Family Build: Engineering
Join us on Sundays to build, invent and test out your engineering skills! Families will learn about the design process through hands-on activities.
Programs & Events at CAC
At the Chicago Architecture Center, our programs and events help you think differently about the places we live, work and play. Get behind-the-scenes access to the city's architectural treasures. Practice your design skills while you play with your family. Participate in expert-led discussions about the latest urban design issues. With these offerings and so many more to choose from, we guarantee there’s something inspiring and fun for you at the CAC.
Program Archive
Programs by Format
Programs by Audience
Teen Open Studio - Feb. 7
Join us in the ArcelorMittal Design Studio on Thursdays from 5—7pm during the school year to get feedback and guidance on independent or competition projects. CPS students are eligible for a stipend.
Educator Open House 2019
Are you a K-12 educator interested in using CAC resources to help your students explore why design matters? Come learn about exciting offerings and programs for you and your students, both at CAC and in classrooms.
Read and Build: Engineering
Are you an inventor? Construct a great invention from odds and ends, test it out and celebrate the failures and successes. Drop in any time to enjoy multiple readings of "Rosie Revere, Engineer" by Andrea Beaty.
Girls Build!: Adaptive Architecture
How do you take something old and make it new again? In this course, students will creatively examine how to repurpose an old structure. Students will visit a building and think outside the box by redesigning the structure for a new and different use…
Family Build: Transportation
Join us to explore how transportation connects our schools, homes and towns. Through hands-on activities, learn about roads and railways, and how urban planners decide where things go!
Architecture Storytelling
Join us for an evening of fun and fascinating storytelling with architects, interior designers, CAC docents and regular folks who will share crafted tales about Chicago’s buildings and their personal experiences with the built environment.
Teen Open Studio - Jan. 24
Join us in the ArcelorMittal Design Studio on Thursdays from 5—7pm during the school year to get feedback and guidance on independent or competition projects. CPS students are eligible for a stipend.
LEGO® Build Workshop: The "L"
Chicago’s iconic train system, known as the "L", gets its nickname from being “elevated” above the city's streets. In this workshop, you'll see public transportation in action and build your own "L" platform and train using LEGO®.
A Survey of Great Architecture Exhibitions
The CAC descends from a long line of comparable architectural displays, stretching back more than 200 years. In this two-part class, historian and author John Zukowsky leads a discussion on the traditions and trends in exhibiting architecture.
Members Only: Architecture Essentials - Jan. 15
Chicago is synonymous with architecture and Chicagoans—especially CAC members—love to share their knowledge of architecture with family and friends. Come learn fun architecture facts you can share again and again at this members-only event.
LEGO® Build Workshop: Bungalows
Chicago is home to more than 80,000 bungalows! We’ll visit our Chicago Gallery to learn about various housing types and discover what makes bungalows unique. Then, we’ll build a bungalow using LEGO® and studio materials.
Family Build: CAC Chicago Gallery
Join us on Dec. 16 to build homes inspired by the Chicago Model! We'll walk through the CAC's Chicago Gallery to learn about neighborhood homes and create our own structures based on the building types.
Docent Application Information Session - Dec. 15
Applications for the docent class of 2019 will open Dec. 4, 2018. Interested applicants are encouraged to attend an information session to learn more about the requirements of becoming a docent. No RSVP is required.