91视频

After being recruited for two years by Lauren Loosveldt of the American Institute of Architects’ Portland chapter, resiliency expert Alex Wilson finally is set to speak in Portland 鈥� and the timing couldn’t be better.

Wilson, founder of the Resilient Design Institute, will be the main speaker at 鈥�The Green Champion Summit: From Sustainability to Resilience.鈥� The event will take place Oct. 21, starting at 5:30 p.m., at Vestas’ Portland headquarters at 1417 N.W. Everett St.

Loosveldt is chairwoman of the Committee on the Environment for AIA Portland, which is sponsoring the event.

鈥淭he timing is perfect, especially with the recent article from 鈥楾he New Yorker’ (outlining expected effects of a major earthquake in the Northwest), and perfect because in the last legislative session we had major successes,鈥� she said.

Those successes were bills passed by legislators to fund the Oregon Resilience Plan after they heard testimony from AIA Portland and the Professional Engineers of Oregon, Loosveldt said.

Wilson will share his experiences dealing with major disasters like Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy, Loosveldt said. But to open the event, architect Jay Raskin, a local resiliency expert, will speak. He was deeply involved in drafting the state’s plan for resilience, she said.

The evening will be informal, Loosveldt said, with Raskin and Wilson at times sharing the stage during their presentations and answering questions from the audience.

Loosveldt said she hopes the event will attract not only architects, but also community members because everyone will need to work together following a major earthquake.

鈥淲e want the conversation open to the general public,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hether you’re design-oriented or not, this is a topic that can affect every one of us.鈥�

Visit to register for the event. General admission is $20, but the cost for students and emerging professionals is only $10.