Buffalo Architecture Foundation

05/21/2026

We are pleased to recognize Rachael Papp as the 2025 AIA Buffalo/WNY Young Architect Award recipient.

Her dedication to design, leadership, and community engagement exemplifies the values of this award and the mission of AIA Buffalo/WNY and the Buffalo Architecture Foundation .

Congratulations on this well-earned honor!

05/08/2026

Join us for Architecture Adventures this summer!

This FREE outdoor series for kids ages 5–12 takes place one Saturday each month from May through August. Each session runs from 10:30am–12:00pm and features hands-on creative activities inspired by nature, art, and architecture.

Themes include:
🍃Leaf Tree Art
🎨Painting in the Gardens
🪴Decorating Potted Plants
👀Build Your Own Binoculars

Limited spots are available. Register at martinhouse.org/events.

05/06/2026

What an incredible evening celebrating creativity, collaboration, and the power of design education! ✨

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Buffalo Architecture Foundation’s Architecture + Education Gallery Opening on May 1 at the Market Arcade in collaboration with Sinatra & Co. and the CEPA Gallery. The exhibit is now open to the public through May 13th, and we hope you’ll stop by to experience the amazing work created through this year’s program.
We are so grateful to our students, teachers, volunteers, design professionals, partners, families, and community members who continue to make this program possible. Your energy and support filled the gallery and truly reflected the heart of Architecture + Education.

A huge thank you as well to Filmwell Studios for capturing the creativity, passion, and excitement of the evening so beautifully.

Today’s video sponsor, Filmwell Studios, combines creativity with a pragmatic approach. Much like a station wagon, they are adaptable, reliable, and driven ensuring each project is thoughtfully tailored to meet specific goals while being handled efficiently and professionally.

📍 Market Arcade + CEPA Gallery
🗓 Exhibit Open Through May 13

05/01/2026

Through Architecture + Education, we’re building more than lessons, we’re building futures.

✨ 4,320+ students
🏫 37 Buffalo Public Schools
📐 181 architects
🪑 159 classrooms

Thank you to our incredible community of students, educators, and design professionals who make this work possible.

05/01/2026

04/28/2026

Volunteer Spotlight: Jazmine Nijjar, Young + Wright Architectural

Jazmine Nijjar of Young + Wright Architectural brings her full-circle experience to the Architecture + Education program, returning now as a professional after once volunteering as a student. Her passion for community engagement and mentorship shines through as she helps guide both students and emerging designers in discovering the power of creative problem-solving through architecture.

“I chose to volunteer for Arch+Ed because as a previous student volunteer, I learned the importance of helping out with the community. I had a great connection with the students I worked with and saw a genuine interest not only in architecture but how to work through problems with creative solutions. Volunteering now as a professional gives me the opportunity to help the new college students foster the same interests in a new group of students.”

Thank you, Jazmine, for continuing to give back and for inspiring the next generation through your mentorship and dedication!

04/28/2026

Volunteer Spotlight: Marissa Colucci, CPL

Marissa Colucci of CPL brings a passion for designing spaces that inspire and empower the next generation. Through the Architecture + Education program, she’s excited to connect students with the built environment in a meaningful, hands-on way, showing them how design impacts their everyday lives and how they can play a role in shaping it.

“Designing learning environments that spark curiosity and make students feel seen has been one of the most rewarding parts of my work. This program lets me bring that impact directly into the classroom, helping students understand how design shapes their daily lives and how they can shape it in return. The chance to blend creativity, mentorship, and real-world design is what makes this opportunity so meaningful to me.”

Thank you, Marissa, for sharing your creativity, mentorship, and passion with our students, we’re so grateful to have you as part of Arch + Ed!

04/28/2026

Volunteer Spotlight: Mithila Poojari-Arndt, Architectural Resources

We’re excited to highlight Mithila Poojari-Arndt for her involvement in our Architecture + Education program! Mithila is passionate about helping students see their surroundings in a new light, encouraging them to recognize that their ideas, experiences, and questions all play a role in shaping the built environment.

“I am excited to see through the Arch+Ed program, how students perceive their surroundings differently and understand that their ideas, experiences, and questions matter in shaping the built environment. I want to be able to contribute to building confidence, critical thinking, and a sense of agency in our future generation.”

Thank you, Mithila, for helping empower the next generation of thinkers, designers, and change-makers!

04/26/2026

✨ Volunteer Spotlight: Megan Au, Kideney ✨

We’re excited to highlight Megan Au from Kideney as part of our Arch + Ed program! Megan’s journey into design began with a realization that her creativity could become something more, a career rooted in problem-solving, expression, and purpose.

“Growing up, I was always heard that I was ‘so creative and artistic’, but it was never explained to me that those skills were applicable toward a earning a living. When I discovered an interior design program at Buffalo State and realized that role of designer was constantly applying those creative skills to design and problem solve, I felt like I had found the place I belonged. The adage ‘Do what you love, and you will never work a day in your life’ made much more sense.
Now that I have kids of my own, who are in the BPS school system, I appreciate the need to introduce young children to avenues of growth that they may not know even exist. This is the perfect time to explore and experiment with who you can be.

Regardless of the field these students ultimately chose to base their career or skills in, learning foundational principles of design will only strengthen and reinforce their educational journey towards that goal and beyond.”

Thank you, Megan, for inspiring the next generation to explore, create, and discover where they belong! 👏