October Forum: Sustainable Cultural Institutions

Join us in October for our last forum of 2012!  We’ll be taking an in-depth look at Sustainable Cultural Institutions.  These buildings often have high energy demands and to build and operate them sustainably can be a tough task. We’ll be taking in a breadth of cultural institutions.   We’ll have speakers presenting on the Queens Botanical Garden, Habana Outpost restaurant, and one more institution to be revealed shortly! This forum is free and open to the public! Date: Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2012 Time: 6:30-8:00pm Place: GE Monogram Design Center, 150 E 58th St., New York, NY 10155 RSVP here! Our speakers will include: Sean Meenan, Owner, Habana Outpost Sean Meenan is a restaurateur who conceived and owns Cafe Habana in the Nolita section of Manhattan, Habana Outpost in Fort Greene, Brooklyn and Cafe Habana Malibu in Malibu, California. Meenan is also a business entrepreneur who was the initial investor and brander of Etsy; as well as an investor and brand consultant to The Elder Statesman. Meenan’s restaurants are considered eco-eateries: environmentally conscious, community-driven restaurants known for educating the public about sustainability. Meenan has founded a 501(c)3 charity called Habana Works,[5] a grassroots community organization working toward strengthening, educating and beautifying the Fort Greene area of downtown Brooklyn.  Through hands-on programming that spans green architecture, design, community gardens and children’s programs—all celebrating sustainable living—Habana Works provides environmental education and urban study to Brooklyn residents. Currently, Meenan is working with John Williams, architect of record for the “Make It Right” project in the Lower Ninth Ward. They are designing a leed-certified (platinum) restaurant in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Joan Krevlin, Partner, BKSK Architects, Queens Botanical Garden Joan Krevlin’s design work explores the relationship between institutional mission, form and place, and she works productively with clients to shape a unique and unified vision of their project. Joan has been the partner-in-charge for a number of groundbreaking green buildings, including the Queens Botanical Garden Visitor Center, which received an AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten Green Projects award in 2008. She is a frequent presenter at national conferences, has authored articles on interactive learning environments and on architect/client collaboration, and is an adjunct professor of architecture at City College. Joan served on the NYC Green Codes Task Force. She received a Master of Architecture in 1978 and Bachelor of Arts in 1974 from Washington University, and was named a Distinguished Alumnus in 2003. Mercedes Armillas, Associate, H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture An associate at H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture and one of the firm’s environmental champions, Mercedes Armillas, AIA, LEED AP, has fifteen years of experience executing performing arts, educational, residential, and commercial projects. She has served as project architect on a range of sustainably-designed projects, including Lincoln Center’s LCT3, Theatre for a New Audience, the New York Academy of Sciences, and a private residence in New Hampshire with a goal of achieving net-zero energy usage. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cooper Union.