10 must-see architecture and design events to check out this September

Just because the summer is winding down doesn't mean there's a shortage of exciting live events and activities in the architecture and design community. A slew of design festivals are taking place next month in locations such as Detroit, Atlanta, San Francisco, London, Paris, Helsinki, Sydney, Zurich, Vienna, and Singapore.

From the roster of ongoing and upcoming events listed on Bustler, here is a brief curated selection of recommendations worth checking out this September.

Detroit Month of Design 2024: Creative Currents | September 1–30, Detroit

"Detroit Month of Design is a citywide collaboration of creativity that gathers designers, consumers, residents and the greater community to celebrate Detroit’s role as a national and global design capital. Detroit Month of Design returns for its 14th annual edition this September 1-30, 2024! Every September, partners across Detroit—from emerging studios to established companies and educational institutions—come together to show off their latest works and ideas. These cross-disciplinary events take place in all corners of the city, highlighting the talent and innovation that makes Detroit a UNESCO City of Design."

Paris Design Week 2024 | September 4–14, Paris

"In September 2011 Maison&Objet took on the challenge of imagining an event that could share the energy of its aisles and its offerings with the general public. In its wake, Paris Design Week was born. A festive, unifying gathering which flies the banner of the art of living and in which the whole city reveals the innumerable talents within. Designers, architects, decorators, fashion designers, and chefs have answered the call through spaces that bring creation to life in the city!"

Helsinki Design Week 2024: Underneath | September 6–15, Helsinki

"The world needs a radical redesign and reconstruction. In September, Helsinki Design Week invites not only the entire design community, but also creators from other fields to participate in the discussion. In addition to designers and architects, we need engineers, researchers, entrepreneurs, economists and artists. Helsinki Design Week’s goal is to make the relationship of all these fields to design visible – and then to strengthen this relationship. Talking about the transformative forces of design among ourselves goes nowhere. Helsinki Design Week believes in cooperation."

Sydney Design Week 2024 | September 13–19, Sydney

"Now is the time for more inclusive cities. How can design push the boundaries of possibility to support sustainable models for living, connection and culture? Sydney Design Week 2024 brings together visionary designers, architects and artists, engaging research, storytelling and image making to create space for alternative futures."

Design Agendas: Modern Architecture in St. Louis, 1930s–1970s | September 13 – January 6, Saint Louis

"Design Agendas: Modern Architecture in St. Louis, 1930s–1970s is the first major exhibition to examine the complex connections in St. Louis among modern architecture, urban renewal, and racial and spatial change in the interlocking histories of New Deal planning, the Great Migration, and the civil rights and Great Society eras. With material drawn from the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Missouri Historical Society, and other collections, this exhibition situates some of the most celebrated works of modern architecture in St. Louis within the context of mid-twentieth-century regional developments. Using architectural drawings, models, photographs, films, digital maps, and artworks, Design Agendas explores a remarkably destructive, creative, dynamic, and conflicted time in St. Louis’s architectural and urban history."

London Design Festival 2024 | September 14–22, London

"London Design Festival was launched by Sir John Sorrell CBE and Ben Evans CBE in 2003. Building on London’s existing design activity, their concept was to create an annual event that would promote the city’s creativity, drawing in the country’s greatest thinkers, practitioners, retailers and educators to a deliver an unmissable celebration of design. The launch of the first Festival took place at Bloomberg on 25 March 2003, with a show of support from design, education, government and London organisations. 20 years later, this vision remains ever strong."

CTBUH 2024 International Conference | September 23–27, London and Paris

"New or Renew refers to the choice between new buildings and cities, or the adaptation of the existing for the sake of environmental, economic and social sustainability. This is not about the conflict between old and new, or heritage versus future. Instead, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat seeks to identify strategies for transformation and growth that bring new blood to urban life. There is a new generation of tall buildings and shapes of density to be discovered, which provides new opportunities for flexibility and energy savings, as well as a substantial reduction of impact on the environment."

Design Chicago 2024 | September 25–26, Chicago

"Join us on Wednesday and Thursday, September 25 & 26th, 2024 for Design Chicago, the Midwest’s Largest Residential Design Conference featuring two days of education, product features and design inspiration from the kitchen, bath and home furnishings showrooms at the Merchandise Mart. This two day event for interior design, architecture and luxury custom home building is capped with two special evenings: Opening Night Reception on September 25th and the Design Chicago Soiree on September 26th celebrating the best in Chicago and Midwest Design."

Singapore Design Week 2024 | September 26 – October 6, Singapore

"From the festival hub at the National Design Centre to Design Districts at Bras Basah.Bugis, Marina, and Orchard, and many other Design Community locations, SDW 2024 will present an extraordinary showcase of Singapore’s distinctive brand of creativity. ‘People of Design’ honours the everyday visionaries among us who are making meaningful contributions to society through design. They come from all walks of life, but share a collective aspiration to make things better. This year, we invite everyone to join us in uncovering their own design potential to bring new and better outcomes to light – ultimately creating a more liveable and loveable Singapore."

Atlanta Design Festival 2024 | September 28 – October 6, Atlanta

"Atlanta Design Festival is a platform to celebrate, convene, & connect creative industries. The festival invites the brightest creative leaders and organizations to host installations, exhibitions, design and architecture tours, film screenings, conference panels and more, to showcase Atlanta as a global powerhouse and innovator of ideas."

Do you have an architecture or design event you want to promote? Submit it to our event calendar via Bustler for review and a potential feature.