Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Fast Forward 2023 Presenter line up



Fast Forward 2023 Presenters


Maura McCarthy


Maura joined Fairmount Park Conservancy as its Executive Director in November of 2019 and oversees a staff who are leading community programming, capital projects and land management across key sites throughout Philadelphia’s 10,200 acres of parks. For the 13 years prior, Maura was executive director of Friends of the Wissahickon, Philadelphia’s only professionally staffed Park Friends group, harnessing over 10,000 hours of volunteer engagement each year to support a National Recreation Trail and an 1,800-acre National Natural Landmark. A native to the Philadelphia region, McCarthy has a strong record of public service. She currently serves on the Green City, Clean Waters Steering Committee for Philadelphia Water Department and was a member of Mayor Jim Kenney’s Transition Team on Environment & Sustainability. She holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in Social Anthropology from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor of Arts from New York University. She also received a Certificate in Performance Measurement for Effective Management of Nonprofit Organizations from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.




Presenting
Great parks save lives: Bringing more trails, meadows, nature and water to South Philly's FDR Park


What’s Next for Philly: Great parks save lives. The FDR Park Plan is a $250+ million multi-phase plan whose development and implementation is a partnership of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and Fairmount Park Conservancy, benefiting millions of annual users of this historic park. The plan—which will be implemented over the next three years, and whose first ribbon-cutting is this fall—sets a vision for FDR Park that balances nature, water, and human activity into a world-class public space. The renewed FDR Park will have more trails, meadows, nature, and water. By providing premier fields and courts where youth can play sports, nature trails that offer refuge and respite, stormwater management amenities that mitigate the effects of climate change in both the park and the surrounding neighborhoods, and community investment that brings about neighborhood cohesion, FDR Park can heal Philadelphia’s ecology and people.







Mary Beth Gregory + John Pennekamp


Mary Beth is a Senior Associate and a registered Architect (AIA) with a career spanning over a decade. She is a key leader in BRR Architects' Philadelphia team and serves as a Project Manager for a major retail client, overseeing multi-project site adaptations. Since joining BRR in 2012, Mary Beth has worked on various retail, industrial, and grocery projects across the nation, demonstrating expertise in all phases of design. Mary Beth holds a Registered Professional Architect designation, is licensed in PA and WA, and earned her Bachelor of Architecture from Temple University in 2012. She is an active member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

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John , an Associate and registered Architect (AIA), joined BRR Architects in 2015. He is a key figure in the firm's Philadelphia office and serves as the program manager for high-profile clients, including Whole Foods Market and Wawa. With an impressive track record as a project manager, John has consistently delivered successful outcomes by bringing clients, stakeholders, engineers, and regulatory authorities together. His extensive experience spans various grocery and retail clients across the country, and he has contributed to diverse project types, from large retail developments to complex urban sites. John earned his Registered Professional Architect designation in 2018 and is licensed in Pennsylvania. He holds a Master of Architecture degree from Drury University (2015) and is an active member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).


Presenting

Reshaping Retail: The Future of Shopping Local


What’s Next for Philly: Changing Retail will Change the Landscape To thrive in an evolving world, retail stores must adapt to new technologies while remaining accessible to customers. Philadelphia grocery store footprints are continuing to shrink. New technology allows shoppers to walk out with their goods after skipping the cashier. These updates will impact the traditional brick and mortar retail environment, which in turn will impact Philadelphia’s neighborhoods. With over 60 years of retail and grocery design experience, BRR has remained at the forefront of retail and grocery trends and is uniquely positioned to predict how design will impact the city.

Our presentation for Fast Forward Philly will explore new technologies and store designs which will impact Philadelphians. We see grocers utilizing automated technology for live shelf tracking, and creating smaller stores which deliver to local homes. They will see goods delivered by drone or driverless vehicles. In-person shoppers will experience smaller, simpler store layouts and hands-free check out designed to efficiently move them through the customer journey. Whether it’s online or in- store, the shopping experience will become simplified, efficient and more sustainable through automation and development.







