Welcome Remarks Tuesday

Eric Karsh, Founding Principal, Equilibrium

Welcome Remarks by Master of Ceremonies

8:15 – 8:30

Eric Karsh is the founding partner of Equilibrium, a globally recognized leader in timber engineering and construction since 1998, with offices in Vancouver, Atlanta, and Paris.

With over 35 years of experience as a structural engineer, Eric has played a pivotal role in shaping the international timber industry. His portfolio includes numerous landmark, award-winning projects, such as the Wood Innovation and Design Centre in British Columbia, Mass Timber One (MT1)—Google’s first mass timber office building, located in Sunnyvale, California, and the Créteil Schoolboard office building in Paris, France.

Renowned for his innovative design approach and dedication to sustainable construction, Eric has received international recognition for advancing environmentally responsible building practices. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers (UK) and a part owner of BC Passive House, a leader in the prefabrication of wood-based, high-performance building systems.

Michael Green,
Michael Green Architecture

Introduction to Woodrise 2025 – Welcome to Canada

8:30 – 8:45

Michael Green is an award-winning architect, speaker, and author known for using design to create meaningful, more sustainable built environments that benefit both people and planet.

A leader in wood and bio-based construction and innovation, he has completed some of the most significant timber buildings in the world, and has been recognized with over fifty international awards for design excellence, including the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Firm of the Year , Architizer’s Revolution in Design Award in 2023, Best in North America Firm Award in both 2021 and 2022, four Governor General’s Medals, two RAIC Innovation Awards, and the American Institute of Architects Innovation Award.

Michael lectures internationally on the future of design and construction, including his TED talks, “The Natural Building Blocks of Sustainable Architecture” in 2023 and “Why We Should Build Wooden Skyscrapers” in 2012. He serves as a government policy advisor on mass timber design and is the co-author of the first and second editions of ‘The Case for Tall Wood Buildings’ and ‘Tall Wood Buildings: Design, Construction and Performance.’

An avid traveler and adventurer, Michael has explored remote regions of every continent.These journeys through nature are what inspire his work.