Media Advisory: Architects and Builders of Celebrated Green Buildings to Headline at Business of Energy Seminar

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Designers of the world's first LEED-certified winery, a regional gem, will be among presenters at a conference on sustainable buildings that the University at Buffalo's Directed Energy program is hosting on Nov. 17.

The conference, the last installment of the 2011 Business of Energy series, will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 17 at the Buffalo Niagara Marriott at 1340 Millersport Highway in Amherst, N.Y. Details and registration information are online at http://www.nydirectedenergy.org/seminars/2011/sustainable_buildings.cfm.

This event is an opportunity for regional architects, developers and contractors to see and learn from leaders in designing and constructing buildings that incorporate sustainable features and use energy efficiently.

The conference will feature talks by architects and colleagues who worked on noteworthy green buildings that integrate both proven and groundbreaking technologies. Scheduled speakers include:

-- Les Andrew, lead architect on Stratus Vineyards' Niagara-on-the-Lake winery, along with contractors Alan Greer and Michael Pelton. The winery, certified under the Canada Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, is the world's first LEED-certified winery. Geothermal heating and cooling, toxin-free waste management and a gravity-flow system for producing wine make the facility a marvel of sustainability.

-- Serge Appel, lead architect on the Bank of America Tower in New York City, along with client representative Amanda Kaminsky and commissioning agent Vinnie Galatro. The 55-story tower is the first commercial skyscraper in the U.S. to attain a LEED-platinum rating, the highest designation under the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Core and Shell system. Among other green features, an on-site cogeneration plant works with an ice storage system to cut peak energy demand.

-- Kevin Neumaier, president and CEO of Ecology and Environment in Lancaster, N.Y., along with Eric Lindstrom, associate vice president and sustainability coordinator at Cannon Design. The Lancaster headquarters of Ecology and Environment, an environmental management firm, was built over 20 years ago but did not require a fundamental redesign to achieve a platinum rating under the LEED certification system for existing buildings. Green attributes include natural ventilation, indoor planting and continuous measurement of environmental performance.

The conference will open with a welcome by Robert Shibley, dean of UB's School of Architecture and Planning. UB Chief Sustainability Officer Ryan McPherson and Hodgson Russ LLP partner Daniel Spitzer will make introductory remarks.

Keynote speakers will be Kevin Burke and Carrie Meinberg Burke, experts and leaders in sustainable design. Burke and Meinberg Burke are co-founders and principals at PARABOLA Architecture + Industrial Design and have served as visiting professors at the College of Environmental Design at the University of California, Berkeley.

Directed Energy is a clean energy incubator program run by UB's Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach (STOR) and funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Directed Energy offers technical, and business support, financial assistance, industry seminars and other services to facilitate the growth of Western New York companies that focus on alternative energy or energy-saving products.