Jordan Mrazik

Jordan is an architect with an interest in contextual thought. His academic pursuits have taken him from the hills of southwest Virginia, working as a farmhand, to the streets of Europe, surveying ruins. His eclectic background has produced a diverse portfolio of commercial, cultural, educational, sacral and residential projects; collaborating with developers, private homeowners, universities and multinational companies. In addition to numerous AIA project awards and features at design series across Philadelphia, Jordan was named the 2018 AIA Philadelphia Young Architect. He is currently practicing as an Associate at Bright Common- a small studio of dedicated architects in South Kensington pursuing high concept, low carbon design for a climate-adapted future. Bright Common was awarded the 2020 AIA Philadelphia Emerging Architecture Prize and recognized as 2021 Design Vanguards by Architectural Record.


Presenting

Constructing Catalpa: Building in Disrupted Time


What’s Next for Philly: Close to 10 years ago as the threat of Climate Change slowly entered the public psyche, Bright Common entered a ‘21st Century Rowhome Design Competition’. Their proposal was to convert Philadelphia’s vacant building shells into Multi-generational Resource Centers during “Ordinary Times” of clear skies and functioning infrastructure, which would transform into Community Arks during periods of “Disrupted Times” of extreme weather events. While their entry was not selected and the ideas seemed like a novel outlier at the time, a decade later their premonitions are becoming reality as Philadelphians face the intersecting crises of Climate Adaptation and equally threatening storms of social inequality. Building on the original ideas of ‘Catalpa House’, Bright Common Associate Jordan M. Mrazik will present the studio’s unique bio-based, low carbon approach to imagining what’s next for Philly… right now: turning neglected relics into Community Arks for a Climate Variable Future. His presentation will look at two versions of “Catalpa” currently under construction; highlighting the challenges of marrying passive buildings with adaptive reuse, urban resiliency strategies, social framework goals, and historic overlays.




Elsa De Leon


Elsa De León is a Staff Architect and Designer at MGA Partners. She supports the firm’s large scale academic designs as well as those involving MGA’s GSA Design Excellence projects. These are centered on progressive and flexible interiors delivering acute solutions involving multiple stakeholders and users. She also brings a continuous professional engagement with historic building construction, having specialized in architectural and cultural preservation during her studies. Elsa is proud to be a Mexican native. She received her Bachelor of Science in Architecture and Master of Architecture from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Her interest in Cultural Heritage and Historic Urban Precincts allowed her the opportunity to participate in various research in San Antonio and L’Aquila, Italy. Elsa delights with integrating her experience in her professional environment and connects with the local community during her free time. She is an advocate for international students, women in the built environment, immigrants and refugees.




Presenting
Culture + Migration: Approaching Longevity in Our Community




What’s Next for Philly: City of Brotherly Love, the Immigrant City, the Workshop of the World, Sanctuary City; these
are labels bestowed on Philadelphia over its long history. From its beginning, it has been a
leading example of a fast-growing city with a resilient and diverse population. For over 150
years, Philadelphia remained a primary entry point for US immigration. During several cycles of
tremendous immigration, the city became more diverse, supporting an enormous industrial and
urban giant that represented the hard work and culture of the new working class. The city
became a place of exploration and opportunities.


As history repeats, our city is poised to become one of the major destinations to welcome
immigrants and refugees. Particularly as other Northeast cities become overwhelmed by the
migration crisis and political oppression.

The forthcoming challenges allow an opportunity to develop a model that utilizes responsive design to support social justice and equity. Architects and designers can be an integral part of the creation of a prototype that uses historical and cultural inspiration to build the power of the community. My experimental proposal implements tools to facilitate social reintegration while preserving dignity and identity, creating a self-sustaining and innovative built model that educates our community through environmental design. As part of the built environment we are responsible for being agents of change during this humanitarian crisis. Climate and Political migration are the present and the future reality of our
country. How can design be part of the solution and legacy of Philadelphia?





