NYC Climate Week Biobased Construction Roundtable & Reception

As leaders and vanguards of the global building industry, we see the deep challenges ahead in establishing new norms for design and construction that allow us to meet the needs of all people within the boundaries of our planet and the health of our generation and future ones. For those most committed to working within these constraints, there is a rapidly growing awareness that biobased materials (specifically regionally produced and renewable materials) must be widely adopted and supported in order for us to meet our collective impact goals. 

How can building industry leaders across the supply chain help scale the adoption of biobased materials and the processes necessary to install these materials (from procurement to the unique labor needs) in a way that strengthens regionalized supply chains, creates good jobs and ensures resilience and operational simplicity? 

Held during annual NYC Climate Week, this in-person, invitation-only gathering will coalesce key leaders to accelerate momentum, build the network and identify the ‘trim tab’ actions that need focused energy and resources, focusing on the US context but with acknowledgement of the global movement and context. 

The event will build off of the intersecting work of the co-hosts, including the critical report, Building Materials and the Climate: Constructing a New Future, released in 2023 by the UN Environment Programme, which called for promoting the transition to low-carbon, biodiverse materials. It will also serve as an opportunity for participants to get further engaged in the work through the Biobased Materials Collective, the Living Product Challenge and more.

PLEASE JOIN US FOR A ROUNDTABLE AND RECEPTION

WHEN: Tuesday, September 23rd, 5-8pm 

WHERE:  Event Cafe, Parsons School of Design, The New School (63 5th Ave, New York City)

WHO: Designers, manufacturers, owners, construction leaders and other industry leaders. Our invitation list is a balance of those who are deeply engaged in work with biobased materials and those who have not yet worked with these materials as deeply. This is an invite-only event and the invitation is personal (not organizational), but we welcome requests to send other colleagues if you are not able to be there in person. 

FORMAT: The event will feature a mix of on-stage presentations, interactive audience engagement, and opportunities for networking over catered refreshments. We will also have a curated display of biobased materials and products.

AGENDA

• 5:00-5:30 pm - Arrival and Registration  
• 5:30-6:15 pm - Brief talks and presentations on the state of biobased materials adoption, barriers and drivers for innovation. 
• 6:15-7:00 pm - Discussion & Collective Activity
• 7:00-8:00 pm - Reception

Speakers: 

• Avinash Rajagopal, Editor-in-Chief, Metropolis Magazine
• Lindsay Baker, CEO, Living Future
• Jonsara Ruth & Alison Mears, Co-Directors and Founders, Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons Design School
• Mae-Ling Lokko, Yale Center for Ecosystems in Architecture
• Kritika Kharbanda, Head of Sustainability, Henning Larsen
• James Kitchin, Director of the Abundant Futures Design Lab, MASS Design Group
• Chris Forney, Brightworks Sustainability

About: 

Living Future: Living Future is a globally recognized nonprofit at the vanguard of the building industry. We provide industry leaders with the tools and support they need to drive an urgent transformation toward a regenerative, resilient, and just future. Our vision is simple: to make regenerative practices the global standard for how all buildings are designed, built, and operated.

Healthy Materials Lab: at Parsons School of Design: Healthy Materials Lab is a design-led research lab at Parsons School of Design dedicated to improving the lives of all people through healthier built environments. Collaborating with experts from a variety of fields, HML empowers people with knowledge that the choice of materials used to create everyone’s homes can slow climate change, dramatically reduce toxic pollution, and improve the health of communities.

Yale Universities Center for Ecosystems in Architecture (CEA): The Yale Center for Ecosystems + Architecture (CEA) is a multidisciplinary research center focused on transforming the DNA of the Built Environment.  Prioritizing living ecosystems and biodiversity, CEA seeks to address the complexity of transitioning global construction patterns by bringing together deep expertise of current practices in radically new socio-economic and technically integrated approaches to clean energy, water, air and materials.

Metropolis Magazine: Metropolis is a platform focused on the future of the built environment. For more than four decades, Metropolis has been committed to sustainable, equitable, and innovative design and building practices. Through its magazine, events, and industry initiatives, Metropolis champions the ideas, people, and organizations that will help design a better future for us all.

Henning Larsen: With curiosity at heart, Henning Larsen is a leading global expert, designing thoughtful spaces for all present and future life. Working across architecture, landscape, urban design, and interiors, we maintain acute attention to detail whilst never losing sight of the bigger picture. Founded in 1959 by Danish architect Henning Larsen – whose legacy of creativity and learning we carry today – we navigate the complex connections that bind together our built environment, ecological systems, and societies at large.

MASS Design Group: Mass Design Group is a nonprofit architecture and design collective dedicated to advancing justice and human dignity through the built and grown environment. They work globally on projects that integrate beauty, sustainability, and social impact, from hospitals and schools to memorials and housing. Through design, research, and advocacy, MASS seeks to improve lives, strengthen communities and grow flourishing ecosystems.

Brightworks Sustainability: As one of the most trusted sustainability consulting firms in the United States, Brightworks Sustainability has held a position of leadership in sustainability since 2001. Together with our visionary clients, we establish and implement innovative sustainability programs that bring climate leaders together, advance holistic sustainability, increase operational performance, address human health in buildings, achieve net zero carbon targets, and challenge the status quo in the pursuit of ambitious climate action.