September 25, 2013
by Linda G. Miller
Cynthia Kracauer, AIA, Archtober Festival Director kicks off the press event.Credit: Eliza McLellan
AIANY 2013 President Jill N. Lerner showcases Archtober's global programs, including the exhibition, Practical Utopias.Credit: Eliza McLellan
Kyle Bergman, Founder and Festival Director, Architecture and Design Film FestivalCredit: Eliza McLellan
AIANY Executive Director Rick Bell, FAIA, presenting Archtober's resiliency-related programs.Credit: Eliza McLellan
Festival Director Cynthia Kracauer, FAIA, revealed the design for the 2013 Archtober Lounge by Pentagram.Credit: Eliza McLellan

The AIA New York Chapter has three main goals: design excellence, professional development, and public outreach. Archtober fulfills all three, and goes above and beyond when it comes to public outreach.

Under the aegis of the AIA New York Chapter, and via a diverse schedule of programming, Archtober is a grassroots effort, supported by 53 participating organizations and institutions – a third more than last year – that collaborate on ways to raise awareness of the role architects and designers play in creating New York City’s built environment.

At a press conference on Tuesday, 09.17.13, AIANY Managing Director Cynthia Kracauer, AIA, LEED AP, whose “brain child” is Archtober, unveiled this year’s event logo – a scalene triangle. “We love this metaphor because it enables us to frame our view within the constantly shifting trifecta of design, education, and outreach, and we have our spotlight gradient shining that light on architecture.” The triangle, posted in the window of the Archtober Lounge (a.k.a. the Margaret Helfand Gallery), will point to exhibition openings, lectures, tours, parties, and movie screenings taking place on a given day.

All told, Archober boasts more than 200 different events. The popular “Building of the Day” tour series is reprised, starting with a visit to City Hall, a fitting site in an election year. The Chapter also invites incoming (and outgoing) elected officials to come to the Center to see the exhibition “A Platform for the Future of the City.” Compiled with the expertise of AIANY’s 27 program committees, the platform presents solutions to pressing issues facing the city’s built environment to the next administration.

Other returning events at and outside of the Center include the Heritage Ball and related programming, the MAS Summit, Cooper-Hewitt’s National Design Week, and the OHNY Weekend Family Festival. New to this Archtober is the World Architecture Day 2013 Conference.

Archtober grew out of Architecture Week, when it became obvious that all of the special events scheduled to take place in October could simply not be contained in just one week. What’s mentioned above is just a taste of what Archtober has to offer, which is, in essence, a big bite of the Big Apple. Mark your calendars!

Linda G. Miller is a contributing editor to Oculus and e-Oculus.

Event: Archtober 2013 Press Event
Location: Center for Architecture, 09.17.13
Speakers: Cynthia Kracauer, AIA, LEED AP, AIANY Managing Director and Archtober Festival Director; Jill N. Lerner, FAIA, AIANY 2013 President; Kyle Bergman, Founder and Festival Director, Architecture and Design Film Festival; Rick Bell, FAIA, AIANY Executive Director
Organizer: Center for Architecture