James Cheng, award-winning Vancouver architect and Principal of James K.M.Cheng Architects Inc. who is renowned for his high-rise residential building projects in Canada, U.S.A. and other parts of the world will speak on sustainable design for high-rise residential developments at the Greennx 2008 Green Building Conference on May 15, 2008 at the University of British Columbia.

James Cheng began his architectural career with Seattle Architect Fred Bassetti and later with Mithun Partners while he was studying at the University of Washington. Upon graduation he moved to San Fransisco to work with Henrik Bull of Bull Field Volkmann Stockwell on a variety of urban projects. From San Fransisco, Hames Cheng went to Vancouver to work with Arthur Erickson as a designer on large scale urban and international projects such as the Vancouver Law Court complex, the Anthropology and Sociology Faculty offices at the University of British Columbia, a ski resort in Iran, and a competition for the Oil Ministry in Saudi Arabia.

Upon his graduation from Harvard, he (in joint venture with Romses Kwan & Associated) won a provincial competition to design the Chinese Cultural Centre in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. At the same time, he was a design consultant to Bull Field Volkmann Stockwell of San Francisco that won the competition to design a new capitol for the State of Alaska.

James Cheng was first recognized by Architectural Record Magazine and ncluded in their special "Young Architects" issue in December, 1972 for a condominum project he designed while still an undergraduate working for Mithun Partners of Seattle. Subsequently, this project received an Honor Award from the Seattle Chapter of AIA in 1973, a Merit Award from the National AIA "Homes for Better Living" program, and was included in Architectural Record Magazine's Record Houses of 1974.

James Cheng won his first major design award from Architectural Record Magazine in 1977 for a private residence. This residence was recognized as one of the 20 Record Houses of 1977 along with Richard Meier's Shamburg House. Since these first awards, James K.M. Cheng has won over 45 major design awards, including the presitgious Governor General's Medal from the Roayl Architecture of Canada, the Canadain Architect Yearbook Award, the Lieutenant Governor's Gold Award from the Architectural Institute of British Columbia, and the Interior Design Institute of British Columbia's Gold Award of Excellence. His work has been published and exhibited in the United States of America, Canada, Japan, Germany and Hong Kong. In recognition of his design achievements, James Cheng was made a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute in 1994. He is a past member of the Advisory Design Committee of the National Capital Commission in Ottawa, Ontario; past member of the City of Vancouver's Planning Commission and Urban Design Panel.

James Cheng's practice is very diverse encompassing large urban design and city planning projects to very small interior design commissions, from single-famly houses to large-scale sustainable communities. Throughout this diversity, the constant is qualtiy of design and execution. James Cheng specializes in complex projects that require great skill in resolving intricate issues in urban design, site planning, programming, technological expertise and meticulous execution.