As the international design calendar shifts toward its dynamic autumn season, cultural institutions, galleries, and public spaces around the world are rolling out an ambitious slate of exhibitions, immersive events, and high-stakes competitions. From major retrospectives celebrating pioneering modernist creators to forward-looking festivals exploring sustainable urbanism and the politics of public space, the coming months offer a rich exploration of how architecture and design shape the human environment.
For its landmark exhibition this fall, Finland’s Design Museum is turning its focus to the monumental contributions of the renowned designer couple Antti Nurmesniemi and Vuokko Nurmesniemi. Antti, an acclaimed interior designer, and Vuokko, a visionary textile artist, worked both independently and in close collaboration across the diverse fields of architecture, fashion, and interior design. Together, they emerged as monumental figures in the mid-to-late 20th century, steering the trajectory of modern Finnish design with an emphasis on functionalism, bold pattern work, and material integrity. Their enduring influence on Nordic aesthetics remains a cornerstone of the nation’s design heritage. Visitors seeking to explore their extensive portfolio can find further details through the museum’s official channels.
The winter season will also bring a major milestone for high-rise architecture with the upcoming debut of "Ole Scheeren: Spaces of Life" at the ZKM | Center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe, Germany. Scheduled to run from December 10, 2022, through June 4, 2023, this exhibition marks the first comprehensive solo presentation dedicated to the work of Ole Scheeren. Born in Karlsruhe and having launched his career at Rem Koolhaas’s OMA office in Rotterdam before founding his eponymous firm in 2010, Scheeren has earned international acclaim for his monumental, structurally daring, and socially experimental projects. Among his most celebrated works are the award-winning China Central Television (CCTV) Station in Beijing and the interlocking residential matrix of The Interlace in Singapore. The Karlsruhe exhibition promises an in-depth look at how Scheeren reimagines density, community, and vertical urbanism on a global scale.
Ongoing Exhibitions
Among the exhibitions currently captivating architecture enthusiasts is "Schindler House: 100 Years in the Making," on view in Los Angeles through September 25, 2022. Constructed in 1922, R.M. Schindler’s iconic West Hollywood residence has experienced countless iterations, modifications, and revivals over its century-long lifespan. Originally conceived as a radical experiment in communal living for Schindler, his wife Pauline, and their friends Clyde and Marian Chace, the house has operated since 1994 as the headquarters of the MAK Center for Art and Architecture, an independent satellite of the MAK Museum in Vienna. To commemorate the centenary of this modernist masterpiece, the MAK has curated a nuanced, "gentle timeline" chronicling the home’s physical evolution, construction, and periodic alterations. Led by MAK Center director Jia Yi Gu alongside architectural historians Gary Riichirō Fox and Sarah Hearne, the exhibition juxtaposes rare historical archival materials with site-specific contemporary interventions by artists including Carmen Argote, Kathi Hofer, Fiona Connor, Julian Hoeber, and Peter Shire.
In Milan, the Museo del Novecento is hosting "Aldo Rossi: Design 1960–1997" through October 2, 2022. This comprehensive retrospective brings together more than 350 pieces by the Pritzker Prize-winning architect, highlighting his profound impact on industrial design and object culture. Rossi, celebrated globally for his theoretical rigor and poetic approach to building form, maintained high-profile collaborations with major manufacturing brands such as Designtex, Artemide, Alessi, and Up&Up throughout his prolific career. Curated by Chiara Spangaro with an exhibition layout and interior design conceived by Morris Adjmi Architects, the show spans nine galleries. It traces how Rossi’s experimental, highly sophisticated use of color, geometric reduction, and classical typology continues to resonate within contemporary design discourse.
Meanwhile, in Vienna, the MAK Exhibition Hall is presenting "Missing Link: Strategies of a Viennese Architecture Group (1970–1980)" through October 2, 2022. This exhibition offers the first-ever comprehensive survey of the work produced by the radical avant-garde architecture collective Missing Link. Founded in 1970 by Angela Hareiter, Otto Kapfinger, and Adolf Krischanitz, the group operated at the intersection of architecture, conceptual art, and social critique. Their diverse output ranged from visionary, utopian proposals for collective living to meticulous research studies examining the complex urban networks of Vienna. The exhibition also features contextual works by contemporaneous figures such as Hans Hollein and Joseph Beuys, alongside deep dives into the history of Viennese coffeehouse culture and the social housing legacy of Red Vienna.
Sustainable urbanism takes center stage at the Floriade Expo 2022 in Almere, Holland, which runs through October 9, 2022. Held once every decade, this prestigious international horticultural exhibition showcases temporary pavilions highlighting cutting-edge horticultural innovations from around the globe. For this iteration, the Dutch architecture practice MVRDV was commissioned to design a comprehensive 60-hectare master plan for the six-month event. The firm conceptualized the site as a living laboratory for sustainable urban development, anchored by a rigorous arboretum framework. An alphabetical library of trees, shrubs, and plants is arranged in a strict grid, establishing the spatial layout for the international pavilions. Once the exposition concludes, the infrastructure will transition into a permanent, ecologically focused residential neighborhood for the city of Almere.
