LAS VEGAS - The 10th Global Engineering Conference, sponsored by Carrier Corp., a unit of United Technologies Corp., was a three-day conference featuring presentations on sustainability as it relates to the design and construction of buildings at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. More than a dozen engineering and design industry experts from Canada, China, Egypt, India, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States made presentations.

Kelly Romano, president of Carrier Building Systems and Services, welcomed a global audience of nearly 700 attendees from 19 countries and 42 states. She discussed the need for industry leaders, such as the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Carrier Corp., to work with owners, consultants, and contractors on energy consumption issues.

“I often remind myself that few innovations have shaped modern life more dramatically than the ability to control indoor climate,” said Romano. She explained that buildings are currently responsible for at least 40 percent of the energy used in most countries, and worldwide building energy consumption is expected to grow 45 percent over the next 20 years. Romano urged the audience to tackle the challenge of energy efficiency.

Keynote speakers S. Richard Fedrizzi, president, CEO, and founding chairman of the U.S. Green Building Council, and Valentine A. Lehr, P.E., founding partner of Lehr Consultants International, provided the keynote addresses “Revolutionary Green” and “08 From Entropy to Innovation,” respectively. Fedrizzi urged the audience to become Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) accredited professionals, making the point that “green is not ‘the new black’ - green is here to stay.”

In addition, more than a dozen engineering industry experts presented throughout the event. Conference workshop topics included green building and sustainable design principles and strategies, the environmental effect of industry standards, economic trends, and global sustainability, among others.

The opening welcome reception featured a display of Carrier’s new Weathermaker® A Series and Weathermaster® rooftop units. An optional LEED® seminar, “Energy Modeling for Sustainable Design,” was conducted following the conference led by Thomas J. Kelly, LEED AP and Robert Feduik, P.E., LEED AP, both of Carrier Corp. in Syracuse, N.Y.

Carrier University provided continuing education units (CEU) for Global Engineering Conference attendees who participated in workshop sessions and subsequently completed a learning assessment.

For more information, visit www.globalengineeringconference.com or www.carrier.com.

Publication date: 05/26/2008