Lightning Talks: Morning Session

Join GBA and partners for a morning of intensive learning and “lightning” fast, thought-provoking presentations, spotlighting topics and exemplary projects that leverage innovation and optimization to advance performance, demonstrate leadership in use of materials and products, and enable preservation of resources. Attendees will also enjoy coffee, light refreshments, and opportunities for networking with peers and speakers. 

Speakers & Topics

5 Ways to Reduce Embodied Carbon Right Now

The urgency to reduce carbon emissions has brought embodied carbon to the forefront of the architecture, engineering, and construction community. While design teams already balance many priorities, considering embodied carbon can start in simple ways. Nick Rebeck offers tangible, straightforward strategies for evaluating and reducing embodied carbon through material choices. Attendees will learn accessible and actionable approaches that can be integrated into current workflows and projects. 

Nick Rebeck, AIA, LFA, Associate, Rothschild Doyno Collaborative 

As an Associate at Rothschild Doyno Collaborative, Nick Rebeck helps turn creative ideas and big-picture goals into real, buildable places. With a multidisciplinary background that blends science, construction, and community engagement, Nick sees a built environment that has a tangible positive impact on individuals, communities, and natural systems. Nick is an active member of Carbon Leadership Forum – Pennsylvania, which accelerates the transformation of the building sector to radically reduce the greenhouse gas emissions attributed to materials (also known as embodied carbon) used in buildings and infrastructure in Pennsylvania. 

Masonry and the Triple Bottom Line (People, Planet, Profit)

Masonry may seem simple, since it is so ubiquitous, but there are many facets to this durable product. Explore how masonry contributes to sustainable buildings by balancing environmental, economic, and human impact, and learn about its sustainable attributes, from manufacturing of the product to installation by a local workforce. Brian Trimble will examine masonry’s role in durability, efficiency, embodied carbon, and long-term life-cycle cost savings as well as highlight how masonry can support healthy, safe, and resilient spaces. 

Brian Trimble, Director of Industry Development, International Masonry Institute

Brian Trimble has over 30 years’ experience in the masonry industry, assisting professionals in the design of masonry structures. He is a frequent lecturer to local, regional, and national construction industry groups. He has authored many articles and papers on various masonry subjects. Brian coordinates activities in the Western PA and Western NY areas, promoting masonry to a wide variety of audiences including owners, contractors, architects, engineers, and craftworkers. Throughout his career, he has been involved in many of the masonry industry’s sustainability initiatives, participating in ASTM Committee E60 on sustainability, CLF, and NCSEA’s Sustainability Committee. 

County Climate Action Plan Designs for Elasticity in Construction

Explore the public sector process of developing materials and resources policy, using Allegheny County’s newly finalized Sustainable Construction Policy as a case study. The policy, soon to be enforced by the County Manager’s Office, will serve as the standard for county projects and contracted construction bids. Amelia Dougherty will discuss the challenge of balancing ambitious sustainability goals with the practical realities of implementation across departments and projects. The resulting policy is intentionally elastic, aligning with current LEED and other leading frameworks without requiring certification, allowing flexibility in design in different contexts. This approach creates a pathway to reduce carbon emissions while supporting innovation and local business development in materials and construction. 

Amelia Dougherty, LEED GA, Sustainability Specialist, Allegheny County

Amelia joined Allegheny County’s Department of Sustainability as a Sustainability Specialist in July 2025. She contributes to projects including building decarbonization, energy efficiency, fleet electrification, and policy development. Amelia graduated from the University of Dayton in May 2025 with a Bachelor of Science in Sustainability with an Energy Concentration, and a Minor in Environmental Engineering. During her time as an intern for the City of Dayton Office of Sustainability, she developed a valuable skillset to begin a professional career in the public sector. A Pittsburgh native, she is passionate about developing strategies that propel the region forward to a net-zero future. 

Beyond the Audit: Turning Energy Data into Material Impact

Energy audits are often viewed as purely operational, yet the reveal critical insights into material choices, resource efficiency, and embodied carbon impacts. This talk flips the script by showing how audit findings can inform procurement decisions and lifecycle thinking. By bridging operational energy performance with material and resource strategies, audits can become catalysts for holistic sustainability rather than compliance exercises. Carlos Kelly highlights the cross-disciplinary value of integrating energy, materials, and procurement for design teams, owners, and facility managers. As decarbonization goals accelerate, leveraging audits in this way becomes a clear competitive advantage. 

Carlos Kelly, ASHRAE Certified Decarbonization Professional, LEED AP BD+C, O+M, Fitwel Ambassador, Senior Associate, BranchPattern 

Carlos is a decarbonization consultant and Building Performance Modeling Lead at BranchPattern, specializing in energy performance and helping design teams, developers, and owners plan for decarbonization. He brings a cross-disciplinary approach with a focus on whole-building lifecycle thinking. His work demonstrates how audits can unlock meaningful impact across both design and operations. Carlos advocates for leveraging existing buildings as powerful levers in the transition to a low-carbon future. 

Stop Throwing Buildings Away: Pittsburgh’s Deconstruction Opportunity

In this talk, Shoshana Davidson introduces deconstruction as a circular economy strategy for the built environment. An alternative to conventional demolition that renders materials valueless and generates significant waste, deconstruction is the careful disassembly of buildings to recover materials for reuse. This talk will provide a concise overview of deconstruction and the environmental and community benefits of shifting toward material recovery. Using Pittsburgh’s 2021 City Deconstruction Program as a case study, the session will highlight opportunities to reduce construction & demolition waste, retain embodied carbon, support healthier neighborhoods, and strengthen a local circular materials economy. 

Shoshana Davidson, Community Planner, City of Pittsburgh 

A Community Planner with the City of Pittsburgh, Shoshana Davidson supports neighborhood planning and community engagement initiatives. She earned her Master’s in Regional Planning from Cornell University, concentrating in environmental and land use planning. Her work centers on advancing practical, community-driven strategies to reduce waste and strengthen resilient neighborhoods. 

Material Reuse Pathways to Affordable Housing

Many urban neighborhoods, like Hazelwood and others in Pittsburgh, struggle with rising renovation costs and homes that fall into disrepair when ownership transitions aren’t planned for early on. Michael Volpatt shares a pilot project developed in partnership with Hazelwood Initiative, Volpatt Construction, Construction Junction, and Green Building Alliance that tackles these challenges by helping plan for the future of aging homes and lowering renovation costs through the use of reclaimed and newly discarded building materials. See how material reuse and early intervention can help keep homeownership affordable and accessible, reducing waste and strengthening communities by preventing long-term vacancies. 

Michael Volpatt,VP Marketing and Innovation, Volpatt Construction

As Vice President of Marketing and Innovation at Volpatt Construction, Michael’s focus is helping to build more sustainably and identifying technological solutions to advance green building practices. His work has helped companies and non-profit organizations better understand the markets they operate in, and he is an expert in implementation. Michael also serves on the Board of Directors for the Oakland Planning and Development Corporation, Construction Junction, and Community Kitchen Pittsburgh.