We’re thrilled for Greenbuild, the world’s largest green building conference, to come to San Francisco this November 1-4! For the 20th year running, Greenbuild will convene thought leaders and practitioners across the building industry to re-imagine what it means to build green, going beyond buildings to create greener communities, better workplaces, equitable programs, new sustainable solutions, and more.
While this guide only scratches the surface, here we lay out a few “must see” sessions, tours, and events for those attending the conference. We hope to see you there!
SESSIONS
#1: Meta’s Road to Net Zero: How Artificial Intelligence can be Leveraged by Project Teams to Scale Use of Low Carbon Concrete (Nov 1 | 11:30am-12:30pm PT)
Session ID: B09
Featuring Stok’s Katie Stanford, Ozinga Ready Mix’s Ryan Cialdella, Mortenson’s Andy Gibbons, Meta Platforms’ Julius Kusuma, and Meta’s Amruta Sudhalkar.
Concrete is the most widely used engineered material globally. Cement in concrete accounts for ~8% of global carbon emissions. There is widespread interest in quickly identifying innovative low-carbon concrete formulae without compromises to engineering performance. Under Meta’s 2030 Net Zero Commitment, the project team is exploring options to reduce emissions from concrete as it is the primary contributor to emissions from data center construction. This presentation will show how the team leveraged Artificial Intelligence (AI) to identify low-carbon concrete mixes which they refined via lab and field tests and ultimately used at scale in a data center application in DeKalb, Illinois. The presentation will cover each project phase, highlighting technical details and the cross-functional stakeholder engagement process, with a focus on how this work can be replicated broadly, agnostic of building typology, location, concrete application, or low-carbon technology.
#2: Steps to Piloting a Net Zero Construction Site: A Case Study of Meta Data Centers (Nov 2 | 1:30-2:30pm PT)
Session ID: F08
Featuring Stok’s Paula Przybylski, Sunbelt Rental’s Brad E. Coverdale, Meta’s Matt Quinn, and Turner Construction Company’s Bryan M. Schmidt.
The carbon footprint of construction phase activities is often overlooked in the building industry. There are significant barriers to going green on a typical job site, including gaps in understanding baseline impacts, clear direction on where to target carbon reduction strategies, and a dearth of sustainable and market-ready alternatives to conventional construction equipment and fuel. How can contractors, owners, consultants and trades collaborate to reduce jobsite carbon emissions and make inroads toward market transformation? In this session, Meta, Turner, Stok and Sunbelt Rentals come together to showcase how construction relationships can be leveraged to enhance jobsite sustainability using a case study from one of Meta’s LEED v4 Gold – targeted data center projects. The presentation will cover not just the technical outputs of this pilot, but also the cross-functional stakeholder engagement process that was critical to its success, with a focus on how this collaborative model can be replicated broadly to make construction practices sustainable.
#3: Lessons from the Village: Indigenous Values Meet Sustainability Certification Systems (Nov 3 | 2:45-3:45pm PT)
Session ID: I01
Featuring Stok’s Kristen M. Hershowitz, Equity Community Builders’ Suzanne Brown, and PYATOK architecture + urban design’s Janey Madamba.
San Francisco is the land of Ramaytush Ohlone People. Millions of Indigenous peoples have been displaced by centuries of U.S. policy of removal and extermination. The Village SF is establishing a space of belonging for urban, Indigenous people that solves for their current reality—namely that American Indians are urban, inter-tribal, inter-racial, and without a physical and cultural home. In this session, project team members Equity Community Builders (ECB), PYATOK architecture + design, and Stok will share the story of how The Village SF came to be and where it’s heading. Through this lens, presenters will share the unique cultural-based sustainability imperatives and the dialogue that are guiding the project’s environmental direction. Presenters will discuss how they are aligning sustainability goals with the Native cultural vision to identify relevant building frameworks and hotspots that fit the owner’s values and vision while incorporating practical limitations like cost constraints. Operated by Native-led organizations, The Village SF is a blueprint for Indigenous placemaking in San Francisco and urban areas across the nation, with collaboration, community, and sustainability at its core.
View the full sessions list for more!
TOURS
#1: Presidio Tunnel Tops (Nov 4 | 8am-12pm PT)
Attend “Urban Ecology with a View: Walking Through the Revitalization of Historic Presidio Park” for a tour of the recently opened Presidio Tunnel Tops.
The historic Presidio Park offers an iconic San Francisco experience like no other, with museums, nature trails, and stellar views of the Golden Gate Bridge. The newest section, the 14-acre Presidio Tunnel Tops, connects the heart of Presidio with the lower Crissy Field by the Bay. Guests will stroll along the Cliff Walk and discover how two major roadways were submerged underground and were planted over it with 180 species of native plant life for low water and energy use. Next, guests will explore the LEED-certified Field Station that showcases community engagement areas including an expansive amphitheater staircase, a hub for children’s activities, and an education center for hands-on learning in ecology and archeology. Along the way, guests will appreciate the area’s historic background and come to understand the park’s commitment to energy and water savings in the years to come. Of course, there will be plenty of photo ops for selfies with iconic bridge views.
#2: Uber Mission Bay Global Headquarters (Nov 4 | 8am-12pm PT)
Attend “Power of Place: Uber HQ” for a tour of Uber’s new Global Headquarters in Mission Bay.
Uber’s new Global Headquarters has set the path for the next generation of healthy and sustainable buildings. The micro-city 4 building campus in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood prioritizes connection and people and planet health. Mission Bay 2 and Mission Bay 3 buildings will be featured on the tour. The buildings feature an operable facade that allows natural light and air into the atrium, massive outdoor terraces with sweeping views of the San Francisco Bay, maximized daylighting, low-emitting materials, a culinary program with produce from onsite gardens, and extensive wellness spaces. MB2 achieved WELL Gold, LEED Gold (NC), and the WELL Health & Safety Rating. Mission Bay 3 achieved WELL Platinum, LEED Gold (CI), and the WELL Health Safety Rating.
View the full tours list for more!
EVENTS
Electric Kitchens Showcase (Nov 2 | 6-8pm PT)
Join the Building Decarbonization Coalition (BDC), Google, Salesforce, and Stok for the Electric Kitchens Showcase, a first-of-its-kind showcase of the people and technologies leading the way in the movement towards all-electric kitchens at the stunning Purcell Murray luxury appliance showroom in San Francisco!
This free event will feature:
- Immersive live induction cooking, commercial woks, off-grid cooking and more
- Residential and commercial foodservice organizations and technology
- Experts sharing experiences, new product launches, and special announcements
- Delicious food and drink to enjoy with a diverse cross-industry group of manufacturers, retailers, large corporate purchasers, utilities, governments, culinary experts, builders/developers, realtors, and more
Coming to San Francisco this November? Reach out to our team—we’d love to connect!
Hero image photo credit: Plus M Productions (Presidio Tunnel Tops)
