Our Top 10 Event Picks for Archtober 2014

New York City’s architecture and design month is almost here. “Archtober” is 31 days of architecture and design events, including talks, tours, receptions, and festivals. There are dozens of events for you to check out, but we’ve hand-picked ten that will give you a well-rounded and memorable Archtober.

Image © Turnstile Tours

October 4, 11 AM

October 18, 3 PM

Brooklyn Navy Yard Center at BLDG 92

Bring a bicycle and get active with this tour of green architecture initiatives at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, one of the city’s most dynamic sites. Anyone interested in green certification, alternative energies, and innovative ways of reusing historic buildings should ride along, but only if you’re wearing a helmet. This is also your chance to get a look at a handful of historic Navy Yard buildings in their ‘ruin porn’ state before they’re restored and renovated by Steiner Studios.

October 5, 2:00-5:00 PM

SculptureCenter

Inspired by children’s cartoons and the drawings of Saul Steinberg, “Puddle, pothole, portal” is a playful new exhibition at SculptureCenter. A few highlights: A signing mailbox by Camille Blatrix, a gravity-defying work by Chadwick Rantanen, and Keiichi Tanaami’s first U.S. exhibit.

October 7, 2:00-8:00 PM

Guggenheim Museum

Wikipedia veterans and newcomers alike are invited to the Guggenheim, where they can join a massive group effort to improve Wikipedia’s information on museum architecture. The event includes a Wikipedia training session, talks from architectural critics, and a guided tour of the Guggenheim.

October 7, 6:00-9:00 PM

October 15-19

Tribeca Cinemas

The nation’s largest film festival for architecture and design comes to New York City, featuring 25 films and a number of speakers and Q&As to complement each viewing. The festival is also hosting a Short Films Walk on October 7th, with a loop of 15-minute short architectural films being shown in 10 different downtown showrooms. Purchase tickets here OR enter our latest contest to win two tickets to the film of your choice.

October 9-11, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

82MERCER, SoHo

Dwell Media is brining their successful West Coast trade show to the East Coast this year. This unrivaled design gathering includes design discussions and 20 innovative installations from a highly curated list of designers, architects, and manufacturers. The forum is held at the 82MERCER conference center in SoHo and is open to the public and design professionals. We’ll also be giving away two free tickets to this event starting Monday, 9/29, so stay tuned!

Image © Ferra Designs



October 10, 10:00 AM

Brooklyn Navy Yard Center at BLDG 92

Ferra Designs specialize in architectural metal fabrication, which they put to good use working with clients like Calvin Klein, Nike, and the United Nations. This tour takes visitors through the whole process from design to the factory floor.

October 16, 6:30-7:30 PM

Pratt Institute

Rising starchitect Annabelle Selldorf and New York Times architecture critic Michael Kimmelman will have a moderated conversation in the Higgins Hall Auditorium at the Pratt Institute. The talk is free and open to the public, but reservations are required.

Image © PS 261

October 20, 1:30-2:30 PM

314 Pacific Street, Brooklyn

Take a tour of this innovative Boerum Hill playground, which captures rainwater and includes a learning garden and a running track. The Trust for Public Land, the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, and the Department of Education worked together to build this playground for children and the environment alike.

October 22, 6:00 PM

South Street Seaport Museum

The galleries of Schermerhorn Row are closed, but you can tour them anyway on October 22nd to get a sense of the 19th century sailor’s lifestyle. The Old Hotel and Fulton Ferry Laundry have been preserved to this day, and give just a glimpse of the culture on display in the South Street Seaport.

Image © Rich Mitchell

October 31, 3:00 PM

770 Riverside Drive

There is only one functioning burial ground left in Manhattan, and it’s the site of a spooky Halloween architecture tour. Get your fill of gothic stonework while you learn about some of the cemetery’s most interesting interred, including the “ceiling walker” Richard Sands.

For a full list of events visit the Archtober site. Those looking for a daily dose of architecture will enjoy the popular Building of the Day series reprised for 2014. Architects and other design professionals will lead noontime tours, which will include contemporary buildings and historic sites. Our gallery below highlights what’s on show this year.

Tags : architecture, architecture history, Archtober