Calendar

The Center for Architecture + Design hosts annual programs spanning a range of topics in the architecture and multi-disciplinary design space. Programs include forums, tours, youth programs, film screenings, authors showcases and more that provide diverse opportunities for people of all ages to discover the power of design to improve the quality of life.

SPRING EXHIBITION

ON VIEW: MARCH 25 – MAY 3

LECTURE + BOOK SIGNING | THURSDAY, MARCH 28 | 6:00 – 8:00 PM

San Miguel de Allende: the soul of Mexico

Join us at the Center for a lively conversation with Cathi and Steven House featuring their newest book, San Miguel de Allende: the soul of Mexico. In 1988 a seemingly orchestrated series of events led Cathi and Steven to the Mexican town of San Miguel de Allende. After several amazing visits to San Miguel, they bought a little ruin in the historic center and built a home to be a retreat, an escape from their normal lives to a place they love where they are surrounded by their own art and books, where they can work on projects not distracted by the world normally embracing them. Building their home led people to them and they have now designed more than forty homes in Mexico. Working there has added deep, profound dimensions they never imagined – to their work and to their lives.

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SPRING AUTHORS SERIES

TUESDAY, APRIL 9 | 6:00 – 7:30 PM

Reimagining Assembly Spaces for

Face-to-Face Democracies

Sergio Lopez-Pineiro will present his latest book, Typologies for Big Words(ORO Editions, 2022), and the research that has followed it. The book is a collection of projects that reimagine traditional building and landscape types as openings within the vast interior of global capitalism, or, in other words, as holes within society’s big words. Each project– named after a spatial type and a big word–is an inseparable pairing of a design proposal and a theoretical essay. One of the types, the “Waiting Room of Democracy,” has triggered a new line of research about the need to update presently outdated democratic spaces. Sergio will be joined in conversation after his presentation by CCA Professor Antje Steinmuller.

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17 | 9:00 – 10:00 AM

Fresh Brew: People, Planet, Design

Join us in the Center’s cafe, Système D, as the Center for Architecture + Design in collaboration with the AIASF Committee on the Environment (COTE) hosts this morning talk around-the-table with author Corey Squire who will chat about his new book People, Planet, Design: A Practical Guide to Realizing Architecture’s Potential which lays out the practical tools for a transformative human-centered architecture. This approach integrates beauty and delight with an awareness of how every design choice impacts the community, the planet, and the people who will use the building. The book is outcome-focused, and takes a deep dive into practical design strategies, showcasing ten building systems that embody design excellence. Limited seating; RSVP now!

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FILM SCREENING + DISCUSSION

MONDAY, APRIL 22 | 6:00 – 9:00 PM

Neutra: Survival Through Design

Directed by P.J. Letofsky, Neutra: Survival Through Design is a comprehensive documentary encompassing the 125 year life, work and times of Viennese-American architect, Richard J. Neutra, FAIA (1892-1970) — the legacy which continues today through his son Raymond Neutra. From his upbringing in ‘Imperial’ Vienna in 1892, his 1920’s Berlin/Bauhaus days, to Los Angeles in 1925 via Chicago working with Frank Lloyd Wright, Rudolph Schindler, and his road to become the preeminent Modernist Architect of our day, this film is a personal, passionate, cross cultural, colorful story. Join us for an exclusive discussion with Filmmaker P.J. Letofsky and Architectural Historian Dr. Barbara Lamprecht as we delve into the fascinating life, work, and era of Richard Neutra.

Image: Lovell Health House / Richard Neutra by Julius Shulman

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21ST ANNUAL FESTIVAL | SEPTEMBER 6 – 27, 2024

Architecture + the City Festival

Since 2003, we have worked to enrich these core events and have collaborated with countless design and community partners, firms, and organizations to further creative ideas and advance the conversation surrounding our local built environment, to celebrate accomplishments, and together work towards building a more sustainable future. Through these program partnerships, we have worked to bring together leading minds from around the world to share and exchange ideas as well as promote the innovation and forward-thinking that defines the San Francisco Bay Area.

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Architecture + the City Festival Group of People

SAVE THE DATE | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24

Community Alliance Awards

Since 2015, the Center for Architecture + Design and AIA San Francisco’s Community Alliance Awards has honored 100+ individuals, firms, and organizations whose overall work, leadership, and dedication has shaped the character and vibrancy of our communities and the future of our built environment.

In addition to the annual awards program, our ongoing Community Spotlight and Community Builders Series recognizes the contributions of an array of extraordinary individuals and organizations for their service to the community and to the profession. Their continued efforts to engage, educate, collaborate, and advocate elevates the value of design and its impact on the experiences of our daily lives.

VIEW 2023 AWARDEES

Community Alliance Awards Center for Architecture + Design AIA San Francisco