Stewardship for Climate Action! - DC Preservation League

Conserving DC’s built heritage to curtail climate change.

DC Preservation League (DCPL) was launched on Earth Day in 1971, declaring from its inception that a healthy and vibrant community cannot be sustained without conscientious stewardship of its social, economic, and environmental resources. For fifty years, DCPL has been unwavering in its support for equitable and sustainable stewardship of the District of Columbia’s diverse heritage and culture.

DCPL’s 50^th year dawns at a time of arduous challenges that harken back to its beginning. Concerns over environmental decline that awakened in the 1970s have amplified in the face of the global climate crisis. The District of Columbia government, business community, and citizens are taking action to confront the climate crisis head on. DCPL is prepared to do its part.

Buildings account for 75% of greenhouse gas emissions in DC. There is no path to a carbon-free future without rapidly and comprehensively transforming DC’s building sector. To prevent waste, avoid unnecessary carbon pollution, and strengthen community resilience, transformation must begin by optimizing existing buildings and neighborhoods through appropriate and purposeful stewardship.

DCPL will conduct a series of six public programs throughout its 50^th Anniversary year exploring how building sector stewardship can best contribute to meeting DC’s climate commitments. Three programs will be conducted in the fall of 2021, three more in the early months of 2022. Each program will be organized as a symposium, engaging subject experts, community representatives, and stakeholders.

Titled Stewardship for Climate Action! Conserving DC’s built heritage to curtail climate change, DCPL’s program series seeks actionable outcomes:

aggregate baseline information on built heritage relevant to DC’s climate action agenda

define common terminology, interests, objectives, and metrics for built heritage stewardship and building sector decarbonization

develop appropriate model strategies for decarbonizing DC’s predominant heritage building types

identify key barriers and potential policies for optimizing building decarbonization through stewardship

Optimizing the Heritage Conservation Continuum for DC

December 8, 2021
9:00 AM – Noon

AIA CEU Credits Available

Agenda and Summary of Case Studies

9:00 – 9:05
Rebecca Miller

Welcome

9:05 – 9:15
Carl Elefante

Introduction to Case Studies

Housing

9:15 – 9:30
Ralph Cunningham David Coxson

Constructed in 1922 and located in historic Georgetown, La Quercia is a 13,000 SF off-campus higher-education student housing and academic building which provides living accommodations for Harvard University Fellows studying at Dumbarton Oaks. This project successfully restored and renovated the existing dilapidated student housing building into fifteen fully-furnished apartment units with a communal lounge and study space on the lower level. Numerous modernization measures and deferred-maintenance improvements included extensive structural remediation, hazardous materials abatement, complete life-safety and accessibility upgrades, new MEP and fire protection systems integration, and all new architectural finishes.

To meet Harvard Green Building Standards in a historic district, select structural measures had to be taken to install new mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. New rooftop mechanical equipment and solar PV array had to be concealed from historic neighborhood public-sightlines. Additional sustainability measures included a VRF mechanical system, upgrades to the exterior envelope including thermal insulation, highly-insulated window and doors, Energy Recovery Ventilator, and all LED circadian lighting, allowing La Quercia to be one of the few historic buildings certified LEED Gold.

9:30 – 9:45
David Bagnoli

The 13th St Sanctuary is StudioMB’s conversion of a neglected 1917 church into 8 “co-living” units corrected significant structural damage from the 2011 Mid-Atlantic earthquake, after which the building was deemed unsafe and sold. Technical challenges included introducing slotted window openings into the heavy masonry exterior while paying homage to the building’s original architecture. The result is a balance of old and new with a unique approach for creating much needed housing for Washington, D.C., which is struggling to meet projected demand. Organized “Co-Living” is a new residential model that responds to increased debt, high housing costs, and a desire to offset expenses by allowing tenants to rent sleeping rooms in larger-scale 6 bedroom apartments. The structurally complex challenge of accommodating new residential uses into the grand but damaged worship space required subtle insertions that met the demands of shared living while adhering to the city’s standards for retaining significant architectural defining features, all while complying with the District’s strict Green Building Code requirements.

