Live virtual presentation
Traditionally, fear is thought of as a liability that limits the probability of success. In the design process, fear can obstruct designers from fulfilling their best visions. However, leaning into one’s fears can lead to experimentation and innovation.
This session explores how custom fabrication offers solutions to new world problems by pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. We explore common fears designers face when working with a fabrication partner — losing creative control, budget, and the unknown. We offer insight into how concrete strategies, like collaboration and experimentation, can be used to overcome these fears. When working collaboratively, one idea can flourish beyond what is capable within a single team.
We will encourage participants to leverage fear as a creative asset rather than a detriment.
Gareth Brennan
Founder and President, Eventscape
Gareth Brennan, Founder and President, Eventscape In 1993, Gareth started Eventscape as a young entrepreneur with a vision. He saw a niche market for public art and architectural fabrication and thrived by creating unique solutions. Since then he has continually expanded, adapted and evolved the business to access new markets and opportunities. The custom fabrication company that began with one employee is now an internationally recognized, award winning success story with over 150,000 square feet of state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Toronto and a 20,000 square foot state-of-the-art studio in Long Island City, representing Eventscape’s first physical footprint in the U.S. market. Today Eventscape employs over 150 dedicated professional architects, engineers, designers and fabrication specialists, comprising a team that operates at the forefront of digital fabrication, working in multiple materials with the latest specialized multi-axis CNC equipment and technologies, and supported by advanced CAD and parametric design software. The company’s manufacturing is at the highest level of precision and quality, providing a full turnkey service. Out of this creative environment Gareth and his team excel by taking risks. Innovation is fundamental to Eventscape’s approach, investing in new technologies that expand their capacity to design and produce. Under Gareth's leadership, Eventscape is recognized by design peers as a company of innovators, whose projects have won over 150 major industry awards to date, including 2020 Interior Design Magazine Best of Year, 2020 Architect’s Newspaper Best of Design, 2018 SHOP Retail Design Fixture of the Year, 2015 EuroShop Best Store Concept, Store of the Year in 2004, 2006 and 2012, and AIA Excellence in Interior Architecture in 2005 and 2007. Eventscape projects have been featured in over 360 major design publications around the world including Frame, Interior Design, Contract, Metropolis, Azure and Architectural Record. In 2009, Gareth was awarded the Canadian CEO of the Year for the best design strategy at the annual Design Exchange Awards. Gareth gives back to the community in his support of associations and universities, with tours and speaking engagements to the new architects and designers of the future, as well as yearly participation in charities such as; Canstruction, Heart and Stroke, the Daily Food Bank, and DIFFA By DESIGN, to name a few. Always seeking the next challenge, Gareth inspires loyalty, passion and innovation in his staff, which is evident in every aspect of the company. Together, they “Build the Extraordinary”®
Primo Orpilla
Principal and Founder, Studio O+A
Primo Orpilla is the co-founder of Studio O+A, a multi-disciplinary San Francisco design firm at the forefront of new thinking about work and workplace. O+A’s groundbreaking designs for Netflix, adidas, McDonald’s, Yelp, Microsoft, Nike and many other companies have demonstrated the power of design to make the work environment a catalyst for creativity and a vehicle for change. In addition to his firm’s commercial work, Primo has overseen a diverse roster of experimental projects from pop-up art installations to speculative office prototypes to new wave furniture design. When the pandemic necessitated a global shift to working from home, Primo directed a team to develop new space types for hybrid offices and the next generation of work. A Toolkit for the Times and The Eco Playbook, two digital guides downloadable from O+A’s website, were the result. A frequent lecturer on design and the future of workplace, Primo speaks at schools and design conferences globally, encouraging young designers to make personal experience their model for creating a better world.
Krista Ninivaggi
Founder; Principal, K&Co; Woods Bagot
Krista Ninivaggi is a New York-based interior designer and founder of boutique design firm k&co. Prior to launching her own firm, Krista worked at renowned design firms including Gwathmey Siegel, Rockwell Group, AvroKO, and SHoP Architects, where she is responsible for having launched the interiors division Recently, Krista started a new chapter as head of interiors at Woods Bagot New York, as k&co officially merged with the Australia-based firm.