DAY 1 AGENDA | Glasgow Auditorium

DAY 2 AGENDA | Glasgow Auditorium

CLOSED SESSION | Korach Gallery

Day 1

PLENARY SPEAKER | 4:35-5:00

Margaret Brisbane is the Director of the Information Technology Department for Miami Dade County. In her current role she is responsible for leading a team of IT professionals in servicing the technology needs of the County. The primary IT pillars are Security, Platforms, and Applications along with Administration to support all operations. The team provides support to all County Departments including enterprise solution for Financial, Payroll, Human Resources, Public Safety, Legislative, Commerce and the PeopleSoft systems. The team also supports document and asset management and geospatial systems as well as  major technology projects, to include, but not limited to Criminal Justice, Permitting and Code Enforcement, Radio and INFORMS. Prior to joining the County, Margaret served as Director of Service Delivery for Burger King Corporation. During her 20-year career she led the Telecommunications Center of Excellence for various Diageo brands, worked on restaurant systems support as well as Point of Sales system implementation for various domestic and international locations.

PANEL 1: The Post-Pandemic Smart City: Challenges and Opportunities | 2:00-2:45

This panel examined how technological breakthroughs accelerated by the pandemic intensifies infrastructural investment in smart cities while prompting new legal and ethical questions.  Moderator: TBA

MODERATOR  Ingrid Vasiliu-Feltes

CEO, Softhread

Softhread is an information technology company that uses Chios™—a patent-pending, blockchain-and-AI-enabled platform that preserves confidentiality and optimizes network security while enhancing operational efficiency. Dr. Vasiliu-Feltes currently serves as the Chief of Clinical Compliance and Quality Assurance at the UM Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and as Director of the Clinical Research Trials Program. She is a Deep Tech, Web 3.0, and Precision Health executive, an innovator, investor, strategist, ethicist, globalist, and futurist. Dr. Vasiliu-Fetes also serves as an SDG (sustainable development goals) Advocate, Board Advisor, TV/Media Consultant, and Author.

Laercio Albuquerque

Vice President, Cisco Latam

Laercio leads the strategy to foster innovation and digitization across the region. Supported by a local team and the Cisco Partner Ecosystem, he delivers positive outcomes for customers, government, and society, helping to solve problems, improve productivity, and empower a more inclusive world through the use of technology. He has a degree in Systems Engineering and Management Analysis by Faculdades Associadas de São Paulo (FASP), and has an Executive MBA from Insper. He started his career as an office-boy at BCN when he was just 14 years old, followed by jobs at Duratex, Pirelli, and CA Technologies. Under his leadership, Cisco has been recognized as the best company to work for in many countries. such as Mexico, Peru, Argentina, and Costa Rica.

Eumar Dias de Assis

Managing Technical Director, Microsoft

Eumar is a managing technical director at Microsoft leading a team focused on the Internet of Things (IoT). His team works with partners and customers to build innovative solutions on the Microsoft Cloud. Eumar has worked with software development for 18 years; he has been with Microsoft for 10 years, and is also a startup owner. Outside work, Eumar is a lifelong learner and Martial artist, currently a graduate student and Harvard University and Jiu-Jitsu black belt. Eumar is passionate about giving back to the community and inspiring minorities to pursue a career in technology.

David L. Kelly

Professor of Economics, Miami Herbert Business School, University of Miami

Co-chair of the Sustainable Business Research Cluster and Academic Director of the Master of Science in Sustainable Business at UM’s Miami Herbert Business School, Dr. Kelly previously served as chair of the Economics Department (2005-2008), and held positions at the University of California at Santa Barbara, and Carnegie Mellon. He has published widely on optimal climate change policy, design of environmental regulation, adaptation to climate change, economic growth and the environment, and the economics of natural disasters. His research has been funded by NSF, DOE, and other Federal agencies. Dr. Kelly is an award-winning teacher at the undergraduate, Masters, and Ph.D. levels.

Daniel Messinger

Director, Early Play and Development Lab, University of Miami

Dr. Messinger is a Professor at the University of Miami in the departments of Psychology, Pediatrics, and Electrical and Computer Engineering, as well the Linda Ray Intervention Center Research Director. He is also the Director of Social Systems Informatics program at the UM Frost Institute for Data Science + Computing. Dr. Messinger is an interdisciplinary developmental psychologist, and the author of over 120 scientific publications appearing in journals such as Science Reports, Developmental Science, and Molecular Autism. He uses big behavioral data to understand social, language, and emotional development. His research has been continuously funded by the federal government for 20 years.

