Programs & Events at CAC

Design and build your own skyscraper city in Minecraft! Students age 7 to 10 are invited to take part in this 3-day camp, which includes short walking tours to visit and study buildings in the Loop.

Visit and study parks in the Loop and learn what it takes to design an outdoor space with the community in mind. Campers age 11 to 14 will meet with architects and designers and redesign an existing park in Minecraft.

Join us from 12-3pm in our ArcelorMittal Design Studio to work with architects, designers and professional mentors from the Chicago area. These hands-on studios help develop basic architecture and design skills while solving real-world challenges.

Hear about plans to renovate and modernize the Thomas Hughes Children’s Library at Harold Washington Library. Brian Vitale, design director and principal at Gensler, will share his firm’s re-imagination of the 25,000-square-foot space.

Celebrated architects Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi embrace the challenge of turning difficult urban sites into profound public spaces. Come hear how they marry architecture and landscape to create appealing places out of distressed locations.

Celebrate the 150th anniversary of Frank Lloyd Wright’s birthday with a visit to some of his masterpieces in Madison and Spring Green, Wisconsin!

Think and create like a scientist as we explore the questions, “What are buildings are made of?” and “How do they stand so tall?” Drop in any time between 9am and noon for multiple readings of “Ada Twist, Scientist” by Andrea Beaty.

Chicago's classic bungalows are increasingly the target of drastic renovation and expansion. New homebuyers are investing in the bungalow belt, amplifying calls for design guidelines to protect these buildings' historic character.

Theaters have been important in Chicago for many years. The Auditorium Building is more than 125 years old! We'll go on a short walking tour (weather permitting), learn about how function and aesthetic work together, then design our own theaters out of…

Join us in the CAF Store from 11am to 3pm for an exclusive event with Motawi Tileworks. You'll enjoy special discounts and a presentation from the company’s founder.

Learn about the complex restoration and revitalization work underway at Lathrop Homes, a historic Chicago Housing Authority site located between the Bucktown and Roscoe Village neighborhoods on Chicago’s North Side.

Building a skyscraper today also means preparing for possible threats: earthquakes, strong winds, environmental deterioration and terrorist plots, to name a few. Four experts address these critical issues for tall buildings of the future.

Trucks on a construction site have a lot of jobs! They push and pull, lift and twist, and scoop and pour. We'll trace shapes to create trucks, test out tools and build with blocks. Drop in between 9am and 12pm for readings of "Goodnight, Goodnight Construction…

What does urban living look like in the future? Join CAF and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) as we host a discussion with policy and design experts about the way our city and suburbs might change to become more livable in the coming…

Watch Buckingham Fountain spring to life at ComEd’s annual "Switch on Summer" event! Listen to live music and take part in free family activities from 4-7pm and admire the fountain when it gets turned on at 6pm.