5 must-see architecture and design events to check out this August

It's hot out there, so go and refresh your senses with some inspiring exhibitions, grab a chilled drink, and mingle with fellow architecture and design community members at exciting live and virtual events this month.

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

Seattle Design Festival: 2024 WHAT IF? | August 17–22, Seattle

"The Seattle Design Festival (SDF), formerly known as Design in Public, was founded in 2011 to celebrate all the ways that design makes life better for Seattle, and to nurture relationships among multidisciplinary designers, civic leaders, business innovators, community organizers, educators, artists, and activists. We are thrilled to invite you to join us for 6 days of transformative programming, all designed to unleash the design thinker in everyone and to build more equitable and thriving communities through design. Mark your calendar- save the date- and ask yourself WHAT IF? we can all harness the power of design?"

Alvar Aalto Symposium 2024 | August 22 & 23, Jyväskylä, Finland, and virtual

"Join for the 16th Alvar Aalto Symposium – THE WEIGHT OF ARCHITECTURE: How much does architecture weigh when the future of the entire planet is at stake? What is the role of architecture and design amidst ecological crises, catastrophes and political upheaval? Can design make a difference, solve problems, and bring any radical change for the better? [...] The 16th Alvar Aalto Symposium 22.-23.8.2024 is a hybrid event, onsite in Jyväskylä, Finland, and virtual for a large international audience around the world."

Big, Hot & Sticky | Until August 23, Houston

"Architecture Center Houston is proud to announce their [...] exhibition Big, Hot, and Sticky, [...]. Curated by Dalia Munenzon and Maggie Tsang, the exhibition commissions seven architects and artist to respond to Houston's built and natural environment. Houston is Big, Hot, and Sticky. The metropolitan region is roughly 640 square miles, and from east of Galveston Bay to west of Katy, it is comparable in width to the State of Connecticut. For nearly one third of the year, the city’s temperature climbs to at least 90 °F; and 2,500 miles of slow moving, flat waterways crisscross the city creating a swamp-like environment."

The Birth of Department Stores. Fashion, Design, Toys, Advertising. 1852-1925. | Until October 13, Paris

"From the Spring through the Autumn of 2024, The Musée des Arts Décoratifs and the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine, will collaborate on a two-part history of the creation of department stores in Paris, beginning in 1852 and lasting until the present day. The first exhibition, to be held at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs from April 10th through October 13th, 2024, examines the rise of department stores within the historical, political, and social context of the Second Empire, exploring the development, golden age, and consecration of these mammoth Magasins at the 1925 International Exhibition of Decorative and Industrial Arts. Beginning with the establishment of Le Bon Marché, Les Magasins du Louvre, Le Printemps, La Samaritaine and Les Galeries Lafayette, the exhibition will convey the importance of this new style of commerce and explain how it gave rise to a female-driven world of consumerism."

madskills: Self-Documenting Construction on Social Media | Until October 20, Montreal

"madskills: Self-Documenting Construction on Social Media investigates popular social media clips documenting construction work by those present on site. Inspired by the rise of the creator economy, contractors, builders, and tradespeople have started to record and share their skills, creativity, and concerns with a digitally connected community of peers, clients, and construction enthusiasts through shares, likes, follows, and comments. The diffusion of these images and reels and the emergence of this trend heighten the visibility of the construction industry, workers, and their material culture and practices. Juxtaposing digitally produced content with items from the CCA collection, the exhibition explores how the visual representation of construction processes has changed with the use of social media, as control over its distribution has shifted to include everyone involved and more."

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.