San Diego Architectural Foundation

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

The San Diego Architectural Foundation (SDAF) is an independent, 501c3 non-profit organization founded in 1980 by Ed& Barbara Malone. The Malone’s gifted a residential lot in La Jolla, California, with the condition that a foundation be formed for the advancement of architecture in San Diego.

From 1980 until 2005, the Foundation was housed and administered by the American Institute of Architects San Diego Chapter (AIASD), during which time numerous and varied accomplishments were achieved.

In 2005, SDAF struck out on its own. Since then, SDAF has become a membership organization, host of Orchids & Onions (purchased from AIASD in 2006), PechaKucha Night San Diego, Inside the Design Studio, architectural tours, film screenings and many other unique and educational programs designed to raise awareness about, and inspire excellence in San Diego's built environment.

SDAF recognizes that we are all affected, positively or negatively, by the man-made environment in which we live. Our homes, workplaces, schools and the communities in which they exist, profoundly shape our mental and spiritual well-being. Our power to create, to produce, to utilize our physical and cognitive skills, and even our susceptibility to stress and mental illness are demonstrably influenced by our physical environment.

San Diego is consistently growing, densifying and redeveloping. It is easy to assume that the quality of our buildings and urban design is beyond our control or in someone else’s hands. But the reality is that we all play a role in shaping our built environment. We must be aware, appreciative and involved in the design of our environment in order to ensure that the ongoing evolution of our city and our region creates and preserves a heritage worthy of future generations.

By educating our community and encouraging awareness of the importance of our built environment, SDAF strives to improve our quality of life. Continued effort will provide an even better understanding of the interface between our natural and built environments.

street address:
707 tenth avenue, suite 223
san diego, caA 92101
  
mailing address:
p.o. box 122228
san diego, ca 92112-2228

phone:
(619) 232-1385

email:
info@sdarchitecture.org