In the Scottish countryside, the Isle of Bute is hosting the "Sitting Pretty" exhibition through October 15, 2022. Last September, Design Exhibition Scotland issued an open call inviting architects, designers, and artists from across the United Kingdom to conceptualize innovative prototypes for the humble park bench. The resulting selected designs—created by Rekha Maker, C.A. Walac, Chris Dobson, and the collaborative team of Dress for the Weather and Stefanie Cheong—are now installed across the historic grounds of Mount Stuart, a grand 19th-century mansion. Utilizing a diverse palette of regional and reclaimed materials including Scottish sandstone, marble, locally sourced timber, and recycled plastics, the benches pay direct homage to the rich material history and palatial landscape of the estate.
London’s Building Centre is currently presenting "The Garden of Privatised Delights" through October 15, 2022. Originally developed for the British Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale, the exhibition was commissioned by the British Council and curated by Madeleine Kessler and Manijeh Verghese of the London-based practice Unscene Architecture. Taking its evocative title from Hieronymus Bosch’s famous triptych, the show examines the contemporary proliferation of privately owned public spaces (POPS) across the UK. It issues an urgent call for alternative architectural approaches to reconcile escalating tensions between private commercial interests and the public good. Several leading British architecture studios, including the Decorators, Studio Polpo, and vPPR Architects, contribute seven imaginative, inclusive redesigns for typical privatized civic zones, such as neighborhood pubs, high streets, public playgrounds, and accessible restrooms.
New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is currently staging a monumental retrospective dedicated to Bernd and Hilla Becher, running through November 6, 2022. Featuring over 200 works, this exhibition represents the first major posthumous museum presentation for the influential German photography duo. The Bechers achieved international renown for their exhaustive, methodical documentation of disappearing industrial architecture throughout the postwar era. Working with a large-format view camera, they meticulously captured grain silos, water towers, blast furnaces, gas tanks, and winding towers—structures they famously referred to as "anonymous sculptures." By organizing these architectural specimens into systematic "typologies," or grid arrangements consisting of between four and thirty photographs, the Bechers elevated industrial inventory into a rigorous conceptual art form that profoundly influenced generations of photographers and conceptual artists.
Events
The autumn calendar also features several vital gatherings, beginning with LightSPEC West in Los Angeles on September 21 and 22, 2022. This inaugural event is dedicated to exploring design and technological innovation in lighting specifically tailored for the built environment. Over the course of two days, the program addresses critical issues facing contemporary building designers, owners, and facilities operators. Attendees can participate in guided site tours, explore a comprehensive product showcase, and earn continuing education units (CEU) through a series of specialized lectures and panel discussions. Keynote addresses will be delivered by Lawrence Scarpa of the architecture firm Brooks + Scarpa and Thomas Paterson of the lighting design practice Lux Populi.
In Portugal, the ninth edition of the Arquiteturas Film Festival is taking place in the city of Porto rather than its traditional home of Lisbon, running from September 27 to October 1, 2022. Festival organizers have curated a program centered around the timely theme "Slow Down!"—a critical exploration of architectural practices centered on reducing, reusing, demolishing, or subtracting built mass rather than continuous expansion. The festival emphasizes the moving image as an essential medium for expanding public discourse around the built environment. Award categories for this year’s submissions include documentary, fiction, experimental work, new talent recognition, social awareness, and audience choice.
Scandinavia’s largest architectural gathering, the Copenhagen Architecture Festival, is scheduled to run from October 6 to October 16, 2022. Under the overarching theme "Sense of Place," this year’s festival challenges architectural professionals and the public alike to examine the critical threshold where physical construction transcends mere building to become a meaningful "place." The expansive program features lectures, symposia, public debates, and curated film screenings distributed across cultural venues throughout Copenhagen. In a notable collaboration, the festival is partnering with the Danish Architects Association to host parallel programming exploring the same thematic territory at cultural institutions throughout Denmark.
In late October, the vibrant cultural landscape of Las Vegas will host "Duck Duck Shed: Celebrating Las Vegas Architecture, Design, and Culture" from October 27 to October 30, 2022. Hosted at The Neon Museum—housed within a landmark structure designed by architect Paul Revere Williams and dedicated to preserving historic neon signage—the four-day event honors decades of radical architectural innovation, particularly within the hospitality sector. Featured speakers include urban planner Alan Hess and architect Jon Sparer, creative forces behind iconic casino-resorts such as the Mirage, Paris Las Vegas, and the Bellagio. The event takes its intellectual inspiration from the seminal 1972 publication Learning From Las Vegas by Denise Scott Brown, Robert Venturi, and Steven Izenour, which famously categorized commercial architecture into "ducks"—buildings whose overall forms express their specific function—and "decorated sheds"—conventional structures whose identities rely on applied signs and ornament.
Competitions
For design teams seeking new challenges, the 4th Quadrant of Victory Square International Architecture Competition has set a submission deadline of September 16, 2022. Organized by the Czech real-estate development group 4th Quadrant, the competition invites visionary architecture and design teams to propose a comprehensive master plan for the area surrounding Victory Square in Prague. Proposals must address a recognized deficit of civic amenities, retail spaces, and local services for residents of the surrounding neighborhoods, while simultaneously respecting and engaging with the historic 1924 urban master plan designed by architect Antonín Engel. An initial portfolio review will narrow the pool to between six and ten finalist firms, who will then develop detailed design proposals in active collaboration with the developer, the City of Prague, and the Prague University of Chemistry and Technology across multiple competitive phases.
