10 must-see architecture and design events to check out this March

With spring on the horizon, step out to see the array of exciting architecture and design-related festivals, exhibitions, and trade shows available throughout the month of March.

From the roster of ongoing and upcoming events listed on Bustler, here is our curated selection of recommendations worth checking out.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Open House Miami 2025 | February 28 – March 2, Miami

"We are excited to announce the return of Open House Miami (OHMIA). From February 28th to March 2nd, this annual celebration of architecture, culture, and design will offer an unprecedented opportunity to explore the city's hidden architectural gems and diverse cultural landscape. Building on the success of its inaugural year, OHMIA 2025 will expand its program to include over 100 unique experiences across 20+ neighborhoods in Greater Miami. This year's event promises to be even more immersive, featuring exclusive tours, behind-the-scenes access, and a deeper dive into Miami's dynamic architectural and cultural scene."

SXSW 2025 | March 7–15, Austin

"South by Southwest dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of tech, film, music, education, and culture. An essential destination for global professionals, the annual March event features sessions, music and comedy showcases, film and television screenings, world-class exhibitions, professional development and networking opportunities, tech competitions, awards ceremonies, and much more. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together."

MATTER and SHAPE | March 7–10, Paris

"MATTER and SHAPE is a new design salon in the heart of Paris, the first of its kind, unveiled during Paris Fashion Week in the Jardin des Tuileries. MATTER and SHAPE invites exhibitors, great and small, to present exceptional projects and products in an elevated setting, celebrating the culture of global design today."

Desert X 2025 | March 8–11, Coachella Valley

"In the Coachella Valley, where time unfolds in geological epochs and the wind weaves stories through ancient mountains, a profound reverence for the enduring spirit of this harsh yet resilient region emerges, challenging us to glean wisdom from its vast knowledge. Far from an empty expanse, the desert landscape acts as a canvas of real and imagined histories, narrating tales of displacement, sovereignty and adaptation superimposed over visible testaments of time. Reflecting on the desert’s deep time evolutions, the fifth edition of Desert X will delve deeper into nonlinear narratives of time, forming a space where ancestral wisdom intertwines and collides with contemporary visions for our collective future."

New York Build 2025 | March 12–13, New York City

"Join us at New York's biggest Festival of Construction on March 12-13 at the Javits Center. The show features 40,000+ attendees, 500+ speakers, 500+ exhibitors, networking parties, live music, entertainment, giveaways and more!"

ACSA 113th Annual Meeting: REPAIR | March 20–22, New Orleans

"The ACSA Annual Meeting convenes educators, practitioners, and students from around the world to share research and explore the past and future of architecture, design, and allied disciplines. The 113th Annual Meeting will provide multiple opportunities for scholarly exchange in New Orleans March 20-22, 2025."

International Mass Timber Conference | March 25–27, Portland

"The International Mass Timber Conference is the world’s largest gathering of mass timber experts, focusing on the entire industry supply chain. Scheduled for March 25–27, 2025, in Portland, Oregon, this event brings together professionals from architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, and real estate development to explore the latest advancements in mass timber technology and design."

Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style | March 28 – August 17, London

"Celebrating our enduring love of water, this exhibition will dive into design’s role in shaping our relationship with swimming over the past 100 years — both in the water and beside it. From the 1920s, swimwear was marketed for swimming rather than bathing as fitness became fashionable. Groundbreaking women set a number of records in the water, and a beach holiday was all the rage, evident in the lidos built across Britain’s towns and coastlines. This exhibition will chart the century that followed, right up to the role of swimming in modern life and how it has influenced and subverted our ideas of autonomy and agency, and sport and style. Visitors will discover the full spectrum of the design of swimming — from sports performance to fashion and architecture."

ONGOING EVENTS

A Love Letter to LA | Until March 28, Los Angeles

"The recent Los Angeles wildfires have left entire neighborhoods in ruin, marking one of the most traumatic events that most of its citizens have likely experienced. To watch a community come together after facing such adversity is truly inspiring. And the support continues in unexpected ways: When Henrybuilt reached out to architecture and design photographers to contribute pieces of their work for a fundraiser for the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation and the California Community Foundation Wildlife Recovery Fund, the response was almost immediate, and overwhelmingly generous.  Through the lens of architecture and design photographers, the twenty-nine donated images comprising this exhibition capture the essence of Los Angeles — its beauty, resilience, and complexity."

Do Not Try to Remember: The American School of Architecture in the Bay Area | Until August 8, San Francisco

"In the mid-twentieth century, a group of architecture students at the University of Oklahoma developed an unprecedented range of visionary projects. Mentored by architects Bruce Goff, Herb Greene, and others, these students were encouraged to develop their individual creativity and taught to prize originality. Known as the American School of Architecture, this program rejected European teaching styles in favor of bold originality. Instead of a singular aesthetic, it was defined by a set of shared values: pluralism, contextualism, and expression. This archival exhibition explores the work of a group of American School architects who went West and established groundbreaking practices in and around the Bay Area."

Do you have an architecture or design event you want to promote? Submit it to our event calendar via Bustler for review and a potential feature.