Redefining Engagement: Mau, Macaulay, Chadha Join Xlab Offsite Chicago

2025 Xlab kicks off this August in New York City with a one-day Studio Sessions intensive—then heads to Chicago in September for a two-day creative symposium at the DuSable Roundhouse. Get ready for hands-on workshops, bold ideas, and inspiring voices like Bruce Mau, David Macaulay, and Monica Chadha. See what’s coming…

  1. At Xlab 2025, attendees will explore experimentation as essential practice—reconnecting with purpose, pushing creative boundaries, and shaping experiences that matter.

A Bold New Chapter: Xlab Offsite Chicago

As SEGD prepares to break new ground with Xlab Offsite Chicago, September 17–18 at the DuSable Roundhouse, we’re thrilled to share a preview of what’s to come. This year’s symposium centers on experimentation as essential practice—a way to reconnect with our purpose, expand our creative vocabulary, and build experiences that matter.

We’re moving beyond passive listening toward active participation, behind-the-scenes discovery, and cross-disciplinary exchange. And today, we’re excited to introduce three extraordinary voices who will help guide that journey.

Design icon, prolific author, and educator Bruce Mau, FSEGD, headlines Xlab Offsite Chicago

Bruce Mau: Designing with Purpose

We’re honored to welcome Bruce Mau, SEGD Fellow and Co-Founder of Massive Change Network, as our opening speaker. A visionary in life-centered design, Bruce brings a rare combination of creative ambition and deep humility to everything he touches.

His recent work—collaborating with students at Arizona State University to design meaningful systems that support unhoused communities—embodies design as a tool for transformation. Bruce isn’t drawn to design for design’s sake; he’s driven by purpose, people, and the pressing challenges of our time. His presence will help ground the symposium in action—and pose the question at the heart of this year’s gathering: “Now that we can design anything, what will we choose to manifest?”

Legendary illustrator David Macaulay joins SEGD Xlab Offsite Chicago speaker line-up

David Macaulay: Drawing to Discover

Also joining us is legendary illustrator and MacArthur Fellow David Macaulay, whose books and drawings have inspired generations of thinkers, makers, and designers.

Widely regarded as one of the country’s foremost designers of information, Macaulay has a gift for revealing the hidden structures and systems behind the everyday and the extraordinary. At Xlab Offsite Chicago, he will lead a live drawing initiative throughout Day 2—demonstrating how sketching can unlock new ways of seeing, understanding, and engaging across disciplines.

Civic Projects Founder and Principal Monica Chadha

Monica Chadha: Design for Belonging

Architect and social impact leader Monica Chadha, AIA, LEED AP, will present her talk, CIVIC ENG: Design as a Tool for Engagement. As the Founder and Principal of Civic Projects Architecture, Monica has spent over two decades creating inclusive, community-rooted spaces that combine high design with long-term strategic thinking.

Her participatory approach has shaped projects ranging from the Obama Presidential Center to an arts center in a converted fire station for Yollocalli. Monica’s work bridges architecture, equity, and storytelling—pushing the boundaries of traditional practice to create environments that reflect and uplift the communities they serve. Her voice will bring an essential perspective on how design can be a mechanism for belonging, trust, and shared ownership.

Xlab and the Chicago Architecture Biennial

Timed with the opening of the 2025 Chicago Architecture Biennial, this year’s Xlab is more than a symposium—it’s a creative recharge and a cultural happening.

  1. Xlab Studio Sessions attendees will get the conversation started with hands-on experimentations with technology and immersive experiences in New York City

First Stop: Xlab Studio Sessions NYC

Before Chicago, we’re kicking off with Xlab Studio Sessions: NYC, a one-day intensive on August 5, 2025, at TAD (Technology, Architecture, Design).

Expect hands-on workshops, intimate studio tours, and deep dives into the craft of experience design.

We’ll wrap the day with a rooftop happy hour near Grand Central Station, generously sponsored by Signs + Decal. This casual, high-energy close to the day is the perfect opportunity to debrief, mingle, and take in the city skyline with fellow creatives.

Thanks to Our Sponsors

Thank you to our SEGD Xlab Presenting Sponsors: DCL and Nanolumens.

Special thanks also to our Xlab Offsite Chicago Sponsors: Electrosonic and Daktronics. Thank you to Xlab Studio Sessions Sponsor: Signs + Decal.

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