Get your tickets to the Annual Beaux Arts Ball returning this September

Design Learning, Designs Futures

Connecting youth with professionals and providing skills, inspiration and a deep understanding of what it takes to create and build the environment of our future.

Build SF Summer Design Institute

Registration for the July session of SDI ends FRIDAY, JUNE 23.*

In this intensive 3-week deep dive into the world of design and architecture, high school students will learn professional skills and tools and create an impressive array of designs. Work independently and collaboratively, learn about careers and college paths, and create a portfolio of original work. Includes personal mentoring by an architect, engineer or other design professional.

Mon-Fri, 9:00am – 12:00pm PDT plus 6 mentoring sessions.

Online, via Zoom.

July 10 – 28

Register here. More info here.

*Note – registration for the June session has ended.

Our Mission

The mission of the Architectural Foundation of San Francisco is to enhance the awareness and appreciation of architecture and the design process in the local community.

Saturday Design Studios – Fall 2023

AFSF invites high school students throughout the Bay Area and around the world to join the 6-week AFSF Saturday Design Studio. In this Saturday morning online workshop, participants learn new techniques and tools, and create original designs individually and collaboratively to meet real-world design challenges. Students are also mentored by a professional architect, engineer, or other design

AFSF Beaux Arts Ball 2023 – Sept. 28

Join us on Thursday, September 28th at the historic Green Room in San Francisco for a spectacular gala featuring a live jazz band, casino tables, and the traditional Beaux Arts costume contest! More information here: AFSF Beaux Arts Ball

Congratulations 2023 Summer Students!

With enormous gratitude, we thank ALL of the participants in our 2023 AFSF summer programs for their dedicated efforts and innovative accomplishments. Both sessions of the Summer Design Institute were fantastic, with impressive designs created and presented by students from throughout the Bay Area, across the US, and around the world. We look forward to your continued

The 2022 AFSF Fitness Challenge was a huge success!

Thank you to EVERYONE who participated in the 2022 AFSF Fitness Challenge!

Collectively, you ran, biked or walked over 2,000 miles. That’s equivalent to crossing all 8 of the SF Bay’s bridges over 70 times! And you raised more than $30,000 for our educational programs!

Special gratitude to our sponsors:

"The critical thinking and software skills you learn with AFSF will take you really far in this profession, or help you in many others."

"My daughter learned a lot. I was amazed by how comfortable everyone was with the technology and working online together. It gives me hope for more learning opportunities online in these new challenging times."

"Who knows if these students will go on to become architects, landscape architects or designers, but I think having the exposure, will lend them an appreciation of building design as they navigate through life. To be honest, I wish there were workshops like this in all disciplines to give our youth exposure to everything that is out there."

"Build-SF is such a great program for high school students who have a passion for architecture, engineering or design. I see job applications today in architecture and interior design that require learning software programs like Revit that we learned with AFSF. AFSF definitely gives a leg up for high schoolers who want to get into the field and also apply to colleges for a major in architecture or engineer or design."

"Thanks to my experience at AFSF, I was able to get an awesome job working at the SF International Airport. The computer skills are particularly useful to me because I use them all the time."

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