
  Quinn Evans

  Angela Wyrembelski

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  Angela Wyrembelski, an associate at Quinn Evans, is highly skilled at the technical aspects of preserving and restoring historic masonry building envelopes. She excels at helping clients and teams restore historic buildings to withstand and perform at current standards over the long term. Her understanding of building technology is focused on a transformational commitment to historic places – redefining their relevance, utility, and flexibility while sustaining and enhancing essential beauty and value.

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  Speaker
  Richard Hess
  Principal
  Quinn Evans

  Richard Hess

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  Richard Hess is a Principal at Quinn Evans and has directed a wide range of custom and high-profile projects, including Ford’s Michigan Central Station and the United States Court of Appeals Sixth Circuit. He is experienced in crafting innovative development strategies that foster economic growth and revitalize local neighborhoods. He is skilled in facilitating complex renovations with large project teams and has a considerable background in master planning, programming, conditions assessment, and risk management. Richard is responsible for managing QE’s Detroit office and the firm’s urban development work.

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  Speaker
  Jeff Greene
  Executive Chairman & Founder
  Evergreene

  Jeff Greene

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  Jeff Greene is an artist, innovator, and the Executive Chairman and Founder of EverGreene Architectural Arts. His interests in history, public art and mankind’s use of ornament fueled his creation of a company devoted to the preservation of architectural legacy in communities throughout the nation. Under Jeff’s guidance, EverGreene has grown from the small painting studio it was in 1978, to one of the leading specialty contractors in the United States.

  Jeff earned his BFA at the Art Institute of Chicago and received a Fresco Scholarship to the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture. Formally educated as an artist and muralist, he has continued studying with aging masters across the globe. Today he is recognized as one of the country’s foremost experts in both traditional and innovative mural, ornamental plaster, and decorative finishes techniques. He has spearheaded EverGreene’s large-scale conservation, restoration, and new design work on national treasures such as the Chrysler Building, Radio City Music Hall, the Library of Congress, the U.S. Capitol Building, Grace Church, and King’s Theatre.

  A Professional Associate of the American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC), Jeff has served in leadership positions on art and preservation boards. He was President of the National Society of Mural Painters, a Board Member of the League of Historic American Theaters, and the Theatre Historical Society of America. Jeff was named as the 2011 recipient of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art’s Arthur Ross Award for Artisanship, the 2014 New York Preservation League’s Pillar Award, and the 2017 Historic District Council’s Landmark Lion Award, in recognition of his contribution in the field of preservation. Jeff actively serves on the Association for Preservation Technology Board as Director-at-Large, Co-Chair Student Scholarships Committee.

Metropolitan areas across North America are experiencing a surge in population growth, and, with it, a worsening housing shortage. Local governments and developers often argue for new development as the key to ameliorate this dilemma; a process that frequently demolishes existing housing stock. What if there is another way? These architects are leading the field in the upgrade of existing properties, from the concrete high-rise suburbia of Ontario to the residential conversion of abandoned churches in the Boston area.

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  Speaker
  Ya’el Santopinto, FRAIC
  Associate
  ERA Architects

  Ya’el Santopinto, FRAIC

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  Ya’el Santopinto OAA FRAIC is an Architect and Director of Research and Partnerships at the Centre for Urban Growth and Renewal (CUG+R), a non-profit organization advocating for supportive policy frameworks around the preservation of Canada’s affordable apartment housing supply. In this role, Ya’el leads research related to Tower Renewal initiatives to catalyze reinvestment and community building in apartment tower neighbourhoods. Ya’el is also an Associate at ERA Architects, where she leads the deep retrofit and affordable housing practice.

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  Speaker
  Graeme Stewart, FRAIC
  Principal
  ERA Architects

  Graeme Stewart, FRAIC

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  Graeme Stewart OAA FRAIC CIP RPP CAHP is a Toronto based architect and urban planner. Graeme is a principal with ERA Architects and a founding director of the Centre for Urban Growth and Renewal (CUG+R), an interdisciplinary urban research organization supporting policy and action toward more equitable and resilient urban regions, in particular Tower Renewal, an initiative focused on the low-carbon future of the many thousand mid-century tower blocks found throughout urban Canada.

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  Speaker
  Ellen Anselone
  Principal
  Finegold Alexander

  Ellen Anselone

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  Ellen is a Principal of Finegold Alexander and an experienced architect who collaborates with institutional leaders, developers, and construction managers to bring the client’s programmatic needs and design aspirations into built reality. With three decades of experience, Ellen excels at motivating teams to hit deadlines and deliver design excellence that is at once: responsive to a client’s needs; sensitive to the neighboring context; highly sustainable; confident and fresh in approach. Whether new construction, adaptive use, preservation or restoration, Ellen’s projects are often transformative in terms of placemaking, identity, brand, and the user experience. Recent projects include award-winning work for The Lucas and The Boulevard. She is currently leading 727 Mass Ave, a 37-room boutique hotel and commercial space on top of the former Cambridge Gas Light Building, and 260 High Park, the adaptive use of a former church building in Toronto, among others. Ellen earned her degrees from Roger Williams University. A resident of Milton, Massachusetts, she serves as a board member the Town’s Historical Commission.

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  Speaker
  Tony Hsiao
  Principal
  Finegold Alexander

  Tony Hsiao

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  A driving force in the evolution of Finegold Alexander’s design practice, Tony’s expertise spans public, private, and institutional projects, while drawing special attention to how each building relates to its site-specific context and broader communities. His dedication in balancing conceptual vision with the pragmatic goals of the client has made him adept at solving complex project challenges involving renovations, additions, and new construction. He has led the design of numerous award-winning projects and competitions for Finegold Alexander and has served on various design juries over the years. Tony has also long been involved with the AIA, BSA, NAIOP, IFFRA, Boston Chamber of Commerce, his local community, and the Mid Cambridge Neighborhood Conservation District Commission, of which he is currently the Chair. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the Harvard Graduate School of Design and his love of travel throughout the world—including visits to over 30 countries—inspires his passion for design excellence.

