While the last of the summer weather still lingers, the fall semester is underway. Alongside the return to classes, architecture schools across North America are also gradually announcing their fall/winter 2024 public programs, with a wealth of talks, lectures and exhibitions now scheduled. Below, we round up a selection of events — most of which are free to attend — at universities across Canada and the United States.

Opened on September 5 and on until October 10, the Buone Nuove/Good News – Women In Architecture – from MAXXI to MET exhibition anchors TMU’s fall schedule. Alongside the popular traveling exhibit, this semester’s public lectures include the likes of Omar Gandhi (October 3) and Alison Brooks (October 31), while talks by Claire Weisz, Sarah Lynn Lopez and Chris T. Cornelius have already been announced for early 2025.

A characteristically eclectic and thought-provoking program for the Houston-based institution includes lectures by visual artist David Wiseman (September 23), as well as architects Sebastián Adamo (October 2), Sean Canty (October 9), Farshid Moussavi (October 16) and Joshua Jih Pan (November 1), to name just a few. In addition, the 13th edition of the school’s influential PLAT journal launches with an event on November 11.

Ottawa-based design enthusiasts can look forward to an October 2 lecture by Toronto-based architect Heather Dubbeldam. Organized by the Azrieli school in collaboration with the Ottawa Regional Society of Architects, the talk — titled “Building Impact: Architecture, Research and Advocacy” — will take place at the Ottawa Art Gallery, kicking off the 2024-2025 FORUM Lecture Series.

In Philadelphia, the busy fall schedule includes a talk by artist, writer and photographer Virginia Hanusik (September 16). While the impressive roster features multiple lectures and events per week, a few highlights include a September 25 lecture by Lina Ghotmeh, as well as Marina Tabassum’s address on “Displacement of Architecture and Transition,” taking place on October 9. A November 6 talk by Steven Holl is another highlight — among many others — for an action-packed semester.

While a talk by SO-IL recently kicked off the fall lecture series, the accompanying “Urban Domesticity” exhibition remains on show at 1 Spadina Crescent’s Larry Wayne Richards Gallery until October 25. Meanwhile, the fall lecture schedule continues with the September 25 “Future Ancestor” talk by architect — and citizen of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin — Chris T. Cornelius.

This year’s busy fall program includes lectures by Mariam Issoufou (September 26), Marina Tabassum (October 10), Kate Orff (October 21), Minsuk Cho (October 30) and Edourda Souto de Moura (November 7). Throughout the semester, the Lectures in Planning series complements the architectural talks, while a series of multi-disciplinary Actioning Summits bring together a wealth of experts — encompassing design, art, history and civic activism — to tackle pressing cultural and socio-economic issues through the lens of the built environments.

Berlin-based designer and Deadline Architekten co-founder Matthew Griffin comes to Montreal on September 26, followed by legendary landscape architect Laurie Olin, who will deliver a talk on November 12. Rounding out the fall program, details of a lecture on lighting – taking place November 25 – are set to be announced in the coming weeks.

The GSD’s packed fall 2024 calendar includes a September 24 talk — titled “Building with Care: Feminist Perspectives on Design in Conflict” — by Malkit Shoshan, Tatiana Bilbao and Elke Krasny. The lecture series continues with Signe Nielsen (September 26), and a pair of events (October 9 and 10) marking the much-anticipated release of Richard Sennett’s book Democracy and Urban Form. Later in the semester, Anne Whiston Sprin will deliver this year’s Frederick Law Olmstead lecture on October 29.

On the west coast, the Vancouver-based School of Architecture + Landscape Architecture kicks off the 2024-2025 lecture series with “The DNA of Belonging: False Creek South” on September 25, with further events set to be announced soon.

Architecture and Labor author Peggy Deamer comes to Ann Arbor on September 30, while the likes of Bjarke Ingels (November 1) and Eyal Weizman (November 18) round out a can’t-miss fall program. In addition, the school’s Climate Futures Symposium takes place on October 17-18, “exploring the ways architecture and planning can help to bring about a better future for people and the planet.”

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Looking for more fall events? Taking place in downtown Toronto on October 24-25, Azure’s inaugural Human/Nature Conference will bring together thought leaders from across Canada and around the world to share proven strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change. Tickets are on sale now!