210th Edition – Zak World of Façades USA

This will be the 210th edition globally and the 2nd edition in Los Angeles which will showcase sustainable innovations and challenges in the construction industry pertaining to the building envelope and will also display latest technological solutions.

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Speakers & Panelists
Jeffrey A. Caldwell
Principal | Unit Manager, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates
Since joining WJE in 1998, Jeffrey Caldwell has worked in the WJE Princeton, Boston, and Los Angeles offices. During this time, he has focused on the assessment, preservation, repair design, and implementation of restoration programs for a variety of building...
Todd Thongeiam
Senior Associate, Johnson Fain
Todd Thongeiam joined Johnson Fain in 2019 and has over 25 years of professional architecture experience. He has worked nationally and internationally on a variety of project types including multi-family residential buildings, commercial offices, transit-oriented development, civic buildings, and hospitality...
John Gralewski
Principal, Johnson Fain
John Gralewski became a key team member of Johnson Fain in 2017 with several years of previous professional experience. He has worked on a variety of project types including high-rise, multi-family residential towers, mixed-use developments, education campuses, commercial offices, private...
Natasha Appel
Business Development Manager - Rainscreen Systems, EJOT
Natasha Appel is a Business Development Manager at EJOT, bringing over two decades of experience in architecture and façade systems. With a deep-rooted passion for building science, design, and high-performance building envelopes, she works closely with partners and clients to...
Joseph Schettino
AVP - Building Enclosures | Sports Venue Leader | Dept. Head - LA, WSP
Yan Krymsky
Design Director | US West, Stantec
Ken Bernstein
Principal City Planner, Los Angeles City Planning
Ken Bernstein is a Principal City Planner for Los Angeles City Planning, where he leads the department’s Office of Historic Resources. He serves as lead staff member for the City’s Cultural Heritage Commission, has overseen the completion of SurveyLA, a...
Ben Stapleton
Chief Executive Officer, USGBC California
Ben Stapleton is a recognized sustainability leader with a focus on building teams and designing programs to deliver impactful results. As Chief Executive Officer for USGBC California his work focuses on coordinating an ecosystem leveraging the built environment to help...
D. Rocky Rockefeller
Founding Partner, Rockefeller Partners
Over his 40+ year career span, Rocky Rockefeller has built a base of knowledge and expertise that spans the creative demands of the design process to the technical and managerial requisites for construction and business. A respected mentor to emerging...
Olivier Sommerhalder
Design Director, Gensler
Olivier Sommerhalder is a design director at Gensler’s LA office with experience in a variety of project types in the U.S., South America, Asia, Middle East and Europe. He believes in using building technology and building science as means to...
Maya White-Turre
Senior Associate, Gruen Associates
Maya White-Turre AIA is a Senior Associate Architect with Gruen Associates Architecture, Planning, Interiors, Landscape. At Gruen she was project manager on the LAX Metro Transit Connector for eight years. The project won design awards in architecture, sustainability, engineering, and...
Tom Silva
Project Director - Design, Webcor
Nathan Bishop
Design Principal | Partner, Koning Eizenberg
As Design Partner-in-Charge, Nathan Bishop AIA, LEED AP oversees the firm’s major projects with a focus on social inclusivity, climate change, and resetting relationships between buildings and shared public space. Across a variety of project types, from multi-family housing to...
Nathan Wittasek
Fire Protection Engineer & Investigator, SGH
Nate Wittasek is a fire protection engineer who brings a practical, science-based approach to developing fire resistance and wildfire resilience strategies for buildings and campuses. His work blends performance-based fire engineering, building science, and code strategy to address complex risks...
Dana Getman
Principal, SHoP
Dana Getman is a Principal at SHoP Architects in New York City, where she has led some of the firm’s most complex and impactful work for more than 18 years, including the master planning of Essex Crossing, a 2 million–square-foot...
Gijs Libourel
Principal | Senior Façade Specialist, RDH Building Science
Gijs Libourel is a key leader on RDH’s Structural and Facade Engineering team with more than 25 years of international experience delivering complex, high-profile projects across the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. Known for blending architectural vision with...
Thomas Miller
Global Head of Projects, Forster Profile Systems
Thomas Miller leads the Special Projects and Technical Consulting teams at Forster’s headquarters in Romanshorn, Switzerland. He began his career 25+ years ago as an architect at Siemens AG and later held a role in Business Development at Germany-based Dormakaba....
Skyler Will
Associate - Technical Service and Development Scientist, Dow
Skyler Will is an Associate Technical Service and Development Scientist in Dow Consumer Solutions Building and Infrastructure. He provides technical support to the Northeast regions and contributes to the innovation and development of new products for the building and infrastructure...
Andrew Pries
Director of Innovation & Technical Sales, Boston Valley Terra Cotta
Andrew Pries, Technical Sales Director at Boston Valley Terra Cotta, holds a BS in Architecture from the University at Buffalo and a Master of Architecture from the University of Michigan. With a focus on design development and leveraging diverse fabrication...
Bob Zhang
Sales Director - North America, North Glass
Bob joined Northglass in 2012. For the first two years He worked on the technical side, then moved to project management and worked on the Apple Park project. In 2015, He came to the US and started the Northglass US...
Isabelle Paparo
Senior Engineer, Arup
Isabelle Paparo is a Senior Façade Engineer in Arup’s Los Angeles office, with a background in structural engineering and materials science. On the LAX Metro Transit Connector project, she led Arup’s façade efforts during the construction phase. The project received...
Dean White
Regional Façade Sales Manager, Cosentino
Dean has a 30-year history in the building materials and construction industry ranging from quality management to senior sales management focused on the building envelope. His approach is solution based and consultative. Dean provides practical knowledge to help with design...
Lisa Rammig
Director, Eckersley O'Callaghan
Lisa Rammig is the Director of Eckersley O’Callaghan’s West Coast offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles. She initially joined EOC to support the firm’s emerging facade engineering group in London. After playing a key role in its remarkable growth,...
Stan Su
Vice President | Practice Design Director - Façades, HKS
Stan Su is HKS Architects’ Practice Design Director/Facades – Vice President with 30 years’ experience in the architectural and technical design of complex enclosures. Stan’s past work includes the development of innovative, performance-driven & sustainable design excellence projects across the...
Conference Agenda
  • Form, function, sustainability and connectivity are merged in this state-of-the-art tower
  • Distinguishable on the skyline by its tapered and highly sculptured profile
  • Designed to maximize views, increase natural light and comfort while minimizing heat and energy consumption, with a LEED Platinum target
Speakers:
  • Peak heating and cooling loads vs yearly energy expenditure
  • Embodied carbon, toxicity of materials and wellness (Daylight, Acoustics, Tactile & Aesthetic Qualities)
  • Manufacturing, installation and maintenance, but also the enduring value of good architectural design
Speakers:
  • Addressing global issues in the built environment and realizing the potential of terra cotta solutions
  • Materiality and performance benefits of terra cotta façades in modern architecture
  • Terra cotta façade innovations that address global challenges and enhance building performance
Speakers:
  • Single & 3D curved glass design
  • Super jumbo glass & flatness
  • New techniques in architectural glass design
Speakers:
  • Located at LA’s geographic center along the Los Angeles River and the Metro, the design for habitat weaves the nature of LA with the benefits of urban connectivity
  • The massing of the building is shaped to maximize access to light, garden space and terraces on every floor, creating a hill shape that speaks to the neighboring state parks and the spectacular mountains that frame the LA basin
  • The façade design reinforces and reinterprets the region's landscape and architecture, through lightweight materials and sage and eucalyptus colors, dynamically capturing the light throughout the day
  • Façade operability is key, blurring the lines between interior and exterior, both office and residential buildings feature folding walls and transparency while achieving sustainability goals
Speakers:
  • Applied sustainability
  • System supplier vs. local requirements
  • Balancing aesthetics, performance, safety and protection
Speakers:
  • Choosing resilient envelope materials and construction methods
  • Understanding, complying with and exceeding updated fire codes and zoning laws
  • Assessing risk and optimizing designs

