Wednesday, February 10
My Cart9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Experience strategy: rethinking the value of wayfinding
Location: Room 221
- Architecture
- Construction & Trades
- Property Management & Building Operations
- Engineering
Streams: Building Management & Optimizing Building Performance and Net Asset Value; Design Concepts, Health & Wellness
Building Types: Civil / Infrastructure, Commercial, Institutional, Mixed-Use
Wayfinding is often considered as a signage package added late in a project. But signs are only the most visible output of a much larger system and strategic approach to shaping experience – one that shapes how people understand, navigate, make use of, and feel within built environments. This session reframes wayfinding as an early strategic investment and asks a simple question: what is the return? Through a practical framework and project examples, attendees will explore how integrated wayfinding can create value across four dimensions: people, operations, place, and project delivery. The session will also examine the cost of approaching wayfinding reactively, from information gaps and unnecessary signage to downstream coordination and maintenance challenges. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of when wayfinding thinking should begin, how it intersects with architecture and the user experience, and how wayfinding can contribute to better-performing buildings.
Speakers
Loren Aytona Arena Creative Director, Entro
Loren Aytona Arena is a Creative Director at Entro, where she leads multidisciplinary teams shaping wayfinding and experiential design across civic, transportation, and complex public environments. Grounded in editorial and information design, with a background in research and communications, she brings a systems-based approach to experience strategy-working at the intersection of people, story, place, and implementation. Loren works across disciplines to establish clear design direction, navigate competing priorities, and translate strategic intent into experiences that are intuitive, meaningful, and built to last.
- Early
- $65
- Regular
- $85
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Property manager essentials: capital planning and delivering successful projects
Location: Property Management Learning Lab (Booth 344)
- Property Management & Building Operations
Streams: Building Management & Optimizing Building Performance and Net Asset Value; Economics, Legal, Regulatory & Risk Management
Tracks: Property Management Solutions
Building Types: Commercial, Mixed-Use, Residential: Multi-Unit
Property managers must balance building performance, risk, resident expectations, and budgets. Building Condition Assessments (BCAs) and Depreciation Reports (DRs) provide information on asset condition, maintenance needs, and future capital expenditures. This session focuses on turning assessment findings into practical maintenance and renewal strategies. Participants will explore the purpose and value of BCAs, DRs, and other assessment tools, including how they support risk management, budgeting, and long-term asset management. The session covers interpreting findings, service-life projections, and identifying when further investigation is needed. Topics also include prioritizing recommendations, developing maintenance and capital plans, funding strategies, and managing projects from scope definition and bid through construction and closeout. Attendees will gain an understanding of the role of BCAs and DRs in planning, learn how to turn assessments into actionable projects, and discover best practices for planning, funding, bidding, and delivery.
Speakers
Alex Bouchard Project Engineer, RJC Engineers
Alex brings over 20 years of industry experience preparing building condition assessments for more than 1,200 buildings across Canada, including large-scale portfolio programs for municipalities, utilities, and private clients. His expertise spans structural, architectural, mechanical, and electrical systems, giving him the versatility to lead the inspection teams and evaluate a wide range of facility types.
Arman Mirsanaye Project Engineer, RJC Engineers
Arman brings nearly 10 years of experience in the assessment and restoration of residential, commercial, and mixed-use buildings. He specializes in concrete restoration, waterproofing, plaza and parkade rehabilitation, and capital renewal planning. Arman works closely with strata corporations, property managers, and building owners to develop practical, cost-effective repair strategies and successfully deliver restoration projects from assessment through construction.
- Early
- $65
- Regular
- $85
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Acoustical design in practice: lessons from real projects
Location: Room 222
- Architecture
- Construction & Trades
- Property Management & Building Operations
- Engineering
- Homebuilding & Renovation
- Interior Design
- Cross-Industry
Streams: Building Management & Optimizing Building Performance and Net Asset Value; Design Concepts, Health & Wellness
Building Types: Commercial, Industrial, Mixed-Use, Residential: Multi-Unit
As buildings become denser and mixed-use developments more common, acoustical design plays an increasingly important role in occupant comfort, public health, and project success. Through real-world case studies from residential, commercial, institutional, and mixed-use projects, this session will demonstrate how early acoustical planning can prevent costly redesigns, reduce noise-related disputes, and improve overall building performance. Attendees will gain practical insights into identifying common acoustical challenges, applying industry standards and best practices, and integrating acoustical considerations throughout the design and approval process. The session will also discuss emerging trends in urban development, evolving regulatory expectations, and lessons learned that can be applied to future projects. Designed for architects, developers, planners, engineers, contractors, and municipal staff, this intermediate-level session is relevant to anyone involved in the planning and design of projects.
Speakers
Zoe Razavi Senior Acoustical Engineer, STC Acoustical Consulting Ltd.
Zoe Razavi is the Founder and Principal Acoustical Engineer of STC Acoustical Consulting Ltd., with more than 25 years of experience in architectural acoustics, environmental noise, and vibration control. She holds a Master of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of British Columbia and is a Professional Engineer registered with Engineers and Geoscientists BC. Throughout her career, Zoe has provided acoustical consulting for a wide range of residential, commercial, institutional, industrial, and mixed-use developments, helping clients achieve practical, cost-effective solutions that enhance occupant comfort while meeting regulatory and performance requirements. Zoe has collaborated with architects, developers, municipalities, and multidisciplinary design teams on projects ranging from high-density residential communities to healthcare facilities, transportation infrastructure, and industrial facilities.
