San Diego Architectural Foundation

Happy Holidays!!
Tis the season to believe in something bigger than yourself, so we thought we would share some of the things we believe in - see our manifesto above.

As a architecture and design afficianado, or a member of San Diego's design community, we hope that you recognize the value of having an Architectural Foundation in San Diego, and share some of our passions.

If you are or have been a member, sponsor, or donor, we are exceedingly grateful. You have enabled SDAF to become the vital organization it is today. Help to keep SDAF active and set us up for success in 2013. Please consider enhancing your support, whether through membership or a tax deductible donation, to help us reach our year-end fundraising goal.

2012 has been another banner year for our programming and outreach. Some notable successes include:

• Presented our seventh annual Orchids & Onions program and our biggest and best O&O Awards Ceremony & Silent Auction yet! 2012 saw a revamped website with a more user-friendly interface and hundreds of nominations, all culminating in THE annual design event of the year! Event photos and the complete list of official 2012 Orchids & Onions are available here.
• Hosted our fourth year (16 events total, so far) of PechaKucha Nights, the international phenomenon that provides creative types an outlet to share their ideas, work and thoughts directly with an audience in an informal and social atmosphere.
• Debuted the first Orchid Tour, of Urban Orchids. 35 tours of 15 projects were offered over a 3-day period, all guided by the architects, designers, owners or developers responsible for creating these Orchid awarded projects.
• Self-published Urban Orchids from 2006 – 2011, a guidebook to accompany the tour. Copies of the book are still available for purchase.
• Designed and marketed the first ever Orchid plaques, now installed in numerous Orchid-awarded projects throughout the region. Be on the lookout!
• SDAF curated and hosted an original exhibition, Orchids, Onions and Opportunities (OOO) in a downtown storefront at 877 G Street. Free to the public, the exhibition consists of a series of visions for San Diego based on the realities of the present, inspiring examples from around the world of what has worked well, and the range of possibilities for the future.
• SDAF established partnerships with both Dwell Magazine and Austin-based Modern Home Tours, entitling SDAF members discounted tickets to the respective tour offerings.

We have a lively line up of events on the horizon in 2013; however, without your support, we cannot continue to make these great strides towards our mission to raise awareness about the value of excellence in our built environment. 

We urge you to act now to show your support and belief in the future of SDAF.

From San Diego Architectural Foundation to you and yours, we wish you an amazingly happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous New Year!