199th Edition – Zak World of Façades Canada

Main Events 199th Edition – Zak World of Façades Canada

199th Edition – Zak World of Façades Canada

edition

199

Date

22 October 2025

Venue

Sheraton Centre

City

Toronto

Official page Watch the Event

About this edition

This will be the 199th edition globally and the 3rd edition in Toronto which will showcase sustainable innovations and challenges in the construction industry pertaining to the building envelope and will also display latest technological solutions.

Speakers & Panelists

Conference Agenda

Every speaker for the day, grouped by session. Select a topic to see who is presenting, the session focus and the talk points.

Session 1

Session 2

Session 3

Session 4

08:00 — 08:50

Topic

Delegate Registration & Welcome Coffee Hour

Tomer Diamant

Principal

Teeple Architects

Topic

Event Convenor & Host

08:50 — 09:00

Topic

Welcome Address

09:00 — 09:25

Lilia Koleva

Partner

NEUF architect(e)s

Marco Chow

Senior Architect

NEUF architect(e)s

Topic

Aerospace Architecture: Distilling the Façade Design and Delivery Methodologies

Talk points

Integrated façade design: Bridging functionality, practicality and schedule

Maximizing value through integrated 3D shop drawings and trade-offs

Expect the unexpected: Lessons learned

09:25 — 09:45

Brian Hubbs

Principal | Specialist

RDH Building Science

David Stanton

Associate | Sr. Engineer

RDH

Topic

Choosing the Right Façade for Iconic Buildings

Talk points

Outline essential consideration of the façade design team to ensure successful design collaboration

Discuss clashes and "impossible geometry" in case studies and graphical examples of building and façade movement

What makes one façade system better than another?

09:45 — 10:10

Tobiasz Staszak

Area Manager - North America

Reynaers Aluminium

Topic

Project Case Study: 89 Avenue Yorkville

Talk points

Reynaers’ 360-degree approach to the 89 Avenue Project

Virtual Reality as a game changer in architecture and construction

10:10 — 10:25

Kristoph Karbach

EVP - North America

Lumon Canada

Topic

Bringing Outdoors-in with Glazed Balcony Technology

Talk points

Innovative design for sustainable urban living

Case studies in Canada and Europe

Technical specifications

10:25 — 10:55

Topic

Networking Tea / Coffee Break

10:55 — 11:15

Adrian Betanzos

Principal

VIA

Topic

There are no Bad Materials

Talk points

The subtle line between understanding why each material should be the right material for the right place

11:15 — 11:30

Matias Reyes

National Architectural Manager

Vitro Architectural Glass

Topic

Beyond Transparency: How Glass Can Enhances Biophilic Design

Talk points

Understanding biophilia

Designing with nature in mind

Glass as a catalyst for biophilia

11:30 — 11:45

Peter Dushenski

Managing Director

GlasCurtain

Topic

Northern Resilience: Zero-Tariff Façades for Net-Zero Buildings

Talk points

Why does a Canadian supply chain now rank alongside U-factor on so many project specs?

With –40 °C design temps and Net-Zero standards gaining traction, how do we keep attractive window-to-wall ratio and still meet building performance targets?

What innovative domestic glazing technologies can architects leverage to maximize performance while minimizing geopolitical risk?

11:45 — 12:10

Jennifer Mallard

Principal

Henriquez Partners

Topic

The Custom Precast Façade at Kennedy Green

Talk points

Lessons learned from other projects

Benefits of design flexibility

Design and detailing coordination

12:10 — 12:45

Moderator

Hamid Vossoughi

Senior Principal - Building Sciences

WSP

Panelist

Alex Weller

Associate | Senior Project Architect

HOK Architects

Panelist

Brian Langenberg

Façade Specialist and Project Manager

WSP Building Sciences

Panelist

Pascal Létourneau

Heritage Lead for CENTRUS | Principal

DFS Architecture

Topic

Building Enclosure Upgrades to Canada’s Most Iconic Heritage Building

Talk points

Overview of the Centre Block Rehabilitation Project, Canada’s largest and most complex heritage restoration projects

With ambitious sustainability targets, this project balances enclosure improvements with the preservation of key heritage building characteristics that compose a significant portion of the building enclosure

How building envelope improvements were implemented with new air, moisture and thermal control layers

Session summary

Hamid Vossoughi

12:45 — 13:35

Topic

Networking Lunch Break

13:35 — 14:00

Matthew Ferraro

Principal

Weiss/Manfredi

Topic

University of Toronto's Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus

Talk points

Site context and heritage materiality and form

Precast concrete and window system façade - A modern interpretation on historical context

Aluminum stick built and unitized mega panels - Celebrating innovation and neighborhood connections

14:00 — 14:20

Krista Palen

Partner

Transsolar KlimaEngineering

Topic

GBC’s Limberlost Place | Ontario's First Mass-Timber Institutional Building

Talk points

Form and façade design maximizing natural light and ventilation through operable windows and solar chimneys

Prefabricated envelope construction enabling quality control, thermal optimization, and waste reduction

Coordinated façade development through iterative design and stakeholder input for high-performance, low-carbon mass timber systems

14:20 — 14:35

Robert Miller

President

Jansen America

Topic

Practical Tips for Sustainable Architecture

Talk points

Historical renovations: Traditional aesthetics with modern performance

New building designs with optimized materials

Tips for LEED certification

14:35 — 14:50

Eric Claeys

Founding Partner

Fassada Steel

Topic

Hybrid Steel Curtain Walls

Talk points

Hybrid steel curtain walls, the long-waited disruption in the market?

Fire resistance, tower infernos belong to the past

Drastic reduction of CO2 emission

14:50 — 15:15

Andrew Geldard

Senior Associate - Design Director

BDPQ

Jelena Madzarevic

Manager - Building Science

EllisDon

Topic

Balanced Envelope Decision Making in a Changing Landscape

Talk points

Envelope decision-making is a balancing act—juggling energy performance, durability, embodied carbon, constructability, and cost

Opportunities exist both in the "tried and true" envelope approaches and with emerging envelope technologies

Close collaboration between the many parties (architecture, contractors, building enclosure consultants etc.) is key in navigating complex decision making and executing complex façades

15:15 — 15:55

Topic

Networking Tea / Coffee Break

15:55 — 16:15

David Wach

Senior Engineer

Engineering Link

Topic

Beyond Compliance: Quantifying Façade Thermal Performance and Lessons Learned

Talk points

Compliance with modern energy efficiency standards and codes requires careful consideration of thermal bridging of façade components

Guides for calculating thermal bridges have limitations and project specific thermal modelling of key elements is required