SESSION four
A Hybrid Path: Regional Solutions to Implementing Mass Timber in South Texas
Gretchen Foust, Project Manager @ Houston Zoo
Gretchen is a Project Manager and engineer in the Houston Zoo’s Design and Engineering Department, where she manages interdisciplinary teams to plan, design, construct, and renovate buildings and exhibits. Her management of the Houston Zoo Jack’s Café Mass Timber project included overseeing the project permitting and construction phases, coordinating construction troubleshooting, driving value add change management, and ensuring alignment of construction with the Zoo’s sustainability goals. Throughout construction she provided design input on quality and end-user expectations including the guest experience, and long-term operations and maintenance.
Sunnie Diaz AIA, LEED AP Senior Associate @ Lake Flato
Sunnie is a Senior Associate in Lake Flato’s Eco-Conservation studio, and has been leading award winning projects for the Houston Zoo since 2017. Her leadership and design philosophy have contributed to several acclaimed projects, including Confluence Park, recognized with both an AIA COTE Top Ten Award and an AIA Honor Award, and Scottsdale Civic Center Plaza, which received the ASLA Award of Excellence. Additionally, the Houston Zoo’s Galapagos Exhibit is AZA Top Honor Award, while Jack’s Café recently received LEED Gold Certification reflecting her commitment to sustainability.
Jessalyn Nelson, Project Manager @ Walter P Moore
Jessalyn is an accomplished structural engineer known for her ability to manage complex and demanding assignments. Her experience spans multiple market sectors, including large healthcare and mega projects, higher education, hospitality, and commercial. She enjoys the challenge of designing highly complex structures, while clients know her as an excellent listener who strives to develop elegant, buildable solutions.
Jessalyn leverages her leadership and coordination skills to manage multidisciplinary project teams in addition to sub-consultants. In 2025, she began co-leading Walter P Moore’s national Healthcare Community of Practice group. In this role, she facilitates advancing healthcare design practices within the firm.
Cameron Patterson AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Architect II @ Lake Flato
Cameron is an Architect in Lake|Flato’s Eco-Conservation studio, where he works on innovative, landscape focused projects for public and private institutions striving to connect people and place. His work for the Houston Zoo Jack’s Café included supporting the assessment of structural systems, analyzing daylighting and carbon reduction strategies, and development of the design for the Zoo’s ambitious goals and needs.
The Gravel Silos and Stormwater Park on Buffalo Bayou's East End
Isaac W Stein, PLA RA ASLA, Co-Founder @ Dept.
Isaac Stein is a landscape architect and architect. He is cofounder and design principal of Dept. The studio has received awards from the ASLA and the APA; and it was awarded the 2022 League Prize from the Architectural League of New York and named 2024 “Editor’s Pick” for Best in Landscape Architecture from Architect’s Newspaper. Prior to founding Dept., Isaac was design lead at West 8 in New York and Rotterdam. His design work and research has been presented at the ASLA, University of Miami, and the American Water Resources Conference and published in the Miami Herald and Vanity Fair.
Maggie Tsang, Landscape Architect, Managing Principal, Dept. Assistant Professor @ Rice Architecture
Maggie Tsang is a landscape architect and urbanist. She is cofounder and managing principal of Dept. The studio has received awards from the ASLA and the APA; and it was awarded the 2022 League Prize from the Architectural League of New York and named 2024 “Editor’s Pick” for Best in Landscape Architecture from Architect’s Newspaper. Maggie is an assistant professor at Rice University where her research focuses on the intersection between landscape, ecology, urbanism, and infrastructure. She is currently working on a forthcoming edited book on gardens and infrastructure called Garden Ecologies.
Ian Rosenberg , Senior Vice President of Capital Projects and Planning @ Buffalo Bayou Partnership
Ian Rosenberg is the Senior Vice President of Capital Projects and Planning for Buffalo Bayou Partnership. He has overseen numerous projects, including the construction of the Sabine to Bagby Promenade, the Sunset Coffee Building, and the implementation of the $310M Buffalo Bayou East Master Plan, and manages real estate development. Ian received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture at the University of Houston in 1996. He attended the Centre d’Etude d’Architcture et d’Urbanism in 1995. Prior to joining BBP, Ian was the Principal of INFILL Planning & Development for over 30 years.