NeoCon East, set for Nov. 2-3 at the Baltimore Convention Center, has secured two high-profile keynote speakers for this year’s show: architect Victor Olgyay and fashion designer Jhane Barnes. More than 7,000 industry professionals responsible for the repair, retrofit and green building modernization of city, county, state and federal buildings are scheduled to attend.

Victor Olgyay
11 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 2

A principal architect directing Rocky Mountain Institute’s buildings practice, Victor leads an initiative to encourage the widespread adoption of comprehensive building energy retrofits resulting in energy savings of at least 50 percent. Prior to RMI, Victor was an associate professor and director of research at UH School of Architecture and has overseen numerous energy, environmental and lighting research projects under contract to various state and federal agencies.

He serves as a member of various organizations including the American Solar Energy Association and the National Academy of Environmental Design Research committee. Victor is currently researching ecological restoration and ecosystem services as criteria for green building assessment. Victor’s keynote presentation titled, “Unlocking Energy Efficiency in Existing Buildings Using Whole Systems Thinking,” addresses both the scale of the effort required to reshape building stocks, as well as the strategy and tactics required. His keynote also details the process and technique, the benefits to businesses, the method for selecting suitable buildings, the key players that must be involved, and the tools and skills required to retrofit existing commercial building stock comprehensively and cost-effectively.

Jhane Barnes
11 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 3

Jhane Barnes is a men’s fashion designer, and an innovator in contract and interior textiles, carpeting, eyewear, and office furniture. Jhane’s carpets,upholstery, and furniture appear in the offices of high-profile companies including Google, Delta Air Lines, and SONY. After winning a COTY award for her menswear designs at the age of 25, Knoll approached Jhane to design a collection of contract textiles. Jhane’s achievements in design opened the door for collaborations with such companies as Bernhardt, Tandus and Jofco, where she melded her design sensibility with efforts to maintain environmentally sensitive practices. Jhane has owned her own fashion company for 35 years. During her keynote, titled “Changing with the Times” she will talk about all of the other projects and products she's involved in that balance her life as a designer.

CEU SEMINARS
More than 50 speakers will address a range of important topics in the 12 tracks including: Office Design, Facilities Management, Facilities Construction/Renovation, Green Design, Government Interiors and Services, Healthcare & Senior Housing, Health, Safety & Welfare, Hospitality, Institutional, Lighting, Professional Development and Residential.   

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