Andrew Graceffa

Mr. Graceffa has over 20 years of professional experience. As an architect and project manager, he specializes in practical application of environmentally-conscious design approaches and advanced materials research. He is currently the Director of Energy Services and project manager on numerous green building consulting projects. Mr. Graceffa has experience working on numerous multi-family residential buildings, commercial interiors, schools, cultural institutions, and large urban developments. Through Mr. Graceffa’s experience in delivering well-designed, well-coordinated and detailed projects, he is able to bring a collaborative approach to the sustainable design and building process and help realize a client’s sustainability objectives.

Jonathon Matle

Mr. Jonathon Matle has worked to achieve sustainability goals for over 7 years, including over 100 successful LEED certifications. With a background in energy efficiency, green building design, and occupant wellness, as well as his certification as a LEED Accredited Professional in three specialties - BD+C, O+M, and ID+C – in addition to being a WELL Accredited Professional, Jonathon is able to contribute to the success of any green project.

Heather Payson

LEED AP: BD+C, EB:O&M Education: Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Fine Arts - Wake Forest University Ms. Payson manages new construction, interior fit-out, and building renovation projects to achieve various levels of LEED Certification. She has provided LEED consulting services for a wide range of clients, including speculative developers, financial institutions, and health care organizations. Ms. Payson provides analysis and technical assistance on sustainable design issues, including environmentally-sound materials, indoor air quality, improving energy and water efficiency, and implementation of sustainable construction practices. Over her career, Ms. Payson has provided sustainable real estate consulting with notable strengths in strategic account management, product development, project management, and green branding. She has worked with individual buildings and real estate portfolios to meet strict sustainability regulations in New York City, and has also developed corporate sustainability policies.

Adrian Tuluca

Registered Architect: CT, NY Other Certifications: BEMP, LEED AP BD+C Education: Master of Science in Architectural Technology - Columbia University   Adrian Tuluca advises Vidaris’ clients on:
  • Energy Code compliance
  • Zone Green NYC
  • LEED, Passive House, BREEAM
  • NYSERDA MPP and Enterprise Green Communities
  • State and Federal incentives and tax rebates
  • in general, energy use and energy cost
Where appropriate, he and his team combine energy efficiency with moisture condensation and thermal comfort analyses (THERM, WUFI and CFD modeling). This is important for renovations, but it is also a good tool to ensure comfort and to avoid moisture problems in residential buildings, and for spaces with large glass areas, such as atriums and tall office spaces. Mr. Tuluca works closely with Vidaris’ Envelope team, using synergy to get savings not always intuitive to the design team. He has analyzed hundreds of millions of sf of facilities, achieving energy savings from 20% to over 50% to net zero, using a whole-building approach with LEED ratings up to Platinum. Locally, Mr. Tuluca led a team that trained the NYC DOB on Energy Code compliance; advised on the NYC Local Law 86 that required 20-30% energy cost savings vs code; and on advisory teams for PlaNYC2030, green zoning, and other initiatives.

Andrew Zumwalt-Hathaway

Certifications: LEED AP BD+C Other Accreditations: USGBC LEED Faculty Education: Parsons School of Design: Department of Architecture and Environmental Design at the New School for Social Research   Mr. Andrew Zumwalt-Hathaway joined Vidaris in October 2015 as our Senior Portfolio Manager. As part of the Vidaris LEED/Green division, he specializes in Sustainable Design project management and technical compliance support for LEED and other green building/wellness programs. Mr. Zumwalt-Hathaway has 16 years of experience working with LEED as is marked by his being the first LEED Accredited Professional in New York and the sixth in the United States. As a LEED Faculty for the US Green Building Council since 2006, he has provided technical training on sustainable design strategies to over 5,000 building professionals. He and the senior professionals of Vidaris’ Sustainability division have a long history of collaboration. From 2001 to 2006 they worked together on some of the first landmark LEED projects in the country including the Solaire, the Hearst World Headquarters and the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Center and Park. Mr. Zumwalt-Hathaway has also been active in the region’s Green Building community. He co-chaired the NYC Chapter of the American Institute of Architects Committee on The Environment (COTE) for four years. As a founding member of the NYC Urban Green Council, he co-chaired the NYC Green Codes Task Force. He is also on the Sustainability Advisory Committee for the New York School of Interior Design and is a Board member/volunteer for HTF Haiti which has built a school and provides meals and healthcare resources for people in Ti Paradis/La Saline Trouen, Haiti.

John Amatruda

Registered Architect: CT, NY Other Certifications: LEED Fellow, BREEAM International Assessor Education: Bachelor of Architecture – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute   John Amatruda has 31 years of professional experience. As the leader of Vidaris’ Green Services department, he specializes in environmentally conscious design and the evaluation of “green” materials and systems. He has worked as a consultant on over 90 LEED projects nationwide and internationally, using all variations of the LEED commercial program (including NC, CS, CI, EBOM, ND, and Schools). He also has authored a number of green building studies and publications, including the GSA LEED Cost Study for the US General Services Administration, the NYC Department of Buildings’ Energy Code Compliance Study, and the Green Material Selection Guidelines for the web-based Whole Building Design Guide. Mr. Amatruda has been a LEED Accredited Professional since 2001, and was the first LEED AP registered in the State of Connecticut. He was also one of the first 30 faculty members hired by the USGBC, and was named a LEED Fellow in 2013. He is additionally accredited as an International Assessor under the United Kingdom’s BREEAM green building rating system.