KITCHENER — Doors Open Waterloo Region allows the curious among us to poke around inside buildings usually off limits to the public, places that hold the region's history, its present and its future.

"It's neat, it makes people think about the buildings they see every day and suddenly, they get to go into it," said Karl Kessler who along with his wife, Jane Snyder, have co-ordinated the event since its inception in 2003. This year, Doors Open Waterloo Region takes place Saturday, Sept. 17, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

On the free tour are examples of interesting architecture, buildings that hold significant heritage value, and others that house all manner of technology startups. Each of the 48 locations on the self-directed tour scattered around Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge holds its own surprises.

This year's theme is science and technology, and almost every company and organization the couple approached said "yes."

"It's a little bit out of control, it's big," Kessler said with a laugh.

"Most years we try for 35, to the low 40s," he said. "We try to strike a balance. We want 10 to 15 in each geographical location."

For the companies opening their doors, this is no small request particularly given a rigorous housekeeping is usually required. "They say 'this is great, we can get the place ship shape,'" he said. "It's like having company."

Doors Open requires the companies to have staff on hand to answer questions, explain the type of work being done, conduct any demonstrations or run specific tours of the building.

Kessler said the public wants to know "how do you use your space?" For startups not used to getting much public attention, this is a chance for them to shine. Bridgit HQ for example creates software to help large companies manage development and construction projects. Sweet Tooth is an app for retailers to create their own loyalty programs.

Google Canada will be one of the highlights of the tour, said Kessler, as well as Shopify Plus. Perimeter Institute is on the list, but only for pre-booked guided tours which are now full. Several of the new high tech companies are located in re-purposed old factories, a reflection of the region's manufacturing past.

The tour also includes a peek at our historical past, with old buildings such as Cambridge Historic City Hall and the Fire Hall Museum as well as the 200 year old Joseph Schneider Haus National Historic Site.

Visitors will learn how buildings were constructed in the early 1800s then compare techniques to those being used today by companies such as Stantec Waterloo, REEP House for Sustainable Living or ACL Steel (factory tours require steel toed boots).

"It's interesting to find out who does what," said Kessler. "There's all kinds of technology companies out there we didn't know were there."

Doors Open also includes interesting lectures, such as The Impact of Design and Architecture on Culture, 11 a.m., at the Google café, followed by Architecture on Emotion: The Psychological Impact of Built Spaces, 2 p.m., at St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church.

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There are even a couple of walking tours: Cambridge Grand Avenue South and West Montrose Kissing Bridge Heritage, at different times throughout the day. As well there are a number of children's activities and performances.