An architect with 20 years of experience, Ilana believes in the importance of education, research, and public advocacy in improving our environment. As FXCollaborative’s Director of Sustainability, Ilana leads the visioning and implementation of environmentally responsible design strategies on all of the firm’s projects, including local and global projects of multiple scales and typologies. Her involvement begins during the initial charrette, where she develops a project’s unique sustainable approach and assists teams to develop comprehensive sustainable goals and innovative strategies, including meeting the requirements of LEED, Passive House, and other certifications.
Ilana is actively engaged in sustainable design research, leads FXFOWLE’s in-house sustainability workgroup that researches and disseminates information on advancements in sustainable design, and implemented the firm’s use of building performance-modeling software. She is also responsible for staff LEED accreditation, and spearheads sustainability training and education for staff and clients. A recognized industry leader, Ilana is a frequent speaker, critic, and juror on sustainable and resilient design. She has taught at Cornell University’s School of Art, Architecture, and Planning; Columbia University; New York University; and as an adjunct professor in the Graduate Architecture Department at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design. She is a frequent speaker at industry conferences such as GreenBuild, New York Build, and Living Future, and actively writes and publishes on sustainable design.
She is a member of the Board of Directors of New York Passive House, and is active in municipal and national initiatives including Mayor de Blasio’s 80×50 Technical Working Group; as a member and former Co-Chair of AIANY’s Committee on the Environment (COTE), where she established AIANY’s first COTE awards program; AIA New York’s Post-Sandy Initiative, in which she co-authored a white paper entitled “Where Mitigation Meets Adaptation: An Integrated Approach to Addressing Climate Change in New York City;” and former Mayor Bloomberg’s New York City Green Codes Task Force. She is a member of the Urban Green Council (USGBC–NY), was a founding member of ASHRAE New York’s Sustainability Committee, and was a former executive board member of the Canada Green Building Council, Quebec Chapter.
Ilana is a graduate of McGill University’s School of Architecture, a registered architect in Quebec, Canada, LEED AP BD+C accredited by the US Green Building Council, and a Certified Passive House Designer by the Passive House Institute.