Greenbuild

Greenbuild
Name	Greenbuild
Status	Active
Genre	Sustainability, architecture, construction
Venue	Variable
Country	International
First	2002
Organizer	U.S. Green Building Council

Greenbuild

Greenbuild is an annual conference and expo focused on high-performance, sustainable building practices, bringing together professionals from architecture, engineering, construction, real estate, policy, and advocacy. The event convenes stakeholders from organizations such as the U.S. Green Building Council, World Green Building Council, International WELL Building Institute, Rocky Mountain Institute, and Architecture 2030 to share advances in standards, materials, and project delivery. Attendees include representatives from firms and institutions like Perkins+Will, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, AECOM, Turner Construction, HOK, Gensler, and Arup, alongside policymakers from the Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, and United Nations Environment Programme.

Overview

Greenbuild serves as a nexus for practitioners involved with LEED certification, WELL Building Standard, Living Building Challenge, Passive House Institute US, and BREEAM practitioners from RIBA and BRE. The conference features exhibitors including manufacturers such as Interface, Owens Corning, Saint-Gobain, Kingspan, and Johnson Controls, and technology firms like Siemens, Schneider Electric, Autodesk, Trimble, and Bentley Systems. Professional associations and nonprofits represented include the American Institute of Architects, Royal Institute of British Architects, American Society of Civil Engineers, Building Owners and Managers Association, International Code Council, ULI, C40 Cities, and Rocky Mountain Institute. Academic and research participation comes from institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California Berkeley, Yale School of Architecture, Columbia University, and Harvard Graduate School of Design.

History and Development

The event began in the early 2000s as part of initiatives by the U.S. Green Building Council and allied groups such as the World Green Building Council, Architecture 2030, and the Clinton Foundation's Clinton Global Initiative to mainstream sustainability in construction. Over the years it has been hosted in cities including Boston, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, Washington, D.C., and New Orleans, drawing partnerships with municipal programs like New York City Department of Buildings, Los Angeles Department of City Planning, and Chicago Mayor's Office. Key historical moments include programming collaborations with the Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and philanthropic initiatives from the Bezos Earth Fund. The conference has evolved alongside regulatory shifts from agencies like California Air Resources Board, European Commission climate policy dialogues, and standards development at ISO, ANSI, and ASTM International.

Conference Structure and Programming

Typical programming comprises keynote addresses, technical sessions, panel discussions, workshops, and an exhibition hall showcasing products from BASF, Dow, 3M, DuPont, and Lutron. Sessions often feature thought leaders from firms like Foster + Partners, ZGF Architects, OMA, Snøhetta, and BIG, along with public figures from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, European Environment Agency, and World Bank. Tracks cover topics aligned with organizations including C40 Cities,ICLEI, International WELL Building Institute, Passive House Institute, and the International Living Future Institute. Special programs include certification clinics from USGBC, hackathons sponsored by Google and Microsoft, and innovation showcases supported by startups accelerated through Y Combinator, Techstars, and Greentown Labs.

Impact on Green Building Industry

The conference has influenced adoption of standards such as LEED, WELL, Passive House, and Living Building Challenge, and has catalyzed collaborations among corporations like IBM, Honeywell, Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, and Walmart on corporate sustainability. It has accelerated market adoption of materials from firms including Hennebique, Arup Group innovations, and modular construction advances from Katerra and Skanska. Policy dialogues at the event have intersected with initiatives by the European Commission, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, and the Global Covenant of Mayors, affecting municipal procurement and resilient design practices. Research partnerships showcased at the conference have tied universities such as Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Michigan, ETH Zurich, TU Delft, and Tsinghua University to industry implementation.

Notable Projects and Innovations Showcased

Highlighted projects presented include notable works by Bjarke Ingels Group, Herzog & de Meuron, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Zaha Hadid Architects, and KPF, as well as civic projects like the High Line, Bosco Verticale, and the Bullitt Center. Innovations include biophilic design examples promoted by Terrapin Bright Green, net-zero energy projects from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, carbon-sequestering materials from CarbonCure, mass timber systems from Structurlam and KLH, and prefabrication examples by Laing O'Rourke. Demonstrations have featured smart building integrations from Honeywell, Siemens, and Schneider Electric, as well as renewable technologies from Tesla, SunPower, Vestas, and Ørsted.

Awards and Recognition

The event and affiliated initiatives have honored projects and individuals with recognitions connected to entities such as the LEED Fellow program, American Institute of Architects awards, Royal Institute of British Architects awards, Pritzker Architecture Prize laureates, Aga Khan Award nominees, World Architecture Festival winners, and the Ashden Awards finalists. Corporate sustainability recognitions presented at or in conjunction with the conference include Fortune 500 sustainability rankings, CDP A List disclosures, and awards from organizations like the GreenBiz VERGE program, Ceres, and the Sustainable Brands community.

Category:Conferences