Arizona Architecture Foundation

06/24/2026

From dirt roads to a vibrant cultural hub — Mill Avenue's transformation is a story told in blueprints, brick, and community vision. Last month, industry professionals and students gathered for an evening of rich conversation and discovery at our Architectural Archives Event, exploring the decades of development and revitalization that shaped one of Arizona's most iconic corridors.

Moments like these remind us why preserving and sharing our architectural history matters.

Thank you to our generous sponsors, friends, and colleagues who helped make this evening both possible and memorable.

06/17/2026

Spotted: AAF past president James Trahan and member Shawn Swisher at the The American Institute of Architects conference in San Diego!

06/05/2026

This is what happens when you put a room full of architects together and ask them to eyeball 1 foot. 😄 A little gem from our Winter Summit in January, where confidence was high and accuracy was... debatable.

Thank you Shawn Swisher, Philip Weddle, Rob Gaspard, Christian Solorio, Brian Cassidy, Elaine W. Becherer, Victor Sidy, Brandon Benzing, and Caroline Lobo for playing.

This is just the beginning so help us plan the fun! What challenges or games should we bring to the Summer Summit? We're all ears. 🎉

06/01/2026

Before he won the Pritzker Prize, Tadao Ando stood in Arizona as our 1993 Curt Schafer Lecture Series speaker and his ideas have only grown more influential since.

A self-taught architect from Osaka, Japan, he built his philosophy around raw concrete, natural light, and silence. His buildings don't compete with their surroundings, they breathe with them. Water, wind, and shadow are as much a part of his designs as the walls themselves.

We're proud to have brought his vision to Arizona over 30 years ago and even prouder to keep championing the architects who shape the way we see the world.

🏛️ Who is an architect whose work has stayed with you? Tell us below.

Photo by Photo by Wan Chen on Unsplash

05/28/2026

05/22/2026

The Arizona Architecture Foundation is proud to sponsor The School of Architecture Lecture Series and the meaningful connections it fosters across our community.

Evenings like this one — where students, faculty, alumni, and industry leaders gather around a shared passion for architecture — reflect the very heart of our mission.

We look forward to another inspiring season this fall.

05/18/2026

🎟️ FREE TICKETS FOR STUDENTS!

We have a limited number of complimentary general admission tickets available — sponsored by our generous firms and architects. First come, first served!

Interested? Direct message us your first name, last name, and school email to claim yours.

📅 TOMORROW — May 19, 2026
🕖 7:00 PM
📍 Evie's Pavilion at Papago Golf Club

Don’t miss the chance to hear a panel discussion with leading experts in the field on the “Mill Avenue Development to Revitalization Over the Decades”.

This is an incredible opportunity to connect, learn, and get inspired.

Image credit Downtown Tempe - Mill Avenue & Lake Districts

05/07/2026

With our 2026 Architectural Archives Event coming up, let’s throw it back to 2025 “A Presentation and Discussion on the Works of Arthur T. Brown” hosted at Center for Creative Photography.

Shout out to our 2025 Sponsors

Title: Arizona Architecture Foundation

VIP Reception : Peter & Paula Fasseas Foundation

Heritage: Arcadia Inc. , Benjamin Supply, Line and Space LLC, Architects

Preservation: CCBG Architects, Inc. , BWS Architects, 180 Degrees Design + Build, Weddle Gilmore Architects

Archive: Ronald Peters - Historic Streetscapes, OA+D Archives, Spatial Impact Group, the Sakellar Family, Adobe House Antiques

Friend: Breckenridge Group Architects / Planners

05/04/2026

Design education extends beyond the studio and last month, students from The Design School at ASU experienced that firsthand.

Through a 3-day immersive workshop at Taliesin West, students engaged directly with renowned architect Alberto Kalach, exploring ideas, process, and place in one of the most iconic architectural settings in the country.

The experience culminated in project reviews with Kalach, joined by Claudio Vekstein, Eddie Jones and Frederick Prozzillo, offering students a rare opportunity to receive thoughtful feedback and insight from leading voices in the field.

Programs like this reflect the Arizona Architecture Foundation’s commitment to creating meaningful, hands-on learning experiences that expand how students see, think, and design.

Organized by the Latino Architecture Student Organization (LASO) at Arizona State University

In Collaboration with the Architecture Program at The Design School at ASU, the Arizona Architecture Foundation, and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation

05/01/2026

In 2025, the Foundation awarded an Architecture Excellence Grant to a research initiative led by Kyle Fiano, Alexander Gomez, Gerald Leenerts and Lucas Johnson of 180 Degrees Design + Build and Nopal Build.

They proposed to develop and fabricate a testing device that simulates the extreme diurnal temperature fluctuations of our desert environment. This device is intended to provide insight into the effects of time and temperature variation on wall assemblies.

For example, it will help compare how a high thermal mass wall and a wall with a ventilated cavity perform on a summer day when the temperature swings 30–40 °F over a 12-hour period. We anticipate that analyzing materials and their performance under these dynamic conditions will yield valuable guidance for designing more effective wall assemblies in our climate.

This work exemplifies our mission: empowering forward-thinking practitioners to explore, test, and expand how we design for the Sonoran Desert and beyond.

Learn more about its progress at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/investing-innovation-advancing-desert-responsive-design-g6a7c