Sources: U.S. Green Building Council, Washington, D.C.; CP staff
On the strength of 100-plus education sessions, 700-plus green product and service exhibitors at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, plus LEED v4 rating system launch, organizers project attendance upwards of 30,000 for the 2013 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, November 20-22 in Philadelphia.
Presented by USGBC and owned and produced by World of Concrete proprietor Hanley Wood, Greenbuild is the world’s largest gathering dedicated to green building. The custom of hosting world leaders in business, environment and politics continues this year: Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will deliver the keynote address, early evening, November 21, while Nate Silver, a statistician known for astute 2012 presidential election calls, closes out the conference the next day. Later in the evening on November 21, Greenbuild will sponsor a performance at Temple University by rocker Bon Jovi.
Headlining 2013 Greebuild Master Series speakers—covering topics from engineering, human health and architecture to community gardens, financing and resiliency—are Architecture 2030 founder Ed Mazria, an architect, researcher and educator who keynoted the 2013 National Ready Mixed Concrete Association convention; USGBC Senior Vice President of LEED Scot Horst; and, Joe Van Belleghem, group head of sustainability for Lend Lease.
Expo hall hours are 9 a.m.–5:30 p.m., November 20-21. The cement and concrete industry will be represented by nearly 50 national or regional producers and national groups—from Hanover Architectural, EP Henry and Oldcastle Architectural; to Essroc Cement, Headwaters Resources, Holcim (US) and Lehigh Hanson; to National Precast Concrete Association, Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute and Portland Cement Association.
Greenbuild 2013 marks the launch of the newest version of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green building rating system, LEED v4. It builds on earlier versions’ fundamentals; helps prepare certification candidate projects to perform at a higher level; and, provides a suite of new time-saving support tools designed to help streamline the certification process, developers note. LEED v4, adds Horst, “Is a critical step in the evolution of green building … focused on performance and entering new markets. Weʼve already seen its potential in more than 100 beta projects internationally.” — www.greenbuildexpo.org.