Dates & times
All times are local to the venue · America/New York
- 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM
These are the previously published dates. Check the organizer for a new edition.
Check the organizer’s latest schedule ↗Pumpkitecture gives architects a pumpkin-sized housing brief
At Pumpkitecture, a pumpkin is less a canvas for a face than a site for a room. For the seventh annual competition on October 28, New York City design firms have been asked to carve residential interiors, with the proportions and details of a home in mind.
A home inside the shell
The assignment grows out of “In Our Hands,” the theme of Archtober 2026, New York’s annual fall architecture festival. Organizers suggest a kitchen, bedroom or living room as a starting point and invite teams to consider how a home can support wellness.
That gives spectators a way to compare the entries beyond their Halloween appeal: look for the choices each team makes about the kind of room it creates and how it interprets the brief. The announced firms are CTA Architects, DLR Group, Fogarty Finger, Hoffmann Architects + Engineers, IA, Pennoni and Shakespeare Gordon Studio; organizers say additional firms will be announced.
From carving to a case for the design
The competition is a chance to watch the firms work, then hear them briefly defend their designs before the jury deliberates. Spectators have their own role, too: they can vote for the People’s Pumpkin, separate from the jury’s selection.
The jury includes Tiny Doll House owners Leslie Edelman and Timothy Potter; photographer and International Center of Photography educator Hannah La Follette Ryan; architect and 2026 AIA New York president Mark Gardner; and New York Times design columnist Talia Mayden.
Competition schedule
Carving precedes the teams’ design defenses and the jury’s decision.
Wednesday, October 28, 2026 · Center for Architecture
- Live pumpkin carving by competing architecture and design firms.
- Firms briefly defend their designs, followed by jury deliberation and selection of the winning pumpkin.
Planning the evening
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
The event runs from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.; live carving is scheduled from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m.
Register for in-person admission
The general-public ticket is $15. The Center’s galleries are ordinarily free, but this competition is a ticketed event.
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Snacks and drinks
The event listing mentions snacks and libations but does not specify whether they are included in admission.
Getting to the Center for Architecture
Subway and walking
The Center for Architecture is at 536 LaGuardia Place, between Bleecker and West 3rd streets. From West 4th Street station, exit at West 3rd Street, walk east and turn right on LaGuardia Place. From Broadway/Lafayette, walk north on Broadway, turn left on Bleecker Street and right on LaGuardia Place.
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Driving and parking
The Center identifies Washington Square Village Parking, with entrances on Bleecker or West 3rd between LaGuardia Place and Mercer Street, and Thompson Parking Corp., at 221 Thompson Street, as nearby garages.
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Before you make a plan
Do visitors carve pumpkins themselves?
The announced competition is for architecture and design firms. Spectators watch and can vote for the People’s Pumpkin; a public carving activity is not listed.
Is the competition free if the galleries are free?
No. The in-person general-public ticket is $15, even though the Center’s galleries are ordinarily free.
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Are service animals allowed?
Yes. The Center welcomes service animals; pets and emotional support animals are not permitted.
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Location & Google Maps
Center for Architecture
536 LaGuardia Place, New York, NY 10012
Map search by venue and address. Check the organiser’s entrance details before travelling.