The 2023 lecture series, “The Closer You Get,” features talks from Philip Kafka of Prince Concepts, Rebecca Popowsky of OLIN Labs, Cory Henry of Atelier Cory Henry, Adam Ruffin of ARCHITECTUREFIRM, and Gabriella Carrillo of c733, as well as several local leaders. The series is open to the public and available online.

The application-based workshop is open to students and young professionals from across the United States, Mexico, and Canada in an effort to challenge the perception, value, and relevancy of the practice of architecture in Raleigh, one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. While specific to Raleigh, workshop projects address urban challenges that face many American cities.

Last year’s workshop welcomed eighteen participants from six states and eight universities. While here, participants developed critical design proposals for social problems found in the city. The work participants created last year was the subject of a public exhibit on 08 05 22 in downtown Raleigh at First Friday. The workshop lecture series and First Friday show were open to the public, with over eight hundred people attending, and sparked a critical dialogue about the future of the built environment in downtown Raleigh. 2022 lecturers included Ifeoma Ebo of Creative Urban Alchemy, David Seiter of Future Green Studio, Johanna Hurme of 5468796 arch, Neeraj Bhatia of the Open Workshop, and Hector Barroso.