Abhay Wadhwa
Principal, AWA Lighting Designers, New York
Thursday, September 25
9:30 - 10:30 AM
Keynote Theatre - Free
CEU 0.1
From a live music venue in Mumbai to a state park in New York City, the work of architectural lighting design firm AWA is known for its sensitivity to context and high design content. Founded in 2002 by Abhay Wadhwa, who worked as an architect in India before moving to the United States, AWA is engaged in commercial, civic, and residential schemes in some of the biggest, fastest growing economies worldwide. The firm's members see themselves as "thought partners" working with architects and interior designers in a collaborative effort. Recently completed and current projects include Peak Tower in Hong Kong, Dubai Sixth Crossing Bridge (the longest single-span arch bridge in the world), a 1,600-bed hospital in Gurgaon, India, and a commercial development in Almaty, Kazakhstan. In his IIDEX/NeoCon Canada keynote speech, Wadhwa will discuss the need to respond effectively to diverse local design paradigms, customs, climates, political realities, and religious traditions, and how design techniques and lighting technologies can be used to interpret and celebrate a broad array of cultural contexts.
After completing his undergraduate architectural studies in Mumbai, Wadhwa, Assoc. AIA, USGBC, IESNA, AIIA, ISLE, received a master's degree from the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. He is currently an adjunct professor at LRC, and has also lectured at several accredited institutions in the Northeast.
For more information on Abhay Wadhwa please visit www.awalightingdesigners.com
Greg Scott
Director, Major Projects, 2010 Winter Olympics
Thursday September 25
12:30 - 1:30 PM
Keynote Theatre - Free
CEU 0.1
When the world of winter sport descends on Vancouver, Richmond and Whistler for the 2010 Olympic Games, all eyes will be on new state-of-the-art venues created to serve the needs of elite athletes and hoards of spectators. But what happens to these facilities when the Games end and the Olympians go home? Greg Scott, Richmond's Director of Major Projects, faces this daunting challenge as his city undertakes the development of the Richmond Oval, the future home of the long-track speed skating competition. Post-Games, the $178-million Oval, under construction on a prominent site along the Fraser River, is designed to be a showcase multipurpose facility, harmoniously integrating year-round sport, recreation, culture and business. In addition, the Oval will form the centerpiece of a new mixed-use urban neighbourhood, complete with waterfront plaza and park. In his keynote, Scott will share an insider's view on the unique challenges and opportunities he is experiencing as he tackles multi-use in the context of the 2010 Winter Games.
Mr. Scott, P. Eng. LEED A.P., has 19 years of experience as a multidiscipline team leader managing complex projects from the perspective of owner and consultant. His areas of expertise include municipal infrastructure management, land development and the delivery of sustainable facilities.
For more information on the Olympic Oval Project please visit http://www.richmond.ca/discover/events/oval/oval.htm
Klaus Nienkämper
President and CEO, Nienkämper Furniture and Accessories, Toronto
Interviewed by William Thorsell, Director and CEO, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto
Thursday September 25
4:00 - 5:00 PM
Keynote Theatre - Free
CEU 0.1
Canada's preeminent design pioneer, Klaus Nienkämper, sits down with William Thorsell of the Royal Ontario Museum for a wide-ranging discussion and celebration of Nienkämper's 40-year history as a furniture innovator. Starting out as the Canadian licensee of classic European designs, Klaus Nienkämper has grown his company into a highly respected international brand. In what promises to be an anecdote-rich keynote, he will touch on career highlights, from early contract coups, such as the Commissioner General's private suite at Expo '67 and a desk for Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, to the recent challenge of manufacturing Daniel Libeskind-designed seating for the ROM's new Michael Lee-Chin Crystal. Along the way, he has collaborated with some of Canada's best talent, including Arthur Erickson, Yabu Pushelburg, Shim-Sutcliffe and Karim Rashid. From opening a showroom in the Sixties on then-derelict King Street East to overseeing a high-tech furniture factory in North Toronto, Klaus Nienkämper has followed a career path that is truly his own invention.
Klaus Nienkämper studied design and merchandizing in his native Germany and completed a three-year apprenticeship at Knoll International before coming to Canada in 1960. He formed his company in 1968.
A former editor-in-chief of The Globe and Mail, William Thorsell has led Renaissance ROM, the museum's extensive construction and renovation project, to be completed in 2010.