Elizabeth Lovett

Elizabeth Lovett is a registered architect. Her practice, Lovett Keshet Studio, which she co-founded with Yair Keshet, focuses on finding refined and pragmatic solutions that integrate building technology and research methodologies. Originally from Louisville, Ky, Elizabeth gained architectural experience at Stanev Potts Architects and Kieran Timberlake in Philadelphia, as well as the Galante Architecture Studio in Boston. She has worked as a project engineer for the A. Zahner Company, co-designing and overseeing the manufacture and on-site installation of complex facade systems. Her interest in the language of geometry and the pragmatic constraints of materials and construction has led her to become heavily involved in the engineering and fabrication of many of her designs. She has a Masters in Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania. Elizabeth is a trustee and board member of the Gladwyne Free Library and a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania in the department of Architecture. She is a co-author of Material Design: Informing Architecture by Materiality, published by Birkhauser and her drawings appear in The Function of Form, by Farshid Moussavi.



Presenting

Existing Roofs as Stormwater Infrastructure


What’s Next for Philly: As cities develop a top aging stormwater infrastructure, rain run-off overwhelms urban sewers.This causes sewage to back-up into streets and buildings and overflow into rivers, creating unsanitary conditions within the city and destroying riparian environments. To combat this trend, cities are implementing fees monetizing stormwater management. Philadelphia charges commercial property owners per square foot of impermeable area. They also incentivize developers to incorporate permeable areas into their designs by offering zoning bonuses. These policy advancements are a great step in managing urban water, however they are mostly relevant to new construction.

We need a stormwater solution that can be implemented atop existing buildings. Green roofs are usually the only solution to manage stormwater at the roof level. The weight and expense of a green roof prevents its implementation on most existing buildings.

This means huge amounts of un-activated pervious surface are left on the table - an untapped source of water storage that, if made easy, lightweight and affordable, could transform the city’s rowhouses into a diversified network of urban stormwater infrastructure.

We are actively testing and developing systems that could functionally hold stormwater during rain-events, and then dissipate that moisture through evaporation afterward. By designing the system to weigh less than the building code’s snow-load requirements, we enable it to be implemented on most typical row-home roofs.







Andrew Donaldson- Evans

Andrew Donaldson-Evans is an architect who believes that exceptional design should be commonplace. As a Principal and Regional Director of Design at EwingCole, he challenges expectations and pushes boundaries to find a better way for buildings to serve their clients and communities. With two decades in architectural practice, his portfolio includes a diverse array of projects. Local and regional work is his passion, with recently completed projects including renovations to Penn’s Boathouse, the Philadelphia Cricket Club, and the new Graham Athletic Center on William Penn Charter School’s East Falls Campus. Andrew is a graduate of Penn and a resident of South Philadelphia.



Presenting
A Tale of Three Schools

What’s Next for Philly: Education is one of the cornerstones of a healthy city. While the City of Philadelphia has made strides to improve offerings in public, charter, and alternative models of education, moving to communities with better schools is cited as significant reason people leave the city. In fact, for families with school age children, it is the top reason people leave cited by The Pew Charitable Trusts survey in 2019 at a whopping 31%. Three recent educational projects – one completed in 2019 and two under construction currently – represent different approaches to education taken in Philadelphia by public, charter, and independent schools. Cassidy Elementary, MaST Tacony Charter School, and William Penn Charter School share in common an aspiration for the future of the city, its families, and its communities, but with different philosophies about what should drive school design: efficiency, equity, and the environment. Together, these schools offer a model for the future of education in Philadelphia, and pose the question: how can we do better for the next generation of students.



Wednesday, August 16, 2023

CALL FOR 2023 PRESENTERS NOW OPEN!







What’s Next for Philly?

Whether it’s your grand vision for the whole city, or specific plans for that part you know best, we want to hear where you see Philly going – and where you want to take it! We’ve heard about revitalizing old neighborhood institutions, learned about exciting new programs in Philly schools, and gushed over a fantasy transit map. Be one of the emerging voices at the 12th installment of Fast Forward >> Philly during the DesignPhiladelphia festival. We want to give your big ideas an audience, Philadelphia!


Fast Forward >> Open Call for Presenters

We are looking for presenters from various creative backgrounds to take on one burning question, 

“What’s next for Philly?” in 20 slides, 20 seconds each - no more, no less.


