Our Speakers

BRONWYN BARRY

Bronwyn Barry is a registered architect based in San Francisco, CA.She’s a Certified Passive House Designer and a founding member of both Passive House California (PHCA) and the North American Passive House Network (NAPHN). Bronwyn currently serves as President of the North American Passive House. Ms. Barry’s advocacy work extends internationally; She has contributed to the UNECE’s Coalition on Buildings development of a global standard for high-performance buildings.

SEBASTIAN MORENO VACCA

Sebastian is an Architect and founding partner and manager of practice A2M . In 2006, he set up PMP asbl (Belgian Plateforme maison passive) with colleagues. He has also been a professor at University of Architecture ULB Brussels since 2007. In addition, he has been actively involved with sustainable practices. In 2009, he launched a quarterly magazine called “be passive” .
He contributes daily to training conferences, seminars, fairs and research and development projects in the field of “passivhaus” standard.All projects of A2M are either “passivhaus”, or “zero energy” for both new construction and refurbishment"

JOSEPH WALSH

Joseph brings more than his 19 years of engineering experience and an honours degree in mechanical engineering to his work. He’s also a graduate from the Harvard Business School Executive MBA program with graduate certificate in applied finance and investment from the Financial Services Institute of Australasia. He brings a broad understanding of financial requirements to any project—and the experience to build and lead project teams.

He joined Stantec's Melbourne team after working as a research and development engineer at Ford Germany. Now he is working in Sydney office, where he leads a passionate and talented team that challenge the tried approach to find innovative solutions.

NIMISH BILORIA

Dr Biloria is an Architect and Emergent technologies and design specialist, with over 15 years of experience in the emergent technologies and trans disciplinary innovation sectors across Europe, Asia, and Australia. He is currently working at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), as an Associate Professor. He has an international profile within the area of Empathic Environments, which involves the study of human-environment interaction. Under this research , he has amassed extensive research and design experience in leading multi-scalar transdisciplinary projects across areas of Architecture, Smart Cities, Urban Informatics, Sustainable Mobility, Social Robotics, and Tangible and Embedded Interaction with a primary focus on enhancing health and wellbeing.

TATJANA DJURIC SIMOVIC

Tatjana has more than 30 years of professional experience with 17 years spent involved with all aspects of NSW planning covering areas both statutory and strategic; infrastructure planning and asset management in the private and public sector at a local and State level. She has an interdisciplinary academic background encompassing architecture, asset management, planning, urban design, building energy efficiency and public sector management. Tatjana is the author or main contributor to a number of current NSW planning policies and instruments, including local environmental plans (Standard Instrument), various State Environmental Planning Policies, LEP Practice Notes and lately assisting the assurance process of councils Local Strategic Planning Statements by the Greater Sydney Commission.

MARK PRICE

Mark’s career commenced in Ireland as an Electrician, eventually managing his own business while he studied Electrical Services Engineering. Relocating to Perth in 2011, Stantec was delighted to welcome him to the Electrical team where his enthusiasm and practical knowledge of the industry contributes to a pragmatic approach to design. He was promoted to Project Engineer in recognition and latterly invited to become an Associate at Stantec in 2015 and then a Principal in 2019. Whilst he is a passionate advocate for renewable energy, Mark adopts a rational approach to implementation, verifying that clients are gaining financially as well as environmentally. He has developed good relationships with supply authorities and plays an active role in the construction industry in the promotion of the Energy agenda. Highly regarded in his specialist field, Mark speaks regularly at events on renewable energy matters

GLENDA KORPORAAL

Glenda has been a journalist for more than 40 years working on the Sydney Morning Herald, the Australian Financial Review and now the associate editor for Australian newspaper. Glenda received an OAM for her services to print journalism in the Australia Day honours of 2019.

She has spent more than a decade studying Marion’s life. She wrote her first biography, Making Magic: The Marion Mahony Griffin story, and continues her enthusiasm for her as a board member of the WBG Society. She is also involved in planning events to celebrate events for Marion’s 150th birthday next year.

SARA WILKINSON

Professor Sara Wilkinson is a chartered building surveyor and Australia’s first female Professor of Property. Her transdisciplinary research program sits at the intersection of sustainability, urban development and transformation, with a focus on green cities and preparing our urban environments for the challenges of climate change.

Sara works with academic and industry partners in engineering, science, health and business.Her research has been funded by OEH NSW, RICS, ARENA, HIA, Kamprad Family Foundation, City of Melbourne and City of Sydney. Recent work includes a project that uses virtual reality to assess customers’ willingness to pay for green infrastructure in a residential housing development.

POLITA CAMERON

Polita is Director of Engagement & Outreach at the newDemocracy Foundation. She has a background in innovation and community building, having been the National Program Director for The School of Life in Australia.

She has worked extensively in the not-for-profit and arts sector and has over 10 years of experience as a facilitator and program designer.

IAIN WALKER

Iain Walker is Executive Director of the newDemocracy Foundation (nDF) in Australia, a role he has held since 2011.

