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.

AFSF Saturday Design
Fall 2022

In 4 short weeks, high school students will learn digital design software, create an impressive array of original designs, and meet a design professional for 1-on-1 mentoring.

4 Saturdays online, 10am – 12pm PDT

Oct 22, 29, Nov 5, 12

Register here. More info here and here.

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 Studio: Oct-Nov

Sign up now for the AFSF Fall 2022 Saturday Design Studio: In 4 short weeks, high school students will learn digital design software, create an impressive array of original designs, and meet a design professional for 1-on-1 mentoring. 4 Saturdays online, 10am – 12pm PDT Oct 22, 29, Nov 5, 12 Register here. More info here and

Another Successful AFSF Fitness Challenge!

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:

Mentor a teen with AFSF!

Sign up here to significantly impact the next generation of designers and informed community members. The Architectural Foundation of SF connects design + build professionals with students in our high school programs for personalized mentoring arranged to fit your schedule. See our mentoring web page for more info , and contact fred@afsf.org with any questions.

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:

Key Programs

Thank you to all the students and mentors who participated in this year’s AFSF Summer Design Institute, Mayor’s Youth Employment Experience Program and BUILD-Antioch.

Stay tuned for updates on our Summer 2023 programs!

Summer Design Institute

MYEEP

Build-Antioch

53rd Annual AFSF
High School Design Competition

Congratulations to all 142 participants of this year’s HS Design Competition, especially to all award-winners.

2021 Design Ideas Collective

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the 2nd annual AFSF Design Ideas Collective!! High school students were invited to consider design solutions to address the intersection of our housing and climate crises in proposing designs for a growing and thriving city. The breadth, detail, thoughtfulness, and originality of students’ submission was astonishing. The work these youth put in, and the creative approaches they articulated, gives us all hope for our future, especially in these challenging times.

"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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