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How can architecture lead the way to foster a more resilient city—and planet—during uncertain environmental and socioeconomic times?

As the world confronts the challenges of climate change, environmental degradation, and societal upheaval, DC’s architecture and design practitioners continue to evolve. DesignDC will showcase innovative solutions to shape the built environment in a way that is sustainable and forward-thinking. 

During this conference, design professionals across the industry will explore new approaches and existing best practices that highlight responsive design strategies and the integration of green technologies into architecture.

Sessions and tours will address:

• Tips and tricks to start building a resilience practice
• Resilient design and adaptability in a volatile environmental and socioeconomic climate
• Sustainable materials and energy-efficient design

Agenda: 
September 30, 5:00 – 8:00pm:  Opening Keynote and Reception
October 1, 8:30am – 5:00pm: Education Sessions + Closing Keynote (7.0 HSW|LUs for sessions on this day)
October 2, 2:00 – 4:00pm: Offsite Tours 

Keynote and educational sessions will take place at the District Architecture Center, 421 7th St NW.
Details below.

September 30: Opening Keynote
The People’s Architecture: Collaborators, Communities and Champions  
Carol Ross Barney, FAIA

Public spaces and places are vital components of our infrastructure, contributing to the livability of our cities. They reflect our history, values, and aspirations for the future, serving as communal areas where culture and diverse backgrounds converge, while also celebrating our shared principles. Thoughtful design unlocks the potential of public places and spaces, with architects playing a key role in fostering community and driving progress. Design is our super power. 

This lecture explores the crucial importance of collaboration—highlighting the communities and advocates whose support is essential for achieving outstanding public spaces and places.

Exceptional public areas cultivate community bonds, embrace diversity, and inspire unity through shared culture and core values. To attain design excellence in public projects, strong advocates from clients, users, and design teams are essential.

The People’s Architecture needs champions to create diverse, memorable and intriguing spaces and places for all.

October 1: Education Sessions + Closing Keynote - 7.0 HSW|LUs

8:30 - 9:00am: Doors Open + Check-in

9:00am - 10:00am: Designing Low-Carbon Buildings

10:00am - 11:00am: Sustainability and Liability: Legal Issues and Best Practices

11:00am - 12:00pm: From Scarcity to Strategy: Regenerative Planning in Uncertain Times

1:00pm - 2:00pm: The Value-Inclusive Design Model: A Pathway to Sustainable, Culturally Responsive, and Community-Driven Material Commons

2:00pm - 3:00pm: Circular by Design: A New Approach to Materials

3:00pm - 4:00pm: The Greenest Building: The Black Magic of Adaptive Reuse and Modernizing Existing Buildings

4:00pm - 5:00pm: Closing Keynote
People-Centered Architecture
Milton Shinberg, AIA

Milton Shinberg is a long-time Washington architect who has served as an adjunct professor in the Catholic University of America’s School of Architecture & Planning for nearly 50 years. He was awarded the Washington Architectural Foundation’s Architect Educator Award in 2021 and Catholic’s Award for Teaching Excellence in 2023. Formerly Founding Principal with Salo Levinas at Shinberg Levinas Architects, Milton is now Principal Emeritus. The firm’s work for educational, religious and residential projects, has garnered many design awards and has been featured in a wide array of publications and international firm profiles.

Drawing on insights from practice and teaching, Shinberg wrote People-Centered Architecture: Design, Practice, Education, published this year by Wiley. It integrates the sciences of people into design thinking and the realities of practice and, in parallel, harvests architectural wisdom from non-architects. He has lectured on those topics extensively in the U.S. and internationally.

Milton is on the Advisory Councils of the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture, based at the Salk Institute, and the International Arts+Mind Lab, based at Johns Hopkins University.

October 2, 2:00 – 4:00pm: Offsite Tours
Space is limited. Tours are open for DesignDC 2025 registrants. Additional registration required within main registration portal. 

Vital Voices: Rooted in History + Designed for a Sustainable Future - 2.0 HSW|LUs 

Construction Tour: Artful Resiliency at the Hirshhorn Museum Sculpture Garden - 2.0 HSW|LUs 

Stead Park Recreation Center: DC’s First Net-Zero Energy Community Center - 2.0 HSW|LUs

600 Fifth - Excellence through Reuse - 2.0 HSW|LUs

Mass Timber: Sycamore and Oak Retail Village - 2.0 HSW|LUs

Sponsors:

DesignDC Opening Night Reception Table Sponsor: Porcelanosa Group

DesignDC Closing Day Keynote Sponsor: Baltimore/ Washington Brick Council

DesignDC Nametag Sponsor: Sierra Pacific Windows

DesignDC Pen Sponsor: Milton Shinberg, AIA

Sponsor DesignDC here!