Iain has led over 20 trial projects at local government and state government level including projects for State Premiers on both sides of politics. The topics have ranged from long-term budgeting for the $4bn City of Melbourne Financial Plan to the potential for a high-level nuclear waste storage facility in South Australia. In the water industry, nDF designed the 2017 Citizens’ Jury process for Yarra Valley Water.

DANIEL KRESS

Daniel started his career as a carpenter in Germany and then worked in Ireland on the biggest residential modular project in the world at that time. After 10 years in the building game, he did his studies in civil engineering and worked as a researcher for the European Union in sustainable building.
Since 2015 Daniel has been working in the Australian building industry. He started his business Smart Plus Academy in 2017 following his passion for educating and consulting the building industry regarding health and sustainable construction.
Daniel is a Certified Passive House trainer and has been teaching over 50% of Australia’s Certified Passive House Professionals.

DAVID WHITTING

David has extensive experience in property development roles in Australia, the Middle East & SE Asia, including a wide range of project types, sizes and complexities. Having successfully delivered projects in a range of challenging environments, his role with Flow Systems sees him apply this experience to match the Company's innovative multi utilities solutions with property development opportunities. Flow's ability to facilitate off-grid, decentralised utility solutions not only deliver cost effective outcomes and development certainty, they produce excellent sustainability outcomes that translate to market competitive advantage.

ALEN MALENICA

Alen is a CEO of Metroengine, a prop-tech company for data driven sales and marketing solutions in real estate industry. Besides directorial role, Alen had successfully managed building six hundred apartments across Sydney, and his latest construction experience was six-star hotel at Barangaroo on One Crown resort project worth $2.5Bn. Being in the industry and business for almost twenty years, he had learned that helping others to succeed is always of utmost importance. With several colleagues in 2015, Alen have founded ACCC (Australian Croatian Chamber of Commerce) which is now part of EABC (European Australian Business Council) and operating successfully on its own.

MICHAEL THOMSON

Michael Thomson is a 1950 ‘baby boomer’, who was born in Newtown, Sydney. He attended Homebush Boys High from 1962-67. Six years of art history lessons nutured his passion for architecture.

After completing the HSC in 1967, he undertook a Diploma in Art (Education) at the National Art School and Alexander Mackie Teachers College, graduating in 1971. He then worked as a secondary school Visual Arts teacher for thirty-eight years.

He began photographing buildings to provide images for teaching purposes but this quest has continued despite his retirement in 2010. He is currently vice president of the Walter Burley Griffin Society of Australia.

DEJAN SIMOVIC

Dejan has Masters in Architecture and Planning from Belgrade University, Serbia. He is also Certified Passive House Designer and Technical Adviser for UN Development Program.

Dejan has over 30 years international experience and more than 20 years local Australian experience on various projects, from individual houses, subdivision plans and , master planned developments to largest residential towers in Sydney CBD.

He has started DESIM as his own practice five years ago and is specializing in sustainable and high performance design, planning and research.

PETER PHIBBS

Peter Phibbs is the Chair of Urban Planning and Policy, University of Sydney. He is a geographer, planner and social economist with extensive experience in program evaluation, financial analysis and cost benefit analysis. He has undertaken economic and financial appraisals of a diverse range of projects including numerous housing programs and projects. Peter has over twenty years experience undertaking housing research. Currently he is the Chair of Urban and Regional Planning and Policy at the University of Sydney and also Director of the Henry Halloran Trust . His recent housing research has been on the development of the affordable housing sector in Australia. He has been teaching urban planners in Sydney for over 25 years. One of his key teaching interests is to ensure urban planners have a good grasp of the fundamentals of property economics.

ELLIOT ALFIREVICH

With a background in general construction and an expansive knowledge of the building services spectrum, Elliot joined Stantec in 2006 and has over 10 years’ experience in delivering highly technical systems and solutions in the Commercial, Technology, Renewables and Industrial sectors. Concentrating on client goals, Elliot is happy to challenge standard design and introduce innovation where it will add value in terms of efficiency, safety, speed of delivery or cost savings. Elliot takes a holistic approach to construction and focuses on communication as the crucial element in co-ordinating a productive and successful design experience. His informed and friendly approach enables the resolution of complex services integration issues arising between equipment suppliers and key users, stakeholders and services contractors, making him a valuable asset on a project team.

IAN HARRIS

Ian is the Stantec Australia’s Urban Places Team Lead. Ian has over twenty years’ experience in the Construction Market working in civil engineering design for the Energy and Resource, Transport, Buildings and Commercial/Industrial Sectors. Ian is currently the lead engineer working for Landcom on the delivery of the Green Square Town Centre precinct and the Kellyville and Bella Vista Station.

Ian has dedicated his professional career to the development of a strong technical engineering understanding along with the development of other members of his team in order to create a group of professionals who are capable of not only providing a first class service but who are able to think laterally and achieve optimal project solutions.

As Australia’s Urban Places Team Lead he is dedicated to pushing the envelope in the development of innovative , efficient and cost effective solutions to today’s urban development challenges .