9:45 – 10:00
Will Teass

NetZeroRowhouse is a project profile illustrating how existing row house stock can be retrofitted for the 21st Century focusing on practical solutions in search of a more resilient future. Row houses are an integral part of DC’s housing stock and help define the character of residential neighborhoods. While expanding the original rowhouse typology to accommodate the needs of a family, the project presents design strategies to help achieve the reduced building energy consumption and onsite solar production. In addition, the project demonstrates the principles of “gentle density” with the addition of a second dwelling unit that can be used by the family to house multiple generations or as an accessory dwelling unit. Discussion of Net Zero design and Net Zero compliance Zero are reviewed, as are the tools and technologies for measuring compliance and efficiency.

10:00 – 10:15
David Haresign

Urban areas and inner suburbs are filled with modern era office buildings that have outlived their useful lives. Park + Ford is the adaptive use of a pair of existing14-story buildings at Park Center, built in the 1980’s, converts office use to residential use. The office buildings had deteriorated to less than C-Class office space. Building systems, from the curtainwall to mechanical and electrical systems, were antiquated and not salvageable. By reusing the concrete frame structure, a partially below grade, below building parking structure, and a portion of the exterior precast exterior cladding, a significant amount of construction waste was averted with greater than half of the embedded construction energy saved and put back into production. The re-imagined complex as contemporary apartment buildings includes 435 new residential units, and the existing parking levels now include a new childcare center and garden terraces. Over 30% of the units have either private balconies or ground-level terraces. Amenities include an updated connector building with social gathering space, private function rooms, a gym, common work areas, and outdoor landscaped terraces for public and private use. A new high efficiency unitized polychrome curtainwall, additional roof and wall insulation, LED lighting and Energy Star appliances, water saving plumbing fixtures, individual electric meters and heat pumps serving individual units, and high efficiency DOAS units supplying fresh air to common area dramatically improve the operating energy efficiency of the buildings. The buildings were brought up from the 1984 BOCA Building Code to the 2015 International Building Code, resulting in an over 40% improvement in energy performance.

10:15 – 10:30

Break

Office and Institutional

10:30 – 10:45
David Bell

The historic mid-19^th century Old Naval Hospital was repurposed as a mixed-use community center that includes offices, meeting spaces, classrooms, multi-purpose event spaces, gardens, and a restaurant. Presentation of the award-winning, historic rehabilitation tax credit project will show some of the challenges and applied technologies to achieve a deep energy retrofit, which reduced energy use by over 80% and detained nearly 100% of stormwater on-site.

10:45 – 11:00
Yolanda Cole

The American Geophysical Union’s (AGU) new headquarters marks the first ever net zero renovation in Washington, DC. Originally designed in 1994, the 60,000-SF space combines energy conserving and waste reducing technologies with contemporary workplace strategies for a highly sustainable environment reflective of AGU’s mission and culture. Complete with a transparent data dashboard available to the public, the project serves to demonstrate a viable model to encourage more high-performance buildings in the future.

The building makes both an architectural and environmental statement, situated firmly in the conversation around the future of net zero energy development, while maintaining the integrity of the original design, which was of paramount importance to AGU, its neighbors, and the local Historic Preservation Board. As such, engaging community groups and the historic review boards among other local organizations in the Dupont Circle area, was integral to the success of the design.

Like the original design, the new headquarters incorporates symbolic design elements representing the Earth and space sciences studied by the organization’s 60,000+ members. In addition to modernizing the building and providing a new workplace and amenities for staff, AGU hoped to elevate awareness around the organization by incorporating a space for interactive exhibits. Open to the public, these exhibits showcase member’s work and illustrate how science is applied to solve society’s most pressing issues today.

In total, AGU’s new design incorporates ten sustainable strategies. In addition to the country’s first municipal sewer heat exchange system, two feature elements that amplify the building’s urban presence include a new Solar Photovoltaic (PV) array and the extension of the building’s signature prow to the street level. Supported on sculptural, zinc-clad columns, the PV array proudly announces the generation of energy, while the new prow leverages the building’s architectural language to communicate AGU’s goal of connecting with the public.

The result is an iconic design that meets AGU’s desire for a statement building that complements the surrounding neighborhood. The building will serve as a landmark for the city and country, launching the design industry down a path that remedies the built environment’s impact on climate change.

11:00 – 11:15
Rick Schneider

Powell Elementary is a prime example of a 21st century urban school – combining old and new to create vibrant, green, and healthy learning environments. Originally built in 1929 with a subsequent addition in the 1950’s, the popular neighborhood school was overflowing and in desperate need of major repairs and upgrades. The master plan for school modernization was developed around two green spaces with ready access from the classrooms. New classroom wings were designed to connect physically and visually to the outdoors. Glass facades with integrated sunshades maximize daylight and fresh air as well for healthier learning environments.

