Data Center Cocktail & Networking
Join us at HOK’s New York studio at 5 Bryant Park on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, for an evening dedicated to the future of sustainable data center design. As digital infrastructure demands accelerate, balancing growth, performance, and environmental responsibility is more critical than ever. This networking gathering brings together top designers, developers, investors, hyperscalers, owners, operators, and data center thought leaders to explore how innovation, adaptive reuse, and regenerative design strategies are shaping the next generation of urban data centers.
Hosted by: Decarb Summits & HOK
Cocktail & Networking Agenda
5:00 - 5:50 PM – Networking Reception
5:50 - 6:00 PM – Opening Remarks
Scott Donachie, CEO at Decarb Summits
- Connecting decision-makers across real estate, finance, and technology to drive sustainable impact, leading over 170+ organizations in transforming the built environment. LinkedIn
6:00 - 6:20 PM – The Regenerative Data Center of The Future
This session examines how data centers can shift from high-impact infrastructure to climate-aligned, regenerative systems through unified landscape, architectural, and technological design.
Apoorv Goyal, HOK, Firmwide Decarbonization Lead
- Leading HOK's firmwide decarbonization practice — serving as the firm's thought leader on building decarbonization strategy, carbon analytics, and high-performance design across all markets and geographies. LinkedIn
6:20 - 6:50 PM- Designing Resilient Data Centers
Antoine Habellion, Technical Director, ROCKWOOL
- Antoine leads multidisciplinary teams across Building Science, Technical Services, Codes & Standards, and Product Development, Compliance, and Testing, and previously oversaw Sustainability through July 2024. His work advances high-performance, low-carbon building solutions, including applications for energy-intensive facilities such as data centers. Antoine drives innovation, product certification, and compliance strategies while collaborating with industry partners and regulators to promote best practices. LinkedIn
6:50- 7:20 PM- Power Flexibility: How Demand Response Is Transforming Regional Data Centers
David Chernis, Director, Flexible Compute Platforms at CPower
- David Chernis, Director, Flexible Compute Platforms at CPower With a strong background in energy, blockchain, AI and technology, David leads innovative projects that drive innovation, grid reliability & profitability in the Mining, HPC and Demand Response sectors. He holds a BA degree from the University of Miami and has completed executive development programs at Harvard, Wharton, and Babson, including courses in AI in Business and the Economics of Blockchain and Digital Assets. LinkedIn
7:20- 7:40 PM - Top ten challenges for Data Centers
Stephen Friedberg, Partner Haynes Boone
- Stephen is engaged in the interdisciplinary practice area defined by the intersection of real estate and communications law, which includes the development, leasing and financing of data centers and other telecommunications facilities; developers and other property owners; and the acquisition and disposition of oil and gas properties. LinkedIn
7:40 - 8:15 PM – Networking & Cocktails
Continue the conversation with peers, speakers, and partners in an informal networking