Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB) 2025: SHIFT: Architecture in Times of Radical Change

The Chicago Architecture Biennial convenes the world to explore innovative ideas and collectively imagine the future of design. The Biennial’s large-scale exhibitions, talks, performances, films, and other events, create opportunities to engage timely global issues through the lens of architecture and design, emphasizing creativity and community participation. Free and open to the public, the Chicago Architecture Biennial stands as North America’s largest international survey of contemporary architecture and design.

Save the Date: SHIFT Opening Weekend in Chicago

Mark your calendars: The opening weekend of the 6th edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial, SHIFT: Architecture in Times of Radical Change, is coming September 19–21.

Start your experience at the Chicago Cultural Center, then explore a citywide constellation of exhibitions and public programs hosted by dozens of leading cultural, program, and civic partners throughout Chicago.

This edition of the Biennial brings together over 100 projects by architects, artists, and designers from 30 countries — each engaging with the profound cultural, social, and environmental transformations shaping our world today. From housing and ecology to material innovation, SHIFT invites you to consider: How does architecture impact our world, and how might it help us imagine new possibilities?