1 Nanne de Ru in Toronto, on February 12
At only 38 years old, Nanne de Ru has built an impressive career. After earning his Masters of Excellence in Architecture from the Berlage Institute, in Rotterdam, he spent two years with the research branch of OMA, as a lead researcher and designer. Following that he co-founded the multi-disciplinary Powerhouse Company, and in 2013 he returned to the Berlage, as director. His firm has won such awards as the Nykredit Prize in 2012 and the Dutch Design Award in 2009, as well as a competition to design a new transportation hub (shown) in the Dutch city of Assen. The angular structure features a sloping latticed roof.
Ryerson University, 325 Church Street, Toronto

2 Alice Rawsthorn and Sophie Hicks in London, on February 17
Design journalist Alice Rawsthorn and architect Sophie Hicks will sit down to discuss the ever-evolving relationship between architecture, design and art, and how this has influenced their work. Rawsthorn’s recent book, Hello World: Where Design Meets Life, and Hick’s museum exhibition design for institutions such as the Royal Academy of Arts will no doubt be part of the conversation. Held at the Architectural Association School of Architecture’s lecture hall, the talk also inaugurates the AA XX 100 project to celebrate 100 years of women studying at the institution.
Architectural Association School of Architecture, 36 Bedford Square, London

3 Henk Ovink in Los Angeles, on February 18
An expert in water management, Henk Ovink rose to renown as the man in charge of keeping all of the Netherlands dry. He is now the senior adviser to secretary Shaun Donovan, of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force. In his lecture at SCI-Arc, entitled “Design and Politics,” he will discuss the value of planning in this age of rising sea levels.
Southern California Institute of Architecture, 960 E. 3rd Street, Los Angeles

4 Gilles Saucier in Ottawa, on March 16
The co-founder of Montreal’s Saucier + Perrotte, one of the most acclaimed practices in Canada, comes to the nation’s capital courtesy of Carleton University’s Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism. The firm’s recent successes include the Governor General’s award-winning UBC Pharmacy Building in Vancouver and the reflective-yet-transparent Anne-Marie Edward Sciences Building at John Abbott College in Montreal (shown). The team recently unveiled plans for the third and final stage of its River City condo project, part of a major revitalization of Toronto’s waterfront. Twenty-eight storeys of stacked and staggered residential units, pushed in and pulled out like drawers, the tower is dressed with a surprisingly dark and textured façade.
Carleton University, via National Art Gallery, 380 Sussex Drive, Ottawa

5 Ma Yansong in Calgary, on May 6
The University of Calgary’s Faculty of Environmental Design Matters Lecture Series hosts the founder of Beijing’s MAD Architects, which gained worldwide attention with the curvaceous Absolute Towers, built in Mississauga, Ontario, following an international competition. Recently the firm clinched every sci-fi geek’s dream commission, with a wild proposal for the George Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (shown). Inside an appropriately alien form, the institution will house the Star Wars creator’s private collections and is sure to be a mecca for architecture and film fans alike.
University of Calgary, 906 8 Avenue SW, Calgary

6 Jared Stahler in Rochester, N.Y., April 14
The perspective of the end user is, or should be, of the utmost importance to architects and designers. In this lecture, the current pastor of St. Peter’s Church, in downtown Manhattan, famous for its stunning interiors designed by Massimo and Lella Vignelli, will provide that insight. He’ll share the inside story on the design and function of this remarkable facility, at the Vignelli Center for Design Studies.
Vignelli Center for Design Studies, One Lomb Memorial Drive. Rochester, New York

7 Bill Clinton in Atlanta, on May 14
The former president will speak at the American Institute of Architects’ 2015 Convention, addressing this year’s theme “Impact,” about how architects can affect communities locally and on the global scale. The AIA participates in Clinton’s Global Initiative via the Decade of Design initiative, a 10-year program launched in 2012 that encourages change through grants for research and implementation of innovative solutions.
AIA Convention 2015, at the Georgia World Congress Center, 285 Andrew Young International Blvd NW, Atlanta