Renovation of the existing historic school focused on right-sizing classrooms while maintaining the look and feel of the original school. This meant special attention to flooring, wainscot + trim, windows, and the building exterior materials + details. Building additions were carefully crafted to be sympathetic with the historic school in coordination with the DC State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and the federal Commission of Fine Arts (CFA).

Spaces inside were designed to support differentiated learning in small, medium, and large groups as well as one on one interactions and experiences in novel settings. Every classroom has a portal with a door, a bench, and a canopy – color coded with super-sized graphics for easy orientation. Existing classrooms were renovated to open up access to natural ventilation through the cupola. New classrooms replicated this function and tweaked it to improve the efficiency of natural with solar chimneys. Now the school saves money on operations with these Net Zero strategies while cutting back on the use of fossil fuels for HVAC.

Outdoor learning takes place in a variety of planned spaces including an outdoor classroom, rooftop curriculum gardens, and a library balcony with green roof. Every square foot of this tight urban site was planned to provide inspirational places for learning. Green building and sustainable site design contributed to LEED-S Gold certification (pending). Innovative Net Zero Energy features like daylighting and natural ventilation are complemented by smart site and stormwater management design.

In 2014, President Obama chose Powell ES as the location to announce his FY2015 Education budget. The project has been presented as a case study in civic places and has won numerous awards for design excellence + sustainable design.

11:15 – 11:30
Julia Siple

The Southeast Neighborhood Library is a historic building that opened in 1922. This DC Public Library is one of three Carnegie-funded libraries in the city and located in the Capitol Hill National Register District. The design-build team of Whiting-Turner Construction/Quinn Evans is restoring and expanding the brick building, preserving its special character, and enhancing community connections and services.

11:30 – 11:45
Carl Elefante

Wrap Up

11:45 – 12:00
Rebecca Miller

Closing Remarks and Announcements

Speakers:

David C. Bagnoli, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, is a Founding Principal of StudioMB, a firm located in historic Dupont Circle whose projects range from large to small, urban to rural and include academic, master planning, commercial mixed use, multi-family housing, and adaptive re-use. Since its founding in 2011, the firm has been recognized with awards for design and sustainability from the AIA DC, the Virginia Society of Architects and AIA Northern Virginia. StudioMB has been featured in The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The San Francisco Chronicle, Virginia Living Magazine, Home and Design Magazine, The Washington Business Journal, and Architecture DC Magazine.

David has twenty-seven years of experience in Architecture and Urban Design, including mixed use commercial, residential, performing arts, academic and adaptive reuse. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Notre Dame, he has an active interest in academics, serving as visiting critic and guest lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania and Catholic University.

David Bell is an award-winning architect with a passion and expertise for integrating history, culture, and sustainable design into the built environment. His projects demonstrate that integrating innovation into traditional practice achieves superior results conserving energy, environmental, financial, and cultural resources. He believes that through effective public engagement, receptive architects create places designed-to-engage and made-to-last.

David is an accomplished presenter, having lead tours and spoken at historic preservation and sustainable design conferences nationally and internationally. Mr. Bell as a long-time DC resident committed to the city’s livability, has served on Cultural Tourism DC and AIA DC boards. He is a past president of the DC Preservation League and founding co-chair of the AIA DC High Performance Building Committee.

Yolanda Cole, FAIA, is a Senior Principal and Owner of Hickok Cole, a forward-focused commercial architecture and design practice located in Washington, DC. With over three decades of experience in base building and interior design, Yolanda has worked on projects ranging from large-scale, mixed-use developments to commercial and retail interiors. She is widely recognized for spearheading innovation in the profession through the cultivation of a collaborative, research-based practice. Yolanda is a frequent speaker at conferences on topics ranging from transforming the practice of architecture through exploration, to ground-breaking technologies for urban Net Zero renovations. Her personal passion is to influence housing policy and create new prototypes to maintain young families in our cities.

Yolanda is a past Chair of the Washington District Council of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and currently serves as Chair of the Governance Committee. She is a past President of AIA|DC and served for many years on its Board of Directors. In 2013, Yolanda was named one of the Washington Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business. In 2017 she was honored as a Women of Influence in Commercial Real Estate at Bisnow’s Power Series and was named one of the Washington Business Journal’s Power 100. In addition to her leadership in the real estate profession, Yolanda is a founding board member of the DC Concert Orchestra and serves as the orchestra’s Chair of Development and Principal Flutist.

