LunchTalks@CAF: Connection and High Performance

LunchTalks@CAF: Connection and High Performance

Luke Leung, PE, LEED-AP, Director of Sustainable Engineering, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP

Three different aspects of connection to deliver high performance design will be discussed in this presentation—connecting people to collaborate, connecting buildings and environment to perform, and connecting beyond buildings to optimize. For eight decades, SOM has connected architects and engineers to design through collaboration. SOM’s collaborative culture allows it to connect a building to its environment. From the AIA 25 Year Award-winning Haj Terminal, to the recently completed Pearl River Tower, to ongoing construction of the Kunming Tower, integrating buildings’ natural and artificial environments make sustainability a strong part of the firm’s heritage. Advancing sustainable design performance requires system optimization to occur at large scales—ranging from campuses and neighborhoods to cities and the world. To truly change the world requires looking for connections to optimize at all scales.