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The American Institute of Architects, San Francisco (AIASF) Launches Housing Design Competition to Address San Francisco’s Housing Crisis

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Matthew Donohue, AIASF Communications Manager
mdonohue@aiasf.org

 

The American Institute of Architects, San Francisco (AIASF) Launches Housing Design Competition to Address San Francisco’s Housing Crisis

San Francisco, CA | February 3, 2023:The American Institute of Architects, San Francisco(AIASF) announces the launch of the AIASF Housing+ San Francisco 2050 Design Competition, soliciting multi-unit housing designs from architects and designers in an effort to address San Francisco’s endemic housing crisis.

In light of California’s mandate eliminating single-family exclusive zoning and the City’s approval of the 2022 San Francisco Housing Element, requiring the creation of 82,000 new housing units by 2031, the stage is set for new typologies for housing development to be deployed. The competition invites designers and architects to reimagine how housing units are conceived, designed, and constructed, aiming for a synthesis that can accelerate the delivery of new housing.

The AIASF Housing+ San Francisco 2050 Design Competition provides designers and architects a chance to submit innovative approaches to creating new housing opportunities, improving access to transit, and enhancing urban design. As our city grapples with the challenges of housing affordability, homelessness, climate change, and social fragmentation, we look to examine new forms of housing that are affordable, sustainable, and equitable for all.   

“The lack of affordable housing in San Francisco has been plaguing our city for decades. The AIASF Housing+ San Francisco 2050 Design Competition will support the objectives of newly passed housing policies by inspiring architects and designers to submit inventive multi-unit housing designs,” says Stacy Williams, Executive Director of AIASF.    

Designers and architects can submit new and dynamic designs for multi-unit housing on the AIASF website. Submissions for the competition will be accepted from now until May 1, 2023.

AIASF has assembled a diverse panel of design, policy, and architectural experts to serve as the jury for the competition, which includes:    

  • Anne Torney, AIA, LEED AP BD+C Principal, Mithun
  • David Winslow, Principal Architect, San Francisco Planning Department
  • Eric Shaw, Director, Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development
  • Frances Anderton, Author/Former Host of DnA, KRCW (Los Angeles)
  • Hector Perez, Founder & Graduate Director, De-Arc & Woodbury School of Architecture

This expert jury will review the submissions and select the First Place Winner and finalists in two different categories to be announced in May. The winners of the AIASF Housing+ San Francisco 2050 Design Competition will receive a total of over $20,000 in awards, with a grand prize of up to $10,000.

Competition design entries will be exhibited at the AIA Conference on Architecture 2023, which will be held in San Francisco between June 7-10, as well as at the AIASF and Center for Architecture + Design’s Architecture + the City Festival in September.

It’s our intent that the results of the competition will be designs that can be embraced as useful additions to the neighborhoods they address and meaningful contributions to the healthful growth of our city at large.,” says AIASF Board Member and member of the housing design competition committee, Paul Adamson, FAIA, “We look forward to receiving bold designs that can actually be employed to increase housing quantities and enrich the city’s neighborhoods.”    

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About AIA San Francisco   
Serving the Bay Area for over a century, the American Institute of Architects, San Francisco (AIASF) is committed to enhancing the quality of life in the Bay Area by promoting excellence in architecture, design, and the built environment. AIASF represents members practicing architecture, as well as allied community professionals in San Francisco and Marin counties. As a resource for our members and the public, AIA San Francisco strives to improve the quality of life in the Bay Area through community involvement, education, advocacy, public outreach, and member services.

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For additional information, please contact Matthew Donohue, AIASF Communications Manager, at mdonohue@aiasf.org.