Summary: Four events in the coming weeks days and weeks will cover contemporary education design, free admission for a day to museums in New York City, construction business, and career repositioning for displaced architects.

2009 School Building Expo
The David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh
June 2-4, 2009
For: Educational facility architects.

This convention brings together all the stakeholders in the contemporary education design and construction market: architects, designers, engineers, and education administrators. The conference is being held in conjunction with the AIA’s Committee on Architecture for Education Knowledge Community. Its sessions will cover adaptive reuse design solutions and case studies of trend-setting sustainable schools, such as Kieran Timberlake’s Sidwell Friends Middle School in Washington, D.C. Keynote speakers will be Gregory Kats, director for climate change policy of Good Energies, a private investment firm in renewable and clean energy technologies, and Vivian Loftness, FAIA, of Carnegie Mellon University, an internationally renowned expert in environmental design and sustainability, advanced building systems, and climate and regionalism in architecture.

The Museum Mile Festival
New York City
June 9, 2009
For: Anyone who enjoys seeing world-class architecture for free.

For the past 30 years, New York has opened its mile-long cultural jewel of nine museums along 5th Ave. (including the Met, the Museum of the City of New York, and the Cooper Hewitt) to visitors for free, and this year, there’s even more reason to celebrate. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year with the opening of the exhibition Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Onward, and this year’s Museum Mile opening ceremony will take place at the museum at 5:45 p.m.

Third Annual Construction Business Forum
Sheraton National Hotel in Arlington, Va.
June 9-10, 2009
For: Architects who follow the news and know their business does, too.

This year’s Engineering News-Record and Construction Users Roundtable-hosted construction forum is embracing both the challenges of the recession-plagued economy and the new opportunities offered by the Obama Administration and the federal stimulus package. “Embracing Change: The Impact of the New Administration on Construction” is its theme, and AIA EVP/CEO Chris McEntee will be featured as a member of a panel discussion covering the evolving construction regulatory landscape. Other sessions will focus on rebuilding energy infrastructure and construction market forecasts. AIA members will receive a discounted registration rate.

Re:work: Workshop to Help Reposition Careers, Restore Optimism for Displaced Architects and Designers
The Mohawk Group Showroom, Merchandise Mart, Chicago
June 25, 2009
For: Displaced and unoptimistic designers on a budget.

Carpet manufacturer The Mohawk Group is hosting a series of career coaching seminars that will try to bring hope to architects and designers who’ve been blindsided by the downturn in the economy. Sessions include résumé writing, interview skills, and financial planning advice—all for free. Co-hosted by Interior Design Magazine and the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), Re:work will help designers to envision and then realize their new big-picture role in the changing economy. The sessions will take place from 8:30 a.m. till 5:00 p.m., and the events are CEU-accredited (.4 CEU credits) by the IIDA.