Speaking

We’ve been very fortunate to work with many groups over the years. Ryan’s public speaking began with a relationship with Emory University’s Center for Lifelong Learning. Ryan assembled the questions home owners typically ask, added questions that should be asked, and created a course. He approached Emory and was invited to teach a course.

Though the course was intended for home owners, professionals began to take the course: real estate agents, contractors, etc. That resulted in invitations for Ryan to speak in local offices on issues like zoning and building codes. Ryan began speaking at national events in 2008.

Ryan speaks to provide education. The questions asked by the audience help us better understand how to communicate complex issues and what needs/concerns we should anticipate. We prefer to facilitate discussions: speaking with you rather than to you.

Ryan’s Skill Set

Ryan is an architect registered in Georgia and he holds an NCARB certificate allowing him to earn a reciprocal license in other states and territories. Ryan has purposefully grown his skill set in an effort to provide more holistic services for clients facing ever-increasing regulation from cities/counties and states. Ryan’s additional skills include:

Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Rater
HERS Raters conduct in-depth analysis of homes through energy modeling to determine the best use of building components within the available budget. The building science education, energy modeling tools and performance verification testing help make Ryan a better architect.

HVAC Quality Installation (QI) Certificate
Earning the Quality Installation certificate from the Air Conditioning Contractors Association (ACCA) teaches proper design of heating and cooling systems using the ACCA design manuals required by the residential building code. The program focuses on understanding proper load calculation + duct design and knowing how to use HVAC design software correctly to ensure a quality system installation.

Level II Erosion & Sediment Control Design Professional
Many jurisdictions now require residential construction projects to include on-site structures to catch and contain stormwater. The technologies for catching and containing water may be simple though working them into a crowded site on an urban property with many other concerns can be a significant challenge.

Safety Assessment Program Evaluator
The California Emergency Management Agency (CalEMA) developed a program for assessment of buildings following a natural disaster. Licensed architects and engineers may assist building code officials in the analysis of buildings by using the protocols created by CalEMA. Thorough and rapid assessment of buildings helps avoid displacement of families following a disaster and reporting from the assessments gets state and federal disaster funds released.

Certified Distance Education Instructor
The CDEI™ program is designed for people preparing to teach professional and academic education courses via a variety of distance education delivery methods. The CDEI™ program is also designed to present theory and good practice for facilitating a distance education course. The program is divided into two courses: (1) How and why adults learn, and (2) Principles of good practice for teaching online. The first course focuses on educational theory. Issues such as learning styles, motivation, and assessment are explored. The second course is practical application of these theories in an online professional education context.

Popular Courses

We’re always growing our curriculum of related courses to help homeowners and professionals understand how homes work. Here are some examples of popular topics:

Design Topics
Architectural Styles: Identifying American Homes
Architectural Elements: What’s That Called?

Technical Topics
Residential Building Code Requirements
Tiny, Prefabricated + Shipping Container Homes
Residential Building Science
Residential Energy Code Requirements
Residential Heating and Cooling Code + Systems
HVAC Design, Make-Up Air + Ventilation
Residential Electrical Codes + Systems
Lighting Systems + Design
Solar Power Systems, Whole-House Batteries + EV Charging
Residential Plumbing Systems

Topics Addressing Lack of Diversity in Housing
Urban Planning: Making Successful Communities
Residential Zoning: Effects of Property Potential + Price
Housing Types OTHER THAN Single-Family Homes

Topic Specific to Real Estate Professionals
Sustainable Details + MLS Input Forms

Common Topics

Ryan speaks on topics related to our residential architecture practice. Here’s list of common discussion topics:

accessibility (levels of) * aging in place * architectural styles * architecture elements * battery solutions in homes * building codes: development, adoption + amendment * building evaluation * building materials * building science * building systems integration * carbon emissions + climate change * collaboration * construction waste * curb appeal * design+bid+build process * design strategies * disaster planning + response * electrical system options + concerns * energy efficiency * energy modeling * erosion + sediment control systems * exterior cladding systems * fire protection + egress * foundation + structural issues * generators: on-site power generation * home maintenance * home owners association challenges * home safety * home security + alarm systems * HVAC (heating, cooling and ventilation systems) * indoor air quality * indoor environmental quality * international projects * jurisdictional challenges: permitting + inspections * kitchen + bath design * legislative issues + process * lighting (artificial + natural) * make-up air solutions * metal fabrication * micro-grid solutions * mission & NGO projects * plumbing system options + concerns * preparing for public meeting presentations * renewable energy sources * renovation + addition challenges * site analysis * site design * smart grid * smart homes * solar (PV) panel systems * stormwater regulation + solutions * stream buffers + waters of the state issues * subdivision development * sustainable building solutions + details * tree inventory + protection plans * universal design * urban planning * ventilation + humidity control * vernacular architecture * voluntary green building programs * water conservation * water heating + delivery * working with contractors * zoning: history + challenges

Duration

Ryan has experience delivering short presentations for both executive summaries and single-topic in-depth discussions. Ryan has even delivered a PechaKucha to the Atlanta chapter of the Social Media Club.

Many of the topics we present can be combined into longer sessions for half-day or day-long presentations. The longest presentation we typically deliver is fourteen hours over two days.

Please let us know your schedule and vision. We might be able to suggest some topics and ideas you’ve not yet considered.

Completed Speaking Engagements

Ryan’s completed speaking engagements include The Remodeling Show (multiple shows), The International Builders Show (multiple shows), National Green Building Conference (multiple shows), the American Institute of Architects National Conference (multiple shows), Atlanta REALTORS® Association (multiple presentations), International Propane Expo, Georgia Environmental Conference, American Institute of Architects Georgia Convention, University of Tennessee, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, National Ground Water Association EXPO, Georgia Association of REALTORS® Convention, Atlanta Home Show, the Texas Green Home Summit and more!

We’ve also produced our own live in-person and virtual events. We’d be happy to speak with you about our ability to help produce an event for you.

We Don’t Sell

One of the most important aspects of our speaking is that we don’t sell. We don’t push books, DVDs, coaching calls or other products.

We also don’t push our services. We maintain a small firm that simply can’t provide services to the number of audience members we address in a given year. That revelation is a disarming way to start a presentation: you can use the information we provide even if we never get to see you again… though we hope we’ll stay in touch.

Public speaking and travelling brings us into contact with lots of wonderful people, great resources and new opportunities. We’re happy to share our network, expertise and experience with you!