PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Pier 27, Toronto Harbour
Due for completion in 2027, Pier 27 will bring over 2 million sq ft of residential and retail space to Toronto Harbour.
Needing to reduce noise, retain views, and honor the site’s history, the architects–Alliance team relied on Archicad.
The result? An iconic landmark for Toronto’s waterfront.
Archicad Collaborate includes all the tools architects need for successful project delivery, including VR support, a built-in rendering engine, interactive project viewing app, and even AI tools to assist during the concept development phase.
Try Archicad Collaborate free for 30 days from: graphisoft.com/us/try-archicad
PHOTO: ©BEN RAHN/A-FRAME
WELCOME TO TECH+
ABOUT TECH+ NEW YORK CITY
TECH+ provides your front row seat to the cutting edge technological innovations that are driving design forward. Earn up to 6 AIA LU’s while unpacking the potential of data and tools to inform smarter and more equitable architecture and design. From optimized building performance and energy analytics to AI and generative design practices, you’ll learn about new tools for mapping, modeling, data visualization, digital simulation, and fabrication. Hosted by The Architect’s Newspaper & AEC+TECH, this one-day conference includes keynotes, presentations, roundtable discussions, and demos from leading tech experts creating a space where AEC professionals can explore, network, and connect.
ABOUT THE ARCHITECT’S NEWSPAPER
The Architect’s Newspaper is a media company that serves up news and inside reports to a niche community of architects, designers, engineers, landscape architects, lighting designers, interior designers, academics, developers, contractors, and others interested in the built urban environment. AN delivers quality news and cultural reporting through print, including AN Interior magazine, web, blog, newsletters, and social media. AN is recognized for bringing together the top echelon of AEC industry leaders in its series of Facades+ and TECH+ conferences. If you care about architecture and design, join our community and get in the know.
DIANA DARLING CEO & Creative Director, The Architect’s Newspaper
MARTY WOOD Program Director, The Architect’s Newspaper
NIKNAZ AFTAHI Founder & CEO, aec+tech
DIONNE DARLING VP of Brand Partnerships, The Architect’s Newspaper
AGENDA
9:00 AM CHECK-IN AND NETWORKING
9:30 AM WELCOME
New York City - Oct 22, 2024
Diana Darling | The Architect’s Newspaper Niknaz Aftahi | aec+tech
9:40 AM KEYNOTE
Designing for Humans: A Systems-Approach
Nathaniel Jones | Arup
Reshaping AEC: A Guide to Adopting AI and Emerging Technologies
10:30 AM
Presenter: Zoltan Toth | Graphisoft
10:50 PM NETWORKING BREAK
11:20 PM Innovate Your Design Journey with AI
Presenter: Mustapha Benosman | D5 Render
New York City - Oct 22,
11:30 PM ROUNDTABLE
Climate, Energy, & Data: New Frontiers in Materials & Modelling
Presenters:
Kritika Kharbanda | Henning Larsen Carlos Cerezo Davila | KPF
Jared Friedman | Walter P Moore
12:20 PM AI-Powered Design: Revolutionizing BIM with Microsol Resources
Presenter: Roger Liucci | Microsol Resources
12:30 PM Harnessing the Power of Reality Capture & Advancing Digital Twin
Presenter: Timothy O’Connor | Langan
12:40 PM NETWORKING LUNCH
ROUNDTABLE
Technology in Practice: The Studio View
1:40 PM
Presenters:
Nirva Fereshetian | CBT Architects Jennifer Siqueira | Bernheimer Architects
Natasha Luthra | CannonDesign
2:20 PM A Pedagogy for Computational Design Practices Across Scales
Presenter: Adam Vosburgh | Columbia GSAPP CDP
2:30 PM IMAGINiT: Automating Workflows for Optimization and Process Evolution
2:40 PM NETWORKING BREAK
ROUNDTABLE
Innovation and Investment in AEC Technology
Presenters:
3:10 PM
4:00 PM
Julieta Moradei | Overlay Capital Build Ravi Bhatia | Skanska Niknaz Aftahi | aec+tech Zenon Radewych | WZMH
Victoria Smith | Zacua Ventures
ROUNDTABLE
AI/ML and the Transformation of Design Practice
Presenters:
Ali T.Ghomi | GraphX Keyan Rahimzadeh | Formulate Ltd.
Ilkay C. Standard | GenX Andrew Manto | SumPoint
4:50 PM CLOSING REMARKS
Diana Darling | The Architect’s Newspaper Niknaz Aftahi | aec+tech
SPEAKERS
MC
NIKNAZ AFTAHI Founder & CEO / aec+tech
Niknaz is the CEO and co-founder at aec+tech, an all-in-one innovation platform and community connecting AEC/O (Architecture, Engineering, Construction & Operations) professionals with the latest tools and technologies. Prior to launching aec+tech Niknaz practiced architecture in the bay area, California, both as a design professional as well as a design technologist. Niknaz is passionate about technology and innovation in the AEC space, and she has been a keynote speaker at various international aec-tech events. Niknaz is a member of AIA San Francisco design technology committee, and has also been developing curriculum and teaching architecture courses online to Bahai students in Iran who continue to be deprived of access to universities in their own country.
