Heather Burpee, Research Associate Professor at the University of Washington Integrated Design Lab (IDL), is a nationally recognized scholar in high performance buildings. Her work bridges practice, research, and education with collaboration between practitioners, faculty, and students. Her research addresses both qualitative and quantitative aspects of buildings including tracking health impacts and synergies between environmental quality, natural systems, sensory environments, and energy efficiency. She has led several efforts to create protocols for performance based tracking and auditing for hospitals, higher education, and commercial buildings. She regularly applies these roadmaps in practice, consulting with leading design teams nationally that are charged with implementing high performance buildings. At the UW IDL, she leads outreach and education at the Bullitt Center, providing tours and other educational opportunities related to high performance buildings to multi-faceted audiences.  

Kristen Dotson is Miller Hull Partnership’s Sustainability Services Director. Kristen takes her passion and knowledge for sustainable designs and incorporates that into her work. The Miller Hull Partnership is an architecture firm known for their work in sustainable buildings, they designed the Bullitt Center in Seattle that is known as “the greenest office building in the world.” They are leaders in their industry as evident by earning the top spot in Architect Magazine’s Top 50 Sustainable Design Firms. 

Myer Harrell is a Principal and the Director of Sustainability at Weber Thompson. He believes in the power of design to promote a sustainable future and manages the firm’s initiatives to that end. He was a member of the design team for the award-winning Eco-Laboratory, which won the national USGBC 2008 Natural Talent Design Competition, and was included in the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum 2010 Design Triennial Exhibit. 

Myer received the AIA Young Architects Award in 2021. He was also named a 2011 AIA Seattle Young Architect, and currently serves on the AIA Seattle board of directors. Nationally, Myer was active in the USGBC Greenbuild Program Working Group and Education Events Committee, and sat on the Board of Directors for Cascadia Green Building Council. He has co-instructed undergraduate and graduate architecture studios at the University of Washington, and has been a frequent studio critic. Myer received a Bachelor of Science in Architecture with Philosophy citation at the University of Maryland in 2002, a Master in Architecture at the University of Washington in 2005 and completed the UW Commercial Real Estate Certificate in 2016. 

Christopher Meek is Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Washington and Director of the Center for Integrated Design at the University’s College of Built Environments. Professor Meek’s areas of research include building energy performance for new construction and retrofits, daylighting, visual comfort, electric lighting, and climate responsive design. His work bridges practice, research, and education with collaboration between practitioners, faculty, and students. Under his leadership, the Center advances its mission through interconnected research, technical assistance, and educational programs that create impact in three primary areas: (1) influential new construction and renovation projects that achieve exceptional energy performance targets and serve as a model for future buildings; (2) the development and advancement of tools, methods, and technologies to accelerate energy efficient buildings through peer-reviewed publications and competitive grant awards, and; (3) the delivery of educational programs and experiences that form the next generation of leaders in the building industry.  

Vikram Sami is Olson Kundig’s Director of Building Performance, has been working on high performance design for over eighteen years, combining technical expertise with a love of design. Since joining Olson Kundig in 2016, Vikram has infused the firm with his infectious curiosity about how buildings can best support the health and well-being of their occupants.  

Vikram earned his Bachelor of Architecture from the Academy of Architecture in Mumbai, India. Even before he began studying architecture formally, Vikram was most inspired by spaces that foster a connection between people and nature. At Arizona State University, Vikram found his calling in the Master of Science in Building Design program, focusing on energy performance and climate-responsive architecture. Since then, Vikram has worked for sustainability consulting firms as well as architecture firms. He has also developed Chhaya, an interactive analysis tool that quickly gives designers actionable building performance and climate data. 

Vikram leads Olson Kundig’s participation on the AIA 2030 Commitment and provides mentorship to the firm’s designers with regards to thermal comfort, materials impact, energy use and any number of other performance strategies. He also helps the firm understand sustainability ratings systems such as LEED®, WELL Building and Passivhaus. Vikram is active on the research side of building performance, speaks regularly at sustainable leadership conferences and has served as adjunct faculty at Georgia Tech and the University of Washington. At Olson Kundig, Vikram frequently leads workshops and charrettes to explore new green building innovations with colleagues. 

Working across all studios in the firm in her role as Design Partner, Anne continually challenges teams to question deeply and listen intently to support the firm’s goal of creating healthy and sustainable spaces for their clients and the communities they serve. Under Anne’s leadership, Mahlum was recognized with the 2014 American Institute of Architects Northwest and Pacific Region (AIA NWPR) Firm Award. 

A dedicated champion of design excellence and environmental stewardship, Anne’s projects and professional activism continually enhance the discourse on design and place. With more than 80 regional and national design awards to her credit, she continually strives for the highest quality of design within strict parameters of performance. 

Anne is the recipient of the 2013 AIA NWPR Medal of Honor, the highest commendation presented to an individual by the region, recognizing excellence in design, the practice of architecture, architectural education, and service to the profession. Elevated to Fellow in the AIA in 2007, she received a Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Science in both Civil Engineering and Building Sciences from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She is a registered architect in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, New York, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Louisiana, Hawaii, Alaska, Missouri, and New Jersey.  

Pia Westen is an Associate at SHKS. She graduated from the University of Kansas with a Master of Architecture degree and an appreciation for all things Dan Rockhill. Her recent experience with Studio 804, a not-for-profit design-build studio out of Kansas, has deepened her understanding of the interdisciplinary relationship between design and construction, and the ways method, time, and cost affect all levels of design.