Read and Build: Not a Box
Work as a team and use your imagination to turn cardboard boxes into a world-class city!
Programs & Events at CAC
At 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 CAC.
Program Archive
Programs by Format
Programs by Audience
Chicago Architecture 101: WWII-Present - State of the Art of Architecture
The changing needs for 21st century design have called for a new built environment. How has architecture adapted to the evolving landscape, and what will we see in the future? Speaker: Ned Cramer, Editor in Chief, Architect. Ned Cramer, Assoc. AIA, is…
Architecture Is Art... Is Architecture Art? Atelier Bow-Wow
Hear more about global designers pushing the boundaries between architecture and art. Presented in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Chicago Architecture 101: WWII-Present - Postmodernism
Every action has its reaction and Postmodernism proliferated in the 1970-90s as architects pushed back against the staunch simplicity of Modernism. Speaker: Jen Masengarb, Director of Interpretation and Research, CAF. Jen Masengarb, Director of Interpretation…
LEGO® Build Workshop: City Scale
Explore how cities are designed from the people on the sidewalks to the buildings reaching tall!
New Artwork Release Event with Chris Gorz
Join us for a special meet and greet event with artist Chris Gorz of StudioChris. Chris will be debuting his brand new The Loop Neighborhood Poster exclusively with CAF, and he’ll be signing his work while meeting with guests. Chris' other posters and…
Saturday Studio: Universal Design
The September 26, 2015 CAF Teen Academy Saturday Studio challenges teens from across Chicago to design for people with differing abilities. Teens will learn about universal design in an experimental learning experience as they step into the shoes of others…
Chicago Architecture 101: WWII-Present - Evolution of Modernism
From super tall skyscrapers to super highways, the built environment evolved rapidly in the decades following the post-WWII boom. Speaker: Ed Keegan, Author of Chicago Architecture 1885 to Today. Edward Keegan is the author of three widely acclaimed…
CAFamily Studio: Inventors Unite!
Join us in the studio on Saturday, September 19, and engineer something cool! Invent anything with LittleBits, easy to use electronic building blocks that snap together with magnets. Great for students 7—12 years old.
Critical Conversations: The State of the Design Competition
Please join us for a special Panel Discussion led by ChiDesign Ideas Competition Jurors.
Design Dialogues: Tick Tick Boom
How will the coming explosion of retiring Baby Boomers affect Chicago?
LEGO® Build Workshop: Universal Design
Join us every Sunday in August for LEGO® Build Workshops to explore universal design with LEGO®! The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 impacted the built environment by emphasizing the need for creating habitable and accessible space for…
Renewing State Street: The Century and Consumers Buildings
Join CAF and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) for a brief historic overview of the State Street retail corridor and an opportunity to imagine what might be next for 202—220 South State Street. These buildings, owned by the GSA, are the…
Summer Camp: Minecraft Studio
August 24–26, 2015, 9am–3pm (3-day camp). Recommended for ages 8–11. A camp perfect for students who want to collaborate on a Minecraft challenge and learn about the built environment with peers. Students will participate in tours of the loop, have access…
Saturday Studio: Landscape Design
Let's take the underused spaces in our city and transform them into vibrant parks.