The fall season is a time of focus, when students head back to school and working folks gear up for the last few months of the year. The next few months will be full of opportunities that can perhaps provide refreshing perspectives on architectural practice and design, whether it's discussing the importance of design competitions at a conference, visiting a student exhibition, or touring a brand new building designed by a famous firm. 

To help you out, we've put together a comprehensive list of the biennales, expos, exhibitions and must-see events of Fall 2019 to keep you up-to-date on the latest developments in architecture and design.

SEPTEMBER

Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism | Sep 7-Nov 10 | Seoul, KR

The space and structure of cities, creative development and regeneration, new building methods and technology, sustainable urban environments, city governance, and new forms of solidarity: these are the central issues of the contemporary urban generation. Seoul is a global city where these issues coalesce in both a particular and universal fashion. It is for these reasons that the Seoul Metropolitan Government announces the launching of a new biennale of architecture and urbanism.

Tallinn Architecture Biennale | Sep 11-Nov 17 | Tallin, EE

“Beauty Matters: The Resurgence of Beauty” is the topic for the next Tallinn Architecture Biennale TAB 2019. Beauty is part of the neurobiological structure that makes us not only happier, but healthier. The first buds of a new interest in aesthetics are emerging in architectural discourse. This cultural shift returns us towards the individual’s role in generating fresh knowledge; its importance in decision making is coming to the fore in many disciplines, breathing new life into the status of aesthetics and beauty.

Chicago Architecture Biennial | Sep 19, 2019-Jan 5 | Chicago, IL

The 2019 Biennial, …and other such stories, will be led by Yesomi Umolu as Artistic Director in collaboration with curator and educator Sepake Angiama and architect and urbanist Paulo Tavares. Presenting practices and projects that include building, design, planning, visual art, policymaking, pedagogy, research, and activism, among others, …and other such stories embraces architecture as an expansive practice that crosses disciplines and scales; engages a broad spectrum of spatial practitioners and publics; and functions across diverse sociopolitical and cultural registers.

Ministry for All | Sep 21-Dec 14 | New York, NY

Ministry for All pairs architect Carla Juaçaba (Rio de Janeiro, 1976) and artist Marcelo Cidade (São Paulo, 1979) in an indirect collaboration that exposes the physical infrastructures of Storefront’s gallery space in order to comment on the social and political foundations of the built environment. This site-specific installation, created entirely with Storefront’s existing infrastructural elements, undresses the gallery’s iconic facade to acknowledge the theatricality and vulnerability of architecture.

The Los Angeles Schools | Sep 21-Nov 24 | Los Angeles, CA

The Los Angeles Schools is a collection of work and statements from the community of architecture students in Los Angeles. While the plethora of schools that exist in Los Angeles is incomparable they do indeed rarely have an opportunity to come together to speak even louder, allowing them to speak beyond their own walls and stand for what the city of Los Angeles will be in the generations to come. The exhibition features the work of students from LA’s premier Architecture Schools: Cal Poly LA Metro, SCI-Arc, USC School of Architecture, UCLA Architecture and Urban Design

Toronto Biennial of Art 2019 | Sep 21-Dec 1 | Toronto, ON, CA

For 72 days, Toronto and surrounding areas will be transformed by free exhibitions, talks, and performances that reflect the city's local context while engaging with the most pressing issues of our time. The inaugural Biennial will present over 100 works by Canadian, Indigenous, and International artists installed at more than 10 sites on or near Toronto's waterfront.

The Architectural League's Beaux Arts Ball 2019: WAVE | Sep 27 | Brooklyn, NY

First Wave, Nouvelle Vague, Third Wave, Next Wave, New Wave, No Wave. Waves have long been used as metaphors for movements and cohorts that mark moments in culture. The Architectural League’s Beaux Arts Ball 2019: WAVE will celebrate these generative and transformative forces of waves.

Bauhaus Looking Forward | Sep 28 | Los Angeles, CA

Putting laudatory celebration to one side, how do contemporary architects look back to the Bauhaus—as a myth, as a model, as a warning, or as a mere episode among the many comprising twentieth-century modernism? Bringing Los Angeles- and Berlin-based architects together for an afternoon of conversation, Bauhaus Looking Forward seeks to identify past challenges and possibilities that might be recognized as present among current practices.

OCTOBER

Archtober 2019 | Oct 1-31 | New York, NY

Archtober is New York City’s Architecture and Design Month, the eighth annual month-long festival of architecture activities, programs and exhibitions taking place during the month of October. Archtober presents special tours, lectures, programs and exhibitions that focus on the importance of architecture and design in everyday life.

The REACH at The Kennedy Center — Tour and Conversation with Designers | Oct 2 | Washington, DC

The ICAA and AIA|DC chapters invite you to join Chris McVoy (Senior Partner and Design Architect for Steven Holl Architects) and Edmund Hollander (founder of Hollander Design) for a tour and conversation about the REACH at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Architecture in Perspective 34 Conference | Oct 3-5 | Hollywood, CA

The 34th Architecture in Perspective Conference invites students, professionals and enthusiasts of architecture and environmental art to join other artists and design professionals from around the world to share in their common passion. This year, the conference will be held in sunny Hollywood, CA for 3 days of sharing ideas, techniques, and a love for architectural illustration.

