Members must be signed in to access discounts. For instructions click here.

From urbanization and climate change, to displacement and social equity, some of this century’s most important issues are attracting design professionals with a desire to leverage their training and experience to create social changes. The two-day Impact Design Summit will explore how designers can affect society by creating economic, environmental, educational, social health impacts, and how design can be the driver for positive systemic change.

Autodesk Design Night DC - Friday, October 27

Design Night DC kicks off the Impact Design Summit, a symposium on design and social impact hosted by the Virginia Tech School of Architecture + Design, Center for Design Research that continues Saturday.

At every Design Night, we take a theme—both new and unexpected—and celebrate how technology is transforming that industry. For Design Night DC, we’ll celebrate "Robots for Good!"

Today, robots are used for everything from building cars to cleaning your carpets, to fighting cancer. The use of robotics for social good is still new and relatively untapped in developing countries. Autodesk Design Night DC will explore how robotics are being used to accelerate the impact of humanitarian aid, global development and environmental protection efforts across multiple social good sectors.

Hear from Patrick Meier, cofounder of WeRobotics, the first global platform to promote and support the development of robotics for social good.

Symposium: Impact Design Summit: The Practice of Impact Design - Saturday, October 28

Throughout the day, panel discussions with seasoned practitioners address critical areas of practical concern in the field of impact design, such as challenges of staffing, financing, and evaluating social impact design practices, as well as potential solutions to those challenges. The symposium will also highlight how to disseminate knowledge and best practices in social impact design within and beyond the social impact. Full schedule.

$30 Museum Member | FREE Student | $50 Non-member. Space is limited.

Online registration for Museum programs closes at midnight the day before the scheduled program.

Learn more about the Impact Design Summit, a symposium on design and social impact, hosted by the National Building Museum and the Virginia Tech Center for Design Research with support of the Autodesk Foundation.

To attend only Autodesk Design Night DC, please click here.

To attend only the Symposium, please click here.