A Chance to Observe San Diego Architecture

San Diegans will get the chance to enhance their knowledge of their city’s architecture as well as vote for their favorite architectural projects of this year during the American Institute of Architects’ 1987 Honor Awards Competition and San Diego: By Design Week.

During the third annual series of events, which runs from Friday through June 27, people can take tours of buildings and homes and attend seminars. The week is designed to familiarize San Diegans with local art and architecture, spokeswoman Nancy Weisinger said.

Downtown homes can be toured at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday. The starting point is the Downtown Information Center, 119 F St. There will also be Gaslamp Quarter architectural tours, starting at the Davis House, 410 Island Ave., at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday and June 27.

The AIA Spark Forum will present a slide show, in which public opinion of the projects entered in the competition and the jury’s choices will be compared. The event will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday on the Sports Deck of Horton Plaza.

“Last year there was quite a difference between the jury and the public,” said Spencer Lake, a founder of the Spark Forum, a monthly meeting in which specialists and the public gather to discuss San Diego architecture. “The public didn’t go overboard for the more fanciful buildings. . . . The public is less probing than the jury.”

There are seven categories in which San Diego architectural firms can enter an unlimited number of projects, Lake said. Although there are no cash prizes involved, he said, the awards bring recognition to a firm and are very prestigious.

“Post-Modern Architecture: The Sacrificial Cow,” is one of the more controversial events, Weisinger said. The panel, scheduled for 7 p.m. June 25 at the War Memorial Building in Balboa Park, will discuss San Diego’s recent reaction to public art in which the artist or architect commissioned was a post-modernist.

Other activities include a lecture by Rebecca Binder, sponsored by Women in Architecture, at 6 p.m. June 26 and a tour of commercial and residential gardens from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 27. Later that evening, the AIA will hold its Honor Awards Celebration at 5 p.m.

For a complete schedule of events, call the American Institute of Architects San Diego Chapter.