Every year, on the first Saturday in October, AIA Santa Barbara hosts ArchitecTours, a self guided tour and celebration of local architecture and local identity. This year’s tour will celebrate “Living with Water.” Our community benefits not only when water is managed as a limited resource, but also when water creates a multi-sensory experience within a structure, in a landscape or in a vista. It is the goal of this year’s tour to demonstrate how water can be successfully integrated into the built environment. The six sites on the tour showcase the depth of knowledge and expertise of AIA architects in urban design, sustainability, accessibility, structural improvements, building materials, and historic renovation. Making architecture more accessible to the public, the tour offers a rare opportunity for a behind-the-scenes look at these exceptional properties. Tour participants will observe first-hand how architects transform ordinary spaces into customized environments using a variety of design solutions, and be inspired on how to embrace water conservation and management in their homes.

ArchitecTours is a self-guided tour, followed by a Tour Party from 4pm-6pm at SBCAST