Description

Our Annual General Meeting for Membership and the public will be on March 4th, 2026 @ 2:30PM 

Venue Location & Event Sponsor:

PID Floors 

Showroom: 37 W 20th St New York, NY 10011

The NYPH Annual General Meeting convenes the AEC community at a pivotal moment for New York’s built environment. As new city leadership takes office and the 2025 Energy Code comes into effect, this gathering is designed to cut through uncertainty and deliver clear, relevant insight on what’s changing and what it means for practitioners on the ground.

Through curated panels with industry and policy leaders, the AGM will explore how shifts in government, regulation, and energy policy will directly impact design, construction, development, and operations across New York. The goal is to equip members and the broader public with practical understanding, shared context, and forward-looking strategies to navigate compliance, influence implementation, and advance high-performance, passive-house-aligned buildings at scale.

Equally important, the AGM creates space for connection and collective sense-making; bringing together professionals to share real-world experiences, surface questions, and co-shape a bold, resilient vision for the future of the passive house movement in New York.

We will be convening in-person with an optional live stream call-in for those that cannot attend in NYC.

Programming will consist of 2 hours of curated content and 1 hour of networking:

2:30 PM:

• Welcome - NYPH 2026 Initiatives & Membership Benefits
• NYPH membership "business" - welcoming new 2026 elected board members and approving 2025 financials

3:00 PM:

• Panel discussion on the new NYC administration and implications for our industry
• Panel discussion on the new 2025 energy code and implications

4:00 PM:

• Open Q&A for all panelists

4:30 PM:

• Small breakout facilitated "focus groups" sharing stories, questions, and visions for the passive house movement in NY

5:00 PM:

• Open networking and refreshments

Panelists:

Cheryl Saldanha, P.E. leads Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) Building Science and Passive House Practices as well as a NYPH Board Director. She specializes in designing and evaluating building enclosures for new construction projects and existing building enclosure renovations. Her experience includes curtain wall, rainscreen facade, roofing, and waterproofing systems on a range of building types. Cheryl is adept at using multiple computer software packages to simulate building systems and details for thermal, condensation, whole-building energy, and daylighting analysis. Cheryl has co-chaired the New York City Chapter of the International Building Performance Simulation Association and participated on the NYC Commercial Energy Code Technical Advisory Committee for the last three code cycles. Cheryl has authored technical papers and lectured on topics ranging from embodied and operational carbon of facades, thermal bridging calculations, energy modeling, curtain wall spandrels, and condensation issues in building envelope systems. 

Louis Koehl, AIA CPHD is an Associate Principal and Director of Sustainable Design at Handel Architects as well as a NYPH Board Director and Chair of the Policy Working Group. He is responsible for advancing the Handel’s mission of industry leadership in sustainable design by supporting strategic initiatives focused on aspirational goals. He serves as a resource to both the firm and the development community with recent advisory position in development of the new energy code. Louis is a registered architect in the State of New York and a Certified Passive House Designer. He received his Master of Architecture from Columbia University after receiving his Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from the University of Kentucky.

Giulia Luci is the Director of Sustainability at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), where she manages and advances sustainability strategies across affordable housing development projects. Her work focuses on reducing operational and embodied carbon, improving building and resident health, and integrating equity and resilience into HPD’s design standards, policies, and capital programs. In this role, she works closely with agency leadership and cross-functional teams to translate citywide climate goals into practical requirements for new construction and preservation. Prior to joining HPD, Giulia worked as a sustainability consultant at Steven Winter Associates, supporting multifamily affordable housing projects from design through construction, including on-site inspections and performance verification for high-performance building standards.

Chris Rogers is a Program Manager at Kinetic Communities Consulting (KC3), specializing in residential projects. He brings extensive experience in developing and managing clean energy incentives and programs for affordable housing and low-income consumers. Previously, Christopher oversaw the affordable housing component of the Clean Electricity Low-Income Bonus Credit Program at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and managed multifamily solar incentives at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). He holds a JD from Washington University in St. Louis and a Master of Laws in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School.

Lonnie Portis is the Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs at WE ACT for Environmental Justice, a community-based organization that has been working to advance environmental and climate justice since its founding in 1988. Lonnie leads our policy team as well as our New York City policy initiatives and programs, working closely with members of Northern Manhattan’s communities, local elected officials and agencies, and various coalitions throughout the city. For example, Lonnie leads the New York City Coalition to End Lead Poisoning, helping to pass five bills that strengthen existing lead laws and expand protections for New Yorkers. He has a passion for ensuring that New Yorkers living in environmental justice communities are involved in the policymaking process from the beginning, and for helping these communities harness their political power for positive change. Prior to joining WE ACT, Lonnie served as a policy and management consultant, working with New York City councilmembers and City agencies on a variety of issues. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from the City College of New York and a Masters of Science degree in urban policy analysis and management from the New School. He is also the co-founder of Uptown Chats, New York’s first and most popular environmental justice podcast.

Sponsored by:

Showroom:  37 W 20th St New York, NY 10011

Continued Education:

• AIA Credits: 1 LU TBD
• PHI Credits: 1 LU TBD
• PHIUS Credits: 1 LU

Learning Objectives:

• Identify key policy priorities of the new New York City administration and evaluate their potential impacts on building design, construction, and urban development practices.
• Analyze major updates within the 2025 energy code and interpret their implications for design compliance strategies, building performance targets, and project delivery.
• Evaluate how regulatory and policy changes influence carbon reduction strategies, passive house implementation, and high-performance building design.
• Apply policy and code knowledge to inform design decisions that improve energy efficiency, occupant health, and environmental performance in the built environment.
• Assess industry challenges and opportunities related to emerging climate policy and collaborative approaches to advancing resilient and low-carbon buildings.