1. Marking Space and Time

Forty years ago, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) held the World Heritage Convention in Paris that sought to protect monuments, building groups, and sites from development. Since 1972, 189 countries (out of 193 U.N. members) have ratified the convention. Marking that anniversary, Rutgers University will hold the conference “Cultural Landscapes: Preservation Challenges in the 21st Century,” that will assess future preservation trends in light of UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites—which includes 962 properties to date.

Learn more at chaps.rutgers.edu.

2. New Nordic

Scandinavian design has always set a high standard for elegance and simplicity, but is there a way to characterize a “Nordic way”? Does a Nordic identity exist? Those questions and others are up for debate in “New Nordic: Architecture & Identity” at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Fredensborg, Denmark, outside of Copenhagen. The exhibition, which draws examples from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, runs through Oct. 21.

Learn more at louisiana.dk/dk.

3. College Park Celebration

The School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation at the University of Maryland marks 40 years in its current building—designed by Charles Richter, FAIA—as well as gaining accreditation as a school. To kick off the celebration, the school is hosting two lectures: The first, on Oct. 12, will be given by environmentalist and scholar David W. Orr; and the second, on Oct. 13, is a series of talks on the challenges architects, planners, and preservationists face, as professionals and community builders.

Learn more at blog.aia-nj.org.

4. Shape Shifters

The Heinz Architectural Center at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh has commissioned Dutch photographer Iwan Baan to document museums around the world that have bucked the white cube in favor of drawing landscape into art space. The show, “White Cube, Green Maze: New Art Landscapes,” curated by Raymund Ryan, features six trendsetting projects, including Weiss/Manfredi’s Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle. Baan’s portraits, which are accompanied by models, plans, maquettes, and renderings, are on view through Jan. 13, 2013.

Learn more at cmoa.org.

5. Fall into Architecture

This month has been rechristened “Archtober” in several quarters of the U.S. to celebrate architecture and to engage the public in design issues. The critical mass of events takes place in New York, with more than 40 organizations hosting and orchestrating tours, lectures, demonstrations, and gallery shows. Join the Van Alen Institute, the Cultural Landscape Foundation, the Center for Architecture Foundation, AIA New York, and others each day this month to take part in this annual festival.

Learn more at archtober.org.

6. Portlandia

By the time the Independent Film Channel series Portlandia debuted in 2011, the Rose City had undergone a rapid transformation from sleepy Shangri-La for alt-culture into a hardcore architecture scene. Chronicling that change, the 2012 Portland Architecture and Design Festival features a series of tours, award programs, film screenings, exhibitions, and lectures that began last month and will conclude on Oct. 26. This annual festival is presented by AIA Portland and the Center for Architecture in conjunction with a number of area arts organizations.

Learn more at adfestivalpdx.org.