San Diego Architectural Foundation

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San Diego Architectural Foundation

Join the conversation & help us inspire excellence in architecture & design throughout San Diego! We’re a independent, 501c3 non-profit organization.

The San Diego Architectural Foundation is dedicated to education and the promotion of outstanding architecture, planning and urban design throughout the San Diego region.

05/16/2026

Thanks to everyone that joined for our recent Hot Properties tour of Civita Creekside Park! A 2026 Orchids & Onions winner, Creekside Park is a thoughtfully designed 1.3-acre linear park located within the Civita master-planned community in Mission Valley. A special thank you to for showing us around this incredible project!

05/14/2026

It’s that time again, San Diego/Tijuana… nominations for Orchids & Onions 2026 are officially OPEN!
And this year is especially meaningful as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Orchids & Onions, five decades of recognizing the parts of our built environment that truly make our city a better place to live (and calling out the ones that miss the mark).

Got a place that gives you heart eyes, or one that makes you wonder who approved it? Now’s your chance to speak up.

From standout buildings and vibrant parks to public spaces, hidden gems, and not-so-great designs, submit your nominations and help shape the future of our region.

👉 Click the link below to share your picks!
https://sdarchitecture.org/programs/orchids-onions/nominate/

05/13/2026

Join us on May 27 for our next Taste of Design!

Bacari North Park has officially arrived in San Diego, taking over the former Urban Solace space at 30th Street and University Avenue. The New Orleans–style setting now features two striking bars, thoughtfully designed seating areas, Mediterranean-inspired small plates, craft cocktails, and refreshing mocktails—all delivered in an unbeatable atmosphere.

Bacari (BAH-kah-ree, a Venetian word for “wine bar”) is a Mediterranean small plates restaurant serving a shareable, made-from-scratch menu and an extensive rotating selection of well-prepared cocktails, wine, and beer.

Founded in Los Angeles in 2008 and operated by brothers Robert and Danny Kronfli, alongside Executive Chef and Co-Owner Lior Hillel, the restaurant concept draws inspiration from ancient Venetian wine bars, known as bacari, which served wine accompanied by shareable small plates or “cicchetti” and functioned as the social hearts of local neighborhoods.

Bacari is known for its authentic and inviting guest-centric approach to hospitality and how each restaurant is uniquely curated to reflect the neighborhood in which it operates.

📆 Wednesday May 27
⏰ 4-6pm
📍 3823 30th St, San Diego
🎟️ VIP free, General SDAF $25, NonMembers $35
🔗 https://sdarchitecture.org/programs/taste-of-design/

05/12/2026

Huge thank you to Mark Mulhair and Dylan Hager of Safdie Rabines Architects for hosting San Diego Architectural Foundation on an incredible tour of 222 North City .

We’re so grateful for the thoughtful, inspiring work you bring to our region, and for taking time out of your weekend to share it with our members.

Want in on experiences like this? Join us, free membership available here 👇
https://sdarchitecture.org/joingift/

05/08/2026

Crossing the Line/KidSketch: Novel Therapeutics

Join us this Saturday, May 9, for an online sketching session. We will sketch the GRAND Orchid Award winning Center for Novel Therapeutics.

Fun Facts: The name of the building gives us a clue to what is special. The word “novel” means something new and unusual. The goal of the project is to reduce the time from “bench to patient.” The building’s open/shared-space concept is aimed at increasing academic and industry research collaborations.

Good design, as exemplified by CNT, is aesthetically pleasing, functional, and integrates well with the site and surrounding. CNT is environmentally conscious in building material choice and long-term energy conservation. CNT has been called, "A Collision of Research and Discovery”, speeding up the delivery of life saving cancer treatments by blending academic with private sector research.

Our Second Saturday events bring first time sketchers and seasoned enthusiasts to the same table with a virtual event that is open to "kids" of all ages!

RSVP via the link below 👇
https://sdarchitecture.org/event/crossing-the-line-novel-therapeutics/

05/05/2026

Meet the speakers for PechaKucha Night Vol.56 🎙️

A lineup of creatives bringing bold ideas and unique perspectives to the stage—each presentation fast, focused, and designed to spark conversation.

Featuring:
Lay Alston, Soul & Wheel
James Armendariz, FPBA
Sarah Beckman, Outside The Lens
Christian Dimeling, Von Dimeling Studio
Ross Majewski & Alma Padilla-Iriarte, Artist and Exile
Rob Quigley, Rob Wellington Quigley Architects

More speakers to be announced soon!

🔗 Reserve your spot here
https://sdarchitecture.org/event/pkn-56/

05/01/2026

PechaKucha Night returns!

Join us May 21 at 6 PM at LPA Design Studios for an evening built around this edition’s theme: Future Nostalgia—where past and future collide through storytelling, culture, and creative exploration.

Expect a fast-paced night of ideas, connection, and inspiration with the signature 20x20 PechaKucha format. This is an outdoor event, so bring a chair or blanket and settle in. Light snacks and soft drinks provided.

RSVP to reserve your spot here! https://sdaf.wildapricot.org/event-6660407

04/30/2026

Tiny humans. Massive vision.

Meet the board behind SDAF — the volunteers, creatives, and community champions who show up every single week for the San Diego community. Swipe to see who we were vs. who we are now. 👉

Day jobs, board seats, and programs we’re genuinely passionate about — this is the team that makes it all happen behind the scenes.

Tag someone who needs to meet the team. 👇💛

04/29/2026

SDAF Hot Properties ~ Civita Creekside Park

Join us for an exclusive tour of Civita Creekside Park, a 1.3-acre linear park thoughtfully woven into the Civita master-planned community in Mission Valley.

Anchored by a sinuous elevated walkway, the park spans a sculpted landscape basin and functional drainage swale—providing vital stormwater treatment for a significant portion of the 230-acre Civita development. The experience culminates at a striking, dam-like stone retaining wall inspired by the historic Old Mission Dam.

📆 May 14
⏰ 5–7PM
📍 2365 Via Alta, San Diego, CA 92108

🎟 Tickets
VIP – Free
SDAF Members – $20
Non-Members – $30

This is infrastructure as landscape, where sustainability, engineering, and public space design converge beautifully.

RSVP https://bit.ly/4sYda1V

04/25/2026

Something big is blooming in San Diego. 🌸🧅✨ Save the date — the Orchids & Onions Award Gala is coming 10.02.26, and we’re celebrating 50 years of community, design, and dialogue in a big way.

Nominations open May 1st — stay tuned and get ready to celebrate the best (and most… interesting) in San Diego architecture. 👀

Address

San Diego, CA

Telephone

(619) 232-1385

Website

http://www.sdarchitecture.org/, http://www.orchidsandonions.org/

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