The Columbus Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) and the U.S. Green Building Council Central Ohio Chapter (USGBC-COH) – co-hosts of the annual education day and expo DesignColumbus – announced the keynote speaker for their 2016 event.

DesignColumbus 2016 will be held Monday, April 18 at the Center for Science and Industry (COSI), located at 333 W. Broad St., Columbus, Ohio 43215.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Paul Scialla, founder and CEO of Delos, a platform that provides research, consulting, real estate development and other services in the pursuit of a more nurturing physical environment—one that supports individual as well as environmental health and well-being. Scialla also founded the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), a public benefit corporation based on an altruistic capitalism model that addresses social responsibility.

The IWBI administers the WELL Building Standard, an evidence-based system for measuring, certifying and monitoring the performance of building features that influence health. According to a November 2015 press release, nearly 80 projects encompassing 20 million square feet are now registered or certified under the WELL Building Standard in 12 countries across five continents. Scialla is a member of the board of directors for the Chopra Foundation, and a founding board member of the JUST Capital Foundation, an independent nonprofit organization that strives to bring more human values to corporate behavior.

Each year, the DesignColumbus event grows. It draws attendees and participants from a large geographic area and features nationally known speakers. It offers 12 educational seminars, in addition to the expo, which explore state-of-the-art developments in the built environment. Participants are representatives of the entire project team, including architects, designers, engineers, owners, developers, government officials, municipal planners, facility managers, contractors, construction managers, construction specifiers, manufacturers, product representatives and others.

The U.S. Green Building Council – Central Ohio Chapter and Construction Specifications Institute Columbus Chapter invites your company to sponsor and exhibit at DesignColumbus. The physical trade show area allows space for informational displays and product demonstrations. A variety of sponsorship levels are provided to trade show exhibitors and corporate sponsors, ranging from a tabletop booth to full event comprehensive sponsorship.

Additionally, DesignColumbus is currently requesting proposals for project team presentations, single presenters, seminars, and panel discussions that address the educational needs of community stakeholders. Presentations should focus on innovative sustainable design. Preferred projects can be “real” projects or conceptual designs, and can be in any phase of design/construction or recent completion; they should have a focus on Central Ohio or involve a local design/construction team. Presentations can be submitted at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/designcolumbus-2016-presentations-registration-18594434454.

DesignColumbus attendees can earn AIA and GBCI continuing education units (CEUs) for each education session. These CEU opportunities are of tremendous value to architects, engineers and LEED Accredited Professionals interested in maintaining their credentials in an ever more competitive marketplace.

Attendee registration for the event opens at 7 a.m. and education sessions begin at 8 a.m. The event will conclude with a happy hour from 4- 5:30 p.m.

Attendees can register and find additional information at http://designcolumbus.org or contact Jim McDonald, CSI Columbus Chapter, at jimmcdonald067@gmail.com.