The Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB) has unveiled the full participant list for its landmark sixth edition, SHIFT: Architecture in Times of Radical Change, opening September 19, 2025. Curated by Argentine editor and theorist Florencia Rodriguez, SHIFT is a rallying cry for architecture to confront its moment—one defined by global volatility and transformative possibility.
Running through February 28, 2026, the Biennial will activate dozens of sites across Chicago with exhibitions, installations, films, dialogues, and publications—all free to the public. The expansive programming, featuring more than 100 multidisciplinary teams from 30 countries, repositions architecture not as a finished object but as a live process of negotiation, speculation, and social impact.
“Architecture is fundamentally about engaging with change—understanding it, responding to it, and proposing ways to improve the conditions we inhabit,” said Artistic Director Florencia Rodriguez. “In that sense, architecture and design are inherently optimistic disciplines—not because they naively accept the status quo, but because they trust in the power of imagination and knowledge to shape more equitable, meaningful futures.”
A Platform for Urgency
The 2025 edition arrives during the Biennial’s tenth anniversary, a milestone that reinforces Chicago’s enduring legacy as an epicenter of architectural invention. From the works of Sullivan and Mies to Jeanne Gang and Amanda Williams, the city has long served as a proving ground for the ideas that shape the built world.
“Chicago is known the world over as a hub of architecture and design and the 2025 Architecture Biennial will further enrich that legacy,” said Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. “I encourage visitors from near and far to come see firsthand and take part in our renowned architectural landscape.”
Estudio Planta, Joselevich / Rascovsky arqs. Edificio Commodore, Argentina, 2019. Photo: Javier Agustin Rojas.
Since 2015, CAB has presented more than 500 projects representing over 40 countries and welcomed more than two million visitors. This year’s theme—SHIFT—asks participants to confront the unstable terrain of the present and speculate on alternatives to conventional architectural thinking.
“This year’s Biennial will welcome architects, visionaries, and creatives from around the world to our city to showcase their work, share their ideas, and inspire a new generation,” said Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. “We continue to see the invaluable impact of bringing people together for these critical conversations through the arts.”
Global Voices, Local Impact
Participants range from emerging studios and artist collectives to established names including MASS Design Group, Johnston Marklee, Michael Maltzan Architecture, and SO–IL. Other notable contributors include Breathe Architecture (Australia), URBANUS (China), Oshinowo Studio (Nigeria), Kashef Chowdhury/URBANA (Bangladesh), and The Bittertang Farm (U.S.).
Kashef Chowdhury / URBANA. Friendship Centre, Bangladesh, 2008. Photo: Hélène Binet.
These voices will explore issues from housing and ecological design to circular materials, postcolonial urbanism, and new architectural pedagogies. The curatorial strategy emphasizes co-authorship and distributed authorship, mirroring the polyphonic, non-hierarchical structure that defines the contemporary city.
Oshinowo Studio. Ngarannam UNDP, Nigeria, 2022. Photo: Tolu Sanusi.
“The Chicago Architecture Biennial provides opportunities for architects, designers, and artists—from emerging to established—to experiment and demonstrate the potential and power of design and the built environment for diverse audiences,” said Sarah Herda, Co-Chair of CAB’s Board of Directors.
The Biennial’s citywide presence will again be anchored by the Chicago Cultural Center, with opening festivities hosted by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), its longstanding presenting partner.
“This Biennial reminds the world that Chicago is where bold ideas take shape,” said DCASE Commissioner Clinée Hedspeth. “The Biennial continues to push the boundaries of how architecture and art help share community and culture.”
Architecture as Action
SHIFT doesn’t just ask architects to reflect—it asks them to act. It positions architecture not as a passive discipline but as a tool for social transformation and spatial justice.
“Now is an essential moment to continue this conversation,” said Nora Daley, Co-Chair of the CAB Board. “There is a lot we can learn from each other about the ways we can improve communities through design.”
To articulate the Biennial’s vision visually, CAB commissioned São Paulo–based graphic design studio Estudio Margem to create its identity. The curatorial team also includes Associate Co-Curators Igo Kommers Wender and Chana Haouzi, Assistant Curator Gabriela de Paula Weinert, and an editorial team led by Isabella Moretti and Santiago Bogani.
A Full Participant List, A Global Constellation
The 100+ invited contributors represent a broad swath of the design world—spanning five continents and disciplines as varied as landscape architecture, sculpture, urbanism, performance, publishing, and cooperative housing. Participants include:
- 11 x 17 (Denver/Toronto)
- APPARATA (London)
- Breathe Architecture (Melbourne)
- Centro Cooperativista Uruguayo (Montevideo)
- David Gissen, Ignacio Galán, and Alessandro Orsini (New York)
- gt2P (Santiago, Chile)
- Lacol Cooperative Architecture (Barcelona)
- MASS Design Group (Rwanda/U.S.)
- Natura Futura (Ecuador)
- Space Popular (Vienna/Asturias)
- WAI Architecture Think Tank (Ames, U.S.)
- And many more.
(Full participant list available at chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org)
Toward a Shared Future
The Biennial doesn’t offer a single solution—it stages a global conversation. What it does offer is a platform: for alternate imaginaries, speculative architectures, and design practices rooted in collaboration, equity, and experimentation.
“We always have choices, and the decisions we make define what becomes possible tomorrow,” said Rodriguez. “As Artistic Director of the Chicago Architecture Biennial on its 10th anniversary, I hope to foster a critical platform where bold, imaginative ideas can surface and be shared with the public.”
In a moment defined by crisis and change, SHIFT insists that architecture has something urgent to say—and that Chicago is still where the world listens.
