Making Green Happen: Santa Monica City Hall East Project

Making Green Happen: Santa Monica City Hall East Project

The City Officials envisioned the City Hall East as among the greenest buildings in the world. The project team was able to exceed Santa Monica’s current sustainability standards and has set international records as the first municipal structure to receive Living Building Challenge Certification. This program seeks to provide insight on how the Integrated Design Process was able to leverage the holy trinity of the owner, architect/designer and contractor to make green happen.

SPONSORED BY:

SPEAKERS:

Amber Richane – Senior Design Manager, Architecture Services, City of Santa Monica

Jesse Buckmaster, LFA, LEED AP BD+C – Director of Sustainability, Hathaway Dinwiddie

Joseph Coriaty, FAIA – Managing Partner, Frederick Fisher and Partners

Julian Parsley – Partner, Buro Happold

MODERATED BY:

Will Longyear, AIA – Higher Education Sector Leader, SOM

With over 30 years of architectural practice, Will Longyear has focused on the design, planning and programming of college and university buildings and place making for campus environments. His work is inspired by the ideas, aspirations and missions
of his academic clients and he strives to create solutions that foster learning, social engagement, and future exploration.

SPEAKERS:

Amber Richane – Chief Operating Officer – Special Projects, City of Santa Monica

As the Chief Operating Officer – Special Projects at the City of Santa Monica, Amber Richane is responsible for the development and management of a team of six managing numerous projects through multiple stages, from concept and design to construction and operation. This includes City Hall East (formerly called the City Services Building), the world’s most sustainable municipal building, a project Amber managed from 2017 to its opening in 2020. She came to the City of Santa Monica from almost 20 years in commercial architecture, most recently at CallisonRTKL, where for ten years she spearheaded numerous client projects and acted as the Performance Driven Design™ Lead for a team spread across 18 international offices. Other stops in her career include Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in Washington, DC and StreetSense.

Amber now focuses on the City’s airport conversion project, which will transform the 227-acre municipal airport into a regenerative, equitable, and community-driven future. The team will be employing a democratic-lottery process to ensure a wide-variety of community members will be able to participate in the future visioning process. This project requires coordination between all Departments within the City of Santa Monica and extensive community outreach including local, regional and State agencies.

Environmental stewardship is central to Amber’s life. From the solar powered electric car she drives to her ongoing conservation projects at her home and children’s school, she strives to eliminate waste and carbon in all that she does. This passion for protecting our Earth drives Amber’s career.

Jesse Buckmaster, LFA, LEED AP BD+C – Director of Sustainability, Hathaway Dinwiddie

Jessie Buckmaster has over 13 years of experience in sustainable commercial construction and green building across California. She is a subject matter expert in in evaluating healthy and low embodied carbon building materials. As Director of Sustainability for Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction she provides sustainability expertise and consultation for HDCCo’s projects from pre-construction through certification. Jessie has completed dozens of sustainable projects and managed the Materials petal for a project pursuing Living Building Challenge certification. Jessie was selected for BD+C Magazine’s 40 under 40 cohort in 2020. She holds credentials for LEED AP BD+C, LFA, and is Board Secretary for USGBC-LA.

Joseph Coriaty, FAIA – Managing Partner, Frederick Fisher and Partners

As Managing Partner at Frederick Fisher and Partners, Joseph Coriaty, FAIA, has dedicated his career to creating buildings that integrate environmentally conscious, and timeless design. Joe takes a personal interest in making sure that our projects are beautiful and engaging as well as practical and efficient. His long-spanning accomplishments as a design leader and visionary architect were recognized in 2022 when he was honored by Craft Contemporary Museum in Los Angeles and in 2021 when he received the Spirit of Detroit Mercy Alumni Achievement Award. Joe received his Bachelor of Science and Architecture from the University of Detroit and his Master of Architecture from USC. He is on the Deans Board of Advisors at the University of Detroit Mercy, a Trustee of The Craft Contemporary Museum, a Fellow on The American Institute of Architects, and a member of the following organizations: USC Architecture Guild, Society of College & University Planners, and the Southern California Development Forum.

Julian Parsley – Partner, Buro Happold