For more information on Nienkamper Furniture please visit www.nienkamper.com
Dr. Michael Braungart
MBDC, Charlottesville, Virginia, and EPEA International, Hamburg, Germany
Friday September 26
9:30 - 10:30 AM
Keynote Theatre - Free
CEU 0.1
As the German chemist behind the influential 2002 bestseller, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, Michael Braungart helped establish a framework for the next Industrial Revolution. Co-authored by American architect William McDonough, the book makes the case that human industry can be transformed through ecologically intelligent design to benefit nature, people and business. This approach, which they term "eco-effectiveness," means changing how we think about the life cycles of manmade goods, industrial systems and the built environment. As they see it, the "opportunistic design" of the first Industrial Revolution, and its unintended environmental consequences, can and must be replaced by sustainable practices driven by human ingenuity. Braungart works directly with multinationals, such as Nike, Aveda and Herman Miller, and smaller entrepreneurs to help them reinvent manufacturing processes. He was instrumental in developing the award-winning compostable fabric line Climatex Lifecycle. In his keynote, Braungart will discuss how rethinking products and processes in cradle-to-cradle cycles can create economic, ecological and social value.
Braungart completed his doctorate at the University of Hanover and is a professor of process engineering at Lüneburg University, Germany. He is principal and co-founder, with William McDonough, of the design consultancy MBDC. He also founded and serves as scientific director of the Environmental Protection and Encouragement Agency (EPEA) International.
For more information on Prof. Dr. Michael Braungart please visit www.braungart.com/indexEN.html
Jeremy Gutsche
Chief Trend Hunter, TrendHunter.com, Toronto
Friday September 26
12:30PM - 1:30PM
Keynote Theatre - Free
CEU 0.1
Fueled by curiosity and a finely honed sense of cool, Jeremy Gutsche relentlessly tracks - and finds - the next big thing. As founder of the online magazine TrendHunter.com, Gutsche has created the largest cool-hunting and trend-spotting networks in the world, serving industry professionals, aspiring entrepreneurs and pop-culture devotees. The site offers a daily dose of micro-trends and "what's next" in business and marketing, art and design, fashion, technology, sex and more, reaching millions of Web viewers a month. Since launching the network in 2005, Gutsche has been tapped to help leading companies better understand consumer behavior and articulate their messages more effectively. He offers strategies for filtering ideas down to what he calls "clusters of inspiration." In his IIDEX/NeoCon Canada keynote, Gutsche will present a beginning-to-end exploration of how to leverage trends and methodical innovation to generate breakthrough ideas.
Gutsche holds an MBA from Queen's University and is a chartered financial analyst. He also served as director of Upmarket, Capital One Canada's largest acquisition business, where he developed an "innovation pipeline" that has led to several product launches. He is a former management consultant for the Monitor Group and has advised government and business on new ventures. Appearing frequently in the media, Gutsche has been interviewed by MTV, The Economist and the BBC.
For more information on Trend Hunter Magazine and its founder Jeremy Gutsche please visit www.trendhunter.com
Kim Herforth Nielsen
Partner and Principal Architect, 3XN, Copenhagen, Denmark
Friday September 26
4:00-5:00 PM
Keynote Theatre - Free
CEU 0.1
Working within the Scandinavian tradition of functionality, clarity and beauty, Danish architect Kim Herforth Nielsen has established his 20-year-old firm, 3XN, as one of Europe's most imaginative architectural practices. Although its work has been described as poetic, even playful, 3XN says it is simply building the heritage of tomorrow. With projects spanning cultural buildings, corporate headquarters, institutions and urban planning, the firm always takes a user-centered approach. Herforth Nielsen's list of accomplishments includes the Royal Danish Embassy in Berlin, the Music Building in Amsterdam, the multiple-award winning Orestad College and the upcoming Museum of Liverpool, to be completed in 2010. The groundbreaking Lighthouse project, a current collaboration with Amsterdam-based UNStudio, will create a lively residential area on the harbourfront in Aarhus, Denmark, surrounding a single high-rise with terraced houses. Public areas and a seaside promenade will help foster what 3XN considers the all-important "life between buildings." Presenting a number of 3XN's highly regarded projects, Herforth Nielsen will discuss his firm's architectural working method, which springs from five words: investigate, ask, tell, draw, and build.
A graduate of Aarhus School of Architecture in 1981, Herforth Nielsen has lectured at art academies, schools of architecture, conferences and symposia all over the world. He is a judge in the Danish Architectural Association's competitions and has been a jury member in Architectural Review's emerging architecture awards.
For more information on Kim Herforth Nielsen of 3xn Architects please visit www.3xn.dk