PANEL 2: From Zoom to XR  Virtualization | 2:55-3:40

The pandemic intensified the use of digital media for teleconferencing and remote work/learning, renewing interest and investment in XR technology. This panel examined the gamut of rapidly evolving technologies that are reshaping and extending reality, gaging their impact on the city.

MODERATOR Nick Tsinoremas

Founding Director,  University of Miami | IDSC
Dr. Tsinoremas is the Vice Provost for Research Computing and Data, and the Founding Director of the Frost Institute for Data Science + Computing (IDSC). He holds faculty appointments in the School of Medicine and College of Arts & Sciences. He received his B.A. in Chemistry from the University of Athens, and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from the University of Leeds. Before joining UM, he was Head of Informatics and Chemoinformatics at The Scripps Research Institute—Florida. Prior to that, he was Director of Computational Genomics & Genomic Discovery at Rosetta/Merck where he worked to discover, prioritize, and define new drug targets and novel therapeutics. Prior to Merck he led a team at DoubleTwist Inc. that developed the first annotation of the Human Genome.

Kim Grinfeder

Director, Creative Computing, UM IDSC
Director, Interactive Media Department
University of Miami | School of Communication
Kim is Department Chair/Associate Professor of the UM Interactive Media program; Director, XR Initiative, UM School of Communication; and Director, Creative Computing program, UM IDSC. His production skill set wavers between design, film, and code, with a strong focus on user experience. As an entrepreneur, Kim has successfully established and sold two companies. He holds a Master’s degree in Interactive Telecommunications from NYU, and a B.A. in History from UM. His work often explores new media tech across the spectrum including immersive storytelling, interactive installations, UI Design, branching narratives & emerging communication technologies. His current research and creative work interests are in producing 360° films, immersive storytelling, and non-linear narratives.

Denise Mendez

Principal Software Engineer, Data AI and Understanding Mixed Reality, Microsoft/HoloLens
Denise Mendez is currently a Principal Software Engineer in Microsoft’s Mixed Reality group making science fiction real by building ground truth systems for data science and telemetry to support Environmental Understanding runtimes for the Hololens and digital twins. From her years with Motorola she built manufacturing systems to ship millions of smartphones.  She worked at Magic Leap, the largest privately funded startup in history, and helped launch their first Spatial Computing headset, owns a small business teaching the art of ceramics and has ambitions to create a revolution in education by bringing Mixed Reality holograms into South Florida schools.

Ruth Ron

Lecturer, University of Miami | School of Architecture
Ruth Ron is an architect whose work explores multiple aspects of digital design, focusing on the borders between architecture and technology, form and media. Ruth received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, a Master’s Degree in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University, and a Master’s Degree in Interactive Telecommunication from NYU. She worked for cutting-edge architectural firms in New York, including Asymptote and LOT-EK, and taught at Arizona State and the University of Florida. She exhibited her work in New York, Seattle, Boston, Jerusalem, Florence, Paris, and Tel-Aviv.

PANEL 3: Disrupting the Building Industry | 3:50-4:35 PM

Labor and supply-chain shortages during the pandemic prompted and accelerated technology-driven solutions. The panel discussed how intensified deployments of prefabrication, automation, robotics, and additive manufacturing are disrupting the building industry.

MODERATOR Max Jarosz

Director of Fabrication + Lecturer, School of Architecture, University of Miami
Max oversees the fabrication facilities and operations at the SoA Miller Fab Lab. He teaches courses on robotics, digital fabrication techniques, and emerging technology in the field of Architecture. Max also serves on the Digital Fabrication and Technology committee, D.E.I. committee, and the Construction Technology sub-committee. He has been included in variety of publications such as Architect Magazine and MAS Context, and has presented at conferences including the 2019 AIA Conference. Max holds a Master of Architecture from MIT, and is a licensed architect in Massachusetts and Florida. Additionally, he holds an MBA from UM. Prior to joining UM, he was a project architect and worked at internationally recognized architecture firms in Boston and New York.

