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.
Many of Chicago's most luxurious residential buildings are located along the lakefront. Historian Julia Bachrach will illuminate the fascinating story of Chicago's residential lakefront architecture from the 1870s through the 1970s in four two-hour classes…
Join us on Oct. 21 or 28 to build tall! We’ll explore a breathtaking collection of skyscraper models in our Drake Skyscraper Gallery, and create our own towering structures inspired by the themes: imagine, work, live and innovate.
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.
Hear about imaginative spaces created by Tokyo-based architect Takaharu Tezuka during this special guest lecture. Takaharu will share a selection of his firm’s most innovative projects, like an open-air kindergarten where children play on the roof.
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.
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.
In this exclusive talk, New York-based architect Annabelle Selldorf will share common threads across her firm’s influential work, with a focus on museum and residential designs that utilize adaptive reuse or take cues from their historical surroundings…
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.
Don't miss this in-depth review of the latest plans for the Obama Presidential Center. Lead architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien will detail their work on this momentous project on Chicago's South Side. Space is limited.
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.
Join CAC for a sneak peek of Open House Chicago (OHC), our free, annual architecture festival taking place Oct. 13-14. Hear about what’s new and exciting in this eighth year of the event.
This 8-week class invites girls ages 11-14 to understand architecture through the work of Chicago's historic women designers. We'll go on site visits in the city, research iconic figures and develop visual literacy and architecture design skills.
Historian and visiting lecturer Paul Steinbrecher will lead this two-part book club (September 17 and 24, 2018) around Franz Schulze’s revised and expanded biography of Modernist pioneer Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
Make your Friday night great! From 5-8pm, CAC Members will get a unique opportunity to have the Center all to themselves! This after-hours event includes access to all the exhibits, including Building Tall and the Chicago City Model Experience.
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.
Get your Western wear ready and join the CAC Auxiliary Board on their annual river cruise fundraiser benefiting CAC’s Teen Academy programs! Guests will enjoy a sunset cruise with world-class architecture, cocktails, delicious small bites and on-board…
Hip Hop Architecture Camp is a one-week intensive experience that challenges youth of underserved populations to explore the cultural implications of architecture in the built environment through the lens of hip hop culture.
Water is key to a thriving Chicago. Join us for a panel discussion to hear diverse perspectives on how good design can help us better co-exist with water in the future.
CAF has partnered with Northwestern University's Center for Talent Development to host an intensive, 3-week design program for teens in grades 9-12 this summer.