The upcoming Chicago Architecture Biennial stands apart from other global architecture events through its commitment to free, public access, according to curator Florencia Rodriguez, an Argentinian architect and educator. Rodriguez, who served as director of the University of Illinois Chicago School of Architecture from 2022 to 2025, believes this approach creates the ideal platform for collective thinking and tackling the field's most pressing challenges.
"I believe in making things public, and that's why I curate, I edit, I publish and I collaborate because that's when collective thinking happens," Rodriguez told Dezeen ahead of the biennial's 10-year edition launching next month. She emphasized that Chicago's deep architectural heritage makes it uniquely suited for such an event, noting that "Chicago is a city that is used to architecture, and the history of 20th-century architecture is very clearly present in the streets."
The fifth edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB) will feature panel discussions, exhibitions, performances, and gatherings designed to satisfy practitioners' desire for meaningful content while remaining accessible to the general public. Rodriguez stressed the importance of the event's free admission, stating "This is a biennial that is completely open to the public. It's free." This accessibility sets CAB apart from events like the Venice Architecture Biennale, which requires tickets for entry.
CAB 2025 will showcase more than 100 projects from 30 different countries under the theme "Shift: Architecture in Times of Radical Change." The biennial features collaborators from across the United States and internationally, including American studios such as SO-IL and LOHA, as well as international firms like Oshinowo Studio. Rodriguez chose this broad theme in response to the wide-ranging challenges facing the architecture industry as it addresses social, political, and environmental changes.
"I think that the scale, or the scope, of the changes we are confronting in the last decades is so large that I did not want to engage with just one line of thinking," Rodriguez explained. "I thought it better to generate a platform or an umbrella for discussion." The theme "Shift" reflects both the changing world and her hope that the discussions will shift people's perspectives on architecture and its role in society.
The biennial is organized into smaller thematic programs or "capsules" addressing questions related to housing, ecology, and specific programming relevant to Chicago. Exhibitions will be distributed throughout the city, spanning venues from the Chicago Cultural Center to the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry and the Hancock Center skyscraper at 875 North Michigan Avenue. Rodriguez has also planned a special exhibition highlighting Chicago's particular needs in collaboration with local non-profit MAS Context.
Chicago's unique position as a pioneer of modernism and its citizens' pride in the city's architectural legacy make it an ideal location for the biennial, according to Rodriguez. "It's very embedded in the fabric of the city of Chicago," she said. "It couldn't be anywhere else." The city embodies what Rodriguez calls the "ordinary-extra" – a concept describing the potential for ingenuity and lessons that everyday actions can teach us, which serves as a central theme for this year's event.
Rodriguez's curatorial approach is based on the belief that cultural pluralism and openness create opportunities for collaboration and problem-solving. The biennial seeks to leverage the unique adaptability of different people and cultures, bringing them together to generate innovative solutions. "You will see how many practices are working to respond to their context, to their idiosyncrasies, the cultural specificities in different parts of the world by creating something that enhances or generates a better experience," she explained.
The international nature of the biennial represents an important focus for Rodriguez, who chose "to engage with the city in a different way" compared to previous editions. While CAB 2023 was heavily engaged with Chicago's artist community, this year's event aims to serve as "a cultural artifact for global discussion and for thinking about architecture in general that also leaves something for the city."
Despite the current political climate in the United States, with ongoing trade tensions, immigration restrictions, and tightening visa requirements, Rodriguez remains committed to the biennial's international scope. She noted that while some international participants expressed safety concerns, no logistical problems have emerged so far. The event continues to embrace openness and its potential to "shift attention" toward solutions for increasingly complex global challenges.
Drawing from her personal experience as a political exile during Argentina's dictatorship, Rodriguez emphasized her belief in "the idea of culture as resistance." She stated, "You have the freedom to express different ideas, that's the basis of democracy. I hope that is reflected in the biennial and there are spaces to talk about being together when we come from different places." The curator sees the event as an opportunity to open doors "to critical thinking, to learning about other experiences and to learning about other understandings that are not your own."
The Chicago Architecture Biennial will run from September 19, 2025, to February 28, 2026, offering an extended period for public engagement with contemporary architectural thinking and practice from around the world.