Gregory Coleman

Design Engineer, CW Keller & Associates, Inc.
C.W. Keller & Associates is an engineering and fabrication firm specializing in custom woodwork. Taking on projects nationwide from decorative wood interiors to custom concrete forms, they are a collaborative team of designers, engineers, and craftsmen. Trained as a mechanical engineer, Greg is interested in the automation and analysis techniques required to make complex projects a reality. As architectural software and designs continue to progress, custom fabrication teams are continuously developing tools and workflows that deliver extraordinary projects cost effectively.

George Franco

CEO TRIVIA TECH, Director of Building Technology, Moss & Associates
George Franco is the founder and CEO of TRIVA, Inc. A company specialized in productivity and risk management technologies using the latest innovations. After spending over a decade working in the construction industry with billions of dollars of project management experience and gained expertise in the development and implementation of innovative technology solutions, George knows the real risks and challenges that the industry is facing and the vast opportunities available for improving a massive sector of the economy and workers lives. George has a deep belief that technology should be respectful, purposeful, and be able to connect and empower people. George is a lifelong learner and has studied at prestigious institutions including MIT and Stanford.

Olivia Ramos

FOUNDER + CEO, Deep Blocks
Olivia is spearheading Deep Blocks’ effort to leverage machine learning to streamline the entire process of real estate analysis. She applies her market expertise to turn a process of 3-6 weeks into 15-20 minutes. Olivia was accepted to Singularity University’s Global Solutions Program where she discovered that her wholistic knowledge of developing buildings would be better fit for an AI System. Olivia was also the only female participant in the DARPA Innovation house, where she designed Big Data navigation software. She has also worked under Real Estate Developers, Architects, Brokers, and Contractors and holds a Master of Architecture from Columbia, a Master of Real Estate Development from UM, and a Bachelor’s in Architecture from the University of Florida.

Matt Trimble

Director of Product Development, Branch Technology
Matt has a diverse range of experience working and consulting in the fields of architecture, engineering, and construction for organizations that include Neil M. Denari Architects, Behnisch, Behnisch and Partner, Preston Scott Cohen, Inc., dECOi, IDEO, and Nike. Trimble was the Founder and principal of Radlab, an experimental design and fabrication firm based in Boston. He has previously taught seminars, workshops, and studios for both graduate and undergraduate students at the Rhode Island School of Design, the Universidad Francisco Marroquín in Guatemala City, the Boston Architectural College, the Wentworth Institute of Technology, and MIT. Matt has received a range of grants and awards for design research in robotics, computational design, and experimental construction.

Luisel Zayas

Founder, FORMATERIA
Luisel received a Bachelor of Environmental Design from the University of Puerto Rico. He holds a Master’s of Architecture from MIT, where he developed Robotic Form-work systems as part of his thesis research, receiving The Bill Mitchell Fund ++ Award and the Arthur Rotch Prize. He has built large-scale installations in cities around the world, and worked in multiple firms, more recently as a project manager and NADLab director at NADAAA. In 2018-19, he co-led an MIT IAP workshop in PR as a visiting lecturer, and served as a visiting lecturer at RISD where he taught digital fabrication courses. In 2020, Luisel founded FORMATERIA (an atypical design studio focused on experimental and geometrically complex construction methodologies) and he began first robotics lab in Puerto Rico.

Day 2 Sponsored by Conconcreto

PANEL 1: Smart Construction for Smart Cities | 9:05-10:05

• Autodesk  Through visualization tools it is possible to overlay sensor data with 3D BIM digital twins for historical and real-time remote monitoring of building data in context.
• Conconcreto  BIMBAU, data and its role in the procurement and construction of buildings from models. BIM families as a way to communicate the construction value chain.

MODERATOR Ines Muñoz

Master of Construction Management Program
Ines Muñoz de Cote is from Mexico City.  She graduated from Miami University of Ohio with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and then moved to Miami to pursue her Master’s degree in Construction Management. She graduated from the University of Miami School of Architecture in the summer of 2021, and is currently working at Coastal Construction—one of the largest general contractors in South Florida.

Julio Palma

Senior Technical Sales Specialist, Autodesk Inc.
Julio is a Civil Engineer with 13 years of professional experience; he belongs to the group of Autodesk technical sales specialists for the Latin American region. He works closely with AEC companies (design/engineering firms, GC’s/subcontractors, owners, and government agencies), advising them on implementing BIM methodology and mandates, efficient and connected workflows, and the digitization of construction sites.  Julio supports the Autodesk GOAL program to evangelize companies on sustainability workflows through technology to achieve sustainable development goals while doing business and ensuring impact on the environment and communities.

