FSDA’s 2024-2025 Lecture Series

The Friends of San Diego Architecture presents inspiring lectures on architecture, design, and the built environment by speakers who stimulate thoughtful, community-centered discussions. After more than 40 years, the conversations continue.

The FSDA Lectures will Resume in September

This Month We Highlight an Important Event from a Partner Organization

The 2025 Design Excellence San Diego Awards
Presented by AIA San Diego

 

Celebrate San Diego’s finest design achievements at the 2025 Design Excellence San Diego Awards, an evening recognizing outstanding architecture and design across our region, honoring this year’s award recipients, and enjoying food, drinks, and community.

Each year, AIA San Diego honors distinguished design professionals and their award-worthy projects at a lively ceremony attended by hundreds of leaders from across the design, development, and creative communities.

The 2025 AIA San Diego Design Awards celebrates design excellence across our region, with an emphasis on context, sustainability, and community impact. This year’s event will be held at EVE at RaDD, a stunning new venue atop the Edge building in the Bayfront RaDD development — designed by member firm, Gensler.

This is more than an awards show — it’s a chance to view exceptional work, celebrate architecture’s role in shaping San Diego, and connect with the people who make it all possible.

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Friends of San Diego Architecture Image Library of the Month

Southwestern USA

Enjoy our collection of historic architecture, maps, and more in this featured Southwestern USA gallery.

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FSDA News of Interest

Missed a lecture? Check out our videos: Since September 2017, FSDA has been videotaping our lectures. They have been a work in progress. If you missed one of our lectures, you now have a chance to view them here. Architect Manuel Oncina talks about Libraries: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow; Architect Hal Sadler and Modernist Keith York have a dialogue about Evolving Styles: From the Sixties; Architects Ken Baldwin and Andy Darragh discuss From Labs to Libraries; Landscape Architect Vicki Estrada revisits San Diego Design Decisions, and, Architects Kathleen McCormick and Ted Smith present An Alternative Practice. We have now added our September and October lecture videos. We would love to have your comments.

November 2019: Diane Kane – Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Irving Gill: Modern Architecture Emerges

February 2020: Glen Schmidt – Mission Valley: An Open Space Renaissance

January 2022: Panel of Speakers – San Diego-Tijuana: World Design Capital 2024

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The latest video now available and one you won’t want to miss!

UC San Diego: Billions in Development

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FSDA Image Library: Our image library continues to grow with new images added often, so you might want to bookmark this link. We started with the Ned Paynter Collection and have now added the Diane Kane Collection, Competitions, Exhibits, and FSDA Events. This image is from the Southern California Gallery in the Diane Kane Collection.