10 Best Talks at IIDEX Canada - Azure Magazine: Design, Architecture, Interiors | Azure Magazine: Design, Architecture, Interiors

10 Best Talks at IIDEX Canada

IIDEX, Canada's national design and architecture expo taking place September 26 and 27 in Toronto, features an outstanding lineup of experts in product design, architecture and interior design. Here are 10 speakers and seminars we're most excited about.

Words: David Dick-Agnew
Posted: Sep 11, 2013
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From left: Charles Renfro, Luca Nichetto, George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg, and Eames Demetrios.

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DSR’s Alice Tully Hall in New York uses glass in a busy urban environment to vary the boundary between the building’s interior and the city outside. Photo by Paul Masck.

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Luca Nichetto’s Toshi collection for Casamania evokes a city skyline by combining cabinets of different sizes and patterns.

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The interior of the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto exemplifies Yabu Pushelberg’s aesthetic of understated luxury.

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Ray and Charles Eames collaborated on many influential modern furniture designs; today, The Eames Office preserves their contribution to the field of design.

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Four Fantastic Keynotes

Charles Renfro of New York firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro delivers the architectural keynote address September 27 at 11am. DSR impressed New Yorkers and tourists alike with the High Line, but its delicate and thoughtful interventions to the Lincoln Center have been just as crucial to improving Manhattan’s less-than-functional spaces. In Toronto, Renfro will describe the firm’s work on these benchmark projects as well as the Seagram Building’s DSR-designed Brasserie, turning a spotlight on the role of glass in the modern city.

Italian product designer Luca Nichetto delivers the design keynote, on September 26 at 4pm. His portfolio is filled with furniture, lighting and accessories for a host of top-notch European manufacturers, including Casamania, Moroso and Cassina. In his talk, Nichetto will emphasize the importance of collaboration and discuss how success depends on the ability to share ideas and insights.

Toronto’s own Yabu Pushelberg has crafted luxury hotel and retail interiors worldwide, including Bergdorf Goodman and the W Hotel in New York, the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto, and the St. Regis Hotels in San Francisco. In their hospitality keynote, on September 27 at 2pm, George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg explore the shifting priorities of travellers, and the strategies hotel designers can employ to respond to those changing needs.

Eames Demetrios, director of The Eames Office and grandson of Charles and Ray Eames, witnessed the legendary duo’s effective collaboration first hand. In his keynote directed to emerging professionals, on September 26 at 1:30pm, Demetrios explores the challenges facing young designers, and offers advice from a perspective rooted in the philosophy and process of the Eameses.

Rounding out the lecture lineup is a healthcare keynote delivered by IDEO’s David Webster on September 26 (stay tuned for more details on this next week); and Modernism At Risk on September 27, a ticketed lecture by Henry Ng of the World Monuments Fund.

Five Not-To-Miss Seminars

IIDEX delivers an impressive range of seminars during its two-day run, many of which are CEU-accredited.

On September 26, the technologically inclined can take in Designing Shopping Places in a Connected Screen World, which looks at new ideas for improving retail spaces for the digitally distracted. It’s presented by a panel that includes merchandising consultant David Kepron and Andrew Gallici, a principal at design firm Kasian.

Meghann Day, project manager at Hirsch Bedner Associates, is presenting How to use Emerging Technologies to Increase Functionality in a Contemporary Space. The seminar covers such areas as using 3-D animation as a tool for understanding a product or space during its development phase.

Also that day, Rhomney Forbes-Gray of Lightbrigade Architectural Lighting explains how illumination can affect every detail of a dining experience – including clientele and price point – in Setting the Mood: Creating Successful Hotel, Bar and Restaurant Lighting Designs.

For the Simply Wood seminar, Lisa Schmidt, LEED AP at National Office Furniture, introduces the basics of the material’s capabilities and the role of the LEED and FSC certification programs.

On September 27, look for seminars with a more holistic approach. Green Buildings that Work: Case Studies of Real-Life High-Performing Green Buildings, a talk by Canada Green Building Council’s Braden Kurczak, considers how to effect the success of a green building both in terms of sustainable performance and occupant satisfaction. He’ll illustrate his case with examples that include Enermodal’s Dr. David Suzuki Public School and Waterloo Region Police Services Investigative Services Building.

Azure‘s Intrepid Panel Discussion

IIDEX Insight: Transcending Fear to Drive Innovation on September 27 is a special panel discussion moderated by Azure‘s editor, Catherine Osborne. Joining her are Alison Phillips, head of industrial design at BlackBerry; Jonathan Loudon, Suave Studios founding partner; Andrei Zerebecky, co-founder of the design firm Four O Nine; and Paddy Harrington, Indigo’s creative director. Together, the group will discuss how fear and risk can become great motivators for innovation and change.

For a complete list of speakers and seminars, visit IIDEXcanada.com.