Sustainability in Practice at Illinois Institute of Technology  

This daylong event, organized by Architectural Record in collaboration with the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), offers a “master class” in incorporating sustainable design into built projects of a range of typologies. Leaders of architectural firms that are paving the way toward better building practices will present their work introducing biodiversity in urban areas, improving building energy performance, reducing carbon footprints, and utilizing recycled and reimagined building materials. Studio Gang founder Jeanne Gang will present a variety of sustainable projects including the Populus Denver hotel, whose concrete structure minimizes cement by incorporating fly ash and forgoes any levels dedicated to parking—a first for a new build downtown—encouraging visitors toward greener modes of transport and offering a green roof that provides an attractive habitat for local wildlife and insects. Milan-based Stefano Boeri will discuss his work on urban and vertical forestry projects all over the world, with particular attention to local climatic conditions and specific functional requirements, starting with the Bosco Verticale (2014), the first prototype of architecture integrating living nature. Among other projects, London-based Kevin Carmody and Andy Groarke will discuss their materials research for a new museum in Ghent, Belgium, that uses lime-cured bricks made from city waste to form the facade. IIT professor Dillon Pranger will present small-scale project types that respond to their local context by considering material, labor, and energy lifecycles as an integral part of the design process.