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

With the new year in full swing, there's a wide variety of exciting upcoming and ongoing architecture and design exhibitions, festivals, and showcases to keep you busy throughout February.

From the roster of current and upcoming events listed on Bustler, here is a brief curated selection of recommendations worth seeing this month.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Steven Holl: Drawing as Thought | February 2 – May 4, Berlin

"The work of internationally renowned US architect Steven Holl is distinguished not only by his extraordinary buildings, with a focus on cultural and public structures such as museums, art centres, concert halls, libraries and universities worldwide, but also by his artistic oeuvre, which today comprises more than 50,000 sketches, black-and-white drawings and watercolours. Steven Holl’s international career took off in 1988 when he won the competition for the Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek in Berlin. The exhibition at the Museum for Architectural Drawing begins with the large-format black-and-white drawings from his winning design."

Das Braun Design: Exploring the Legacy of Innovation | February 1 – March 31, Bordeaux

"Das Braun Design, opening on February 1, 2025, in Bordeaux, celebrates the iconic legacy of Braun and its contributions to design and architecture. This exceptional exhibition delves into the minds of Braun’s pioneering figures, including Artur and Erwin Braun, Fritz Eichler, Dieter Rams, and others. [...] Featuring around 80 Braun products—many operational—as well as historic documents, audiovisual materials, and engaging narratives, the exhibition promises a rich, educational experience for design and architecture enthusiasts."

Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Gates and Unrealized Projects for New York City | February 12 – March 23, New York City

"Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Gates and Unrealized Projects for New York City, opening February 12, 2025, marks the 20th anniversary of The Gates, the artists’ monumental work of temporary public art. Installed in Central Park in February 2005, the artwork consisted of 7,503 saffron-colored gates adorned with free-flowing fabric that spanned 23 miles of pathways and transformed the iconic park. This immersive exhibition at The Shed, which includes an augmented reality component, brings the spirit and vision of Christo and Jeanne-Claude to life. It offers visitors an unprecedented opportunity to explore the couple’s artistic journey, rekindling memories for those who witnessed The Gates and unveiling hidden stories for new audiences."

Modernism Week 2025 | February 13–23, Palm Springs

"Modernism Week’s signature February festival takes place February 13 - 23, 2025, highlighting midcentury modern architecture, art, interior design, landscape design, and vintage culture in the Palm Springs area of Southern California. The annual 11-day festival will feature more than 350 tours, programs and events. All activities are open to the public and tickets are available now. A portion of ticket proceeds benefit Modernism Week (a non-profit organization) and other local preservation, neighborhood, and community groups."

Design & Construction Week 2025 | February 25–27, Las Vegas

"2025 Design & Construction Week (DCW) features the co-location of the NAHB International Builders’ Show® (IBS) and the National Kitchen & Bath Association's Kitchen and Bath Industry Show® (KBIS). DCW is the largest annual gathering of residential construction and design industry professionals. This in-person event spotlights new products, industry experts and numerous networking opportunities."

Womxn in Design and Architecture Conference — Helen Liu Fong: bright Constructions | February 27–28, Princeton

"The ninth Womxn in Design Conference at the Princeton School of Architecture honors the life and work of Helen Liu Fong. Organized by Womxn in Design and Architecture, a graduate student group formed in 2014 at Princeton University School of Architecture, this annual conference celebrates the work and memory of a pivotal architect or designer with contributions from international historians and scholars, in addition to artists, musicians, curators, and practitioners."

ONGOING EVENTS

Capital Brutalism | Until June 30, Washington, D.C.

"Capital Brutalism explores the history, current state, and future of seven polarizing buildings and the WMATA Metro system in Washington, D.C. The exhibition uses archival documents, drawings, construction photographs, architectural models, and contemporary photographs to provide context and shed light on the buildings’ stories. Selected buildings are reimagined by leading architecture firms, including Studio Gang, Brooks + Scarpa, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Gensler, and BLDUS, along with students from the School of Architecture at University of Nevada, Las Vegas."

Views of Planet City | Until April 4 (extended), Los Angeles

"Is it possible to design a socially and environmentally sustainable city for seven billion people? Views of Planet City imagines what the world might look like if humanity were to reverse the urban sprawl, and its entire human population were to be housed inside a single, hyperdense megalopolis. Drawing on the ideas of pioneering scientists and futurists and projecting on the basis of already gestating technologies, Views of Planet City challenges dystopian visions of the cities of tomorrow and offers an alternative vision: a scenario in which urbanization at a planetary scale is not incompatible with the safeguarding of Earth’s biodiversity. The project sheds light on various aspects of the Planet City hypothesis through presentations of speculative design, design fiction, and simulation."

Collective Comfort: Airing on Possibilities | Until February 6, San Francisco

"The (Im)material Matters Lab at the University of California, Berkeley, led by Professor Liz Gálvez, presents Collective Comfort: Airing on Possibilities, an innovative exhibition examining climate resilience in desert cities. The exhibition at the Center for Architecture + Design in San Francisco highlights design-research, full-scale prototypes, and student work that address the urgent need for alternative cooling solutions in regions facing extreme heat."

The Tuskegee Chapel: Paul Rudolph X Fry & Welch | Until July 5, New Haven

"This exhibition reveals the often-overlooked story of the rich partnership behind a celebrated yet understudied work of midcentury architecture: Paul Rudolph, Louis Fry, Sr., and Col. John Welch’s landmarked Tuskegee Chapel (1960–1969) on the campus of Tuskegee University, the HBCU in Macon County, Alabama. Timed to coincide with the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Rudolph retrospective, Materialized Space: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph, this complementary exhibition The Tuskegee Chapel: Paul Rudolph X Fry & Welch reveals the design evolution of the chapel, the nature of the collaboration between Rudolph and Fry & Welch, and the specific contributions from each of the two studios. The exhibition also highlights the significant careers of Tuskegee faculty members Louis Fry, Sr. and John Welch as Rudolph’s collaborators, who successfully translated Rudolph’s sculptural concrete form into a spiritual home in local brick that echoed and modernized the building vernacular of Tuskegee."

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