The MuseumLab is an expansion of the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, the third building to be renovated in what has become the largest cultural campus for families in the U.S. It occupies a Richardsonian Romanesque library was once known as the Carnegie Free Library, where Koning Eizenberg Architecture stripped back destructive interior alterations that compromised the original landmark. The result is a “beautiful ruin” that evokes local history, and highlights the act of discovery. This panel will dive into the technical challenges of this approach, as well as the complexities of bringing contemporart infrastructure to a load-bearing masonry building.

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  Speaker
  Julie Eizenberg, FAIA, FRAIA
  Founding Principal
  Koning Eizenberg

  Julie Eizenberg, FAIA, FRAIA

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  Julie Eizenberg, FAIA, FRAIA, has given visibility to the design value and potential of community projects and people-oriented
  practice. She is a Founding Principal of Koning Eizenberg, responsible for setting the design vision. Her focus on the user
  experience, whether it is an individual, underserved community, or the public at large brings an empathetic perspective that
  underpins how KoningEizenberg transforms mundane programs into places of ease and generosity. Her practice has been
  honored as AIA California’s Firm of the Year in 2009, and together with founding partner, Hank Koning, was awarded the AIA
  Los Angeles Gold Medal in 2012, the Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal in 2019, and the 2021 American Academy
  of Arts and Letters Architecture Award. Julie was also recognized with an Honorary Ph.D in Architecture from the University
  of Melbourne in 2016. Under her leadership, Koning Eizenberg has earned over 200 design and sustainability awards and
  been widely published in the US and abroad. Julie teaches and lectures around the world and has shared the practice’s
  interests in influential monographs including “Architecture isn’t just for special occasions” (2006) which highlights the value
  of social engagement as a rich reserve for design and ’Urban Hallucinations” (2017) which examines how the idyll of local
  shapes neighborhoods.

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  Speaker
  Anthony Pitassi, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP
  Managing Principal
  PWWG Architects

  Anthony Pitassi, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP

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  Tony has been with PWWG for 20+ years and is a leader in the firm’s practices in hospitality, adaptive reuse and renewal, and historic preservation for commercial, cultural, and non-profit clients. Tony leads every project—from concept studies to new construction–by aligning practical solutions, sound project management, and exemplary design and detailing, with the values of stakeholders and clients. He is recognized for clear communication and uncommon skill facilitating creative dialogue between clients, consultants, architectural partners, and contractors, throughout design and construction. Tony has managed many projects to successful completion with LEED, Universal and Inclusive Design, WELL, and 2030 standards of sustainability, and contributed to establishing the groundbreaking isUD standard for museums. His projects as Principal-in-Charge have won awards from local and national chapters of the AIA and major design entities and been featured in regional and international publications covering architecture, interiors, and hotel design.

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  Speaker
  Chris Cieslak, PE | LEED AP| ECODISTRICTS AP | GPRO
  VP of Program Strategy & Impact 2030 District Senior Director
  Green Building Alliance

  Chris Cieslak, PE | LEED AP| ECODISTRICTS AP | GPRO

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  In her role as VP of Program Strategy & Impact and 2030 District Senior Director, Chris Cieslak brings a combination of experience, leadership, and knowledge working with cross-sector stakeholders to integrate positive environmental, health, and economic outcomes in projects of all types and scales. Chris has devoted her career to sustainable development by serving as an owner’s representative and project manager for cultural, entertainment, and educational institutions.
  Significant projects Chris has managed have included professional sports venues for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Edmonton Oilers, educational institutions including AW Beattie Career Center and Pittsburgh Public Schools, and cultural institutions such as the Carnegie Science Center and Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh.
  Chris spent 24 years in the Army Reserve and retired with a record of distinguished service. She earned a Bronze Star over the course of two combat tours while serving as the Chief of Strategic Basing in Afghanistan.
  Chris lives in Ben Avon (or Pittsburgh) with her husband Jeff. Their two children are college students

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  Speaker
  Jane Werner
  Executive Director
  The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh

  Jane Werner

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  Jane Werner’s 39 years of museum experience includes 30 years at The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh where she served as Program Director, Deputy Director and currently Executive Director. Werner leads the team responsible for all aspects of the Museum’s mission and vision, exhibits, public programming, funding and operations.

  The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh expanded in November 2004 after the completion of a $29M capital campaign. Attendance grew from 80,000 to currently over 310,000 visitors annually and expects to grow an additional 10% in the next year.

  The museum’s latest innovation is Museum Lab, which opened in April 2019, as a learning environment for older kids. With the completion of Museum Lab the museum has created the largest cultural campus for children in the United States.

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  Speaker
  Pete Jefferson
  Principal and Building Science Practice Leader
  BranchPattern

  Pete Jefferson

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  Pete Jefferson is a Principal and Building Science Practice Leader at BranchPattern. Pete brings a whole-systems perspective and a deep knowledge of ecological design to his project teams to achieve high-performance buildings. Using his background in mechanical engineering, he views the building as an integrated system, where climate, architecture and systems must work harmoniously to yield the best outcomes for his clients and for the people who occupy his buildings. Over the last 20 years, Pete has consulted on numerous high-performance buildings, including many which have achieved LEED Platinum and Net Zero Energy. Leading BranchPattern’s Building Science Practice, his team’s work currently includes projects pursuing LEED, WELL, RESET, Fitwel and Living Building Challenge certifications across North and South America.