CAFamily Studio: Chicago I Spy!
On Saturday, August 15, go on a facilitator-led Scavenger Hunt to find out the secrets and stories of some the city's best buildings! Great for families and students 7—12 years old.
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
Auxiliary Board River Cruise Fundraiser: A Speakeasy Soirée
Join the Chicago Architecture Foundation Auxiliary Board for the annual river cruise fundraiser benefiting CAF’s Taliesin Scholars. This year’s theme is A Speakeasy Soirée. Cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, raffle prizes and on-board entertainment will be provided…
Read and Build: The Three Little Pigs: An Architectural Tale
We’ll read about the three little pigs, use mixed-media studio materials to decorate paper houses, and discover which material is too strong for the big bad wolf! Suitable for ages 3—5; older siblings and friends up to age 7 will also enjoy this studio…
Summer Camp: Minecraft Builders Unite!
August 3–7, 9am–3pm (5-day camp). Recommended for ages 10–14. In Minecraft: Builders Unite! campers will use Minecraft to explore why design matters. We all have stories to tell—and so do buildings. Minecraft Camp turns campers into digital storytellers…
Summer Camp: Skylines 101
July 27–31, 9am–3pm (5-day camp). Recommended for ages 7–11. Math, science, language arts, social science and fine arts come together in every building, but stories are what bring buildings to life. In Skylines 101 students will get to know Chicago's…
LEGO® Build Workshop: Surface
Come explore explore architecture and experiment with making a building's surface! You will build with LEGO®, solve a design problem and learn the fundamentals to create your own designs. We'll spark your imagination with a new theme every month to drive…
Saturday Studio: Surface
Come explore architecture and experiment with making a building's surface! This event is free and open to all teens.
Member Appreciation Night - Summer 2015
Join us from 6—9pm on July 23 for a mid-year event just for you, our CAF Members! Enjoy a glass of wine and light snacks as you mingle with fellow members, meet some of CAF’s vendors and artists, shop with exclusive discounts and win prizes. You also…
CAFamily: Sculpture in the City
Drop-in from 10—2pm in the Millennium Park Family Fun Tent and help us create an enormous, evolving public sculpture designed by kids, for kids! All ages welcome. Great for families!
Design Dialogues: Downtown Hotel Boom
Many long-vacant historic office buildings are benefiting from Chicago’s ambitious tourism goals, as hotel conversions are popping up all over the loop. Will we continue to see more hotels like the Virgin, LondonHouse at the London Guarantee, and the…
Teen Summer Camp: Get Built
July 13–17, 9am–3pm (5-day camp). Recommended for ages 14–18. Ever wonder what a construction manager does? Or how creative an architect can really be? Come to CAF and explore ACED (Architecture, Construction, Engineering, Design) fields through site…
Behind the Scenes: Buffett Place
On July 9, 2015, come see the Fred and Pamela Buffett Place—a completely renovated, environmentally-friendly, supportive housing community by Landon Bone Baker Architects in 2014. This transformation of the 1920s Diplomat Hotel in Lakeview won a Chicago…
Read and Build 2015: Larry Gets Lost in Chicago
Let’s go on a scavenger hunt around the block to see Larry’s favorite spots in Chicago! Suitable for ages 3—5; older siblings and friends up to age 7 will also enjoy this studio.
LEGO® Build Workshop: Emphasis
Come explore how designers emphasize details to make our built environment more intriguing! You will Build with LEGO®, solve a design problem and learn the fundamentals to create your own designs. We'll spark your imagination with a new theme every month…
Saturday Studio: Emphasis
In June we'll learn to see like designers as we explore our city and create unique structures using the design principle of "emphasis."