![Benjamin Prosky, Assoc. AIA, Executive Director, AIA New York and the Center for Architecture](https://www.aiany.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/LastWord_Ben_CenterForArchitecture_31-1280x853.jpg)
Archtober, NYC’s Architecture and Design Month, turns eight in 2018! This year’s festival returns with 31 days of lectures, tours, screenings, and programs organized by 60+ partners across the five boroughs. Every year, our lineup of events celebrates the breadth and diversity of New York City institutions engaging with architecture, design, and the built environment. As New Yorkers, we’re lucky to have such a vibrant ecosystem of organizations highlighting the importance of design in everyday life.
The festival’s popular Building of the Day series of architect-led walking tours continues, featuring new projects including The Shed and a new waterfront park, Hunters Point South (by this year’s President’s Award winner WEISS/MANFREDI with SWA/Balsley), as well as historic icons like the airport-terminal-turned-hotel TWA Flight Center and Bronx Community College’s Marcel Breuer masterpieces. The Center for Architecture will expand its family-oriented offerings for the month, with a Build a LEGO City Family Day, a Build and Wear Halloween Costume workshop, and the launch of its Urban Explorers downloadable building guides. Once again, don’t miss Archtober favorites, including Pumpkitecture!, where architects live-carve to compete for the prized “Pritzkerpumpkin,” and Archtober Trivia Night, organized in conjunction with Housing Works Bookstore Café and Urban Archive. On October 25, join us at Chelsea Piers to celebrate design excellence and the Center for Architecture’s 15th anniversary at our annual Heritage Ball, this year honoring WEISS/MANFREDI, Larry Silverstein, Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, Beverly Willis, FAIA, and the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation.
Archtober’s month of festivities will kick off on October 1 with Close to the Edge: The Birth of Hip-Hop Architecture, curated by Sekou Cooke of Syracuse University. The exhibition will display works by practitioners, academics, and students who apply the primary elements of hip-hop—deejaying, emceeing, B-boying, and graffiti painting—to produce spaces, buildings, and environments that embody the creative energy of this cultural movement. In November, join us for the opening of Paul Rudolph: The Hong Kong Journey, to mark the architect’s centennial birthday. The Center for Architecture has partnered with the Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation to showcase previously unseen drawings, sketches, and renderings that highlight a fascinating chapter in Rudolph’s career. Be sure to check out the exciting talks and programs we will host in conjunction with these exhibitions.