Call for Program Submissions
Now open for the 22nd Annual Architecture + the City Festival
September 4–19, 2025

Presented by the Center for Architecture + Design in collaboration with AIA San Francisco, the annual Architecture + the City Festival celebrates San Francisco's built environment through behind-the-scenes programs, walking tours, home tours, literary events, exhibitions, and presentations.

2025 FESTIVAL THEME
This year's festival explores "San Francisco's Legacy of Reinvention," highlighting how the city continually innovates in the face of monumental shifts—whether cultural, environmental, social, or economic. From historic transformations after the 1906 earthquake to the WWII boom, the counterculture era, the dot-com revolution, and the post-pandemic world, San Francisco offers a compelling story of reinvention through architecture and design.

INSPIRATIONS
The following are suggested topics to consider when submitting a program proposal. We encourage you to interpret these ideas broadly and creatively:

• Post-Pandemic Lessons
  What are the lasting impacts and/or lessons learned in a post-pandemic world regarding architecture and design in San Francisco? How have we adapted our public spaces, homes, and workplaces for greater resilience?
• (Re)Use of Space
  How has architecture impacted you and the (re)use of space? Have historic buildings found new life in contemporary contexts? What role do designers, makers, or local communities play in these transformations?
• Economic & Cultural Transformations
  How have major economic booms driven architectural and social change? How do creative communities – Beat poets and modern tech entrepreneurs – shape public spaces and neighborhood identities?
• Design as Inspiration
  From cutting-edge digital fabrication to centuries-old craft traditions, which types of architecture or design most inspire you? How do they express San Francisco's spirit of creative problem-solving?
• Film & Pop Culture
  How have pivotal moments in San Francisco's history been captured in film and popular culture? How have these representations shaped public perception of the city?
• Ongoing Challenges
  Housing, climate change, economic, and health equity remain persistent in the Bay Area. How are design professionals, policymakers, and communities confronting these challenges head-on?
• Connection and Human-Centered Design
  How do we design with connection in mind—prioritizing inclusivity, accessibility, and human health? In what ways can architecture and urban design spark meaningful social engagement and community resilience?
• Bridging Past and Future
  How can we connect our urban landscape to empower a more livable, forward-thinking San Francisco? What lessons from the city's history of reinvention can guide future innovations?

Each year, the Architecture + the City Festival reveals new layers of San Francisco's ever-changing urban landscape—showcasing how architecture and design play a key role in shaping our collective experience. Whether you propose a lecture, panel discussion, hands-on workshop, maker tour, walking tour, film screening, or exhibition, your unique perspective will help us reveal how architecture and design continuously reinvent San Francisco, ensuring its vibrancy and cultural richness.

We look forward to hearing your programming ideas, reflecting the City's zeitgeist—past, present, and future.

2025 AIASF Home Tours Overview
 

For Architects and Homeowners
                  Now in its 22nd year, the AIA San Francisco Home Tours event showcases exceptional residential architecture in San Francisco. It provides a unique opportunity for architects, homeowners, and design enthusiasts to celebrate innovative and outstanding home design. The program promotes diverse architectural styles, neighborhoods, and residences. Projects are showcased through an open house format, allowing tour participants to explore some of the region's latest projects, meet design teams, explore housing trends, and discover design solutions that inspire unique ways of living. This tour allows architects and homeowners to demonstrate the positive impact of great residential design in San Francisco and how design enhances our daily lives.
 

Tour Format
                  Self-guided one-day home tour showcasing multiple homes on Saturday, September 20, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (PST).
 

Tour Goals 

• Celebrate great design in the region and its contribution to our quality of life.
• Promote awareness, understanding, appreciation, and experience of excellent design.
• Engage the community in conversations about residential design and its connection to the surrounding environment.
• Provide insights into the design process with pre-tour lectures and opportunities to interact with architects and designers on-site during the tour.
• Demonstrate the positive impact of great design on the economy, environment, and community identity.
• Highlight the innovative talent of the local design community and inspire a new generation of architects to explore the field.

Submissions Criteria

• Submissions Deadline: Monday, September 1, 2025 by 11:59 p.m. PDT
• All entries must be submitted by the firm principal, a registered architect, a current AIASF member, and the person responsible for the project design.
• The architect agrees to collaborate with AIASF on logistics to showcase the project and to participate in a panel discussion at the Center for Architecture + Design in the week prior to the tour.
• Multiple submissions are encouraged; however, only one home per firm may be chosen for the tour. Previous homes featured on this tour are not eligible for consideration.
• Project Completion: Projects must be substantially completed by the date of submission.
• The Architect + Homeowner Agreement must be signed and included with the submission.
• Shortlisted firms must complete the Project Team and Vendor List before final selection.
• Only project architect firm members may be at the homes during the tour. This includes all associated interior designers, contractors, engineers, etc. unless they have a sponsorship agreement with AIA San Francisco.
• There is no fee to submit a project.

 
Questions? Jensen Zack, Community Engagement Coordinator, jzack@aiasf.org