Speakers
City Councilor Isaac Benton
City of Albuquerque, NM
Biography:
Isaac Benton is a Bachelor of Architecture graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. He came to Albuquerque 31 years ago as a VISTA volunteer architect at the University of New Mexico's Design and Planning Assistance Center. He worked for several Albuquerque firms and began his own practice in 1991. He is a LEED-accredited professional who took a sabbatical from practicing architecture to become a licensed contractor. His firm, Integrated Design & Architecture, focuses on library, mixed-use, educational, affordable housing, and senior/community center projects and is committed to providing purposeful, sustainable design services to its clients.
In 2005, Isaac was elected to the Albuquerque City Council to represent District 3. As a city councilor, he is using his knowledge of the built environment to help reshape the way the city grows and prospers. His primary areas of interest, both in his private architectural practice and as a city councilor, include redevelopment and infill projects that are sustainable and sensitive to existing neighborhood character, comprehensive transportation and transit planning, and the implementation of new city policies and zoning regulations that allow for healthier and more diverse patterns of urban fabric. In 2007, Isaac sponsored the Albuquerque High Performance Building Ordinance and the Albuquerque Energy Conservation Code, two pieces of legislation that put Albuquerque at the forefront of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by promoting higher standards of energy efficiency in residential and commercial building.