- Early
- $65
- Regular
- $85
Thursday, February 11
My Cart10:30 AM – 11:30 AM
From data to decisions: smarter space, maintenance, and retrofit strategies
Location: Room 207
- Property Management & Building Operations
- Engineering
Streams: Building Management & Optimizing Building Performance and Net Asset Value
Building Types: Commercial, Institutional, Mixed-Use
As building owners face tighter capital and maintenance budgets, technology is becoming essential to getting more value from existing assets. This session will explore how owners can use occupancy, space-use, and building performance data to make better decisions about space efficiency, adaptive reuse, retrofits, and deferred maintenance. We will discuss how understanding how occupants actually interact with a building can help improve thermal comfort, optimize scheduling, identify underused or overburdened spaces, target HVAC systems that serve the most critical areas, and prioritize maintenance where it will have the greatest impact. Drawing on real client challenges from post-secondary, commercial and healthcare settings, the session will highlight practical ways to inform decisions with better data and move from reactive facility management to a more strategic, proactive approach.
Speakers
Akira Jones Director, Digital Services, H.H. Angus & Associates Ltd.
Akira Jones is a mechanical engineer, Principal, and Director of Digital Services at H H Angus, where he leads a national team advancing digital transformation across the built environment. With over 15 years of experience in the AEC industry, he specializes in applying smart building technologies such as IoT-enabled systems, digital twins, and cloud-based analytics to enhance asset performance, sustainability, and long-term resilience. Akira brings deep expertise in the integration of digital twins, IoT platforms, BIM, and cloud-based data models to support smarter decision-making across building portfolios. His work bridges design, delivery, and operations, with recent initiatives including real-time space utilization analytics for ambulatory clinics and research into efficiency-enabling technologies. Akira leads HH Angus internal research on digital twinning and smart buildings and regularly collaborates with academic and public-sector partners.
- Early
- $65
- Regular
- $85
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
BIM success for housing owners: planning to operations
Location: TECHCENTRIC Stage (Booth 1603)
- Architecture
- Construction & Trades
- Property Management & Building Operations
Streams: Building Management & Optimizing Building Performance and Net Asset Value; Technology, Innovation & Smart Buildings
Building Types: Residential: Multi-Unit
For owners, BIM success hinges on more than producing a model, it requires a clear, lifecycle‑driven strategy that connects early planning to long‑term operations. This session introduces a purpose‑developed BIM Toolkit designed specifically for owners of housing organizations, to support definition of information requirements, align project teams, and establish robust data governance from day one. Presenters will walk through how the toolkit streamlines planning, guides project execution, and ensures operations‑ready deliverables at handover. Attendees will gain practical insights to strengthen capital planning, improve digital handover quality, and unlock lasting value across the asset lifecycle.
Speakers
Geraldine Rayner Managing Principal, Summit BIM Consulting Ltd.
Geraldine Rayner is Managing Principal of Summit BIM, a consulting firm that helps owner-operators define and realize the value of their building data. With more than 30 years in the AEC industry as a principal, project manager, and architect, she brings deep expertise in aligning BIM processes with organizational objectives. For the past 17 years, she has worked with municipalities, airports, hospitals, and university campuses to define BIM requirements that support reliable digital building data.
Geraldine and her team project manage building data, audit deliverables against standards, and help ensure BIM outputs support capital projects, facilities maintenance, and operations. A registered architect, she presents regularly at industry conferences, serves on the Building Domain Steering Committee for buildingSMART International, and is the past chair of the Asset Management Lifecycle Task Group for building Transformations.
Kelly Walsh Senior Researcher, Project Manager, Scius Advisory
Kelly brings a diverse background in engineering and digital media to her current role as Senior Researcher at Scius. She managed the research and knowledge dissemination of the innovations for Vienna House, a project that worked in cooperation with the City of Vienna to provide affordable housing in Vancouver that is sustainable and resilient, incorporating modern methods of construction. This has led to her contributions in research and development for the BIM Toolkit for Housing. Her other work includes research for the Mass Timber Insurance Strategy, Optimizing Permitting for Offsite Construction, the Digital Transformation of British Columbia’s Housing Development Sector, and the Circular Built Environment in Canada: A Review of the Current State, Gaps and Opportunities. Kelly holds a degree in electrical engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from the University of British Columbia.
- Early
- $65
- Regular
- $85
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
What does the lease say? A crash course in commercial leases for property managers
Location: Property Management Learning Lab (Booth 344)
- Property Management & Building Operations
Streams: Building Management & Optimizing Building Performance and Net Asset Value
Tracks: Property Management Solutions
Building Types: Commercial, Mixed-Use
Commercial property managers oversee diverse portfolios of office, retail, industrial, and mixed-use assets, each governed by complex lease agreements. Yet many professionals are expected to administer leases without ever talking about how to interpret or apply them. This practical session is designed to close that gap. Participants will gain a clearer understanding of commercial lease structures, key provisions, and the operational impacts of common lease clauses. Topics include rent calculations, landlord and tenant obligations, security deposits, insurance, assignments and subletting, renewals, holdovers, defaults, remedies, and risk allocation. Using real-world scenarios, the session will explore common disputes before, during, and after a tenancy, with practical approaches to reviewing, tracking, and administering lease across large portfolios. Instead of legal jargons, this session provides practical knowledge that attendees can apply immediately to manage leases confidently.
Speakers
Adriano Silva Director, Property Management, Townline Property Management
Adriano Silva is Director of Property Management and Associate Broker at Townline Property Management, where he leads a team responsible for a diverse portfolio of office, retail, industrial, and residential real estate across British Columbia. He has over 12 years of experience spanning property operations, lease administration, asset management, and team leadership overseeing complex real estate portfolios.
Prior to entering the property management industry, Adriano spent 13 years in fleet management. He holds an MBA and a Master’s Degree in Global Leadership from Fairleigh Dickinson University and is licensed by the BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA) as a Managing Broker, Rental Property Manager, Strata Manager, and Trading Services Representative.
- Early
- $65
- Regular
- $85