Designart Tokyo | Oct 18-27 | Tokyo, JP

DESIGNART TOKYO is a festival held each fall as a platform for showcasing the project. It brings together items and experiences like art, architecture, interior design, product design, fashion, food, sports, and technology from around the globe to the stage of Tokyo.

ACADIA 2019 | Oct 24-26 | Austin, TX

The theme of ACADIA 2019 Austin is Ubiquity & Autonomy. We find ourselves at a moment where a schism is developing in digital design and the world of computation. We look forward to papers, projects, keynotes, workshops, and discussions that tackle this theme and stoke the debate.

FOOD: Bigger than the Plate | Open now through Oct 20 | London, GB

FOOD: Bigger than the Plate explores how innovative individuals, communities and organizations are radically re-inventing how we grow, distribute and experience food. Taking visitors on a sensory journey through the food cycle, from compost to table, it poses questions about how the collective choices we make can lead to a more sustainable, just and delicious food future in unexpected and playful ways.

ACE-UIA International Conference on Design Competitions | Oct 25, 2019 | Paris, FR

Organized by the Architects Council of Europe (ACE) and the International Union of Architects (UIA), the event brings together speakers and participants who will explore the benefits and challenges of architectural competitions, with a focus on how to promote high-quality results, through three moderated panels.

CTBUH 10th World Congress | Oct 28-Nov 2 | Chicago, IL

Focusing on the theme “50 Forward; 50 Back”, the Congress will explore the most significant advancements in tall buildings and cities from the last 50 years, whilst inquiring into the future of our cities 50 years from now. This event thus represents a critical reflection on both the skyscraper typology, and urban development as a whole, by marking their trajectory to date, and considering the evolutions that must take place to accommodate a dynamic and uncertain global future.

NOVEMBER

ArchitectureBoston Expo 2019 | Nov 6-7 | Boston, MA

ArchitectureBoston Expo (ABX) is the largest building and design tradeshow and conference in the Northeast attracting 8,000 architects, builders/contractors and design professionals each year.

Sharjah Architectural Triennial | Nov 9-Feb 8, 2020 | Sharjah, AE

Sharjah Architecture Triennial is the first major platform for architecture and urbanism in the Middle East, North and East Africa, and South and Southeast Asia. The inaugural theme is “Rights of Future Generations”. Motivated by the unique circumstances faced by architects, scholars, planners and artists in these regions — from non-existent or fragmented archives, to restrictions on travel, or the absence of institutional support — 2019 Triennal Curator Adrian Lahoud aims to use the occasion of our inaugural edition to create a platform for dialog between an emerging generation of architects drawn from across the region, and its diaspora.

Dubai Design Week 2019 | Nov 11-16 | Dubai, AE

As the largest creative festival in the Middle East, the six-day program is made up of events covering a range of design disciplines including architecture, product, furniture, interior and graphic design, the majority of which are free to attend and accessible for both industry and public.

Greenbuild International Conference & Expo 2019 | Nov 18-22 | Atlanta, GA

Greenbuild is the largest annual event for green building professionals worldwide to learn and source cutting edge solutions to improve resilience, sustainability, and quality of life in our buildings, cities, and communities. This year’s event theme is “A New Living Standard.”

DECEMBER

World Architecture Festival 2019 & INSIDE: World Festival of Interiors | Dec 4-6 | Amsterdam, NL

Now in its 12th year, the World Architecture Festival 2019 will take place on December 4-6 at the RAI Amsterdam. It is the only architecture awards where architects pitch their work to a panel of expert judges and their peers - all live at the festival in Amsterdam. Its sister event INSIDE: World Festival of Interiors celebrates the world’s finest examples of interior design.

The Buildings Show 2019 | Dec 4-6 | Toronto, ON, CA

Join 30,500+ industry professionals at The Buildings Show, North America’s largest annual exposition, networking and educational event for design, architecture, construction and real estate.

Design Miami/ 2019 | Dec 4-8 | Miami Beach, FL

Design Miami/ is the global forum for design. Each fair brings together the most influential collectors, gallerists, designers, curators and critics from around the world in celebration of design culture and commerce.

Art Basel - Miami Beach 2019 | Dec 5-8 | Miami Beach, FL

In Art Basel's American show, leading galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa show significant work from the masters of Modern and contemporary art, as well as the new generation of emerging stars.

Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear on view | Open now through Dec 31 | Long Island City, NY

Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear by School Studio is the winning proposal for the seventh annual Folly/Function, a juried design/build competition for architects and designers. The project, conceived by Brooklyn-based firm School Studio, is a mirrored cube kiosk with sliding wall-doors and applied signage.

 Be sure to check back regularly to keep track of the architecture and design world's biggest upcoming events, or take a look at our interactive Events Map. You can find more Bustler event listings here.