American Institute of Architects San Francisco Chapter

FAMILY PROGRAMS

Don’t miss these programs specifically designed for families! Budding designers and curious kids are invited to explore the built environment through these specialized programs. Please check individual listings for the appropriate age range before registering and note that parents must accompany children to all events.

First Annual Kids’ Digital Design Contest
Deadline September 15
Winners Announced on September 22

Kids' Digital Contest Flyer © Mason Kirby

The First Annual Kids’ Digital Design Contest is a competition for children ages 0-15, using the digital modeling tool SketchUp (free to download, simple to learn, and amazingly difficult to put down). With the help of parents, the goal is to provide a venue for kids to demonstrate, develop and reveal their capacity for creative three-dimensional thinking! The competition’s inaugural theme is ”Under/Over/Within,” and features an intertidal aquatic site. Age-based judging ensures fair competition and lots of cool prizes.

Competition juried by Allyson McDuffie, Education Program Manager at Google; William Menking, Executive Editor of The Architect’s Newspaper; Rob Whitehead, AIA, LEED AP, Principal, Whitehead Design Workshop; Cameron Sinclair, Assoc. AIA, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Architecture for Humanity; Seth Wachtel, Architecture Program Director at the University of San Francisco; Ian Dunn, AIA, Associate, David Baker + Partners Architects; and Mike Bradford, Owner, Bradford Construction. Prizes will be given by age group, such as 0-5, 6-9, 10-12, 13-15. First place recipients receive a Google SketchUp Pro Educational License. Second and third place recipients will be awarded with Google merchandise. In addition, the first hundred entries receive a kid’s day pass to the California Academy of Sciences.

Ready Set Grow: Pet Columns
September 18
Free; Registration required.
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, but due to unforeseen circumstances this program has been cancelled. It will however take place during the festival in 2010, so stay tuned for information next year.

Recommended for children ages 6 and up; Kids must be accompanied by an adult.

Sponsored by Virginia Tech & UC Berkeley

Pet Columns © C U P + ISAR

Design studios C U P + ISAR of Virginia Tech & UC Berkeley, respectively, join together to install 100 digitally manufactured pet columns that are 100% biodegradable and completely assembled from corrugated cardboard, soil and other materials this Park(ing) Day. After installation, children of all ages will be invited to help disassemble the Pet Columns and return home to plant them in their own communities. This act is an open call for design scientists and citizen architects to be activated anywhere and everywhere during the Architecture and the City festival.

Find That View: Photo Scavenger Hunt
September 19, 11:00 am
$10 General Admission per Family
Starting point: Justin Herman Plaza (Next to Vaillancourt Fountain), San Francisco

Recommended for children ages 6 and up; Kids must be accompanied by an adult. Stairs will be minimal, but expect about one hour of walking.

Sponsored by KMD Architects

Test your knowledge of San Francisco’s visual landscape! This family-friendly scavenger hunt will start near the fountain in the Justin Herman Plaza, where you’ll receive photos of architecture within walking distance. Each photo will include fun facts about the building you’re looking for, so you may just learn something you didn’t know. The route will be on a loop, and after you find each stop, enjoy refreshments in the plaza.

Heath Ceramics Kids’ Tour & Tilemaking
September 27, 11:00 am
Free; Registration required.
Heath Ceramics, 400 Gate Five Road, Sausalito

Recommended for children ages 6-12. Maximum 8 kids; 8 adults. Kids must be accompanied by an adult.

Families are invited to join Heath Ceramics for a behindthe- scenes tour of the historic Sausalito factory, where craftsmen have been producing award-winning tableware and tile for over half a century. The tour will then be followed by tile glazing, where children, who must be accompanied by an adult, are invited to create their own work of art on a Heath tile with original glazes. The tiles will be fired following the event and will be available for pick up the following weekend.

Need more information? Contact us here.