Architectural Engineering Institute (AEI) Conference

We are proud to be a Premier Sponsor of the 11th annual AEI Conference, in partnership with Kansas State University and The University of Wyoming. This conference will challenge the architecture, engineering and construction (A/E/C) industry to reimagine buildings of the future that will be more adaptive, healthy and sustainable.

Meet us at at any of our sessions where you can engage with our industry professionals while learning about our innovative approaches and lessons learned towards transforming the built environment for future generations. 

Duncan Griffin | April 14 | Opening Keynote | Integrated Sustainable Design — Improving Health and Human Experience

The design of our hospital environments are bound in regulation and conventional design approaches, built upon decades of experience. Patient comfort can potentially be underprioritized in the absence of a collaborative design approach. The way in which we care for patients as they convalesce is also a significant contributor to the sizable carbon footprint of these critical facilities. This presentation will delve into our lessons learnt and case studies to help improve care, while reducing the operational carbon of hospital facilities.

Tim Williams & Jeff Thompson | April 14 | 10:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m. | Beyond Blueprints: Collaborative Approaches to High-Performance Building Design

The modern architectural design team is evolving rapidly, driven by the need to meet stricter energy codes, compressed schedules, high client expectations, and tighter budgets. Architects and engineers are reimagining the design process, adopting new strategies to overcome these challenges. This presentation will explore how interdisciplinary teams are optimizing building envelopes to achieve diverse performance goals through innovative technologies and workflows.

Tim and Jeff will examine case studies such as Omaha’s Kiewit Luminarium and the soon-to-be-completed Omaha Central Library, showcasing how the design team collaborated to meet each project’s unique requirements. Attendees will gain insight into our evolving data-driven workflows, the creation and functionality of bespoke parametric scripts, while exploring how advanced daylighting and thermal simulations informed key design decisions.

James Wingert | April 15 | 10:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m. | Kiewit Luminarium: Case Study in Urban Revitalization

The Kiewit Luminarium is a testament to the design ingenuity and cross-discipline collaboration that we offer clients. The Luminarium is designed to provide hands-on experience in science, technology, engineering and mathematics for children ages six and up, aiming to inspire and empower future generations to consider careers in these disciplines. James will discuss how our design teams adapted and adjusted to the challenges associated with remnants of a former industrial plant that occupied the land, and the key role we played in implementing innovative solutions to help take forward the development.

Todd Shackelford | April 15 | 2:15–3:45 p.m. | The Secret Future of A/E/C Technology Revealed

Accurately predicting future trends allows for strategic planning and reduces the risk of missing out on seismic technology shifts. There are countless factors affecting what we do, how that is delivered and the timeliness of completion. There are already indicators to the future of A/E/C and we are exploring trajectories to make informed predictions from current trends.

Focusing on technologies, materials, sustainability practices, and digital tools, Todd will speculate on the future A/E/C landscape, making forecasts on a granular level on how a decade of advancements and shifts in technology might impact A/E/C offerings, processes, and tools by 2035.

James Wingert | April 15 | 2:15–3:45 p.m. | Mass Timber Lessons Learned

In a world where the construction industry is responsible for 40 to 50% of carbon emissions, renewable ma­terials, such as wood can help mitigate the rate of global warming. Wood se­questers carbon dioxide at a rate of 1 to 1.2 tons/m3 of wood, and has a relatively low manufacturing carbon footprint compared to other materials. Wood is also the only material that can remove carbon from the atmosphere for the lifetime of its usage. Sustainably sourced, mass timber can be harvested and replenished with fewer lasting environmental impacts.

This session will highlight four or our notable projects, which utilized mass timber as a supporting structural element. This session is intended to be an informative session in highlighting our studio’s approach to designing mass timber projects in the Nebraska region.

Meagan Gibbs & Nathan Witte | April 14 | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Judging | AEI International Student Design Competition

The Architectural Engineering Institute International Student Design Competition (AEI-ISDC) highlights the collaboration of multidisciplinary architectural engineering student teams, showcases the knowledge and application of design and construction principles to a real-world project scenario, and prepares students for the realities of their chosen industry.