Keynote Speaker
NATHANIEL JONES Senior Consultant / Arup
Dr. Nathaniel Jones is a senior building scientist at Arup, an architecture professor at Wentworth Institute of Technology, and president of the USA affiliate of the International Building Performance Simulation Association. His portfolio at Arup includes numerous thermal and visual comfort, daylighting, microclimate, air quality, and COVID-19 disinfection projects. Nathaniel has developed simulation tools used by architects and engineers worldwide, including comfort. arup.com, Arup’s advanced online comfort modeling tool, and Accelerad, a suite of opensource GPU-based lighting and daylighting simulation tools used by architects, engineers, and educators around the world. He is the author of over twenty peer-reviewed papers related to occupant health, comfort, and building energy use.
MUSTAPHA BENOSMAN
GTM - Senior Sales Manager / D5 Render
Mustapha Benosman is a seasoned sales manager with a decade of experience in finance and tech, now leading go-to-market sales at D5 Render for North America, LATAM, and MENA in the AEC industry. He has a proven track record in strategic sales planning and team leadership, contributing significantly to D5 Render’s position as a leader in AEC rendering technology. His dynamic approach and commitment to mentoring make him a pivotal figure in the sales and tech communities.
RAVI BHATIA
Business Development Manager / Skanska
Portfolio of over $5 Billion in completed projects, in the U.S. and Canada. 30 years of proven construction business experience, spanning complex and high-visibility commercial construction, core and shell, electrical, transportation, high-technology, critical systems and design-build infrastructure projects (including P3) for real estate developers, multinational corporations, technology providers, private investors, contractors and large public institutions.
CARLOS CEREZO DAVILA Director / KPF
A sustainable design expert with a background in modeling and analyzing building energy use at an urban scale, Carlos Cerezo Davila has served as KPF’s Environmental Design Director since 2018. Carlos leads the Environmental Performance team (KPFep), which takes an evidence-based approach to sustainable design, collaborating with teams across the firm’s global network to ensure projects meet their sustainability goals.
NIRVA FERESHETIAN Chief Information Officer / CBT Architects
Nirva Fereshetian is a Principal & Chief Information Officer at CBT Architects, a Boston based award winning design firm providing services nationally and internationally in Architecture, Interior Design & Urban Design. She is responsible for aligning business technology strategy to meet primary business objectives. She specializes in leading and managing technology solutions in creative design environments, technology adoption and change management. She leads multiple teams within the Digital Practice group, including.
SPEAKERS
JARED FRIEDMAN
Senior Associate / Walter P Moore
Jared is a licensed architect and design technologist who currently works as a Computational Product Manager in the New York City office at Walter P Moore. Jared has taught coursework related to BIM and Computational Design at The Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University, and has lectured at numerous conferences and universities on the subjects. Much of his work focuses on how data and computational design processes can be applied towards embodied carbon reductions in the built environment.
ALI T.GHOMI
Computational Design
Consultant / GraphX
Ali T.Ghomi is the founder of GraphX which specializes in computational design, parametric modeling, custom tool development, and workflow optimization. He is also a researcher at the Advanced Building Construction Lab at CCNY. Before that, he was a lead designer and the head of the computational design team at CetraRuddy Architecture, and a research associate at the Polyhedral Structures Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania.
KRITIKA KHARBANDA
Head of Sustainability / Henning Larsen
Leading sustainability strategies at Henning Larsen’s New York office, Kritika Kharbanda spearheads diverse projects worldwide, from educational, cultural, and civic buildings to labs, offices, and masterplans. Her work lies at the intersection of architecture, sustainability, and technology. With a Master in Design Studies specializing in Energy and Environments from Harvard GSD with cross-enrollment at MIT, Kritika was a Social Innovation & Change Initiative Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School.
ROGER LIUCCI
Senior BIM Specialist / Microsol Resources
Roger Liucci is a senior BIM Specialist at Microsol Resources, an Autodesk Gold Partner in their New York office. He has provided BIM implementation, support, and training to architectural, engineering, and construction firms for over 30 years. Roger is particularly interested in the interaction between design and technology innovation as it relates to digital fabrication and cloud computing. Among his software specialties include Autodesk Revit, Navisworks, Forma, Tandem, and Autodesk Construction Cloud portfolio.
NATASHA LUTHRA
Design Technology Leader / CannonDesign
Natasha is the Design Technology Leader at CannonDesign. Recognized as one of the industry’s foremost design technology influencers, she leads the implementation of advanced design technologies, including computational tools and workflows, immersive realities, artificial intelligence, advanced analysis and visualization, and other data-informed processes.
ANDREW MANTO
Cofounder / SumPoint
Andrew is co-founder of SumPoint. He’s a problem solving technologist – trained as an Architect, he takes on complex design challenges by collaborating across disciplines, working from micro to macro, and building interesting and impactful spaces that make the world a better place.
