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Actress Julia Louis Dreyfus Keynote At AIA Conference In Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The American Institute of Architects is in town -- and the key-note on Thursday is a famous actress.

Nineteen-thousand attendees are expected over the next few days. Actress Julia Louis Dreyfus is Thursday's key-note.

"She has some causes as a social activist that align with a lot of priorities that the AIA has in dealing with combating climate change and water conservation energy efficiency in general, and to sort of talk about the power that design has," said AIA spokesman Scott Frank. "She worked with an architect to completely reconfigure her home to be a state of the art energy-efficient residence."

There is an expo too at the Pennsylvania Convention Center where 800 product manufacturers will be showcasing the latest building materials and furnishings.

Walking tours of architectural landmarks around town will also be taking place.

The public can vote on their favorite parklet design -- a pop-up park in a parking spot in the 1200 block of Arch Street. The competition takes place noon to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

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