Taking place from October 21-25, 2013 in Saskatoon, Design Week is an open invitation to the public to learn about the different areas of design through a series of free lectures and other educational events such as tours, open houses and symposia, all open to the general public. Design Week also includes the Premier’s Awards of Excellence in Design, a program which recognizes great design of all kinds being produced in Saskatchewan. Entries for this prestigious competition are displayed to the public and awards are handed out at an evening gala at the conclusion of Design Week.
Brian MacKay-Lyons of MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects in Halifax opens the week on Monday evening at 7:00pm with a lecture entitled “Outliers” – in which he will describe the 35-year journey of his practice in Nova Scotia illustrated by 100 built projects. Operating outside the centres of fashion in places like the Prairies and the Maritimes is an act of will, and MacKay-Lyons will define this act and encourage the council to work within it as a resistance to the centre.
On Tuesday evening, Duane Palibroda of Fast+Epp in Vancouver addresses attendees with “Van Dusen Botanical Gardens Visitor Centre: Challenges & Opportunities.” This presentation examines how the structural challenges of this expressive building were met and the strategies used to achieve a sustainable and fully integrated design within a very tight timeframe.
Udo Schliemann of Toronto-based Entro Communications enlightens audiences on Wednesday evening with “The Public Interface – A Link Between Building, Owner & Users.” Schliemann is Principal Creative Director at Entro Communications, an internationally renowned firm specializing in visual communications, environmental graphics and branding. For wayfinding projects in public buildings, from museums to airports, the primary goal is to orient the first-time user so that he or she can find their way without stress and confusion. Drawing from his work on high-profile projects such as Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children and the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, Schliemann will demonstrate how his firm creates environments that are in tune with the architect’s vision and add a layer of artistic expression to emphasize the purpose and mission of the owner.
And on Thursday evening, Denise Husband of Virginia tackles the topic of “Explaining the Inexplicable: Helping the Public Understand the Unique Impacts of Landscape Architecture” through the presentation of a series of real-life, visualized examples that show seven distinctive, research-validated impacts of landscape architectural design on health and well-being.
Finally, the week wraps up on Friday evening with the Premier’s Awards of Excellence in Design, a gala event that promises food, refreshment and entertainment that takes place at Louis’ Loft on the second floor of the Memorial Union Building on the University of Saskatchewan campus. Tickets are $50. The Awards recognize achievements in the following categories: architecture, community planning, engineering, graphic design, interior design, landscape architecture and integrated (an integrated entry demonstrates significant involvement of three or more member associations throughout the project and cannot be entered in any other category). A jury comprised of one representative from each member association (and may include invited guests from the Design Week Speakers Series) evaluate entries on criteria appropriate to each category. All entries in the competition are displayed to the public during Design Week.
Admission is free to all events (except the Premier’s Awards) and the public is welcome.
For more information, please visit www.designcouncil.sk.ca and www.facebook.com/designweeksk.