IIDEXCanada, the country’s biggest expo and conference for the interior design and architecture community, is making some changes this year. Taking place December 3 and 4 in Toronto, it joins up with Construct Canada and other related events to form The Buildings Show. What remains the same is its commitment to putting together a high-calibre roster of talks, and this year that includes keynote speeches by Daniel Libeskind and David Rockwell. The seminar line-up is also strong, with 50 sessions that delve into topics relevant to today’s profession. Here are five that we are excited about.

1 Neuroscience of Design, by Oshin Vartanian, University of Toronto
Oshin Vartanian will shed light on how the physical features of a space affects our behaviour and emotions. An adjunct assistant professor at the University of Toronto Scarborough’s Department of Psychology, he will present the results of research into cerebral responses to ceiling height, perceived enclosure and other architectural variables.

2 Urban Place Branding, by Elvira Barriga, Bruce Mau Design
The creative director of Bruce Mau Design’s Brands & Environments team will explore how increasingly important it is for nations, cities and other destinations to brand themselves. She will share several case studies that exemplify how physical environments can use design to attract people for live, work and play.

3 Making the Future: A 3D Printing Workshop, by Wendy W. Fok and Evelyn Tilney, WE-DESIGNS
WE-DESIGNS, a creative strategy studio based in New York, is known for its digital installations all over the world. It is also pushing the boundaries of 3-D printing. In this workshop, principals Wendy W. Fok and Evelyn Tilney invite participants to model an existing building or object by a famous architect or industrial designer, and then alter it to form their own iteration. Both versions will then be 3-D printed and compared.

4 Digital Design and Prototyping Workflow for Design Professionals, by Tom Bessai, Denegri Bessai Studio Architecture and Urbanism
Toronto architect Tom Bessai will begin his seminar with an introduction to advanced computational technologies, then discuss the practical issues of applying digital fabrication to a typical design practice, from equipment availability to economies of scale. He’ll also discuss how new technologies are allowing architects to better communicate with contractors and fabricators.

5 Highlighting Materials Sustainability and Transparency Through Play and Frank Discussion, by Monica Polo, Ryerson University’s Design Centre; Nadine Gudz, Interface; and Darryl Neate, Oxford Properties Group
When it comes to sustainability, architects and designers are often misled and/or confused by the lacklustre information on many building materials. Three experts in the field present this open-forum talk to help specifiers navigate this overwhelming territory, by looking at the whole supply chain.