Conference Schedule

Thursday, April 24

1:30 P.M. Pre-conference tour of interesting projects around Bozeman, led by Montana State University Professor of Architecture Ralph Johnson and MSU students. Meeting locations vary throughout town, be in touch with conferences@newwest.net for details.

5:30 P.M. Conference opening reception, hosted at the new Morrison-Maierle, Inc. building in Bozeman, click here for directions

Friday, April 25, Gallatin Gateway Inn

7:00 – Breakfast and registration

8:00 – Welcome and Opening Remarks, Jonathan Weber, NewWest.Net

8:15 – Remaking the Gallatin Gateway Inn, Paul Bertelli, JLF & Associates

8:30 – Key Architectural Trends in the Mountain West

With the extraordinary growth and development over the past two decades, a new architectural vernacular is emerging in the Mountain West. What are the key characteristics of a Mountain West building or development? What are the emerging design trends? Who are the people and the projects that are leading the way?

Lori Ryker, Artemis Insitute

Don MacArthur, MMW Architects

Seabring Davis, Big Sky Journal

Louis Bieker, 4240 Architecture, Inc.

9:30 – Making a Marriage with the Land

In shaping the New West, there is a critical opportunity to preserve the intrinsic natural formations of our regional landscapes as the backbone structure of emerging communities and regions. Winthrop North Village, a conservation-based development in Washington’s Methow Valley, shows how developers can identify signature landscapes and design facilities and structures that spring from their place. Montana’s U.S. Highway 93, re-designed as a respectful visitor to the land and wildlife of the Flathead Indian Reservation, will illustrate harnessing roads for nature and the public good. The presentation will also feature a demonstration of ILARIS—a watershed-based GIS tool developed to help landowners and community leaders identify their intrinsic landscapes, and support decision-making about the conservation of these treasures.

Grant Jones, Jones & Jones Landscape Architects

9:50 – Place-Appropriate Inhabitation — Designing for the Conservation of Storied Places

Clark Stevens, The New West Land Co.

10:10 – Break

10:30 – The Big Picture and the Business Case: Change and the Market Demand for Smart Growth

This panel will begin with a discussion of land development patterns across the country and in the west, and how economic, demographic, and environmental shifts coupled with local policies and leadership affects those patterns. Builders and developers across the country are recognizing business opportunity created by these changes. The panel will conclude with an explanation of smart growth opportunity based on consumer preferences, supply and demand gap, housing premiums, infrastructure and construction efficiencies, existing market leaders, and other competitive strategies.

Matthew Dalbey, EPA Development, Community and Environment Division

John Frece, The National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education

Ralph Johnson, MSU School of Architecture

11:40 – The Challenges of Green Building

Sustainable development is currently the watchword among virtually all developers and architects around the region. But there is a gap between talk and reality, in part because there are many different views of what constitutes "green." The LEED green building standards, while effective in many ways, are viewed by many architects as overly prescriptive. What is needed to make green building standards more accommodating of innovative design? How can builders overcome the price and supply issues often associated with sustainable development? How mainstream can different aspects of green building become?

Ryan McEvoy, Gaia Development

Kelly Karmel, Design-Balance

Heather McMilin, HomeWORD

Brian Solan, Morrison-Maierle, Inc

Tom Ward, Ward + Blake

12:40 – Lunch

1:40 – Resort Development and Rocky Mountain Landscapes: Sun Peaks and the Bitterroot Resort

James Tuer, JWT Associates

2:10 – Historic Western Architecture Meets Modern Technology and Tourism: The Grand Teton National Park Visitors Center

Terrence Wagner, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson

2:30 - Affordable Housing and Innovative Design: Western Challenges and Opportunities

Arne Jorgensen, Hawtin Jorgensen Architects

2:50 – Urban Revitalization and Historic Preservation

Across the Mountain West, big cities and small towns alike are rebuilding and revitalizing while trying to retain their historic character. While "new urbanism" ideas inform many projects, that's only part of the solution. How can great design help to create great urban spaces? What are the special challenges – and costs – of historic preservation? And how can the challenges of affordable housing be addressed?

James MacDonald, A&E Architects

Patrice Frey, National Trust for Historic Preservation

David Hale, Hale Development

3:40 – Break

4:00 – Design from a Regional Perspective

Good design is usually thought of as applying to a building, or its interior, or even its neighborhood. But planning on a regional level is a design challenge of its own - and can set the context for both urban and rural design in fast-growing regions. How can a regional approach help create great local solutions? And how can we get from here to there?

Kristin Smith, WGM Group

Darin Dinsmore, Regional Planning Partners

Niles Hushka, KLJ Engineering

4:50 – Eight Great Design Ideas

Jennifer Pearson | GlassRoots

Ron Pihl | WarmStone Fireplace

Tim Newhart | Roscoe Bridges

Beth MacFawn | Beth MacFawn Native Landscaping

Dave Schaub | Refuge building

Orion Thorton | Independent Power Systems

Greg Higgins | HabiTEK

Ken Watson | Kent Watson & Associates Landscape Architecture

5:30 – Closing Remarks

6:00 - 8:00 Closing reception at Vann's "Living Kitchen" in Bozeman, hosted by Vann’s, Roth Distributing, Sub-Zero and Wolf