September 9, 2021
New York, NY – September 9, 2021 – Archtober, New York City’s month-long celebration of architecture and design, returns this year as a hybrid virtual and in-person festival. Organized by the Center for Architecture in collaboration with 70 partners and sponsors, the 2021 installment of the festival gathers events, exhibitions, resources, and activities that celebrate the importance of architecture and design in NYC and beyond. New this year: the Archtober Guide to New York map!
“As New York City continues to reopen and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, we welcome all New Yorkers and visitors alike to celebrate our city’s resiliency and capacity for transformation,” said Benjamin Prosky, Assoc. AIA, Executive Director of AIA New York and the Center for Architecture. “We hope you will join us and our partner institutions as we discover buildings and design experiences located across the five boroughs, all of which contribute to our city’s vibrant and diverse cultural landscape.”
Virtual and In-Person Program Offerings
As organizations and audiences alike continue to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of COVID-19, Archtober 2021 will feature a combination of in-person and virtual programming, allowing partners to take advantage of broader virtual networks while accommodating diverse audiences.
Many talks by partners including Columbia GSAPP, the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture at CCNY, and more will shift to virtual or hybrid formats to accommodate even larger and more international audiences. Meanwhile, several tours, including after-hours visits to Green-Wood Cemetery, a guided tour of ‘T’ Space | Steven Myron Holl Foundation, and a tour of the Shuls of the Lower East Side by the Museum at Eldridge Street will happen in-person. Similarly, exhibitions have mainly returned to in-person formats, giving institutions like the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum and the Museum of the City of New York the opportunity to safely welcome visitors into their spaces. Don’t miss the New York Botanical Garden’s Kusama: Cosmic Nature, closing at the end of October, or the Museum of Modern Art’s Reuse, Renew, Recycle: Recent Architecture from China, opening in September.
For 2021, the festival’s popular “Building of the Day” series of architect-led tours returns to largely in-person programming, with tour registration launching September 13. This year’s selection of tours includes Little Island by Heatherwick Studio, the Africa Center by Caples Jefferson Architects, the Brooklyn Public Library Central Branch Renovation by Toshiko Mori Architects, the Dia Art Foundation by Architecture Research Office, and 11 Hoyt by Studio Gang. Archtober will also continue its “Travel To” series, which digitally transports attendees to sites across the world, providing an opportunity for architectural tourism from the comfort of our homes. This year’s Travel To programming includes a tour of Paul Revere Williams projects in Los Angeles, hosted by the LA Conservancy, and a tour of DL1310, a residential project in Mexico City by Young & Ayata. And if you’re looking to travel locally, be sure to check out this year’s Weekend Getaways partners: Art Omi, ‘T’ Space | Steven Myron Holl Foundation, Grace Farms, the Glass House, and the New Canaan Historical Society.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, many partners have also organized talks and panels that will foster important conversations around the built environment implications of the pandemic and massive ecological change. These include:
- On October 5, the Queens Public Library will host “Documenting a Pandemic: What We’ve Learned,” diving into their Queens Memory Projects COVID-19 Project.
- On October 5, exhibiting artists at Wave Hill will gather for a panel discussion, “Global Ecological Issues on a Local Scale.”
- On October 13, the New York Institute of Technology will host “Global Futures: Transitions in Urban Paradigms,” exploring the enduring impact of the pandemic.
- On October 16, Columbia GSAPP will host a book talk for Kate Aronoff’s Overheated: How Capitalism Broke the Planet–And How We Fight Back.
Beyond timed and ticketed activities, this year’s Archtober site will once again include a section of evergreen resources for architecture lovers of all ages. The Center for Architecture’s “Architecture at Home” resources and the Cooper Hewitt’s “Design It Yourself” series provide families with simple, downloadable instructions for DIY activities. Design enthusiasts can also dive into the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation’s “Dynamic National Archive of Women in American Architecture” or participate in one of Village Preservation’s self-led historic site tours, powered by the Urban Archive app.
Visit our website, www.archtober.org, to see our lineup of events for 2021.
New This Year: The Archtober Guide to NYC Map
At its core, the Archtober festival is meant to encourage and inspire audiences to engage with the architecture and design that surrounds them. In order to further expand this mission, this year, the festival has launched the Archtober Guide to NYC, a mobile map designed for use on the go. While in the mobile map, users can experience the city through the eyes of an architect, while being pointed towards nearby architectural sites, cultural institutions, and parks (along with spots to stop for a drink or snack!) that help define New York City as one of the country’s most stimulating design arenas.
And don’t miss out on an opportunity to purchase some exclusive Archtober merch! The festival’s new Archtober Shop features several items—from t-shirts to baseball caps to fanny packs and even socks—for you to explore the city in style.
About Archtober
New York City’s Architecture and Design Month—now in its eleventh year—presents a wide array of events that focus on the importance of architecture and design in everyday life. Organized by the Center for Architecture in collaboration with partnering organizations across the city, the festival raises awareness of the important role of design in our city and the richness of New York’s built environment. www.archtober.org
Institutional and Professional Partners
1014 | Space for Ideas
AIA New York
The Architectural League of New York
Architecture and Design Film Festival
Art Omi
Austrian Cultural Forum New York
Bard Graduate Center
Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation
Bronx River Alliance
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Brooklyn Navy Yard Center at BLDG 92
Brooklyn Public Library
Building Energy Exchange
Center for Architecture
Chicago Architecture Center
China Institute
Classic Harbor Line
City College of New York, Spitzer School of Architecture
Classic Harbor Line
Columbia GSAPP
Consortium for Sustainable Urbanization
Consulate General of Estonia in New York
Consulate General of Sweden
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Culture Now
DOCOMOMO New York Tri-State
Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Fraunces Tavern Museum
The General Society of Mechanics & Tradesmen of the City of New York
The Glass House
Grace Farms
Green-Wood Cemetery
Historic House Trust of New York City
The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture, The Cooper Union
Japan Society
Judd Foundation
LA Conservancy
Latvian Association of Architects
Little Island
Louis Kahn Estonia Foundation
Monacelli Press
Monograph
Municipal Art Society of New York
Museum at Eldridge Street
Museum of Modern Art
Museum of the City of New York
National Trust for Historic Preservation
New Buildings Institute
New Canaan Museum & Historical Society
New Jersey Institute of Technology
New York Botanical Garden
New York Institute of Technology
New York Landmarks Preservation Foundation
New York Public Library
New York School of Interior Design
nycobaNOMA
NYCxDESIGN
Open House New York
Phaidon
Pratt Institute School of Continuing and Professional Studies
Pratt School of Architecture
Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans
Queens Foundation for Architecture
Queens Public Library
Robert A.M. Stern Architects
The School of Constructed Environments at Parsons School of Design
Sheila C. Johnson Design Center, Parsons School of Design
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
South Street Seaport Museum
The Swedish Institute / Swedish Design Movement
‘T’ Space Rhinebeck
UN-Habitat
Urban Design Forum
Urban Green Council
Van Alen Institute
Villlage Alliance
Village Preservation
Wave Hill
Weeksville Heritage Center
About the Center for Architecture
The Center for Architecture is the premier cultural venue for architecture and the built environment in New York City, informed by the complexity of the City’s urban fabric and in dialogue with the global community. The Center shares a home with the AIA New York Chapter and has the unique advantage of drawing upon the ideas and experiences of practicing architects to produce thought-provoking exhibitions, informative public programs, and quality design education experiences. http://cfa.aiany.org