Keynote Speakers

Lighting Keynote

3D Printing and the Mass-customized Future of Lighting – At the intersection of art and technology, Belgium’s Materialise.MGX is using rapid prototyping technology to create lighting designs that rival the beauty and complexity of forms found in nature. Through its expertise with laser-based 3D printing techniques such as stereolithography and selective laser sintering, the company is able to meet its customers’ wildest dreams for mass-customized consumer products. Managing art director Naomi Kaempfer will discuss aspects of her own designs, such as the intricate, honeycomb-like shade of the Ratio.MGX table and floor lamps, as well as the work of Israel’s Arik Levy, Finland’s Janne Kyttanen, and other Materialise.MGX designers. She will also talk about how rapid manufacturing technology can free designers’ imaginations, speed the development of products and revolutionize how they’re marketed, and transform light dispersion into a poetic expression of form.

Born in Boston in 1973, Naomi Kaempfer studied law and philosophy at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University before completing a masters degree at the Design Academy in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. She founded Materialise’s .MGX division in 2003.

For more information on the Lighting Keynote, Naomi Kaempfer , please visit www.materialise.com

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Environmental Keynote

For Bottom Line Performance, Build It Green!

Green buildings define high performance: high performance design, high performance operations, high performance from the people who occupy them, and high performance returns for the people who build them. But what if new construction isn’t on the radar? Green interiors are becoming a secret weapon for companies looking to attract and retain top employees, reduce the cost of absenteeism and the number of health insurance claims, and differentiate themselves from their competitors. The USGBC’s S. Richard Fedrizzi will discuss the business case for building out green interiors and provide some key insights into how designers can contribute to a company’s financial performance in immediate and measurable ways.

Appointed president and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in 2004, Rick Fedrizzi has spearheaded Council initiatives including a major refinement of the LEED rating system, the launch of the LEED for Existing Buildings and LEED for Commercial Interiors rating systems, and the commencement of work on LEED Version 3. Prior to his appointment, Rick was the founder and president of Green-Think, an environmentally focused marketing and communications consulting firm.

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Design Keynote

Contigo Aprendí: The Thousand Colours of Life – The design world has its share of people who wear black all the time while they’re waiting for someone to invent something darker, but Javier Mariscal isn’t one of them. Spain’s irreverent and influential master of everything from graphics to interiors will share his passion for the entire visual spectrum in Contigo Aprendí: The thousand colours of life. Combining music and visuals with live narrative by the designer, this spellbinding multimedia presentation embodies his beliefs that all colours have profound effects on human emotions, and that each colour “looks for its own place.”

Born in Valencia and based in Barcelona, Estudio Mariscal founder Javier Mariscal has designed furniture for Magis, Moroso and Amat 3, and interiors for Hotel Puerta América Madrid and Gran Hotel Bilbao. He created Cobi, the mascot for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, and is a recipient of Spain’s National Design Prize. Recent Estudio Mariscal commissions include designing the trophy for the 2006 America’s Cup, and collaborating with Fernando Salas on interiors for Hotel 550 Wellington West, a Toronto project opening in 2008.

For more information on the Design Keynote, Javier mariscal, please visit www.mariscal.com

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Facility Management Keynote

The Future of FM – What do the next few years hold for facility management? Professor Kathy Roper will help attendees anticipate changes that will affect the profession and have an impact on the organizations whose facilities they manage. Her keynote address will delve into trends in real estate, security and terrorism, intelligent buildings, environmental concerns and workplace organization, as revealed in the “Facility Management 2010: Exploration, Challenges and Opportunities” which is based on research conducted by her and others for the International Facility Management Association.

An assistant professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Kathy Roper teaches professional trends in facility management, facility planning, and professional management and benchmarking. She has more than 20 years of experience in the management of corporate facilities and real estate with major corporations, U.S. General Services Administration, and The American Cancer Society. In addition to CFM and CFMJ designations from the IFMA, Professor Roper holds a master of corporate real estate designation, an MA in communications, and a BA in journalism. She is also a LEED accredited professional (USGBC).

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Residential Product Design Keynote

Design through the Back Door: Blending Informal and Formal Education into an Innovative Career

Award-winning artisan and designer Erin Adams works with glass tile to create spectacular custom mosaics and distinctive standard patterns that unite folk art influences with a sophisticated urban sensibility. After extensive experience with ceramics and conventional mosaic tiles, she became fascinated with glass as a means of exploring depth, expanding her colour palette and getting closer to emulating the look and feel of textiles. The innovative glass textile “weaves” and one-of-a-kind couture designs that she creates for Erin Adams Designs have led to commissions from celebrities such as Donna Karan, Cameron Diaz and Macy Gray. In her keynote, Erin Adams will show examples of her work and explain how her career has been influenced by a blending of the informal and the formal, which she identifies respectively as “art” and “design.”

Raised in San Antonio, Texas, and now based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Erin Adams earned a masters degree in ceramics from the Pratt School of Art & Design in New York City. She founded Erin Adams Design in 1999. 

For more information on the Residential Product Design Keynote, Erin Adams, please visit www.erinadamsdesign.com

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Architectural Keynote

Sculptural Form and Physical Presence – Recently described as “one of the UK’s most interesting young architects,” Jamie Fobert is coming home to Canada to lecture on how his preoccupation with sculptural form and physical presence has informed his work. This abiding interest has helped Jamie Fobert Architects create strong buildings for challenging sites. Anderson House, which received the RIBA’s 2002 Manser Medal for best house in the UK, occupies the former void within a residential block; it’s almost completely enclosed by eight-metre-high party walls. In his IIDEX/NeoCon Canada lecture, the architect will discuss his approach to projects that include the UK’s AVEDA shops and exhibition design for the Tate Modern’s spectacular Turbine Hall.

After studying architecture at the University of Toronto, Canadian-born Jamie Fobert worked for David Chipperfield Architects on projects in Japan and throughout Europe. He headed Chipperfield’s office in Berlin. Jamie Fobert Architects, the London firm he founded in 1996, recently won two competitions for large-scale public commissions in the UK: the refurbishment and extension of Kettle’s Yard Gallery in Cambridge, and a major addition to the Tate St Ives Gallery in Cornwall. 

To learn more about the Architectural Keynote, Jamie Fobert, please visit www.jamiefobertarchitects.co.uk

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