From Le Corbusier at Le Pompidou in Paris, to Alvar Aalto and his summer cottages at his namesake museum in Jyväskylä, Finland, this summer is a great one for design and architecture enthusiasts looking for a cultural infusion. In addition to the big names at the big institutions, you can also sample many smaller exhibitions around Europe, all well worth the trip. Here, we share four to catch before the summer’s out.

“Dialogues – Photographs by Hélène Binet” at the Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum für Gestaltung, Berlin

One of the most prominent architectural photographers of our time, the Swiss lenswoman shares decades’ worth of her black-and-white images (known for their striking use of light and shadow) in this show, which juxtaposes snaps of buildings by the likes of Peter Zumthor and Zaha Hadid with gentle landscape imagery.*

Through October 21, 2015; bauhaus.de *

“Bernard Tschumi. Architecture: Concept & Notation” at the Swiss Architecture Museum, Basel, Switzerland

The Swiss architect and architectural theorist Bernard Tschumi reveals the inner workings of his experimental practice in this small exhibition in his home country. The show examines Tschumi’s creations—from the Blue Residential Tower in New York to the Acropolis Museum in Athens—and the controversy that sometimes surrounds them, through a collection of models, renderings, texts, and photographs, all originally shown in 2014 at the Centre Pompidou in Paris.*

Through August 23, 2015; sam-baselrg *

“Radically Modern: Urban Planning & Architecture in 1960s Berlin” at Berlinische Galerie, Berlin

A decade of architectural reinvention in the German capital, the 1960s saw Berlin transformed for both better and worse, with countless urban planning projects and new constructions undertaken in a tense political environment that included, of course, the construction of the wall that would divide East from West. The exhibition looks at some 300 works by 30 architects including Walter Gropius and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and considers their lasting architectural, political, and social impact.*

Through October 26, 2015; berlinischegalerie.de *

“European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award 2015” at the MUHBA Oliva Artés Centre, Barcelona

Awarded biannually to celebrate leading European architectural projects, this year the Mies van der Rohe Award went to Barcelona-based Barozzi / Veiga Architects for its Philharmonic Hall in Szczecin, Poland. Showcasing this project, as well the other 419 nominees, all built in Europe over the past two years, the exhibition offers a comprehensive look at the Continent’s current and future architectural landscape. The show will travel, with the next stop at BOZAR Center for Fine Arts in Brussels, starting September 15.*

Through August 28, 2015; miesbcnom *