Cunningham Quil arhitects — David Coxson, AIA
Cunningham | Quill Architects

David Rittenhouse Coxson, AIA is an Associate at Cunningham | Quill Architects and has been an integral design and practice leader within the firm since joining in 2012. Mr. Coxson has over fifteen years’ experience in leading design teams on award-winning projects of myriad types and scales, with a focus on urban historic preservation and adaptive reuse projects for higher-education, institutional, and residential clients. No matter the building type, Mr. Coxson has sustained success in crafting award-winning architecture that gives expression to an institution’s mission and goals. Mr. Coxson is adept at tailoring harmony between the old and the new in his projects and finds cohesive and purposeful solutions to complex programming, sustainability, and detailing elements. As a Washington native, Mr. Coxson takes pride in being part of city’s architectural heritage and aims to heighten the beauty of the DC’s buildings and neighborhoods.

Prior to joining Cunningham | Quill Architects, Mr. Coxson worked for Ennead Architects (formerly Polshek Partnership Architects) in New York City where he worked on a variety of award-winning urban projects. Mr. Coxson’s projects have won numerous awards, including multiple AIA Awards from the Washington, DC, Virginia and Maryland chapters; a North American Copper in Architecture Award from the Copper Development Association; Brick in Architecture Design Excellence Award; and a Design Excellence Award from Public Design Commission of New York; and an American Architecture award from the Chicago Athenaeum.

Ralph Cunningham, FAIA
Cunningham | Quill Architects

Ralph Cunningham, FAIA weaves modern architecture into historic fabric that honors the old and illuminates the new with elegant simplicity. His work reflects the unique qualities of place, with distinctive attention to proportion, scale, and craftsmanship. He and his firm have received 84 AIA awards, 3 DC Mayor’s Awards for Excellence in Historic Preservation, 3 CNU awards, and have been featured in over 20 national publications. In 2010, he was elevated to the American Institute of Architects’ College of Fellows in the category of Design.

In his practice in our Nation’s Capital, he has designed projects where sustainable solutions have been honed by careful research into the history of the site and the buildings upon them. One theme of his work is the transformation of the modest buildings of the past, whether it be a nineteenth century bank barn or a mid-century suburban house, into twenty-first century architecture. Another is his belief in the equal opportunity for craftsmanship in his work from new construction to preservation. His consistent approach has created a body of work that is remarkable for its diversity and consistent attention to detail. His buildings are seamless additions to the urban, suburban or rural landscapes that surround them.

Ralph Cunningham has been a consistent advocate for design excellence in the community, academia, and on design award juries. He has served on numerous design juries, including the Residential Architect and Custom Home national design award programs. Extending his philosophy to teaching and mentoring the next generation of architects, Ralph has taught design studios at Catholic University and Howard University. He has lectured at Cornell University, Catholic University, and The University of Miami. Vytenis Gureckas, AIA of the School of Architecture at Catholic University, writes that “Ralph Cunningham proposed that the studio explore the relationship between the form of Washington, DC and its meaning as an emblem of our democratic system of government. Through his studio, Mr. Cunningham demonstrated that he was deeply knowledgeable, and had strong abilities as a thinker and educator.”

Carl Elefante, FAIA, FAPT is Principal Emeritus with Quinn Evans where he served as design principal on architecture, historic preservation, and community revitalization projects. Known for coining the phrase: “The greenest building is…one that is already built”,

Carl writes and lectures internationally on historic preservation, sustainable design, climate change, and urban topics. Carl is a Senior Fellow with Architecture 2030 working to advance building-sector decarbonization globally, a founding member of the Climate Heritage Network (CHN) promoting the value of culture and heritage in curtailing climate change, and Adjunct Professor at The Catholic University of America and the University of Maryland.

In 2018, Carl served as the 94th President of the American Institute of Architects. Carl is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Association for Preservation Technology (APT). Carl attended Pratt Institute School of Architecture and received a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation in1980.

