Architecture for Kids & American Institute of Architects | Architecture Week 2026: Inspiring the Next Generation
Welcome to this special edition of the Architecture for Kids podcast, created in collaboration with the American Institute of Architects to celebrate Architecture Week 2026.
Hosted by Antonio Capelao—trained as an architect, architectural educator, and Founding Director of the award‑winning Architecture for Kids CIC—this podcast series explores how young people are engaging with architecture today. Antonio is also a doctoral student at the Institute of Education and The Bartlett, UCL, and a design tutor at the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University.
Throughout this series, Antonio speaks with inspiring young designers and future architects taking part in Architecture Week 2026, which takes place across the United States from April 12 to 18. Architecture Week celebrates the profession of architecture and invites everyone—especially K–12 students—to explore architecture and design.
The aim of this podcast is to inspire and engage young people to shape their built environment, while highlighting pathways into architecture and the wider creative industries. Together, we explore how education, creativity, and community can nurture the next generation of architects.
This episode is brought to you by the American Institute of Architects in collaboration with Architecture for Kids CIC.
Join us in celebrating Architecture Week 2026 from April 12 to 18.
Find out more and learn how to participate at aia.org/architecture-week.
Brandon Farley, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, leads the Higher Education Practice at American Structurepoint and has spent more than two decades designing award‑winning academic facilities across the Midwest. He is also a passionate advocate for design education, long‑time Chair of the Indiana High School Architectural Design Competition, and co‑author of a forthcoming book for aspiring young designers.
Devon Davis is a Nationally Certified Counselor and an experienced K–12 school counselor, administrator, and program developer with more than two decades of experience across public, private, and charter schools. She now serves approximately 100,000 members of the American Institute of Architects, supporting their efforts to inspire and guide the next generation of architects.
Hi, my name is Jack McMahon and I am from Las Vegas, Nevada. I was a part of the architecture program at my high school, Advanced Technologies Academy, and am now studying architecture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. I really love architecture because I think of it as art with logic and people behind it, creating a feeling that I couldn’t find in any other subject area.
lya Prytup, a finalist from the 2025 AIA Toledo High School Design Competition and now an Architectural Engineering student at the University of Cincinnati, with interests in sustainable construction, historic restoration, and the use of natural materials in architecture.
Michael Rowe, AIA, LEED AP ID+C, is a licensed architect and Partner at Buehrer Group Architecture & Engineering. As Lead Architect and Project Manager, he has guided a wide range of public and institutional projects, while also contributing to community planning and mentoring young designers through the AIA High School Design Competition Committee.