Part of The Green Voice Speaker Series
Building for Sustainability
“If you build it right, the right results will come.”
May 17th, 2023 | 6 PM - 8 PM | Duquesne Club, 325 Sixth Ave
On Wednesday, May 17th, Pittsburgh Earth Day held "Building for Sustainability," part of the Green Voice Speaker Series, presented by Volpatt Construction and S&B USA. The panel discussion on sustainable construction was held at the iconic Duquesne Club.
While the construction industry has been slow to adapt technology and sustainable building solutions, VC investment in this sector shows no signs of slowing down. The construction world is moving into a more sustainable industry, from building materials that offset carbon and BIM systems that monitor and manage energy for decarbonization to EV charging stations and more efficient field vehicles. The event addressed this evolving industry. Grant Ervin, Director of Environment, Social, Governance, and Innovation at S&B USA moderated the conversation.
DISTINGUISHED PANELISTS INCLUDED:
Janice Held, Principal Project Manager at Carnegie Mellon University
Joshua D. Lee, PhD, AIA, Assistant Professor of Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University
Leslie Montgomery, Vice President of Communications & Education at the Green Building Alliance
F. Jeffrey Murray, Senior Vice President and Market Leader at CannonDesign
Richard Skorpenske, Head of Sustainability and Public Affairs for the U.S. at Covestro
Michael Volpatt, Vice President of Marketing and Innovation at Volpatt Construction
Proudly produced by the Green Voice Collective.
Presented by Volpatt Construction and S&B USA. Sponsored by Duquesne Light Company, Wesco, UPMC Health Plan, Pitt Ohio, Carnegie Mellon University, the Green Building Alliance, Covestro, CannonDesign, and AIA Pittsburgh.
Moderated by Grant Ervin, S&B USA Construction
Grant Ervin currently serves as the Director of Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) and Innovation for S&B USA, an infrastructure integration firm based in Pittsburgh, Pa that specializes in civil construction solutions in the energy, transportation, ports and waterways and vehicle electrification space. Grant serves as an integrator of activities by working across departments, agencies and sectors to form public policy and market-based solutions. He brings deep experience, intersecting the worlds of environmental, community and economic development and infrastructure policy to create innovative and sustainable solutions for local governments, private sector clients, community development organizations, and state agencies.
Prior to joining S&B USA, Mr. Ervin served as the Chief Resilience Officer and Assistant Director for the Department of City Planning for the City of Pittsburgh.
Distinguished Panelists Include
Janice Held, Principal Project Manager at Carnegie Mellon University
Janice Held has over 30 years of experience as a registered architect in the design industry and has worked over the past 17 years as project manager in the higher education industry. At Carnegie Mellon University she is leading collaborative efforts to create a more sustainable, beautiful, and connected world thru architecture and management. She has a Barch for the University of Cincinnati and a MPM focusing on sustainable management from Carnegie Mellon University. She is a member of Carnegie Mellon’s green practice committee and has been a member of Pittsburgh’s AIA Cote committee.
Joshua D. Lee, PhD, AIA, Assistant Professor in Architecture, Track Chair for the Master of Science & Ph.D. in Architecture–Engineering–Construction Management (MSAECM), Carnegie Mellon University
Joshua D. Lee is author of Flexibility and Design: Learning from the School Construction Systems Development (SCSD) project. He currently heads the Protean Design Collaborative, an award-winning public interest design firm and leads the Design + Research Group for AIA Pittsburgh. His research interests include sustainable design and construction, open building, circular economy, systems-based architecture, public interest design, post-occupancy evaluation, educational facilities, and qualitative and computational analysis of architectural language. He completed his PhD in Architecture, Master of Architecture, and Master of Sustainable Design at the University of Texas at Austin.
Leslie Montgomery, Vice President of Communications & Education at the Green Building Alliance
As Vice President of Education & Communications at Green Building Alliance, Leslie Montgomery is responsible for the development of GBA’s content, education, training, and events. She conceptualizes different learning models, tracks relevant innovations in sustainable buildings, curates experiences for GBA’s community, and shares stories on behalf of the organization and the region. Leslie is a member of the Master Builders’ Association’s Green Builders Committee and spent six years as a board member of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh as its Sustainable Construction Committee co-chair. She holds a Masters of Science in Sustainable Systems from Slippery Rock University & a BS in Integrated Marketing Communications from Winthrop University.
F. Jeffrey Murray, FAIA, Senior Vice President and Market Leader at CannonDesign
F. Jeffrey Murray of CannonDesign has been providing client-facing experiential and technical design leadership for complex projects supporting research and other knowledge work throughout his 4-decade career. He is a member of the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) recognized for his innovation in the design of R&D facilities with a focus on how design impacts human performance and collaboration. He has pioneered iterative and collaborative design processes that engage stakeholders as active participants in the design process. His work with corporate, government, and higher education clients includes the design of research and administrative facilities, high-performance building envelopes, renovations and additions, and smart buildings which integrate technology, sustainability, and resilience to improve occupant experience. He has presented at many national and international conferences on the human and technical aspects of architectural design.
Richard Skorpenske, Head of Sustainability and Public Affairs NA, Covestro LLC
Richard Skorpenske leads Covestro’s Sustainability and Public Affairs (S&PA) in North America. He is responsible for heading the company’s sustainability, circular economy, government affairs, and advocacy efforts at the regional level. S&PA NA is also responsible for proactively addressing social topics and driving engagement, donations, and reporting in line with overarching sustainability and circularity strategy. He is also a member of Covestro’s U.S. Country Council and serves on the Board of Directors for Cribs for Kids, which provides cribs and services to underserved families.
Michael Volpatt, Vice President of Marketing and Innovation at Volpatt Construction
In his role as the Vice President of Marketing & Innovation for Volpatt Construction, Michael Volpatt directs marketing efforts while exploring how innovation can help the company and the industry as a whole build more efficiently and sustainably. Michael is also the co-founder of Larkin/Volpatt Communications, a boutique public relations agency focused on helping early-stage technology companies develop strategic communications plans. As a mentor and advisor, Michael sits on multiple boards, providing guidance on marketing initiatives.