David Haresign, FAIA
Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS

David Haresign, FAIA is a founding partner of Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS. David is a specialist in large-scale, complex projects, leading project teams and organizations with conceptual clarity, meticulous attention to detail and a commitment to design excellence. He implements diverse project typologies with challenging entitlements, large integrated teams, and tight fiscal constraints. David’s work with existing buildings achieves iconic design combined with technical innovation, as he preserves, restores and re-purposes of old fabric that re-invigorates neighborhoods and communities. Committed to smart growth planning and preservation, David is a socially responsible architect charting a sustainable future. He promotes affordable housing as a basic right and cornerstone of smart growth – retaining less affluent residents in old neighborhoods and housing them in new ones. His projects are widely recognized with over 130 national, regional and local design awards, and in international and national publications including Urban Land, Residential Architect, Interior Design, Inform, Architecture DC and the Washington Post. David engages the public through outreach and pro-bono activism, developing alliances and recruiting through leadership at the AIA and the academy, and exposing the results of his work through awards, publication, exhibitions, and presentations. David has recently organized and chaired two major, highly successful exhibits at the District Architecture Center focusing on architects’ impact on the city – reVISION :: THINKING BIG and reBIRTH :: Washington, DC 50 Years after 1968. His outreach extends to boards of related professional, academic, cultural and community organizations where David serves as a Trustee, Director and leader. He mentors and inspires young architects with individual professional guidance. David is a sought-after design critic, and a frequent lecturer and panelist on current architecture and practice at noted regional universities and public conferences. He has been honored with the 2021 AIA|DC Centennial Medal, and in 2012 was elevated to the College of Fellows, one of the American Institute of Architects highest individual honors. At the University of Virginia, David completed his architecture degree in 1976, and studied graduate planning.

Rick Schneider is an internationally recognized champion for sustainability and founding principal of ISTUDIO Architects in Washington DC. He leads communities to a more resilient future with bold work that emulates the regenerative cycles of nature.

A teacher, mentor, and communicator, Rick presents on a range of topics from passive design and regenerative architecture to outdoor education and equity. Speaking engagements include the Kresge Foundation, the National Building Museum, the American Institute of Architects, and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in the United States as well as organizations in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Rick’s innovative work garners design awards and international acclaim – including an invitation from the European Cultural Centre to exhibit and speak at the 2021 Venice Biennale for Architecture. Award-winning projects have been published in Metropolis, Dwell, Forbes, and the New York Times.

Rick’s service as a board member includes the Virginia Tech College of Architecture, the US Green Building Council NCR, and the AIA Committee on the Environment. He maintains a mentorship program to teach at-risk youth about architecture.

Julia Siple, AIA, LEED AP
Quinn Evans Architects

Julia Siple AIA, LEED AP BD+C is an architect and advocate for high-performing design. Julia is the Director of Sustainability for Quinn Evans and is responsible for planning, community engagement, design, and sustainability assessment services for projects throughout the country. Her expertise supports an analytical approach to energy, material selection, third-party certifications, and realizing sustainable potentials. Julia formerly served as Senior Manager of the AIA’s Sustainable Knowledge and Practice area, where she coordinated the AIA 2030 Commitment program and the Design Data Exchange. Julia is a graduate of the Rice University School of Architecture.

Will Teass, AIA is a co-founder and principal of Teass \ Warren Architects, a Washington, DC-based architectural and interiors practice with a diverse portfolio of commercial and residential projects. Recent work includes numerous low-rise infill residential buildings, a number of new retail and restaurant environments located in historic districts and several office rejuvenations. He is the current Secretary of the DC Chapter of the AIA, as well as a co-chair of the chapter’s Small Firm Exchange (SFX) committee. Speaking engagements include Neocon, DesignDC, and local symposia. Mr. Teass holds a Master of Architecture from Princeton University and Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Virginia.

Past Programs

Program 1
Establishing a Baseline for Built Heritage

September 29, 2021
9:00 AM – Noon

District Architecture Center
421 7th Street NW
Metro: Gallery Place or Archives

AIA CEU Credits Available

Session 1
Introduction

9:00 AM

Introduction to DCPL’s 50th Anniversary Program Series

9:10 AM

Introduction to Stewardship for Climate Action Program Series

Session 2
Stewardship in the Era of Climate Action

9:20 AM

Carl Elefante, will begin the program by discussing how we tackle climate change through global, national, regional, and local action; the relevance of the built environment in combatting climate change; decarbonization factors in the building sector; and the role old and historic resources can be used as tools to combat climate change.

