Students and Faculty Explore Radical Futures in the Chicago Architecture Biennial

Through speculative projects and site-specific investigations, students examine the evolving role of design in more just, accessible, and ecologically responsive environments.Through speculative projects and site-specific investigations, students examine the evolving role of design in more just, accessible, and ecologically responsive environments.
Ahoud Thabet, "Lost in Time," 2025. Digital collage. Part of “Permission To… Permission Too,” a student exhibition in collaboration with the 2025–26 Chicago Architecture Biennial. Ahoud Thabet, "Lost in Time," 2025. Digital collage. Part of “Permission To… Permission Too,” a student exhibition in collaboration with the 2025–26 Chicago Architecture Biennial.
Columbia students and faculty are showcasing bold, community-focused projects in the 2025–26 Chicago Architecture Biennial

Columbia College Chicago is a partner in the 2025–26 Chicago Architecture Biennial, the largest architecture and design exhibition in North America. Across multiple projects, Columbia students and faculty are responding to the Biennial’s theme “SHIFT: Architecture in Times of Radical Change.” 

At the center is “Permission To… Permission Too,” a student exhibition from the Interior Architecture program. On view October 1, 2025–February 28, 2026 at Columbia’s Community Engagement Hub, 600 S. Michigan Ave., the exhibition is curated by faculty members Rene King and Rebecca (Becky) Midden. Students present speculative projects that imagine more just, accessible, and ecologically responsive futures. Designed as a street-facing, community-oriented installation, the exhibition transforms Columbia’s South Loop hub into a site of dialogue and collective imagination. 

The Biennial collaboration also includes projects across Columbia’s creative disciplines. Students in the Illustration program will debut “Impressions from the Corridor” at the C33 Gallery, opening October 2, with collaborative mini murals and illustrated works inspired by the murals of the The Wabash Arts Corridor. Free walking tours of the Wabash Arts Corridor will be led by the Society of Art & History, exploring political disruption and community encounters through public street art. 

Together, these projects highlight Columbia’s distinctive approach: treating Chicago as a living classroom and empowering students to shape global conversations about the future of design. 

Key Details 

  • Permission To… Permission Too: October 1, 2025–February 28, 2026 | Community Engagement Hub, 600 S. Michigan Ave. 
  • Hours: Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. 
  • Opening Reception: Thursday, October 16, 5–7 p.m. RSVP here 
  • Impressions from the Corridor: October 2–November 10, 2025 | C33 Gallery, 1104. S. Wabash Ave.  
  • Wabash Arts Corridor Tours: Saturdays and Sundays, October 4–November 2, 2025 | Free registration on Eventbrite 

The Chicago Architecture Biennial runs citywide October 1, 2025–February 28, 2026, showcasing bold ideas from designers, artists, and architects around the world. 

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