AIA26 gives back
AIA26 is about more than innovation and inspiration—it’s a catalyst for community impact. As we bring together thousands of AEC professionals in San Diego, we’re also creating meaningful opportunities to give back—one of AIA’s core values.
Volunteer your expertise with AEC Cares
AIA26 is proud to support AEC Cares in renovating Rachel’s Women’s Center, a Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego program serving women experiencing homelessness. With your help, we’ll transform a vital community space into a safe, supportive environment that promotes stability, dignity, and a fresh start.
Volunteer on Wednesday, June 10, alongside more than 100 design, manufacturing, and construction professionals to make a tangible, lasting impact in the San Diego community.
Join the student mentorship & shadowing program
AIA26 isn’t just convening the profession—we’re helping shape its future. That’s why we’re proud to once again offer a mentorship and shadowing program that connects local students with experienced AEC professionals, creating real-world exposure and connections while uplifting San Diego’s future design leaders.
Led by AIA San Diego, the program provides free conference passes to students from local design programs. On Thursday, June 11, students will also shadow a licensed architect or AEC professional for a day of hands-on learning.
How it works
Students and mentors meet Thursday, June 11, at 8am at the San Diego Convention Center for a coffee meet-and-greet. Shadowing pairs then plan their day together, beginning with the 9am keynote. Students will also have access to student-focused sessions and resources throughout the conference.
Get involved
Whether you’re a student ready to step into your career or a professional eager to mentor the next generation, this is your opportunity to pay it forward and make a lasting difference.
Inspire the next generation of architects
AIA26 opens its doors to local middle and high school students for three days of hands-on learning, mentorship, and real-world exposure to the architecture profession—helping strengthen the K–12 pipeline and spark early interest in design. A special thanks to the AIA College of Fellows for their sponsorship.
What’s happening:
- Building the Architecture Pipeline (Wednesday, June 10): A three-hour workshop hosted by the K–12 IDEA Group focused on outreach, design competitions, and mentoring the next generation from classroom to practice.
- Future by Design: A High School Architecture Experience (Thursday, June 11): ACE Mentor students present design projects, visit local firms, sketch throughout the city, and explore the expo floor with guidance from volunteer architects.
- Future by Design: Middle Schoolers Experience AIA26 (Friday, June 12): Younger students participate in walking tours, hands-on activities, and an interactive expo floor scavenger hunt that introduces architecture through creativity and play.
Every interaction—asking a question, offering encouragement, sharing experience—helps students see what’s possible in architecture and imagine themselves in the profession. This is community impact in action: opening doors, building confidence, and investing in a more inclusive future for design.
To learn more and get involved, contact Devon Davis.
Workshop San Diego’s Civic Center redevelopment
AIA San Diego and the Architects Foundation are leading a hands-on workshop at AIA26 focused on the redevelopment of San Diego’s six-block Civic Center—an opportunity with the potential to reshape downtown and deliver lasting public value.
This “Urban Studio” session combines a guided site tour with a collaborative workshop alongside civic leaders and key stakeholders. Participants will explore and share proven models from other cities—such as arts and culture districts, placemaking strategies, urban design frameworks, successful public spaces, and community engagement strategies—and apply those lessons to San Diego.
Bring your expertise to help inform local leaders and contribute directly to a once-in-a-generation civic transformation.
Pre-register for “Urban Studio: Leveraging the Power of Design for San Diego’s Civic Center Redevelopment” today. Tickets are limited, and an additional fee applies.
Help clean up a San Diego beach
Put AIA’s commitment to climate action into practice by joining a hands-on beach clean-up. In partnership with a local environmental organization, this experience protects vital ecosystems, reduces pollution, and supports a more resilient coastal community.
Sign up today to make a visible, local impact on San Diego’s coastline.
Support our sustainability efforts
Our goal is to host an event that leaves San Diego—and the community around the convention center—better than we found it.
To advance that commitment, AIA is partnering with Honeycomb Strategies to establish a sustainability benchmark for AIA-hosted events, starting with AIA26. Sustainability is not an add-on or an afterthought—it is integral to how AIA designs, collaborates, and convenes.
