Laura Lesniewski, AIA, LEED AP, Principal, BNIM is and Stephen Hardy, AICP, Associate Principal, BNIM are speaking at the Living Future Conference — hosted by the Cascadia Green Building Council — on Thursday, May 28 in Vancouver, BC Canada.

Lesniewski is presenting in a session focused on Materials called: Building Material Reuse: Understanding the Challenges, Celebrating the Successes, and Providing the Tools.

With increasingly limited resources and a growing awareness around sustainable stewardship, material reuse represents one of the ultimate forms of resource conservation. It not only provides a vision of how to live more sustainably, it can also be economically pragmatic and nurture a community. Such principles overlap greatly with the goals of certification standards like the Living Building Challenge. Despite this potential, reuse remains significantly underutilized. Key to maturing the opportunity is building a greater awareness. Panelists will address reuse challenges and opportunities, innovative tools and resources available, and strategies to utilize reuse as a vehicle for creativity and sustainability.

Other presenters include Kevin R Hydes, CEO of Integral Group and Nathan Benjamin, LEED AP, Principal + Founder of PlanetReuse. The moderator is Liz Ogbu, Associate Design Director, Public Architecture.

Laura Lesniewski, AIA is a principal at BNIM. An architect with 20 years of experience, she has spoken nationally on emerging technologies and philosophies in sustainable design, BIM and lean thinking and, most recently, at Brazil’s first Greenbuild in Sao Paulo. Laura led the design team efforts on the Omega Center for Sustainable Living, which achieved both Living Building and LEED Platinum certification. She co-authored “Roadmap for Integration” for the AIA’s 2006 Report on Integrated Practice and recently completed FLOW: In Pursuit of a Living Building with Bob Berkebile and Steve McDowell. Laura is a graduate of MIT and UC Berkeley.

Stephen Hardy is presenting in the session: Bleeding Beyond the Campus Boundaries: How Colleges and Universities are Collaborating with their Local Communities to Realize Restorative Cities Now.

This session will explore how colleges and universities are serving as living laboratories of sustainability and how these schools are engaging their local communities to re-imagine a restorative civilization now. From a living learning center in Missouri to an urban EcoDistrict in Oregon to a revitalizing town in Ohio, participants will collectively explore the opportunities to create linkages, replicate these innovative projects and create the towns and cities for our children that regenerate the natural world, meet the needs of the local community and sustain a vibrant economy. Ideal participants want to connect colleges and universities to the local workforce.

Presenters also include Daniel F. Hellmuth, AIA, Principal and Co-founder, Hellmuth + Bicknese Architects, L.L.C. and Fletcher Beaudoin, Institute for Sustainable Solutions, Portland State University. The moderator is Kristin Simmons, Center for Green Schools, U.S. Green Building Council.

Stephen began his career working for the United States Congress. After his stint on Capitol Hill, Stephen worked as a land planner and project manager for The Conservation Fund in Washington, D.C. where he specialized in handling environmentally sensitive land planning and real estate issues for institutions, city governments, and private individuals nationwide. He now leads the planning team at BNIM on large scale sustainable development projects around the country. His recent project experience includes being the project manager for the nationally recognized City of Greensburg, Kansas Sustainable Comprehensive Plan, the Kansas City Greater Downtown Area Plan, and ongoing work at Oberlin College for the Green Arts District.