Programs & Events

Filters

Changing any of the form inputs will cause the list of events to refresh with the filtered results.

2024 Vincent Scully Prize: Walter Hood

Join Aileen Fuchs, president and executive director, and the Vincent Scully Prize Jury, for an award presentation and cocktail reception to celebrate the work of Walter Hood, pre-eminent American landscape designer, artist, and educator. Best known for his work in the public realm and urban environments, Walter Hood has a storied career as a designer,…

$50

BrutalistDC Walking Tour

Join Deane Madsen, founder of BrutalistDC and author of the Brutalist Washington Map, for a walking tour around Penn Quarter to see some of the District's most notorious examples of Brutalist architecture. Please meet at the National Building Museum at 2 pm and make sure to wear comfortable walking shoes.

Girl Scouts- Designing for Disaster

Juniors will learn how to use the Design Thinking Process to solve problems through hands-on activities and discussion. First, they will design an emergency shelter in response to a natural disaster of their choice. Second, they will adapt their shelter to survive an earthquake, testing their final structures on a shake table! After participating in…

Event Series Storytime

Storytime

Storytime is FREE and packed full of reading, songs, and activities designed to promote language and literacy skills! Story themes vary weekly, but relate to current exhibitions at the museum.

Black Vessel: Theaster Gates

"Black Vessel" centers on the ways in which human beings have developed strategies for protection, containment, and gathering. Focusing on the role of clay, craft, and the human hand in creating early technologies, "Black Vessel" connects artist and social innovator Theaster Gates's practice to the endeavor of leveraging skill and ingenuity to make our days…

$15

Tough Sites: Designing for Hard Histories

Join Elizabeth J Kennedy, FLA FASLA, landscape architect and Design Trust for Public Space Research Fellow, as she explores the challenges of designing "tough sites,” locations steeped in culturally charged and contested histories. Kennedy will focus on her ongoing projects, including the Inwood Sacred Site in northern Manhattan. The site, a former African burial ground…

$15
Event Series Storytime

Storytime

Storytime is FREE and packed full of reading, songs, and activities designed to promote language and literacy skills! Story themes vary weekly, but relate to current exhibitions at the museum.

The Big Build

Children and adults will learn side-by-side with roofers, plumbers, designers, artisans, and more at this FREE, hands-on festival celebrating the world we design and build. Kids of all ages will explore a wide variety of unique, interactive activities from professions including plumbing, home remodeling, construction, woodworking, and many more.    From 10 am to 4 pm,…

Event Series Storytime

Storytime

Storytime is FREE and packed full of reading, songs, and activities designed to promote language and literacy skills! Story themes vary weekly, but relate to current exhibitions at the museum.

Late Night: Boos & Brews

Discover the Museum’s exhibitions while enjoying a variety of activities. Take part in our Spooky History Tours, where you’ll explore haunting legends and chilling tales collected over the decades. Hear stories of the historic site that defy easy explanation and uncover hidden features of this breathtaking structure. Sip on craft brews from local breweries and…

$20