TMC PULSE

t m c » p u l s e | m a y 2 0 1 5 19 going? It's not just about saving energy but how we perpetuate ourselves. Somehow, our buildings being more self-contained, more self-sufficient, and producing fewer waste products that need to be hauled off to other locations—that would be a real benefit. "Then we're talking about net-zero build- ings that don't consume energy, whatsoever," he added. "If you move beyond that, you get to buildings that actually produce an oversupply of energy that would be available for others to use." Calkins thinks that in addition to generat- ing an excess of energy through photovoltaic technology—the process of converting solar energy to electricity—it might be possible to construct buildings that actually restore the environment by harvesting photosynthesis. "I think we need to keep taking risks, challenging ourselves and moving ahead while trying to be a leader," he said. "We're trying to push the envelope here. If the public demands sustainable buildings and the government demands more sustainable structures, then we'll be moving along the right path. We just have to ask for these things. We have to push for them." At Houston 2035, which will feature national and local executives, entrepreneurs, educators and other innovators from startups, venture capital firms, universities, and leading technology, life science and energy companies, the deck is stacked to enhance the city's role as a hub of progress. "For this kind of conference, we really think that the multidisciplinary element is key," said Buderi. "Framing the issue as looking out 20 years and identifying the really important areas that everyone needs to know about was critical to the concept. So many new things come out of the intersection of existing things. Look at computer technology and life sciences; those have led to the emergence of health care technology based on information technology, whether applying to genomics or electronic medical records. What is energy plus nanotech- nology going to yield? It could be a whole new field." "I hope that this event begins the conver- sation—I don't know that we've had Houston involved in a dialogue across all these lines," added Angela Shah, editor of Xconomy Texas. "In the short term, I think it's crucial to start by getting these kinds of people in the same room together. The conference provides an oppor- tunity for them to bounce ideas off each other. Hopefully, down the line, we'll be able to watch things progress and evolve going forward." In addition to the four key areas of focus, Houston 2035 will address opportunities in software, nanotechnology and entrepreneur- ship, as well as venture capital and angel investing. More importantly, it will help indus- try leaders and innovators reflect on the past and together envision a bold future. "I'm excited because we rarely take an opportunity to stop for a moment, reflect, and look over the horizon for the next 20 years," concluded McKeon. "It is important to recog- nize the patterns and trajectory of the past as a guidepost to the velocity of change we antici- pate in the future. "I've always been working on the innova- tion side of companies, and there are always these lovely surprises in the present," he added. "I love the opportunity to look at education, health care, energy, and these other major cat- egories with experts around the table—we can take a breath, look back, and then look forward to make bold predictions and say, 'I think this will happen.' We won't all be right, but I think many of us will. The cadence of change gives us some insight into the speed at which it will evolve moving forward. If anything, we'll be too conservative in our guesses." Anything that portends significant change in things that [people have] taken a long time to get used to is going to be hard, but it's inevitable. Part of our job as educators is to say, 'this can be really exciting; let's make this really exciting and move forward.' — GEORGE L. McLENDON, PH.D. Howard R. Hughes Provost and Professor of Chemistry at Rice University I think we need to keep taking risks, chal- lenging ourselves and moving ahead while trying to be a leader. We're trying to push the envelope here. If the public demands sustainable buildings and the government demands more sustain- able structures, then we'll be moving along the right path. — DAVID J. CALKINS Regional Managing Principal at Gensler

• Cover