Show + Tell: A Girls Garage Showcase + Brunch
Show + Tell: A Girls Garage Showcase & Brunch
Some of the most exciting design happens when you put tools in the hands of young makers and get out of the way.
During AIA San Francisco's Architecture Week 2026, we're proud to welcome Girls Garage, a nonprofit design and construction school for girls and gender-expansive youth ages 9–18, and the first-ever design and building workshop for female-identifying and gender expansive youth in the United States, to the Center for Architecture + Design for a morning of celebration, community, and creativity.
Students will present the woodworking and built objects they've crafted through the Girls Garage program, sharing their process, their inspiration, and the skills they've developed along the way. It's part showcase, part conversation, and entirely worth showing up for.
Friends, family, fellow students, and the broader design community are all invited to experience the work firsthand, meet the makers behind it, and celebrate what happens when young people are given the space — and the tools — to build something real.
This is what the future of design looks like. Come see it for yourself.
Youth Design Festival, April 16-19, 2026
AIA San Francisco and the Center for Architecture + Design will present the Youth Design Festival during Architecture Week 2026.
At AIA San Francisco and the Center for Architecture + Design, Architecture Week 2026 is more than a celebration — it's a commitment. This year, we're bringing together programs that meet young people wherever they are in their journey, from curious middle schoolers discovering design for the first time to architecture students in their final year of school.
Whether it's a hands-on creative workshop, a career conversation, or a glimpse into what it means to shape the built environment, our programming is designed to spark interest, build skills, and open doors. From first sketch to graduation day, we're here for every step.
Thank you to our 2026 Architecture Week sponsors, the AIA College of Fellows and the Committee on Architecture for Education.
Supported by AIA National, the program serves as a pilot for a twice-annual youth design series aimed at inspiring the next generation of designers and civic leaders.
Thank you to our Supporters!
Support Emerging Designers Programs
With your help, AIASF and the Center will cultivate and support a diverse youth and emerging designer community interested in pursuing careers in architecture, design, and civic leadership.
