The future of architecture and the public realm will be the topic for discussion in New York on October 19 as some 300 architects and designers gather in the historic Masonic Hall for Architectural Record’s annual daylong Innovation Conference. “We wanted to explore the expanding role of architects in designing social infrastructure and making architecture engage the public sphere,” says RECORD editor in chief Cathleen McGuigan. “The design community has the opportunity to assume a leadership role in the future of urban spaces as cities increasingly plan projects based on changing needs.”

Sessions will include discussions led by the curators of the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial, Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee; New York Times architecture critic Michael Kimmelman; OMA New York partner and director Shohei Shigematsu; architect Brendan MacFarlane of Jakob + MacFarlane; and Weiss/Manfredi founding partners Michael Manfredi and Marion Weiss, who is a 2017 recipient of RECORD's Women in Architecture awards.

Programmed around the themes of design, creativity, and technology, the conference will also feature a timely conversation on resilient architecture, focusing on how the design community in Manhattan and coastal Connecticut can respond to—and prepare for—destructive weather, rising sea levels, and storm surges. The architects leading the conversation will include Amy Chester, managing director at Rebuild by Design; David Waggonner, principal of Waggoner & Ball Architects; and Simon David, a senior designer and project leader from Bjarke Ingels Group. Another panel will look at designing for contingencies in the public realm.

The conference will run from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m., with breaks for socializing, and will end with a cocktail reception. Attendees can earn up to 7.75 CE credits. Find details, registration information, and a full list of sponsors at east.arinnovationconference.com.

Register to attend the Women in Architecture Awards here.