Session 3
Cities in the Era of Climate Action

9:40 AM

Main Street: Ms. Fullilove will discuss the findings of her research that focused on the pattern of disinvestment in inner-city neighborhoods has left Main Streets across the U.S. in disrepair, weakening our cities and leaving us vulnerable to catastrophic events.

10:10 AM

Equitable Cities and Climate Justice: Historic preservation, climate change, and virtually all issues related to sustainability and resilience are fundamentally political issues; matters of who gets what and why. Mr. Squires’ presentation will focus on how equity issues, particularly increasing concentration of poverty and wealth and persisting racial segregation shape the social, economic, and built environment of cities.

Session 4
Cities in the Era of Climate Action

10:40 AM

As the saying goes, “You have to know the past to understand the present.” Each period of Washington, DC’s history has left its mark on the physical makeup of the city we know today. Sarah Vonesh and Brian Kraft will provide an introduction to the evolution of the city form and built environment through maps and photographs integrated with an overview of the city’s historic landmarks and districts.

Session 5
Facilitated Discussion

11:30 AM

Is protecting and celebrating community and built heritage important for tackling climate change in DC?

11:50 AM

Closing and Next Program Announcements

Speakers:

Mindy Thompson Fullilove
MD, LFAPA, HON AIA
The New School

Mindy Thompson Fullilove, MD, LFAPA, Hon AIA, is a social psychiatrist and professor of urban policy and health at The New School. She completed her AB at Bryn Mawr College, and MS and MD at Columbia University. She is board-certified in psychiatry, having completed residency in psychiatry at New York Hospital-Westchester Division and Montefiore Hospital. She is a professor of urban policy and health at The New School. She has published over 100 scientific papers and eight books, including her highly regarded urban restoration trilogy, Root Shock, Urban Alchemy and Main Street.

Brian Kraft focuses on technologically appropriate treatment of historical resources to visualize, analyze and understand the past.

Brian has a BS in computer science and a post-baccalaureate certificate in GIS, both from Penn State. He has been researching, writing, and speaking about DC history since 1997. He researched and wrote the Columbia Heights Heritage Trail and the chapter on Columbia Heights in the second edition of Washington At Home (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2010). Kraft created the DC Historical Building Permits Database and the initial draft of HistoryQuestDC. He conceived and co-founded PrologueDC’s Mapping Segregation project and made many static maps, as well as the original versions of the twostory maps found on that project page.

Kraft’s new project is Mapping Early Washington, focusing on the founding of the City of Washington and its existence and growth in the 1800s.

Gregory D. Squires
George Washington University

Gregory D. Squires is a Professor of Sociology, and Public Policy & Public Administration at George Washington University. Currently he is a member of the Fair Housing Task Force of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the Social Science Advisory Board of the Poverty & Race Research Action Council in Washington, D.C. and the Board of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in DC. He has served as a consultant for civil rights organizations around the country and as a member of the Federal Reserve Board’s Consumer Advisory Council. He has written for several academic journals and general interest publications including Housing Policy Debate, Urban Studies, Social Science Quarterly, Social Problems, New York Times, and Washington Post. His recent books include, Meltdown: The Financial Crisis, Consumer Protection, and the Road Forward (with Larry Kirsch – Praeger, 2017) and his edited book The Fight for Fair Housing Causes, Consequences and Future Implications of the 1968 Federal Fair Housing Act (Routledge, 2018). He has received career achievement awards from several professional associations including the Community and Urban Sociology Section of the American Sociological Association, the Society for the Study of Social Problems, the Urban Affairs Association, the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology, and the District of Columbia Sociological Society.

Sarah Vonesh is a historic preservation specialist and project manager at EHT Traceries, a historic preservation consulting firm based in Washington, D.C. She provides guidance to clients on the interpretation and application of relevant planning policies to the treatment of historic properties, districts, and landscapes. Additionally, she is the company lead in environmental sustainability and resiliency, participating in projects that unite historic preservation with sustainable design, adaptation, and mitigation. Sarah received her M.S. in Historic Preservation from Columbia University and a B.A. in Historic Preservation and Community Planning from the College of Charleston.

Program 2
DC’s Building Sector Climate Action Plan (CAP)

October 19, 2021
9:00 AM – Noon

Virtual Via ZOOM

AIA CEU Credits Available

Agenda

9:00 AM

Introduction to DCPL’s 50th Anniversary Program Series

9:10 AM

Introduction to Stewardship for Climate Action Program Series

9:20 AM

Rogelio Flores (OP)/Stephen Gyor (OP) will discuss climate change and sustainability in the District of Columbia. What it is, why it matters and how we’re addressing it through things like the Sustainable DC plan, Comprehensive Plan and other tools.