Cesar Rodriguez

BIM Director, Conconcreto
Cesar is the Building Information Modeling (BIM) Director at Conconcreto. He is an architect with a specialization in interior architecture. Cesar has a Master’s degree in building information modeling. He specializes in project management, leadership, and direction. He has more than twenty years of experience in office design, great scale construction, and, as an independent professional.

Jaime Rosales D.

Forge Senior Developer Advocate, Autodesk Inc.
Jaime is a dynamic, accomplished, Senior Developer Advocate highly regarded for his 10+ years of progressive experience in Software Development, Customer Engagement, and Relationship Building for industry leaders. Jaime has a proven track record of communicating the value and application of company products and services to meet unique client requirements and drive sales in competitive markets. He is respected as a proactive, detail-oriented leader and collaborator who guides team members in achieving reliable on-time, under-budget project completion.  Jaime builds and maintains lasting relationships with customers, driving company and service objectives through a people-focused approach. His exemplary educational qualifications include a Scrum Master Certification from Scrum Alliance and Autodesk Cloud Engineering Bootcamp Certification from Hack Reactor. An out-of-the-box thinker, Jaime is committed to making continuous software, customer communication, and process improvements to enable growth.

Andres Rojas

Chief Technology Officer, BIMBAU
Andres is a Senior Software Engineer with over 15 years of experience building tech-based products for multiple markets like Asia, Europe, and the Americas. He specializes in Product Development for Startups, Growth Hacking, and Tech Team Building for compelling Startups. Andres worked with First Rock Capital for five years as Head of Engineering, helping Startups overcome technical challenges and Product/Market fit challenges

PANEL 2: Multimodel Simulation for Smart Infrastructure | 10:05-11:05

• Autodesk  The city’s digital twins are used to analyze the level of service or the performance of new projects (transportation, airports, or highways) using mobility simulations and Autodesk traffic models.
• Conconcreto  Case of BIM implementation in massive transportation infrastructure projects (Transmilenio Av 68- Bogota). Showed BIM implementation as part of the vision of building smart cities.

MODERATOR Catalina-Cabral Framinan

Bachelor of Architecture program
Catalina is a rising third year architecture student at the University of Miami School of Architecture on a dual degree track for a Bachelor of Architecture and a BA in History. She holds a deep interest in digital fabrication and methods of digitizing construction, and is a lab assistant at the ConConcreto Research Unit.

Daniel Cremades

Managing Director, Conconcreto
Daniel is a Civil Engineer with 15+ years of experience leading major international projects in Europe, ex-URSS, and Latin American countries. He is now based in Miami as the USA Country Manager of Conconcreto, a top-notch Latin-American construction company (with more than 2,800 direct jobs) focused on infrastructure, engineering, and innovation, with $1B in long-term-own asset investments. A high-performance leader, Daniel is committed to solving projects and dealing with organizational challenges. He has successfully led large business launches for several companies in more than ten countries over three continents.

Edmundo Herrera

BIM/Senior Transportation Engineer, Autodesk Inc.
Edmundo is a Civil Engineer licensed in the State of Florida working for Autodesk as an Infrastructure Technical Specialist Engineer for Major, Mid-market, Federal Accounts and Departments of Transportation in the United States. He is a BIM/Senior Technical Engineer for Autodesk’s civil engineering applications, including Civil 3D, Infraworks (Structural Modeling & Traffic, Mobility Simulations), Inventor (Structural Modeling Parts Creation), Revit Structural (Rebar Layout, Creation & Scheduling), Navisworks (Structures Construction Simulation, Rebar Clashing) and Recap providing specialized engineering functionality and improving customer’s workflows. Edmundo is responsible for demonstrating, teaching, and deploying bridge solutions to customers in the United States and Europe, including recent acquisitions and implementations of Autodesk’s bridge suite of products for the Montana Department of Transportation. He is also responsible for Autodesk’s traffic/mobility simulation solutions in North America, Argentina and the Middle East with graduate studies in MicroSimulation Traffic Engineering at the MIT Campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Edmundo constantly develops specialized techniques and solutions for the bridge, construction, maintenance, and planning sections at the Departments of Transportation in order to expand Autodesk’s presence beyond the traditional design engineering division.

