2017 CitiesAlive ~ Building Resilience and Equity Across Cascadia: People, Community, and Places

At the 15th Annual Cascadia CitiesAlive in Seattle, Washington on September 18-21, 2017, we at Green Roofs for Healthy Cities are planning to pay tribute at the Opening Plenary to a pioneer in the field of biophilic design, Stephen Kellert. With an outstanding panel, we will explore his work and the frontiers of this revolutionary approach to designing buildings and communities.

I first met Stephen more than 15 years ago and since that time, we have been promoting his thinking about biophilic design in our Green Roof Professional Training courses.  Biophilic design is very supportive of implementing green roofs and walls, which are both positive elements that confer human health and well being benefits.

He also delivered several inspiring keynote addresses at former CitiesAlive conferences.

And in addition, Stephen wrote an important Forward to The Rise of Living Architecture, our 10th Anniversary Book, wherein he stated:

“One of the greatest challenges of our age is how to live in compatible and even harmonious relations to the natural world. Living architecture represents an important step in the direction of reconciling people and nature in the modern built environment and the industry association Green Roofs for Healthy Cities has been in the forefront of this effort.”

Tribute at the Opening Plenary

In Seattle, an Opening Plenary panel of renown experts including Bill Browning of Terrapin Green; Bert Gregory, Principal, Mithun; Gail Vittori, Chair, Green Building Certification Institute; and Amanda Sturgeon, CEO of International Living Future Institute will reflect on his legacy and discuss future developments in the field.

Plenary & Reception, Monday, September 18, 2017

4:45pm – 6:30pm

Opening Plenary
Opening Remarks: Governor Jay Inslee, Governor of Washington

A Tribute to Stephen Kellert: The Business Case for Biophilic Design and Human Health
Master of Ceremonies: Steven Peck, GRP, Founder and President, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities

Bill Browning, Principal, Terrapin Bright Green
Bert Gregory, FAIA, Partner, Mithun
Amanda Sturgeon, CEO, International Living Future Institute
Gail Vittori, Co-Director, Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems; Chair, GBCI
Kathleen Wolf, PhD, Research Social Scientist, University of Washington

6:30pm – 8:00pm

Trade Show & Opening Reception

8:30pm – 11:30pm

Local Host Reception – Seattle Aquarium

Stephen Kellert was a kind and passionate man, especially where it came to fostering a better relationship between people and nature.  He inspired many people with whom he worked and taught. He was a revered professor at Yale University at The School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.

One of Stephen’s most notable achievements was that he pioneered the application of biophilic design to the built form.  He believed that having biophilic designed buildings would help people become healthier and happier.

Biophilic Design Workshop

At CitiesAlive we are delighted to have another pioneer, Bill Browning, lead the first ever design workshop on maximizing biophilic benefits through green roof and wall design just prior to the Opening Plenary.  At the workshop, we hope to maximize the number of biophilic elements that can be incorporated into green roof and wall projects.

Biophilic design is also one of the performance characteristics that is built into the Green Infrastructure Foundation’s Living Architecture Performance Tool, a green roof and wall performance rating system that will be open for comment on Wednesday, September 20, 2017 in Seattle.

Register by September 7 and Save $50!

Please join us for our CitiesAlive: 15th Annual Green Roof & Wall Conference at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel and help us pay tribute to his contributions, shape the future of the industry, and strengthen our ability to use green roofs and walls to improve our health and well being.

Sincerely yours,

~ Steven W. Peck

Steven W. Peck, GRP, Honorary ASLA is the founder and president of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC).  He is also co-founder of the Green Infrastructure Foundation in Toronto, Canada.

GRHC’s mission is to increase the awareness of the economic, social and environmental benefits of green roofs and green walls, and other forms of living architecture through education, advocacy, professional development and celebrations of excellence.

Visit www.greenroofs.org for more information.

Contact Steven at speck@greenroofs.org and 416-971-4494 x 233.