Every May, Toronto hosts something called Doors Open, which entails buildings around the city opening up their doors for free to the public. It's an opportunity to visit buildings of architectural, historical, and/or cultural significance that might normally be closed to the public.

This year, over 150 buildings are participating, including a number of sites that are new this year. You can find the complete list here.

When I was in architecture school, I used to always make a point of going. But I honestly can't remember the last time I participated. That's a shame, and so this year I'm going to try and check off some sites.

If you're around the weekend of May 24-25, you may want to do the same. The new St. Lawrence Market North building is on the list, as is the Consulate General of the Republic of Bulgaria.

I sometimes describe Toronto as a city where you need to scratch beneath the surface to find its true architectural beauty. It doesn't hit you in the face as much as it does in some other cities. But it's there. And initiatives like Door Opens Toronto are a great way to help you see it.

Cover photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash

Today, I'm excited to share that I'll be attending the second annual Elevate event this December as an industry ambassador. This means I get to ride alongside industry celebrities like Norm Li. (He better be DJ'ing.)

Put on by Zonda, in partnership with Livabl and ARCHITECT Magazine, the event is focused exclusively on "the art of high-rise luxury living." Everything from the overall state of the housing market to how to sell branded residences.

Here's the agenda and here's the list of speakers.

I wasn't able to attend last year, but I heard from a number of industry friends that it was very well done, which is why I agreed to participate this year. That now means I have a discount code you can all use if you'd like to attend -- BRANDONVIP30.

For those of you who like art and culture things, the event also happens to fall right after Art Basel. This was done on purpose, and so now you have at least two good reasons to be in Miami Beach in December.

This event poster has reminded me that, every now and then, I probably need to pull out a cooler headshot. In any event, next week I'm going to be a guest on SvNSpeaks, along with John Lorinc, talking about the obstacles that overly prescriptive and rigid development policies are creating for our climate goals. This is obviously a really important topic. Because if we were singularly focused on reducing carbon emissions, we wouldn't be building the way we are building today.

For more information and to register for the virtual event, click here.