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Design Week Portland, which kicks off Friday and runs through April 23, is about as multifaceted as an event can be.

With about 100 open houses, scores of events and exhibits, and two days of speeches and activities at Pioneer Courthouse Square, there’s something for just about anyone interested in design.

In fact, for many attendees, the toughest part of the weeklong celebration may be trying to decide which of the myriad offerings to include on one’s calendar.

Luckily, we at the 91视频 have done some homework to help you decide.

Begin at the beginning

The best place to start might be at the heart of the celebration, Design Week’s headquarters at Pioneer Courthouse Square.

In addition to a roster of workshops and live entertainment at the square from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., April 18-22, festival organizers have a slew of surprises, Design Week director Tsilli Pines said. The square will be transformed into a sort of map of the city and covered with wooden 鈥渢rees鈥� 鈥� wooden poles with protruding dowel rods 鈥� to represent Portland’s neighborhoods, she said.

In one of several domes that will be set up in the area, festival-goers will be invited to fill out cards with wishes and visions for their neighborhoods. The cards will serve as 鈥渓eaves鈥� that can then be hung on the 鈥渢rees.鈥�

鈥淲e want to capture this documentation because it’s basically citizen input,鈥� Pines said. 鈥淲e’re focused this year on ways for the public to have a voice and for the public to engage with us. It’s the most democratic part of our programming.鈥�

Something to talk about

Although most Design Week Festival events won’t start until Monday, Revolution Hall will play host on Saturday and Sunday to a range of design-focused talks, including one by Craig Dykers, the founding partner of Snohetta. The firm, which is based in Oslo, Norway, and New York City, is handling design of the James Beard Public Market as well as the Willamette Falls Legacy Project.

Most of the events and workshops planned for next week will be free or charge a small fee, but because of overhead expenses and presenter stipends, tickets for the two-day 鈥渢alks鈥� event will cost $395 for general admission and $295 for students.

While Dykers is a main draw, Pines said she expects a talk by Portland State University professor Ethan Seltzer to also draw quite a bit of attention.

Seltzer said he plans to use his presentation to illustrate that the notion of 鈥渂est practices鈥� doesn’t always work.

鈥淲hen it comes to planning and coping with change in this region we’ve got to be thinking less about best practices and more about making this place the best place it can be,’ he said. 鈥淲hat this place becomes is really in large part up to us.鈥�

People looking for a less pricey way to kick off the festival this weekend may want to check out Revolution Hall for the festival’s opening party, on Saturday from 7 to 11 p.m. Tickets for the party run $10 per person, and attendees will have an opportunity to examine several displays featuring the design work of more than a dozen local creative companies, from agencies to startups.

Portlanders looped in

The future of Portland’s Green Loop, a six-mile pedestrian and bicycle urban promenade, will take a giant step forward next week when the winner of the Loop PDX design competition will finally be announced.

Thirty-eight entries were submitted by designers from around the world for the competition, which was created through a collaboration of the University of Oregon’s John Yeon Center for Architecture, the Portland Bureau of Transportation, Portland Parks and Recreation, and other landowners and stakeholders.

Those entries have since been narrowed down to five finalist designs, which will be presented by their creators during a pitch party on Monday, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at Jimmy Mak’s, 221 N.W. 10th Ave. Admission is $10.

A panel of judges will select an overall design winner, who will receive a $20,000 prize and a chance to see his or her design become a reality in the city.

鈥淭he bottom line is that somebody will walk away with $20,000 to further develop their proposals,鈥� said Randy Gragg, director of the Yeon Center. 鈥淏ut this will be a long process, over many years, and we want to bring fresh ideas to the table.鈥�

Independent events

One of Design Week’s most impressive exhibits will be one by Snohetta showcasing its design processes; it recently appeared at the Danish Architecture Centre in Copenhagen. The hands-on, walk-through display will demonstrate 鈥渢he relationships between people, processes and their projects in an exhibit format.鈥�

The exhibit will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., starting Monday and continuing through June, at the Center for Architecture at 403 N.W. 11th Ave. It will occupy more than 5,000 square feet, said Robert Hoffman, executive director of the American Institute of Architects’ Portland chapter.

Hoffman said the exhibit is the largest ever staged at the center and that it is 鈥渞eally ingenious鈥� in the way it takes people through the design process.

鈥淲e looked at it and said this is very much the kind of thing we want to happen in the Center for Architecture, because this is design for everybody,鈥� he said.

Best made plans

With so many activities and offerings from which to choose, folks can easily become overwhelmed.

For people looking to tap into the opinions of experts tied into the local design scene, the Design Week website offers a look at itineraries hand-picked by area design professionals. Holst Architecture principal Dave Otte, for example, plans to attend the opening party, see the Snohetta exhibit, check out the Loop PDX design competition and take part in the AIA Portland Homes Tour.

Also, Design Week organizers have a solution for people seeking some help picking and choosing a festival plan. Simply head back to Pioneer Courthouse Square and corral one of the festival’s roving ambassadors, who Pines said will be happy to provide information and answer any questions.

鈥淥ur ambassadors will help them understand all of (their) options,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t’s a way for people feeling overwhelmed by the festival to get some guidance.鈥