Programs & Events at CAC

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.

The September 20th Teen Open Studio has been cancelled.

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.

Additional time just added! The Basilica de la Sagrada Família in Barcelona is one of the world's great buildings. Hear noted engineer Tristram Carfrae explain how architect Antoni Gaudi’s masterpiece—under construction since 1882—will be completed…

Get a rare glimpse inside the Armour Institute, a towering red brick building on the Illinois Institute of Technology’s campus. Enjoy an exclusive tour of the former classroom and administrative spaces with a developer and an architect before the historic…

Learn about 1000M—a new residential skyscraper designed by acclaimed architect Helmut Jahn—in the building’s state-of-the-art interactive sales gallery. Enjoy champagne and desserts at this exclusive, members-only reception.

Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at the popular PBS series "10 That Changed America" at the WTTW Chicago studio. Host Geoffrey Baer will share highlights from his whirlwind tour of America's architectural treasures.

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.