For the fifth year in a row, the Center for Architecture and the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter are ushering in fall with a monthlong celebration of architecture and design. Dubbed Archtober, the New York City–based festival features more than 100 events ranging from workshops and panel discussions to its marquee Building of the Day program, which allows members of the public to get daily behind-the-scenes tours of new and historic landmarks, often led by the architects themselves.

Coordinators for this year’s festival recruited 61 organizational partners from around the city to contribute to the calendar of programs, highlights of which include the Architecture & Design Film Festival at Chelsea’s Bow Tie Cinemas (October 13–18) and the Designers & Books Fair at the Fashion Institute of Technology (October 2–4). A myriad of exhibition openings will also occur during the month, kicking off today with the Center for Architecture’s “Designing Affordability: Quicker, Smarter, More Efficient Housing Now,” which explores ways of cutting housing costs without sacrificing design quality.

Designed by Ten Arquitectos, the stepped Mercedes House in midtown Manhattan is part of Archtober’s Building of the Day program.

This year’s festival marks the debut of Archtober Hall in the South Street Seaport district of Manhattan. The space not only provides a staging location for meet-ups and partner events during the month but also holds the Center for Architecture’s pop-up exhibition “Sea Level: Five Boroughs at Water’s Edge,” which documents the current state of the waterfront and the complex role it has played in the city’s development.

For a full list of events, visit archtoberrg.