Canada’s largest design-industry exposition and conference, IIDEX/NeoCon Canada, inspired attendees for the 21st time this September in Toronto. With a focus on design for adapting work and living space, the show featured product manufacturers from up north and beyond. - Ingrid Spencer

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		Prefab dwellings made simply, flexibly, and sustainably BlueSky Mod creates beautifully designed, ecofriendly modular living structures. Using new growth lumber and recycled materials, the company buys locally whenever possible and minimizes waste in its manufacturing processes. The structures are designed for placement in any number of settings, in a variety of configurations. The system includes interchangeable walls, windows, and doors, and a range of outside and inside material finishes. The BlueSky Mod system allows for transportation and assembly in remote locations using no large equipment. Every component can be carried and assembled by two skilled workers. BlueSky Mod, Toronto. www.blueskymod.com  [ Reader Service November 2005 # 228 ]
		Sitting pretty The Olo chair, designed by Andrew Jones for Keilhauer, is a sculptural reinterpretation of the molded-plastic tub side chair. Choices include two heights, conference height or lounge height, with either a 4-legged base or a sled base, both in chromed steel. Seat choices include a matching solid polypropylene seat or an upholstered polyurethane foam seat cushion in colors including spring, earth, lilac, sky, frost, white, and soft black, in either translucent or solid. Keilhauer uses recycled materials or raw materials from sustainable sources to create its products, and strives to minimize or eliminate waste and emissions from the manufacturing process. Keilhauer, Toronto. www.keilhauer.com [ Reader Service November 2005 # 229 ]
		Cleaning up with dirt The environmental mandate of DIRTT (Doing It Right This Time) is based on the behavior of its products: movable walls, low-profile access floors, modifiable furniture, and modular power, all built on the principles of reduce and reuse. DIRTT’s easily adjustable and interconnecting components allow end users to reconfigure and reuse their architectural elements, technology, and furniture for several years, at which point the products are designed to be dismantled and recycled. Wall tiles come in several materials: veneer, low-pressure laminate, back-painted glass, thermal-foil, and fabric, and their skins can be changed by adding whiteboards, projection screens, or wood. DIRTT, Calgary. www.dirtt.net [Reader Service November 2005 # 230 ]
		Bent glass for architectural applications Accura Glass Bending has the ability to produce bent annealed glass and laminated glass in sizes up to 78'' x 140'' and thicknesses of 1¼8'' to 1''. The company’s strength lies in custom, limited production bending, but it also has the resources to manage large volume orders. Bent glass is produced in Accura’s proprietary ovens in custom-fabricated molds by slowly heating the glass to approximately 600°C. The glass is then allowed to soften and embraces the shape of the mold. Accura is capable of producing a wide range of colors in addition to laminating various materials such as fabrics, metals, and graphics between two (or more) lites of glass. Accura Glass Bending, Concord, Ontario. www.accuraglass.com [ Reader Service November 2005 # 231 ]
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