Where Glen Gery Brickworks Studio 1319 Walnut St

When Thursday October 12, 2023 | 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Important Dates This is a fast-paced event where timing is essential. Please note the firm deadlines for submissions:


September 1st | 5pm - Submit Statement of Intent

  • Name, Title, Organization, Industry 


September 5th - Selected speakers notified

  • Slide formatting instructions will be distributed

  • If selected, we’ll need a short personal bio and headshot for event publicity 


September 29th | 5pm - Submit all 20 Slides

  • Slides Submission Requirements: email JPGs or Microsoft Power Point slides (Mac/Windows acceptable) to fastforwardphilly@gmail.com. File must be no larger than 25 megabytes (MB).


October 12 | 6pm - Fast Forward Event 


Need More Info?

Email fastforwardphilly@gmail.com and view past presentations at fastforwardphilly.blogspot.com



Follow us on Instagram @FastForwardPHL  - use #fastforwardphl and #WhatsNextPHL for news & announcements!

Monday, September 26, 2022

Meet our 2022 Presenters!


Fast Forward 2022 Presenters



Andrew Donaldson- Evans

Andrew Donaldson-Evans believes that exceptional design should be commonplace. As a principal and regional director of design at EwingCole, he challenges expectations and pushes boundaries to find a better way for clients, institutions, and communities. With two decades in architectural practice, his portfolio includes a variety of built work, from the Smithsonian’s first LEED platinum building, the Mathis Lab at SERC, to more recent local projects in Philadelphia such as the Mast II Tacony Charter School, University of Pennsylvania’s Boathouse, the Penn Squash Center, and William Penn Charter School’s Athletic & Wellness Center. A member of the AIA and a LEED Accredited Professional, Andrew holds a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and French, as well as a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. He currently resides in South Philadelphia with his family in a row house that can only be described as his longest running project.


Presenting

Power to the People


Electric vehicles are quickly helping to reduce our carbon footprint, but with 90% of electric vehicle owners also owning a private garage, the EV revolution remains a largely suburban phenomenon. In a dense city like Philadelphia, electric vehicle ownership skews heavily towards affluent drivers and neighborhoods where private parking spaces and garages offer easy access for recharging. But for the average Philadelphian, it just makes no sense. How can Philadelphia move beyond the internal combustion engine and create a model for integrating electric vehicles into the typical urban streetscape? This vision for Fast Forward Philadelphia not only proposes to solve that problem, but to incrementally, yet entirely, reimagine the urban streetscape. Reconsidering the role of the automobile; integrating alternative modes of transportation; and weaving electrical, stormwater, and landscape infrastructures into a new construct has the potential to change the character and experience for inhabitants of our row-house city in an era of climate change. Not only could we usher in more sustainable modes of transportation; we could offer the chance for greater social equity and climate justice as we build towards a greener future across all neighborhoods in Philadelphia.






Ian Smith + Rob Fleming

Ian Smith, Principal, Ian Smith Design Group (IS-DG)
Ian Smith is the founding principal of IS-DG, an award-winning design architecture firm in Philadelphia, PA. Ian’s combined accomplishments include architect, author, and educator. Ian continues to serve the civic discourse through teaching occasionally at local universities in addition to his current appointments on the Philadelphia Preservation Alliance Board, PhilaNOMA, and the Edmund Bacon Urban Design committee.


Rob Fleming, Chief Sustainability Officer, Ian Smith Design Group (IS-DG)
Rob Fleming is an award-winning educator, author, keynote speaker, sustainability advocate, and architect. In all his work, Rob strives to: Advocate for social equity in the built environment; Regenerate the natural world, Design beautiful places; and Bring economic viability to sustainability projects.

