A packed calendar of fairs such as Dwell on Design and the Architecture & Design Film Festival, as well as independent events such as site tours, panels and events for the design-savvy and novices alike will dominate the entire month of October as Archtober takes center stage in New York City for its fourth consecutive year. For 31 days, dozens of sponsor and participant organizations will join organizers the Center for Architecture and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) New York Chapter to celebrate the impact of urban planning, buildings and interior design in metropolitan New York.

“We are delighted at the diversity of programs and organizations on board for Archtober 2014," said Rick Bell AIANY's Executive Director. "The range of partners, both local and global, represents the full spectrum of architecture and design work.”

David Rockwell and Jerry Mitchell at Archtober 2013

This year's Archtober schedule of 120-plus events and activities kicks off on Wednesday, October 1, with New Practices New York 2014, an exhibition of work by some of the region's most promising young design firms. The show will be on display in the main exhibition space at the Center for Architecture (CFA) in Greenwich Village. The selected architects presented in the exhibition—The Bittertang Farm, dlandstudio architecture + landscape architecture, Fake Industries Architectural Agonism, form-ula, NAMELESS Architecture and PARA-project—will discuss trends in emerging architecture during a symposium on Thursday, October 2.

Archtober 2013 wall of events

Opening day will also get underway with a talk on universal design at the New York Institute of Technology by author and designer Cynthia Liebrock; architectural tours aboard a historic schooner departing from South Street Seaport; and, as the first of 31 “Buildings of the Day,” a lunchtime tour of the Public Theater at Astor Place, recently renovated by Ennead Architects.

Building of the Day: Navy Green Supportive Housing by Architecture in Formation

Archtober may be most famous for the “Building of the Day” series of lunchtime architectural tours, featuring everything from historic landmarks to just opened projects and many restored iconic buildings, among others. Each of Archtober's 31 days features a different site, and participants who book the tour get insider information and VIP access, often meeting the architects themselves. Some of this year’s buildings include 250 Bowery, The New School, Tavern on the Green, the National September 11 Memorial Museum, the Times Square Reconstruction and the Jacob K. Javits Center.

“We're grateful that there is so much interest in celebrating the great diversity of architectural talent and built space that the city and the region have to offer,” said Cynthia Kracauer, Managing Director of the Center for Architecture.

Building of the Day: Kickstarter by Ole Sondresen Architect

Participants can find a full schedule of events online, but they can also visit the Archtober Lounge, a hang out and meet-up spot designed especially for the festival by Pentagram and located at CFA. The Lounge features a mural-sized interactive calendar that attendees and participants can use to make plans on any given Archtober day.

Other highlights of the month include:

Dwell on Design (October 9 – 11) is debuting for the first time in New York as part of Archtober and is set to welcome 5,000 attendees to 82MERCER for the three-day design workshop featuring discussions with topics ranging from “Healthy Architecture” to “The New Malleable Office" and “Re-imagining New York City’s Terra Firma” with speakers including Margie Ruddick, and Clive Wilkinson; Vishaan Chakrabarti of SHoP Architects; Pentagram partner Michael Bierut; National Design award winner and Tony Award nominee David Rockwell; and Designtex CEO Susan Lyons, among many others.

Archtober 2013 panel discussion

The Architectural Record’s Innovation Conference (October 9) is following the "Breakthrough: Design at the Intersection of Art, Science and Technology” theme, and speakers will address "the creative process behind experimental architecture, and the evolution of American and international modernism.”

The Architecture & Design Film Festival (October 17 – 19) at the Tribeca Cinemas is the largest such film festival in the nation, showcasing more than 30 films, panel discussions, book signings and Q&A's with designers and filmmakers. This year, the show will feature a “Short Films Walk” as guests stroll through New York's Soho neighborhood stopping in at the ten participating design showrooms, each of which will be screening a 15- minute loop of film shorts from the archives.

"Archtober attendees will have a remarkable calendar of events to choose from, as always,” said Kracauer. "The festival is a great chance for people of every experience level to enjoy the city and learn about architecture. And there's something for everyone.”

For additional information, and to view the full schedule of events, click here.