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.
Foster + Partners’ Apple Michigan Avenue store is an impressive, airy glass box with a curved-edge roof. Come learn about the engineering and structure of the building, and create your own LEGO® version of the store!
Join author Ben Austen for a two-part book club about his acclaimed book “High-Risers: Cabrini-Green and the Fate of American Public Housing.” Peter Landon of Landon Bone Baker Architects will join Ben on the second evening.
When you think of tall building materials, steel and concrete likely come to mind. But now, wood skyscrapers are moving closer to becoming a reality. Hear about the proposed River Beech Tower, an 80-story timber high-rise designed by Perkins+Will.
How is the collection and dissemination of big data changing how we plan and build cities? This virtual meet-up, held in conjunction with New London Architecture, will highlight how two global cities—Chicago and London—are using open data to positively…
Construction contractor Skender has joined a new prefab movement with the opening of an apartment module factory in South Lawndale. Learn how entire apartment modules are built off-site and later pieced together.
Join us on Sundays to build, invent and test out your engineering skills! Families will learn about the design process through hands-on activities.
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.
Are you a K-12 educator interested in using CAC resources to help your students explore why design matters? Come learn about exciting offerings and programs for you and your students, both at CAC and in classrooms.
Are you an inventor? Construct a great invention from odds and ends, test it out and celebrate the failures and successes. Drop in any time to enjoy multiple readings of "Rosie Revere, Engineer" by Andrea Beaty.
How do you take something old and make it new again? In this course, students will creatively examine how to repurpose an old structure. Students will visit a building and think outside the box by redesigning the structure for a new and different use…
Join us to explore how transportation connects our schools, homes and towns. Through hands-on activities, learn about roads and railways, and how urban planners decide where things go!
Join us for an evening of fun and fascinating storytelling with architects, interior designers, CAC docents and regular folks who will share crafted tales about Chicago’s buildings and their personal experiences with the built environment.
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.
Chicago’s iconic train system, known as the "L", gets its nickname from being “elevated” above the city's streets. In this workshop, you'll see public transportation in action and build your own "L" platform and train using LEGO®.