Presenting

Preservation Sustainability: Saving the Future By Saving the Past


Philadelphia is the birthplace of Preservation Sustainability, a new design movement focused on saving the future by saving the past. That’s right, those thousands and thousands of old buildings in Philadelphia’s vibrant neighborhoods hold the key to unlock the sustainable future we all seek. Embedded in the floors, walls, ceilings, and roofs of each Philadelphia building is a treasure trove of embodied energy and sequestered CO 2 . Embodied energy is the energy used to construct a building. Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide. Every time an old building is demolished to make way for a new building, the embodied energy is wasted and the sequestered CO 2 is emitted into the atmosphere. In addition to the negative environmental effects, the destruction of old buildings tears at the heart of the physical and social fabric of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods. This must stop now! We, the founders of Preservation Sustainability propose a multi- scale, transformative approach to future development in Philadelphia: Preserve every building; Invest in every community; and Protect our planet. To achieve this, we will: Expand the Historic Preservation movement to include every building; Broaden the sustainable design movement to foster more inclusive pathways to green buildings; and Introduce radical new urban policies that encourage preservation and environmental sustainability in every Philadelphia neighborhood.






Tricia Maloney

Tricia Maloney is director of visual arts at Fitler Club, an urban private membership club that combines world-class entertainment, engagement, dining, wellness, and business offerings under one roof for a diverse and vibrant community. She coordinates the club’s Artists in Residence Program, along with all art-related programming and curation of installations throughout the club. The club serves as a nontraditional gallery space, housing works from co-founder Michael Forman’s personal art collection. For the past 12 years she has managed the Forman Family Collection, including artwork inventories, installations, insurance and education. She is a certified yoga teacher and mom to two rescue cats, Missi and Pippi.


Presenting

A New Approach to Philadelphia Art and Artists


Philadelphia’s art is world class, from our storied museums to chic galleries to the thousands of murals that adorn our outdoor canvases. But we’ve never had a single place where the fruits of these disparate artistic worlds can come together, and where the artists themselves can find a supportive artistic community while being exposed to an even wider audience. Since opening its doors in 2019, Fitler Club has taken a new approach to Philadelphia art and artists, covering every wall and surface with unique creations—while redefining the ideas of both an art gallery and a hospitality experience. The club’s Artists in Residence program has supported Philadelphia’s burgeoning art scene and other up-and-coming artists, while new arts partnerships with Pace Gallery and Mural Arts Philadelphia have celebrated and showcased groundbreaking work for entirely new audiences. As Fitler Club prepares for its newest incoming artists, more Philadelphians are starting to experience art in ways they’ve never had the opportunity to do so before.






Angela Iraldi + Kristen Suzda

Angela Iraldi
consultant | volunteer | activist | daughter | friend | sibling | community member | building enthusiast | advocate | pet lover | facilitator | conversationalist | laughter-lover | shaper


Kristen Suzda
architect | steward of the future | ambassador | cyclist | connector | politician | maker | advocate | musician | spouse | child | sibling | friend | volunteer | do-er


Presenting

Decarbonization Debunked


What’s next for Philly? Carbon, in the right place, in the right amounts, at the right time, is a valuable tool and an asset. Much of the chaos of our climate is because our atmosphere is full of carbon in the wrong place, at the wrong dose, and for the wrong duration. How can designers bring order to that chaos as we build in Philadelphia? We REcarbonize. We keep the carbon where it belongs and stop putting carbon into the atmosphere when we build or operate our buildings. We look to our sites and landscapes to put carbon back in the ground. We do this one project at a time, on every project we do, and we turn carbon from a liability that threatens life back into the valuable asset it truly is - the atoms that are the building blocks of life.






Damon McWhite

Damon McWhite is the 1Philadelphia Program Manager, where he works in conjunction with Coded by Kids to support the creation and management of an equitable tech education ecosystem. By connecting funders, employers, schools, and community organizations, Damon brings our city one step closer to becoming the capital of equitable tech and innovation. Damon comes to 1Philadelphia with a background in human resources, recruiting and nonprofits, and he holds a bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University.


Presenting

How to Make Philadelphia the Capital of Equitable Tech and Innovation


1Philadelphia is a Coded by Kids initiative that exists to achieve CbK’s vision of making Philadelphia the capital of equitable tech and innovation — and illustrate the possibilities for underrepresented Philly residents. By connecting funders, employers, schools and community organizations, 1Philadelphia will create a tech ecosystem based in equity, resulting in an unstoppable network of opportunities to empower and support the success of underrepresented young people. Following its first-ever convening this summer, 1Philadelphia is accepting grant applications from our more than 50 member organizations in order to help support and advance their organizations in pursuit of that initiative. With grants going out this fall, we should be able to watch in real time as Philly’s tech sector is transformed.