Nathan Wittasek

Speakers:
  • Ultracompact stone: A sustainable carbon neutral façade material
  • Attachment methods for ventilated rainscreen and curtainwall integration
  • Design considerations related to performance, budget, and design intent
Speakers:
  • Thermal performance; stainless steel vs. standard solutions
  • Anti-corrosion & system longevity
  • Sustainability & environmental impact
Speakers:
  • Inside/Outside – façades defining open air public space
  • GO BIG or GO HOME - material constraints and manufacturer collaboration
  • Minimalism and Structural Expression combined - Aesthetic structural articulation of custom built up façade details
Speakers:
  • Why reducing embodied carbon in building materials such as silicones is important for reducing greenhouse gases
  • Recognizing the carbon-neutral silicone sealants that are available for three different building façade applications
  • Identifying the benefits that the project-specific carbon neutrality service can offer architects, design consultants and building owners
Speakers:
  • How the Adaptive Reuse Ordinance is changing the face of LA
  • How do you unlock the greatest value through a conversion?
  • What are the basic factors for a successful adaptive reuse project?
  • What is there to consider with historic building conversions?

Olivier Sommerhalder

Speakers:
Event Details
  • 210th Edition – Zak World of Façades USA, April 09, 2026
  • Start Date
    April 9, 2026 8:00 am
  • End Date
    April 9, 2026 5:00 pm
  • Status
    Upcoming
  • Location
  • Venue
  • Category
    • Sponsors

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