JULIETA MORADEI
Managing Partner / Overlay Capital Build
Julieta is the Managing Partner of the recently launched Overlay Capital Build. A structural engineer and architect turned social entrepreneur, Moradei is a venture capitalist investing in early-stage startups mitigating the biggest barriers in the built environment. Her unique path from technical design to VC, has led her to hyperfocus on innovation in the construction industry, and empowering entrepreneurs through catalytic partnerships for the past decade.
TIMOTHY O’CONNOR
Senior Survey Project Manager / Langan
Mr. O’Connor is a third-generation licensed land surveyor with experience conducting boundary, topographic, and utility surveys throughout the United States and overseas. He has extensive knowledge collecting and analyzing data to support large scale engineering and infrastructure projects. His knowledge extends to the construction industry, railways, airports, oil/gas industry, energy sector, schools & universities, and healthcare facilities. His experience further includes performing and preparation of hydrographic studies and 3D laser scanning & modeling projects.
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SPEAKERS
ZENON RADEWYCH
Principal / WZMH
Zenon has directed multidisciplinary consultant teams on some of WZMH’s largest projects. With a strong record of performance, he excels in meeting tight schedules on fast-track projects, including high-tech and mission-critical facilities. Zenon brings energy, enthusiasm, and rigor to the management of each project he is involved in, with a strength in organizational clarity and a swift response to challenges. These days, Zenon’s role in the firm is primarily focused on the innovation side of the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry.
KEYAN RAHIMZADEH
Founder / Formulate Ltd.
Keyan combines his dual education in architecture and structural engineering with a deep expertise in computational design. He spent 10 years at Front, Inc. developing facade systems for high profile projects around the world and working with many premier global design firms. He then went on to lead the Computational Design team for Grimshaw’s New York Studio, and now runs an independent consultancy focused on automation and digital processes for designers and builders.
JENNIFER SIQUEIRA
Project Architect / Bernheimer Architects
Jennifer, aka Je, joined BA in early 2022 as Project Architect. She received both undergraduate and graduate degrees from UC Berkeley. While a graduate student, she was the recipient of the Branner Traveling Fellowship which allowed her to spend a year documenting housing designed and built for families in postdisaster communities in various countries. With nearly a decade of experience, Je has worked at renowned architecture firms, most recently SHoP Architects where she spent 4+ years mainly involved in government projects, including the US Embassy Annex in Bangkok, Thailand.
VICTORIA SMITH
Investment Lead /Zacua Ventures
A problem solver by nature and passionate about the 0 to 1 process, Victoria joined Zacua after running internal innovation at a North America Top 5 ENR GC. Victoria started her career in government-sponsored clinical R&D, publishing research papers on healthcare outcomes. After several years (and with the support of her mentors), she traded in academic publications for MVP software solutions and founded her own digital health company.
ILKAY C. STANDARD
Founder / GenX
Ilkay Can-Standard is an architectural technologist and founder of GENx Design and Technology, a modern innovation hub committed to lead the 4th Industrial Revolution at a global scale. With 15 years of experience in the AEC industry, Ilkay has managed projects that required the most advanced use of technologies in 7 different countries. GENx teams focus on diminishing the gaps in the AEC industry and helping stakeholders achieve intended budgets, timelines and sustainability objectives through the integration of advanced technologies to project management.
ZOLTAN TOTH
Head of Global Solutions Engineering / Graphisoft
Zoltan Toth is the Head of the Global Solution Engineer Team at Graphisoft. With a background in interior design, architecture, and engineering, Zoltan brings two decades of experience in practice and technology. After working as a BIM Manager in New York City, he joined Graphisoft in 2012 and has since held multiple technical sales roles. Zoltan’s mission is to help AECO firms harness the power of digital workflows to create better buildings and empower their teams.
ADAM VOSBURGH
Assistant Director - Computational Design Practices / Columbia GSAPP CDP
Adam Vosburgh is an Adjunct Assistant Professor and Assistant Director of the M.S. Computational Design Practices program at Columbia GSAPP. He is interested in architecture as a software system, the critical use of geospatial data to describe the built environment, and the representation of architecture in interactive digital media.
D5 RENDER
D5 Render is a leading AI-powered real-time rendering solution that revolutionizes architectural and design workflows. In this talk, we'll explore the competitive advantages of D5 Render, spotlighting its AI capabilities such as AI Atmosphere Match, AI Make Seamless, AI Enhancer, and more.
Meet The Speaker
Mustapha Benosman
Sales Manager at D5 Render
mustapha@d5render.io
Mustapha Benosman, with a decade in finance and tech, now spearheads sales at D5 Render for North America, LATAM, and MENA in AEC. Renowned for strategic sales planning and team leadership, he elevates D5 Render's standing in AEC rendering technology. His dynamic approach and mentoring commitment make him a key figure in sales and tech circles.
Learn more: https://www.d5render.com
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