9:45 AM

Casey Studhalter (DOEE) will discuss how the District’s Energy Conservation Code governs energy efficiency in new construction and major renovations. The Clean Energy DC plan set a goal of a Net-Zero Energy code by 2026. Learn about how that will impact historic buildings.

10:05 AM

Katie Bergfeld (DOEE) will explore DC’s new Building Energy Performance Standard. Existing buildings will soon need to demonstrate a minimum energy performance and how that impacts historic buildings.

10:30 AM

10-Minute Break

10:40 AM

Imania Price (OP) will discuss how DC’s Historic Preservation Office is linking sustainability and historic preservation.

11:00 AM

Facilitated Discussion and Q&A

Speakers:

Katie Bergfeld is the Branch Chief for Building Performance and Enforcement in the Energy Administration at the Department of Energy & Environment. She has been with the agency since January 2015, when she was brought in to help manage the District’s benchmarking program, which requires all large commercial buildings to report their energy and water usage to the District on an annual basis. Katie currently oversees the team that administers all facets of the District’s benchmarking program, as well as the development and implementation of the District’s new Building Energy Performance Standards that were set forth in the Clean Energy DC Omnibus Act of 2018. Prior to joining DOEE, Katie worked as a Program Specialist with the U.S. Green Building Council, where she worked in the LEED Certification Department. She has an M.A. in Natural Resources & Sustainable Development from American University and B.S. in Environmental Studies from Emory University. She is a Certified Energy Manager (CEM), LEED Accredited Professional (BD+C), and Project Management Professional (PMP).

Rogelio Flores serves as Associate Director for the Citywide Planning, Strategy and Analysis Division for DCOP. In this role, he leads initiatives that shape dynamic, inclusive and equitable change in our nation’s capital. He oversees land use, transportation, capital facilities, housing, and economic development strategies and long-range planning for the agency.

Rogelio brings nearly 20 years of experience to this role. He joined DCOP in 2016 as Senior Planner for Capital Facilities, working on large-scale projects as well as the Comprehensive Plan Update Program and Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) formulation. Before that, he served the City of Los Angeles Department of City Planning for eight years, managing multiple teams and an extensive portfolio of city-making initiatives across all scales and levels of planning and development, culminating in successful oversight of a complex university campus expansion project. He previously also served in senior roles in the tech start-up and philanthropic sectors in New York City, and as a university campus planner in Cambridge, MA.

Rogelio holds a Master of Urban Planning degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and a BS in Environmental Engineering Sciences from the University of Florida where he was also a Ronald E. McNair Fellow in the Social Sciences. He is professionally bilingual and holds AICP and EIT accreditations from the American Planning Association and the Florida Board of Professional Engineers, respectively.

Stephen Gyor currently serves as the Senior Sustainability Planner for the District of Columbia Office of Planning (OP). At OP, Stephen is responsible for formulating sustainability and resilience policies relating to environmental protection, parks and open space, and public health. Previously, Stephen worked in OP’s Development Review Division, where he evaluated projects for their adherence to best planning, urban design, architecture, and sustainability practices. Stephen earned a Master of City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a Master of Business Administration, Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs, and a certificate in Landscape Design from the George Washington University.

Imania Price is a Historic Preservation Specialist with the DC Historic Preservation Office. She has worked with the Maryland State Historic Preservation Office and the City of Annapolis on their flood mitigation and historic preservation initiatives. She is currently working on the DC’s disaster plan program for historic properties and sites. Imania graduated from Spelman College with a BA in History and has a Masters in Historic Preservation from University of Maryland, College Park.

Casey Studhalter
Department of
Energy & Environment

Casey joined DC’s Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) as a program analyst in the Urban Sustainability Administration in February 2018. In this role he coordinates interagency green building efforts across the District. Casey also serves as the DOEE representative in the construction codes development process and chairs the Green Construction and Commercial Energy Conservation Codes technical group. Prior to DOEE, Casey spent 8 years at the U.S. Green Building Council where he led various technical development efforts, served as a subject matter expert, and led a grant program to build the capacity of affordable housing developers to achieve certification. Casey earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington and a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Tech.

Climate Action Planning Committee Members

Carl Elefante, FAIA, APT
Program Chair