Design/Build at ADFF

- Tweet0
- 0
- Pin It 0
- 0
- Subscribe to RSS
Subscribe

Subject: Design/Build at ADFF

November 4, 2025

As we launch our Canada festivals, we're excited to highlight four films that exemplify the spirit of design/build—the vital process that bridges imagination and making. Design/build is a creative process and a way of thinking that values experimentation and collaboration. If it were music, it would be Jazz.

Each of our four design/build films offers a distinct lens on the relationship between concept and craft, from hands-on material exploration to community-driven ideation. Together, they reveal how design/build continues to shape the way we envision and construct our world.

At the Garden's Pace

2024 / 70 min / Netherlands

Director: Juan Benavides

At the Garden’s Pace tracks a design-build process of a striking new modern pavilion within a botanical garden dedicated to conifers in the Dutch town of Hilversum. Under the watchful eyes of local residents, the architect-builders put on overalls and work shoes and navigate the year-long process. This hypnotic, deliberate film pulls you into the unhurried rhythm of the garden and rewards you for your attention.

At the Garden's Pace at ADFF:Vancouver

November 6 + Q&A with the director

November 9

At the Garden's Pace at ADFF:Toronto

November 14

Building on the Edge

2025 / 73 min / US

Directors: Bruce Borosky and Mike Scalisi

Few architects ever have the chance to design buildings for one of the most extreme environments on Earth—Antarctica. When scientists at NOAA grew frustrated by the poor design quality available within strict government budgets, they took an unconventional leap: they invited the University of Colorado’s Master of Architecture Design/Build class to take on the challenge. Building on the Edge captures the thrill of design idealism clashing with the challenges of reality.

Building on the Edge at ADFF:Vancouver

November 6 + Q&A with University of Colorado Denver Professor Eric Sommerfeld and the directors, moderated by USB SALA Director pro tem Blair Satterfield

November 8

Building on the Edge at ADFF: Toronto

November 14

Prickly Mountain and My Design Build Life

2025 / 96 min / US

Director: Allie Rood

Prickly Mountain and My Design Build Life takes us to Warren, Vermont—a remarkable small town with more architects and designers per capita than anywhere else in the USA. Director Allie Rood, who grew up in this vibrant environment, offers an insider’s perspective on a place where design is not just a profession, but a way of life.

Prickly Mountain at ADFF:Vancouver

November 8 + Q&A with the director

November 9 + Q&A with the director

Prickly Mountain at ADFF:Toronto

November 13 + Q&A with the director

Søren Pihlmann: Make Materials Matter

2025 / 54 min / Denmark

Directors: Marc-Christoph Wagner and Simon Weyhe

The global construction industry is one of the planet’s most resource-hungry and polluting sectors. But a shift is underway. In recent years, a distinct Danish voice has emerged in the global conversation about how we live, build, and shape our surroundings. At the forefront of this movement is architect Søren Pihlmann, whose projects explore how existing materials can be given new life.

Søren Pihlmann: Make Materials Matter at ADFF:Toronto

November 13

Subscribe

Subject: Design/Build at ADFF