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The Buildings Show, North America’s largest design and architecture-oriented event set to take over the entire Metro Toronto Convention Centre from December 2 to 4, 2015. The South Building will feature the PM Expo, Homebuilder & Renovator Expo, Real Estate Forum, Construct Canada, and the World of Concrete Pavilion (formerly Concrete Canada), while the North Building will host IIDEXCanada's annual exhibition and design conference. All together, the Buildings Show will be a massive event, one which will bring an estimated 30,000 visitors over 3 days to any combination of the event's 6 shows, 1,600 exhibits, 500 speakers, and 350 seminars and demonstrations.
1,600 Canadian and international exhibitors, including Cambria, 3M, Firestone Building Products, and Steelcase, to name but a few, will be joined by 350 seminars, panels, and roundtables, that will address a spectrum of contemporary issues impacting the state of the built environment. To be held in the South Building, these sessions will include those led by professional and personal development consultant Kevin Lust, and the National Research Council of Canada, while this year's International Architecture Roundtable will include panelists Brandon Clifford, Principal of Matter Design, Filippo Gabbiani, Co-Founder of Kokaistudios, Ronald Rael, CEO and Co-Founder of Emerging Objects, and Bing Thom, Principal of Bing Thom Architects, led by moderator Elsa Lam, Editor of Canadian Architect.
The seminar panels and roundtable discussions will be paired with a handful of feature presentations, including a Speaker Interview series dealing with all things construction, along with a showpiece, International Architectural Roundtable presentation: How is Concrete Transforming Design Now and in the Future, led by Elsa Lam. In addition to this, the Real Estate Forum will be taking place in the South Building, including top real estate executives, legal experts, investment bankers, and business leaders such as Dean Connor, President and CEO of Sun Life Financial, Victor Dodig, President and CEO of CIBC, and Hema Croft, Managing Director and Chief Commodities Strategist for RBC Capital.
For those looking to take in the latest innovations in construction technology, the Innovation Demo Centre will be hosting continuous, live, 30-minute demonstrations on the Show Floor, featuring industry experts and their advice for professional contractors and DIYers.
The North Building will host IDEXCanada, Canada's National Design + Architecture Exposition & Conference, co-presented by the Interior Designers of Canada (IDC), and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), which will focus on all areas of design including, workplace, healthcare, hospitality, retail, residential, education, architecture, landscape architecture, lighting and sustainability, wellness and accessibility. Keynote speakers, Brazilian father-son duo, Luiz Eduardo Indio Da Costa (architect and planner) and Guto Indio Da Costa (designer), leaders of the internationally-acclaimed, interdisciplinary firm, Indio da Costa A.U.D.T. out of Rio Di Janeiro, will give a presentation on Dec. 3 at noon at the Keilhauer Theatre to discuss some of their recent projects and the impact their work has had in the world of architecture, transportation, and urban design. In addition to this, Canadian architect and keynote speaker, Todd Saunders, based out of Norway, will deliver an address on Dec. 3, from 4-5pm at the Keilhauer Theatre.
Other highlights of the IIDEXCanada conference will include a special exhibit put on by Quadrangle Architects, called, Go Away! The Best of Workplace, which will explore the ongoing innovations now underway in the world of office design and construction. Furthermore, there will be a series of presentations, such as the National Summit on Wellness (Dec. 3 from 9 AM-12 PM), and a seminar, Is Sustainable Design Only About Energy? The Real ROI , facilitated by Alan Murphy, Principal of Green Reason Inc., and Antonio Santini, Principal of Red Studio Architects. Concluding the conference, IIDEXCanada will play host to the Awards Presentation, which will celebrate the best in Canadian design. Ceremonies will include the, 2015 Air Canada enRoute Hotel Design Awards, Canadian Interiors Best of Canada Design Awards, and the Canadian Architect Awards of Excellence.
For those interested in attending both the IIDEXCanada conference in the North Building, and the rest of the Buildings Show in the South Building, registration for IIDEX will grant visitors free access to the entire show. UrbanToronto will be in attendance as a media sponsor for IIDEX, and will be sure to provide coverage of the show in December. See you there!
