Events

2015 will see the 8th annual Eco El Paso Conference on sustainability in planning and design, which gathers not only professionals in the fields of architecture, engineering, planning, finance and education, but developers and entrepreneurs as well. Continuing with its roots in providing CEU credits for these professionals, this year’s conference, déTour, will deliberately expand to become a broader cultural event that is open to the public. déTour will provide an immersive environment composed of speakers, workshops and installation spaces that are at the forefront of contemporary architecture, sustainability, planning, development and criticism in order to create unique collaboration and critical speculation around how this region will construct its future.

This year's conference will take place on May 13th & 14th at the historic Scottish Rite in downtown El Paso. Beyond this are also planned ancillary events, such as walking/bike tours for attendees through the culturescape of downtown El Paso, including the Museums of Art and History, the newly completed Pedestrian Pathway Artwalk, San Jacinto Plaza, the Union Plaza Entertainment District, as well as visits to adaptive reuse, historic renovation and placemaking projects in the area. 

This year’s steering committee consists of city and private architects, social entrepreneurs, community leaders, preservationists and artists to ensure that all of the interests and goals of the conference are met. 

Laura Kissack, AIA, Architect, El Paso City Development
Fred Dalbin, AIA, LEED Architect, Wright & Dalbin Architects, Inc.
Harry Schulte, Vice-President, Eco El Paso
Juan Ferret, CEO and President, Philosophic Systems Institute
Hector Saenz, Philosophic Systems Institute 
Jim Tolbert, Environmental Leader, Sierra Club and Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition
Kari Borunda, Permaculture Chair, El Punto
Miriam Vazquez, Eco El Paso


PROGRAM

WEDNESDAY, May 13th

Reed Kroloff, jones|kroloff 9:00 am
Building a Better El Paso

Ben Haggard, Regenisis Group 10:15 am
Regenerative Development

Thomas Gardner, The Realm School, Berkeley 11:15 am
Love Grit and Action: Design Build in the High School Curriculum

City of El Paso's Office of Resilience and Sustainability
1:00 pm
Lunchtime: Resilience Roundtable - Focus on Infrastructure and Environment

Jeffrey Cowan, Fellow, The Nature Conservancy 2:15 pm
Nature and Urban Water Security

Pliny Fisk III, The Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems 3:30 pm
The New Nexus: Energy. Water. Materials


THURSDAY, May 14th

Michele E. Reeves, Civilis Consultants 8:45 am
Downtown Revitilization: Working with Existing Fabric

Valerie Magolan, Texas Historical Commission 10:00 am
The Economics of Rehabilitation

Agustin Solorzano, Principal, Solorzano Fischer 11:15 am
Contemporary Interdisciplinary Design


WORKSHOPS, May 14th

Michele E. Reeves, Civilis Consultants
Building Brand Workshop: Fall in Love with Downtown Again! 1:15 pm

Valerie Magolan Texas Historical Commission 3:00 pm
Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits Workshop