From Green Building Alliance
February Resilient Reading Roundtable: From Vacant to Vital: Using Green Building Standards as Frameworks for Excellence
Tuesday, Feb. 10 | 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. | Schlegel Field House | Reading, PA | Free
Green Building is sometimes seen as costly or complex — but what becomes possible when it is reframed as a catalyst for profitability, health, and community revitalization?
This in-person Resilient Reading Roundtable explores how green building standards can serve as practical, flexible frameworks for excellence, helping transform vacant and underutilized properties in Reading into thriving, energy-efficient, high-performance spaces.
Participants will:
- Gain an accessible overview of leading green building standards, including Passive House, LEED, and WELL, along with brief insights into other frameworks shaping sustainable development.
- Explore how these standards support healthier indoor environments, lower utility and long-term operating costs, and stronger neighborhoods.
- Learn about incentives, financing mechanisms, and funding opportunities that make high-performance building more attainable.
- Examine how green building frameworks align with Reading’s sustainability, equity, and economic development priorities.
This session will connect policy, practice, and place — highlighting opportunities to move projects from vacant to vital.
Register at www.gba.org/events.
Resilient Reading Green Building Tour: Masano Auto Park: Adaptive Reuse & Sustainability Innovations
Wednesday, March 4 | 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. | 841 E. Wyomissing Blvd. | Reading, PA | Free
Join the GBA Resilient Reading team for a guided tour of Masano Auto Park, a standout Reading-based example of adaptive reuse and innovative sustainability in action.
Once a former Baldwin Brass manufacturing site, this 30-acre industrial property has been transformed into a vibrant, multi-brand automotive campus through strategic design, environmental remediation, and high-performance systems.
Sustainability highlights include:
- Heating the facility using recycled waste oil from vehicle services.
- High-efficiency combustion systems and advanced indoor air quality monitoring.
- Adaptive reuse of a 75-year-old industrial structure.
- On-site agriculture through Harvest Moon Aquaponics.
Attendees will gain insight into the challenges, successes, and community benefits of sustainable redevelopment, with time for questions and discussion with the project team.
Meet the Speakers
John Masano, Masano Auto Park
As a driving force within Masano Auto Group, John Masano led the transformation of the former Baldwin Brass factory into Masano Auto Park, a 30-acre, 250,000-square-foot automotive destination. His vision combined innovation, sustainability, and community impact, creating a space that goes beyond a dealership. From the AutoTorium — a 150-car showroom — to eco-friendly practices like waste oil heating and aquaponics, John’s leadership has positioned Masano Auto Park as a model of progress and adaptive reuse.
Megan Masano, Masano Auto Park
Champion of Customer Experience and Community Engagement, Megan Masano brings a passion for hospitality and operational excellence to Masano Auto Group. Her leadership ensures that Masano Auto Park delivers an exceptional experience for every visitor. Megan has been instrumental in integrating sustainability and customer-focused initiatives into the facility, making it a welcoming environment where innovation meets service. Her commitment to community engagement reinforces Masano Auto Group’s mission to serve Reading with integrity and forward-thinking solutions.
Register at www.gba.org/events.
About Resilient Reading
Resilient Reading is part of GBA’s broader mission to create communities where every person can thrive, and is made possible with support from the Met-Ed/Penelec Sustainable Energy Fund. Through education, collaboration, and innovation, GBA empowers local leaders to transform the built environment, grow local economies, and address climate change, human health, and social equity. Resilient Reading events bring topics to the community designed to educate, inspire, and provide examples of building energy efficiency projects, how to increase resilience against extreme weather events, financing opportunities for building upgrades, and more. For information, contact GBA at info@gba.org.
