LAUGHLIN, NV-  Catalyst Principal Matthew B. Ackerman was a key presenter at the Sustainable Waterfront Conference held in Laughlin, Nevada on February 18, 2008.  The conference titled "To Be Or Not To Be A Great Waterfront" was organized by the Windy River Institute and drew numerous participants from across the state.  Mr. Ackerman, founding partner of Catalyst Architecture and current chair of the American Institute of Architects Grand Canyon Chapter of COTE (Committee on the Environment), has been involved in various design initiatives for the Colorado River since 2002.

Mr. Ackerman prepared presentation materials highlighting his firm's 2004 Bullhead City Sustainable Waterfront design study, as well as giving a powerpoint presentation on the LEED Green Building Rating system.  Catalyst Architecture's James Environmental Learning Center project was awarded a LEED-Gold rating earlier this month.

Sustainable Waterfront Experience
Catalyst's 2004 Colorado River waterfront study is a pedestrian friendly mixed-use development that includes retail shops, restaurants, and cafés– all lining a sun and wind protected waterfront promenade.  This soaring, wind and water inspired design features food producing greenhouses, water harvesting infrastructure, organic gardens, constructed wetlands, with photovoltaics and wind turbines for power generation.  Proposed uses include street level retail, walk-up residential units, office space, hotel and conference facilities, as well as a Colorado River Museum and Research Center.

The Sustainable Waterfront Conference included presentations by noted regional, national, and international experts in sustainable development.  Presenters included Marshall Whitmire, Director of SEDI (Coconino County's Sustainable Economic Development Initiative); David Lords, Developer and chair of the Laughlin Ranch Sustainable Development Council; Jack Ehrhardt, Director of Planning and Ecomonic Development for the Hualapai Tribal Nation; Dr. Charles G. Burke, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality; David Schaller, Tuscon Office of Conservation and Sustainable Development; Melanie Debo, local sustainability activist and founder of the Windy River Institute; Gary Graff, Assistant Director of Arizona State University's Global Institute of Sustainability; and Landscape Architect T. Barnabus Kane, Chairman of the Colorado River Sustainable Planning Committee (CRSPC).

Focus on Placemaking
Following Mr. Ackerman's presentation on the LEED Program and address to Bullhead City Mayor Jack Hakim, Mr. Ackerman had the honor of introducing conference keynote speaker Mr. Fred Kent, founder of the New York City based non-profit Project for Public Spaces (PPS.org).  Mr. Kent, who studied and worked with Margaret Mead, and William (Holly) Whyte, is an internationally recognized authority on revitalizing city spaces and waterfronts, and is one of the foremost thinkers on livability, smart growth, and the future of the city.  Mr. Kent's inspiring "placemaking" presentation focused on the transportation and waterfront issues faced by Bullhead City, and showed examples of his work from across the world.  Based on his revitalization efforts in scores of cities, Mr. Kent described the process by which communities can define goals, identify values, and build consensus among the area's stakeholders, in order to initiate the transformative work of "placemaking."

Mr. Ackerman's prepared presentation materials included his "placemaking" design experience gained initially through his work with Cambridge, Massachusetts based Benjamin Thompson & Associates-- one of the country's foremost urban design firms.  Mr. Ackerman led design team members on numerous "place" focused design commissions including a 500,000 sq. ft. high-end mixed-use infill development for Westwood Village in Westwood, Califormia; a 23-acre mixed-use waterfront redevelopment masterplan for George's Dock in Dublin, Ireland; and a 910-acre pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use masterplan for Savannah Harbor, in Savannah, Georgia.


Presentations
Click here to view Catalyst's presentation on "Placemaking"  [4.3 meg]
Click here to view "What is LEED?" presentation  [1.2 meg]
Click here for Catalyst's 2004 Bullhead City Waterfront Study
Click here for Mr. Ackerman's address to Bullhead City Mayor Jack Hakim

Resources
Project For Public Spaces (PPS.org)

Related Articles
Riverfront Possesses 'Enormous Potential'
Sustainability Will Be Key For Region

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From 1986 - 1990, Catalyst Architecture’s Matthew B. Ackerman, LEED AIA was a designer with the internationally acclaimed urban design office of Benjamin Thompson & Associates (BTA) of Cambridge, Massachusetts (1987 Firm of the Year).   Having studied urban design both in Europe and at the University of Texas at Austin, Mr. Ackerman’s tenure at BTA allowed him to further explore the notion of “Placemaking” as a central, organizing approach to architectural master planning and design.