Description of Dinner and Keynote Speaker
Keynote Speaker will be John Connell, Architect, Artist, Animator, Author.In 1980 Connell founded Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Warren, Vermont to promote the creation of sustainable owner-built homes. Graduating hundreds of non-professional students each year, the Yestermorrow curriculum presents energy-conserving and environmentally-enlightened design/build methods as the standard for residential construction. In 1984 the school expanded its curriculum to include professional students, becoming the first and only institution in the nation where architecture students can learn about sustainable design/build technology, methods and materials through hands-on construction. In 2002, Connell helped launch Forever Young Treehouses Inc., a non-profit organization committed to making tree houses accessible to special needs children across the country. The initial designs and construction were created and executed by Connell and the Yestermorrow Design/Build School, culminating in an award winning tree house for Paul Newman’s Hole In the Wall Gang Camp in Ashford, CT. Currently Connell splits his time between 2morrow Studio and Connor Homes Inc. The first is a small design/build firm, specializing in highly custom, green architectural design. The second is a factory built line of custom and semi-custom homes designed and built to exacting standards within the early American styles. Connell has been on several television shows, speaking engagements, written magazine articles, and authored several books including Homing Instinct, and Creating the Inspired House. Connell helped create the Custom Residential Architects Network (CRAN), founder of Vermont's Chapter of the Congress of Residential Architects (CORA) and currently sits on the AIA National Housing Committee's Advisory Group. Connell will speak about the new attitudes necessary to take advantage of the elusive method of delivering affordable, green homes with factory built, pre-manufactured methods.