Passive House Institute U.S. (PHIUS) has announced that U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan will be the keynote speaker at the institute’s 8th annual North American conference in Pittsburgh on Oct. 17.

The conference takes place at the Omni William Penn Hotel. Donovan’s address on Thursday morning marks the start of two days of sessions covering technology, policy-making, and business issues associated with Passivhaus building, PHIUS says. There also are optional technical workshops on Oct. 15 and 16.

PHIUS says the conference is presented in partnership with the Passive House Alliance U.S., Passive Buildings Canada, and the Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture. You can learn more about the conference here.