Highlights of Qualifications:

• Twenty years of experience with Civil Engineering Projects including software implementations, support, consulting, training and deployment for worldwide customers.
• International speaker on Infrastructure Projects in countries including: United States, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Saint Lucia, Puerto Rico, Chile, Sweden, Spain, Germany, UAE, Denmark, Ghana, Turkey and France.
• Consulting for a variety of customers of the transportation and mining industries during all phases of the project.

PANEL 3: How Digitization can Promote Sustainability in one of the Least Eco-Friendly Sectors | 11:15-12:15

• BIMBAU  When connecting all crucial actors (suppliers, constructors, and designers) from early stages, resource efficiency is generated and therefore less waste is produced. Also, using BIM standard you have the sustainability information of each object in the building, which means you can choose objects with a better sustainability index.

MODERATOR Reid Yenor

Bachelor of Architecture program
Reid Yenor is Spring 2022 graduate from the University of Miami undergraduate school of architecture. Currently working with Miami-based design firm Atelier Mey on developing the agenda of mass timber building strategies for South Florida.

Juan Luis Aristizábal

CEO + Founder, Conconcreto
For more than 20 years, Juan Luis has been the CEO of Conconcreto, a leading construction and project management company, with more than 2,800 direct jobs, focused on infrastructure, engineering, and innovation, and with $1B in long-term-own asset investments. Juan Luis is a Civil Engineer focused on building a more sustainable future by transforming the industry with technology. He led Conconcreto through an IPO and a partnership with one of the world’s biggest construction companies. He’s currently entering the startup world leading BIMBAU, a platform that improves productivity in the construction sector and spreads the importance of the BIM methodology to transform the industry.

Jane Lanahan Decker

Building Department Director, City of Doral
Jane Decker is currently the Building Department Director for the City of Doral, one of the fastest growing cities in Florida according to Time magazine. She joined Doral in 2012 and found a love and passion for public service and the ability to bridge the gap between AEC professionals and the municipality in which they build. Jane is a licensed code official and floodplain manager. She is the Immediate Past President of the local chapter of the South Florida Building Officials Association. Jane was also recently appointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to the Building code Administrators & Inspectors Board (BCAIB). In 2019, she completed a Graduate Certificate in Public Administration and is a 2022 Candidate for the Emerging Leaders Development Program with ICMA.

Philip Lund-Nielsen

Co-Founder, COBOD International
Philip Lund-Nielsen is Co-founder of COBOD International, the global leader in 3D construction printers, with investors GE Renewable Energy and PERI Group. After building up experience as a management consultant with McKinsey & Co., he re-joined COBOD in 2021 to assume his current role as Head of the Americas. Philip will move to the US in 2022 to establish COBOD’s satellite offices for sales, service, and manufacturing.

Shawna Meyer

Founding Principal, Atelier Mey
Shawna Meyer is a founding principal of Atelier Mey architecture practice based in Miami, FL and a faculty member at the University of Miami School of Architecture.  The work of Atelier Mey acknowledges an obligation to confront the blasé attitude towards architectural decision making, responsible for shaping the natural and built environments.  Her work in practice, teaching and research exists at the confluence of social, cultural, economic and environmental forces.  The overarching trajectory of Shawna’s career has been in pursuit of architectural attunement through the lens of energetics, matter, and the craft in their assembly.  As principals of Atelier Mey, Shawna and Christopher received a 2021 AIA Honor Award for Sustainable Architects of the Year from Miami AIA chapter.  Through her practicing role as a principal of Atelier Mey and academic role as a lecturer and researcher at the University of Miami School of Architecture Littoral Urbanism Lab [LU_Lab], she explores design as an act of questioning-without perceived bias. The work of Atelier Mey is rooted in innovation and design excellence with recognition of local, national and global awards. Atelier Mey are the authors  (with Daniel Hemmindinger) of Buoyant Clarity Pamphlet Architecture 36 and responsible for the design and construction of the first mass timber structure in Miami-Dade County.

Juan Saldarriaga

CEO + Founder, BIMBAU
Juan is a Civil Engineer with a title of program management. He has an MBA from Hult International Business School, Cambridge. For his MBA, he focused on disruptive business, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Currently he is the CEO of BIMBAU, a platform that improves productivity in the construction sector, and spreads the importance of the BIM methodology to transform the construction industry worldwide.