BuildingEnergy NYC 2026 Sessions

Thursday, October 15, 2026 - 9:00 am to 10:00 am
Session Title	Speakers	Areas of Focus
KEYNOTE - Build Together. Grow Together. Own Together: A Cooperative Blueprint for Climate-Healing Construction The member businesses of the Seed Collaborative pursue a common mission: to lock carbon into the walls of buildings through the use of straw structural insulated panels (S-SIPs). The bigger bet they… Full Description	Greg Bossie Ace McArleton	Justice and Equity Enclosure and Structure Material Impacts Process and Practice

Thursday, October 15, 2026 - 10:30 am to 11:30 am
Session Title	Speakers	Areas of Focus
Improving Multifamily Ventilation Retrofits through Industry Collaboration By sharing measured results from multifamily housing ventilation system retrofits across organizations, this group of industry leaders comes together to accelerate learning and raise the bar for… Full Description	Jeffrey Heller Emma Raymont Punit Shah Kelly Westby	Health and Comfort MEP Systems Operations and Maintenance Process and Practice
Persuasion, Pushback, and Compromise: Making the Case for Decarbonization How do high performance building practitioners persuade clients to pursue deep reductions in operational and embodied carbon? Industry experts from architecture, energy consulting, and development… Full Description	Lois Arena Mark Ginsberg Justin Stein	Enclosure and Structure Finance and Incentives MEP Systems Process and Practice
From Planning to Doing: Decarbonizing State-Owned Campuses & Facilities New York State is leading by example to decarbonize facilities in support of the state’s climate action goals. State entities (Office of General Services and SUNY) managing large campuses (Empire… Full Description	Indu Lnu Joshua Plourde Carter Strickland Yarden Zamir	Policy, Codes and Standards Process and Practice
Decarbonization for Co-ops: NYC’s First C-PACE Financing Case Study This session explores NYC’s first C-PACE financing for a co-op, highlighting how a mission-driven financing approach unlocked decarbonization for a traditionally hard-to-serve building type. Through… Full Description	Pierre Castillon Will Kalbacker Michele Pitale	Finance and Incentives Policy, Codes and Standards

Thursday, October 15, 2026 - 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Session Title	Speakers	Areas of Focus
Powering Resilience: Stony Brook University's Decarbonization Master Plan Can the fight against climate change also create a more resilient and emergency-ready campus? Stony Brook University’s decarbonization efforts prioritize resilience and engagement of a cross-… Full Description	Rachel Carpitella Robert Myrick	Energy Production and Storage Finance and Incentives MEP Systems Process and Practice
AI Is changing Sustainability in Construction This session will focus on how AI is impacting project workflows today. One of AI’s strengths is reducing manual effort and enabling analysis at a scale not feasible with human labor alone. In true… Full Description	Brendan Hermalyn Jack Rusk Charley Stevenson	Material Impacts Process and Practice
Developing Energy Programs with a Community First Approach This panel will highlight practical lessons and past experiences of designing energy efficiency and decarbonization programs and projects with communities in mind. We will focus on how involving… Full Description	Emily Baumbach Tal Henig-Hadar Derick Kowalczyk Laura Nicaise	Justice and Equity Finance and Incentives Process and Practice
Beyond Operational Energy: Demystifying MEP Embodied Carbon Embodied carbon assessments have traditionally excluded MEP systems, but recent analyses show MEP systems contribute more embodied carbon than structures and enclosures for certain building types.… Full Description	Kasey Boxleitner Josh Jacobs Andrew Lopreiato	Material Impacts MEP Systems Process and Practice

Thursday, October 15, 2026 - 1:45 pm to 2:45 pm
Session Title	Speakers	Areas of Focus
Collaborating to Normalize Material Recycling With mounting climate and carbon pressures, leadership depends on collaborating across disciplines, communicating value clearly, and convincing stakeholders to act—especially in existing buildings.… Full Description	Sydney Mainster Stanley Yee	Material Impacts Policy, Codes and Standards Process and Practice
True Affordability: Centering Health, Resilience, and the Human Experience The building decarbonization conversation is shifting from one focused on emissions, energy use and cost, towards something more tangible: the air people breathe, the buildings they live and work in… Full Description	Michael Hindle Grant Sheely Jodi Smits Anderson	Justice and Equity Health and Comfort Policy, Codes and Standards Process and Practice
Convince Us Otherwise: When Electrification Doesn’t Pencil In many affordable housing preservation projects, seemingly good electrification projects are deemed infeasible. We present real NYC projects where the decision was made not to electrify, and how the… Full Description	Jennifer Leone Giulia Luci	Finance and Incentives MEP Systems Process and Practice
From Caution to Catalyst: Turning AI Skepticism into Informed Innovation As AI reshapes, well, everything, practitioners are asking: How can I use AI to expand my impact without compromising my values or professional judgment? This session presents complementary… Full Description	Elizabeth Kelly Andrea Mancino	Justice and Equity MEP Systems Operations and Maintenance Process and Practice

Thursday, October 15, 2026 - 3:15 pm to 4:15 pm
Session Title	Speakers	Areas of Focus
Deep Energy Retrofits: Innovative Building Envelope and MEP Approaches Deep energy retrofits are critical to achieving climate goals while preserving affordable housing. This session examines the transformation of Whitney Young Manor, a 195-unit multifamily development… Full Description	Abdulla Darrat Yazan Mhithawi Crystal Ng	Enclosure and Structure Finance and Incentives MEP Systems Operations and Maintenance
Lessons Learned from 5+ Central Heat Pump Water Heaters This session presents lessons learned and actionable recommendations for designers, operators, and owners of central heat pump water heater systems (CHPWHs) from on-going research of early adopters.… Full Description	Kevin McDonald Neale Misquitta Josh Shaffer	MEP Systems Operations and Maintenance Process and Practice
Spinach and Sustainability: Making Green Irresistible Everyone knows sustainable design is good for people and the planet—like spinach, it’s good for us, but not everyone wants a bite. This interactive session shows how to make sustainability… Full Description	Heather Jauregui Jana Silsby	Justice and Equity Finance and Incentives Policy, Codes and Standards Process and Practice