Big names at Green Summit next week

Jeffrey Holmes of Woods Bagot New York is a key speaker at the conference.

A key speaker at the Green Property Summit in the Crown Plaza hotel in Auckland next Thursday, March 26, was recently awarded the President's Citation by the American Institute of Architects for his contribution to the building of New York's One World Trade Center, Freedom Tower.

Jeffrey Holmes of Woods Bagot New York, brings 25 years of professional experience on numerous New York landmark buildings to the conference.

His expertise in the design of tall buildings, large-scale, mixed-use urban developments and innovative use of materials and sustainable design strategies has been recognised by various peer groups including the Skyscraper Museum, the British Council for Offices, the Municipal Arts Society of New York and the American Institute of Architects.

Next week's conference, a collaboration between Property Council NZ and the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC), will analyse how green buildings are serving the people occupying them.

This year's line-up of speakers comprises international and local experts viewing real-world green development performance from various angles including investment, energy, environment and design.

Other noted speakers are Nick Nick Ebbs of Igloo Regeneration UK, who will discuss how private sector investment is helping bring forgotten parts of UK cities back to life - with a sustainable focus and Daniel Davis of CASE New York who will outline how smart data is helping large international clients extract more from their buildings - from site selection through to how they're being used.

Anthony de Francesco of Investment Property Databank's will give the latest figures on how green-rated assets are performing in the market and Romilly Madew of the Green Building Council Australia will look at the global picture, post-GFC.

Property Council Chief Executive Connal Townsend says investors are demanding sustainability in development more than ever and "there has never been a better time to have a Green Building Summit in Auckland as districts issue their planning rulebooks."

NZGBC Chief Executive Alex Cutler says there's a growing focus on building performance in New Zealand and "it's a good time to examine how our buildings are working for owners, tenants and the market in general".

Also featuring at the Summit is John Dalzell of Waterfront Auckland and Mark McGuinness of Willis Bond who will discussing local area development. Mark Kessner of eCubed and Lincoln Fraser of Newcrest will contribute to a panel discussion on the real-world benefits of green building.

For more information visit:

www.greenpropertysummit.org.nz/programme