Let the festival countdown begin! In collaboration with over 100 partners across the city, this year's Archtober festival gathers over 400 events, exhibitions, resources, and activities across the five boroughs to raise awareness of the importance of architecture and design in New York City.

In recent years, Archtober has continued to grow its impact with the addition of an annual festival theme, launched in 2023. This year’s theme, Tracing the Future, delves into the evolving landscape of NYC through affordable housing, sustainable design, infrastructure, and more.

“Tracing the Future is an invitation to explore how our architectural choices today will define tomorrow’s New York,” says Katie Mullen, Director of Archtober and Director of Exhibitions and Programs, Center for Architecture. “This year’s festival is a call to action for innovators and creatives to rethink established practices and explore new possibilities in improving our built environment.”

We hope to spark dialogue and inspire collaboration among architects, designers, urban planners, and design enthusiasts alike, fostering inclusivity within innovation. Programming within this umbrella includes the discussion Indigeneity and Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Spatial Practices, developed in collaboration with the Indigenous Society of Architecture, Planning and Design (ISAPD), on Thursday, October 10, 6:00–8:00 pm at the Center for Architecture. The Center for Architecture will also host the panel discussion Tracing the Future: Affordable Housing in NYC, on Monday, October21, 6:00–8:00 pm, featuring a selection of award-winning affordable housing projects from NYSERDA’s Buildings of Excellence competition, which funds developers and architects around New York State who demonstrate a commitment to reducing carbon emissions while also creating innovative and cost-effective housing.

The festival will feature numerous exhibitions across the city, including Goethe-Institut New York’s UMBAU. Nonstop Transformation, opening October 9, which presents more than 60 projects by the architects Gerkan, Marg, and Partners (gmp) that take a conceptual ecological approach to UMBAU (which refers conversion, or the ongoing transformation of existing structures). On view at the Center for Architecture, Built by New York, opening October 1, celebrates the work of architects, designers, and affiliated professionals in the New York City design community. Past, current, and future work from members of AIA New York, AIA Brooklyn, AIA Bronx, AIA Staten Island, and AIA Queens will take over three floors of the Center for Architecture galleries, providing a snapshot of our community’s impact on the city and the built environment at large.

For 2024, the festival’s popular Building of the Day series of architect-led tours will take place daily and includes:

· Bronx River Greenway/Starlight Park by NV5

· Gansevoort Peninsula at Hudson River Park by Field Operations and nARCHITECTS

· Domino Sugar Refinery by Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU)

· Institute for Studies on Latin American Art by Overhead Architecture

· One Domino Square by Selldorf Architects

· Lever House, restored by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)

· Sunset Park Library and Apartments by Mitchell Giurgola

On October 30, Pumpkitecture will return to the Center for Architecture, as teams of architects go gourd-to-gourd to compete for the Pritzkerpumpkin. This spooky evening is one not-to-miss. More details coming soon!

 Stop by the festival’s Archtober Shop, which features a variety of items—from t-shirts tobaseball caps to fanny packs and even socks—for you to explore the city in style. New designs for 2024 will arrive very soon, stay tuned.

 We are also excited to expand the Archtober Guide on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app created by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The Archtober Guide allows you to dive deep into some of New York City’s most exciting contemporary and historical projects. Be sure to download to view app-exclusive interviews and content, including an easy-to-view map of our partner institutions. Hear from the architects and landscape architects who are shaping the future of New York City!

We're eager to get the 14th annual edition of Archtober started. Explore the site and the check out the variety of upcoming events, panels, film screenings and more!