SEAoNY Resilience Committee Series #1
Cross-cutting Perspectives in Resilience
October 26, 2021
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Zoom Webinar
We kick off the SEAoNY Resilience Panel Series with an introduction to the quickly evolving resilience market in the AEC industry, exploring the role of the structural engineer within the context of a holistic and integrated approach to resilience in the built environment. Examples from around NY will be discussed, along with the changing legislative environment and the increasing public and private sector awareness around the topic.
The speakers at this program provide a multidisciplinary view of resilience from their respective roles – a structural engineer designing resilient infrastructure, an architect who founded the AIA NY Design for Risk and Reconstruction Committee, an urban planner from the Department of Housing Preservation & Development, an infrastructure specialist from the NYC Mayors Office of Resilience advancing the City’s agenda to enhance the resilience of our buildings and infrastructure, a structural engineer supporting international organizations such as the World Bank build the resilience of infrastructure in developing countries' - moderated by a co-chair of the SEAoNY Resilience Committee.
Individually and then as a panel, they will discuss their work and address the issues and misperceptions that invariably arise. For starters: What is “safe enough” – and who decides? What resilience guidance is available for engineering professionals? How is policy shaping the resilience of our city? Who assesses shocks and stresses and vulnerability and who sets the design standards against them?
This event is the first in a series of resilience-focused panel events hosted by the SEAoNY Resilience Committee. Stay tuned for upcoming events which will dive deeper into specific shocks and stresses we face in NY and across the country:
- Adapting to flooding and the rising tides in NYC
- Founded on shaky ground
- Standing strong in extreme winds
- Lessons from the wildland urban interface (WUI)
Objectives and Learning Methods:
- Obtain knowledge about how different disciplines contribute to resilience outcomes
- Understand how design criteria that considers climate change can increase the resilience of buildings and infrastructure
- Gain an appreciation for the policies that affect resilience outcomes in the built environment in NY
- Describe the basics of local 44
Panelists:
Peter Adams, Senior Policy Advisor for Infrastructure, NYC Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency
Peter Adams is a senior policy advisor in the Mayor's Office of Climate Resiliency where he leads on the development of future flood maps and design standards to mitigate climate change risk. Prior to joining the Mayor’s Office, Peter worked at the Port Authority of NY and NJ as a Climate Resilience Specialist in the Engineering Department and as a project manager at Acclimatise, a consultancy that specializes in climate adaptation. He holds a Masters in Geography from McGill University, where his graduate thesis was on south Asian water resource management in a changing climate.
Illya Azaroff, Director of Design, +Lab Architects
Illya Azaroff, FAIA, founder, +LAB architect PLLC. Assoc. Professor, New York City College of Technology (CUNY), a leader in disaster mitigation, adaptation, and regenerative planning strategies with over 25 years experience. The US state department lists Illya as an expert in the field, advising international bodies on building resilient capacity. He currently leads the AIA New York Unified Crisis Task Force City & State and is honored to serve as 2021 AIA New York State President. He is working with several island communities creating cultural resilience hubs. Prior to NYC he worked in Germany, Italy & Holland and has responded to disasters around the world.
Lida Aljabar, Director of Climate Resiliency Planning & Acquisitions, NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development
Lida is an urban planner, researcher and social impact strategist striving to build an urban future that is both resilient and just. She is the Director of Climate Resiliency Planning at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development and a Visiting Assistant Professor at Pratt Institute School of Architecture. Previously, she led the Climate-Smart Cities program at The Trust for Public Land, advancing green infrastructure for climate equity in cities across the nation, and executed public-private partnerships for public spaces and community development in the Washington, DC area. She is a Fellow at the Urban Design Forum and presents internationally on cities, climate change and social equity.
Rebecca Laberenne, Resilience Consultant, World Bank Safer Schools Program
Rebecca is an independent consultant on the topics of infrastructure resilience and disaster risk reduction with a focus on housing and social infrastructure. She is a Senior Consultant for the World Bank's Global Program for Safer Schools, providing technical support to World Bank-funded operations related to school infrastructure in West Africa, Central Asia and the Caribbean. She is also the Technical Lead for the Resilience Shift's climate-resilient infrastructure initiative Infrastructure Pathways. She was previously the Associate Director for Innovation in the Built Environment at The Rockefeller Foundation's 100 Resilient Cities initiative. Prior to 100 Resilient Cities, she worked for over 13 years as a practicing structural engineer at Guy Nordenson and Associates in New York and as Program Manager/Structural Engineer for the social enterprise Build Change. Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (B.S.E.) degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a Certificate in Architecture from Princeton University; a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Materials from University of California, Berkeley; and a Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) from New York University.
1 PDH offered
Registration Fees:
SEAoNY Members – Free
Non-Members – $15
Registration ends 2 pm, October 25, 2021
Interested in joining SEAoNY Resilience Committee?
The SEAoNY Resilience Committee seeks to provide a multidisciplinary collaboration platform to formulate recommendations and innovations to enhance resilience in the built environment. The committee’s goal is to educate the structural engineering community on resilience approaches to planning, design and construction through collective experiences in the multi-hazard urban environment.
To join SEAoNY RC, contact co-chairs Chris Cerino (Chris.Cerino@stvinc.com) or Amy Macdonald (AMacdonald@ThorntonTomasetti.com).
https://seaony.org/Resilience-Committee
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All levels of Structural Engineering experience as well as affiliated trades and professionals are welcome to join and enrich your career, with special reduced rates for all Upstate NY members
