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Green Building Innovation Expo

September 2, 2025 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM

317 E. Carson Street, Pittsburgh

RSVP for Public Expo Only – $0.00
GBA Member Rate for Morning Kickoff – $40.00
General Admission for Morning Kickoff – $60.00
Pittsburgh Promise Coaches and Students – $0.00

Join Green Building Alliance for our first ever Green Building Expo!

Open to the public, the Pittsburgh Green Building Innovation Expo at the LEED certified Highline building will highlight notable high-performance building projects in our region. The event will serve as a catalyst for education and engagement and create a platform connecting residents, policymakers, designers, and more, turning abstract planning goals into tangible, actionable possibilities.

Community members who attend will gain a better understanding of sustainable building practices and how they can directly improve quality of life. Attendees will also have the opportunity to amplify their voice and shape the future physical and social landscape of their community through activities provided by the City of Pittsburgh Comprehensive Plan.

Ticket holders kick off the day at 9:00 AM with a powerful morning session featuring three dynamic speakers helping to forge the future of sustainable development in Pittsburgh.

Learn how the City of Pittsburgh Comprehensive Plan is laying the foundation for resilient, people-centered neighborhoods; explore how green building standards are being embedded into local code, pushing the industry toward more sustainable and innovative practices; and hear how forward-thinking internal company policies are driving demand for greener products, processes, and design. Together, these insights highlight the intersection of policy, practice, and innovation in building thriving, climate-ready communities.

MEET THE SPEAKERS

Alyssa Lyon, Black Girl Green World

Introduction to the Pittsburgh Comprehensive Plan

Alyssa Lyon will provide a brief overview of Pittsburgh’s Comprehensive Plan, highlighting key goals that aim to guide equitable growth, sustainability, and community driven development across the city.

Alyssa is the Principal Consultant at Black Girl, Green World. With fresh eyes and ideas, Alyssa is a respected thought-leader who has a clear method of solutioning. Alyssa is a key leader in a regional network dedicated to confronting root causes of environmental injustice. She has been instrumental in various Pittsburgh projects such as the Wilkinsburg TRID study, collaborating with the EPA on studies examining the effects of flooding, and serving as an environmental advocate on the City of Pittsburgh’s upcoming Comprehensive Plan.

Christine Mondor, evolveEA

Bridging Comprehensive Planning and the Built Environment

Christine Mondor will explore how comprehensive planning and green building agendas can work in tandem to advance climate goals, community resilience, and equitable development across scales.

As the Strategic Principal of evolveEA, Christine Mondor has shaped the built environment and public processes for more than two decades. Her body of work reflects a commitment to improving communities throughout the country. In Pittsburgh, Christine has supported that mission by serving as Chair of the City Planning Commission and the Infrastructure Transition Committee (under two different mayoral administrations), and as co-chair of Pittsburgh’s Comprehensive Plan Strategic Committee.

Brenna Martin-Shaffer, Gensler

Roadmap to Carbon Accountability in the Built Environment

Brenna Martin-Shaffer has more than 15 years of experience encompassing a diverse range of project typologies and scales, from airports to corporate office space, in Pittsburgh, Asia, the Middle East, and everywhere in between. In 2021, she was selected for the AIA’s Inagural Next to Lead program, a cohort dedicated to advancing female leadership in the architecture industry. She currently serves as the Second Vice President on the AIA Pittsburgh Board of Directors and Co-Chair of the chapter’s Advocacy Committee where she continues to chamption equity and progress within the architectural profession. As an architect and design manager for one of the most impactful firms in the world, Brenna will share Gensler’s Cities Climate Challenge (GC3) outline which illustrates the key strategies and standards the firm is implementing to contunue building towards a greener future.

The Expo Hall, free and open to the public, runs from 10:30 AM until close at 3:00 PM.

Everyone is welcome to explore the expo hall highlighting local building projects that:

– Directly address core elements of climate and sustainability, energy efficiency, and resilience

– Incorporate innovative building practices that go hand in hand with smart infrastructure and planning, and promote healthy, vibrant, and resilient spaces

– Highlight intersections of sustainable design with art and creative placemaking by incorporating local art and design that reflects community values and stories

– Connect the dots between the built environment and the wellbeing of people, prioritizing healthier buildings and creating safer environments

– Address the growth of high-performance building industry jobs and demand for skilled workers in the green building sector.

Green Building Alliance is also proud to host a Student Rush session in partnership with the Pittsburgh Promise. Along with their Promise Coaches, students who attend this session will participate in a networking lunch with specially invited industry professionals, then explore the expo hall guided by a career exposure scavenger hunt.

MEET THE EXHIBITORS

Comprehensive Plan Engagement
Pittsburgh 2050 / City of Pittsburgh

Center of Life Hazelwood Community Hub
AE Works

Allegheny County Climate Action Plan

Allegheny County

CMU Highmark Center for Health, Wellness & Athletics
Branch Pattern

LEED for Cities Cohort
City of Pittsburgh

Bioconstruction Rain Garden Wall
Clara & Adam Phillips

RK Mellon Hall of Sciences

Carnegie Mellon University

2 Doughboy Square

Desmone Architects

Sustainable Interior Construction

DIRTT / Workscape

Residential Electrification & Energy Efficiency

Energy Efficiency Empowerment

EPIC Manufacturing Building

EPIC Metals

Etna Center for Community

Etna Community Organization

FNB Financial Center
Gensler, Advantus Engineers

GET Solar & Other Solar Resources

PA Solar Center

Downtown Studio

Perkins Eastman

Construction Workforce Development
Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation

Mill 19
R3A Architecture

Rachel Carson EcoVillage

Stefani Danes

Artists in Public Infrastructure
Shiftworks Community + Public Art

Pitt Campus Master Plan
University of Pittsburgh

Swisshelm Park Brownfield Redevelopment & Pittsburgh Technology Center Garage
Urban Redevelopment Authority

AGENDA

8:30 AM Paid Ticket Holders – Arrival and Registration; light breakfast and networking

9:00 AM Paid Ticket Holders – Morning Kickoff Presentations

10:30 AM Free & Open to the Public – Expo Hall in the Highline Lobby

11:00 AM Pittsburgh Promise Student Rush – Networking Lunch followed by table exploration

3:00 PM Expo closes

This event is eligible for up to 2 CEUs.

Morning Lecture: 1 credit hour

Expo Hall: 1 credit hour

ATTENDEES WILL

– Get to know some of the region’s most innovative recent building and design projects, and engage with the teams responsible for them

– Gain insight into Pittsburgh projects paving the way to reducing resource demands and improving efficiency, resulting in long-term cost savings and resilient communities

– Discover healthy and sustainable products and materials being used in recent projects and understand the impact of healthier products on building users

– Learn more about the longevity of these projects as a result of sustainability being baked into construction and design

– Share your vision for Pittsburgh’s future by engaging in activities provided by the Pittsburgh Comprehensive Plan