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!
 

As we usher in a New Year, we wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU, San Diego! We have had a remarkable year, and your support is what made it all possible.

As we have a look back at 2011, we recognize that it was a remarkable year of growth and success, and there is much to be proud of - and much to do in 2012! We urge you to join SDAF,  renew your membership, or make a donation now. Your renewed support will allow us to continue with the great strides we have made.

Some 2011 SDAF Milestones and Achievements:

• SDAF-hosted PechaKucha Nights featured in San Diego Reader cover story (January)
• Completed a strategic planning process resulting in a 5-year plan for the organization. (March – May)
• Launched new and exclusive interview event,  “A Very Special Evening (w/Boone Hellmann)" (June)
• Hosted special, sold-out screening of the documentary film “Urbanized,” and conversation with Director Gary Hustwit, SD Planning Commission Chair Eric Naslund, and former City Architect Michael Stepner (September)
• Collaborated with APA’s San Diego Chapter on sold-outscreening of “Pruitt-Igoe Myth.” (October)
• 2011 Orchids & Onions Awards Ceremony & Silent Auction marked the culmination of another widely acclaimed year of community engagement, conversation about our built environs, and public support and participation in this year-round program. (October) Click here for photos of the event!
• Supporting sponsor of the ModernSanDiego.com film screening of “Charles & Ray Eames; the Architect and thePainter.” (December)
• Published 4 full-color, quarterly editions of the SDAF newsletter, “By Design.”
• Hosted 4 regular PechaKucha Nights (one emceed by visiting PechaKucha Founder Mark Dytham), and 2 special PKN events, including a benefit for Japan, and collaboration with San Diego Museum of Art as part oftheir Summer Salon Series, “What Does A City Need?” Click here to see photos of 2011's PechaKucha Nights.

As we look ahead to 2012, we are eager to continue the advancement of the SDAF mission to educate and promote outstanding architecture, planning and urban design throughout the San Diego region.  In addition to the continuation of the programs noted above, the following is planned for the New Year:

• Orchids, Onions & Opportunities: An Exhibit:  A follow up to the Orchids & Onions award program,”Orchids, Onions & Opportunities” is comprised of an exhibit, various panel discussions, and interactive exercises focused on the (Onion-specific) trends of the past 6 years of SDAF’s Orchids & Onions program, and looking ahead to the changes and decisions that may influence the best designed and built San Diego possible.
• Urban Orchid Tour: In conjunction with the exhibit, SDAF will launch a series of Orchid Tours, this first one featuring Urban Orchids, with various architects and /or owners guiding tours of their projects.
• SDAF Film Series: Varying only slightly from our original Film Series launched in 2008, this unique cinema showcase will include documentaries, dramas, and others that depict the many different ways film and architecture have reflected each other. First screening of 2012 will take place at the Pearl Hotel in February.

Our continued efforts to serve and educate our community and inspire excellence in San Diego’s built environment are possible only through your tax -deductible membership contributions and sponsorship support.

To become a member of SDAF, click here.
To make a end-of-year, tax-deductible contribution, click here.

Thank you again for making 2011 such an inspirational success. We are keenly aware of, and deeply appreciative for, the growth that your participation has afforded the SDAF. On behalf of the Board of Directors, volunteers and staff, we wish you an abundantly warm, wonderful, prosperous and healthy holiday season and New Year!