Managing Risk in Sustainable Building Conference Set for February 7-8 in Chicago

In its 2006 Green Building White Paper, Building Design + Construction magazine called upon the legal profession to examine the potential liability issues that could arise from developers and owners failing to build to green standards. It asked the American Bar Association or a leading law school to lead the charge and critically analyze the legal implications that green building regulatory regimes might implicate in the form of a symposium or scholarly, law review-quality research. It’s now 2008 and, as far as I can tell, the first such conference that will actually begin to dig into these issues as suggested in the 2006 White Paper (and hinted at repeatedly here at gbNYC) is taking place next week at DePaul University’s Real Estate Center in Chicago. Sponsored by the Alberti Group, it’s not too late to register for Managing Risk in Sustainable Building: Policy, Performance & Pitfalls. The themes of the two-day conference include risk, how policy impacts the green building equation, and why building performance should be the ultimate goal for stakeholders. I’m speaking on the first day of the conference, and my presentation will focus on potential legal challenges to local green building legislation. I’m thrilled to be participating in what should be a truly important two days of dialogue, and it’s not too late to register if you’re interested in attending. Please feel free to email me with any questions. Otherwise, I hope to see many of you in Chicago next week.

• Registration Form (Managing Risk in Sustainable Building)