Katrina Connors + Ramune Bartuskaite

F I F T E E N is an Architecture and Design practice driven by the desire to affect positive change. We are passionate about entrepreneurial, cross-practice solutions that improve our built environment, our communities, and our future. Founded on our shared optimism for human interactions, we are committed to delivering a new model for our practice, improving client experience and project delivery through smart partnerships and new processes.


Presenting

Design that prioritizes HEALTH and WELLBEING


FIFTEEN along with its partners is focusing the conversation on what health and wellbeing looks like for the future of Philadelphia. The pandemic reinforced the significance of physical and mental health in our communities. How and where should our built environments respond? As Designers and Architects, we have a responsibility to prioritize and promote healthy environments: expanding ways to provide respite within spaces outside of the conventional and focusing on user wellbeing and health. At FIFTEEN, we are taking a closer look at how design decisions impact health, looking at the issue from multiple perspectives and at every scale, including material selections. Design and Architecture can make an impact on our lives and a future of intentionally designed healthy environments and spaces will impact the future of the physical and mental health of our community.




Thursday, October 14, 2021

Is it Fast Forward >> Friday yet??

Don't miss tomorrow night's lineup of #WhatsNextPHL presentations!
Register to attend in-person, or check out the event via LIVESTREAM (6pm EST).


Monday, October 4, 2021

Meet Fast Forward Presenter >> Owen Franklin

What is your Big Idea for Philadelphia?

Heat Response PHL: More Green Places in Community Spaces


Philadelphia is a city that’s known as being “cool”- great arts and culture, a terrific restaurant scene, and a growing technology hub. But it’s also a city that’s very hot, and getting hotter as climate change exacerbates extreme heat.  Our neighbors in underserved communities bear the brunt of this extreme urban heat, where lack of tree canopy, an abundance of asphalt and historic disinvestment leave residents sweltering. 

Using public art to foster conversation about lived experiences with urban heat, The Trust for Public Land’s Heat Response PHL project asks, “Why do we care about urban heat and what do we do about it?” The Trust for Public Land advances green community spaces like parks and schoolyards as one of the best ways to expand health, equity and justice. And those spaces also cool our communities. Through Heat Response, The Trust for Public Land is working with community leaders, artists and activists in 3 Philly neighborhoods- Grays Ferry, Fairhill and Southeast Philadelphia- to facilitate local solutions to extreme heat. What’s next for Philly is using greener spaces to combat extreme heat.

Friday, October 1, 2021

Meet Fast Forward Supporter >> Pella Windows & Doors - Philadelphia

What is your Big Idea for Philadelphia?

It's time to open new doors and windows, Philly!

The Met Philly has been restored to its original glory - with double-hung wood exterior windows wrapped with a custom brickmold and historic color that was fabricated locally in Pottstown, PA.
Easy-Slide Operator window hardware is designed for inclusivity – to be a solution for all people regardless of their age or physical ability.
 
On September 15th Pella held a grand opening celebration for Architects at the new Experience Center in Plymouth Meeting.  There’s a large conference room making it ideal for group presentations and there’s both Residential and Commercial product including combination units on display as well a large multi-slide panel door system on display into that new, large conference room. It’s open to the public or by private tour by the Pella Architectural team.

 

Thursday, September 30, 2021

Meet Fast Forward Presenter >> Danielle DiLeo Kim

What is your Big Idea for Philadelphia?

PHILADELPHIA250 - By the People, For all People

 
July 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. As we approach this milestone in Philadelphia, the birthplace of American democracy, PHILADELPHIA250 believes in the Declaration’s catalytic value to develop a restorative future for our city.

PHILADELPHIA250 speaks to the importance of diverse perspectives—and how the upcoming 250th is an accelerator to invite the great diversity of our people, their lived experiences, and perspectives—to work together to bring about the sustainable change we need for a thriving future city for all.