San Francisco, United States, 2014-08-28 -  The American Institute of Architects, San Francisco chapter (AIA San Francisco) and the Center for Architecture + Design announce the 11th annual Architecture and the City festival, the nation's largest architectural festival of its kind. Taking place in San Francisco every September, the monthlong celebration features behind the scenes and walking tours, films, exhibitions, lectures and more, providing opportunities for participants to engage with the local architecture community and experience design in a myriad of ways throughout the city.

The 2014 Architecture and the City festival theme, Home: My San Francisco, will examine the shifting nature of home, the different elements that contribute to its definition, and its relation to the urban fabric. Over 40 festival programs will celebrate the cultural richness and diversity of our local architectural and design community as well as provide a platform for conversation about our changing landscape and its implications for a city in a time of rapidly intensifying housing needs. Learn more about festival programs below and on www.archandcity.org

Festival Programs Preview

Opening Night Party

August 29, 6:00 – 9:00 pm
$15 General Admission | 21+ Only | Register
Blu Dot, 560 Valencia Street, San Francisco
A benefit for the Center for Architecture + Design

Join AIA San Francisco and the Center for Architecture + Design for our Opening Night Party, as we kick off the festival with a salute to the many individuals, organizations, cultural institutions and nonprofits that help make the month of celebration, exploration and inspiration possible. This year, Blu Dot, designed byThe Office of Charles F. Bloszies and recipient of 2014 AIA San Francisco Design Award in Architecture, will host the festive evening at its furniture showroom on Valencia Street in San Francisco's Mission District.

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San Francisco Living Home Tours

September 20 + 21, 2014

San Francisco Living is the first tour series of its kind to promote a wide variety of architectural styles, neighborhoods, and residences – all from the architect's point of view. Participants get an inside look at some of the city's latest residential work, meet design teams, explore housing trends and discover design solutions that inspire San Francisco livinng.

Projects are showcased via an open house format. Tour participants have the opportunity to see some of the area’s latest residential projects from the inside out, meet design teams, explore housing trends, and discover design solutions that inspire unique Bay Area living.

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Behind the Scenes Tours

Highlighting the collaborative nature of design in the city, behind the scenes tours explore the ways architecture intersects with the creative forces behind some of San Francisco’s latest noteworthy projects.

Sept. 3       Historic Schroeders 
Sept. 5       Oliver Ranch 
Sept. 7       Sightglass Tour + Tasting 
Sept. 10     140 New Montgomery+Trou Normand 
Sept. 17     8 Octavia 
Sept. 24     Food + Design in Polk Gulch

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Walking Tours

Rediscover San Francisco’s unique neighborhoods with walking tours that explore the mix of layered history and contemporary design in our city.

Sept. 9       North Beach with Anne Fougeron and Mark English 
Sept. 16     Dogpatch with E.B. Min 
Sept. 23     Local Mission: Eatery, Corner + Market 
Sept. 25     Imagining + Reimagining Market Street 
Sept. 30     Nolli Plan SF Walking Tour: Exploring the Semi-Public Realm

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Films

The popular festival film series is held each Wednesday at the San Francisco Public Library. The 2014 Film Series Curator is Catherine Nueva España.

Sept. 3      Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948) 
Sept. 10    Oyler House (2012) 
Sept. 17    Detropia (2012) 
Sept. 24    The Queen of Versailles (2012)

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Lectures

Lectures convene leading minds on issues in architecture, design and urban planning. From design trends to addressing spatial challenges in the Bay Area, experts share their ideas, creativity and visions for our local built environment.

Sept. 3       Building a New Neighborhood: The Market-Octavia Area Plan 
Sept. 11     Modernism and the Bay Area 
Sept. 11     Dreaming Domesticity through Julius Shulman 
Sept. 23     The Designer and the Chef 2.0 
Sept. 25     Historic Sprawl: A History of California Suburbia

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Special Events

Sept. 9       Who Designed That? 2.0 
Sept. 16     GOOD Design SF 
Sept. 19     Park(ing) Day 
Sept. 23     PechaKucha: 7x7 in 20x20 
Sept. 27     Open Design San Francisco

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Exhibitions

6/7 - 9/18       The Valley / El Valle: Photo-Essays from California's Heartland 
9/1 - 9/22       1:1 Piero Lissoni 
4/24 - 10/6     Designing Home: Jews and Midcentury Modern 
8/22 - 10/31   Home: My San Francisco

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Family Programs

Sept. 7       Young Architects Workshop 
Sept. 13     Leap’s Sandcastle Building 101 Class 
Sept. 14     Family Gallery Adventures 
Sept. 21     Collaborative Building Games

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For high resolution images, please contact:

Helen Wong, Director of communications

AIA SF

hwong@aiasf.org

1 415 362 7398