Architecture for Kids & American Institute of Architects | Architecture Week 2026: Inspiring the Next Generation - Jack McMahon, AIA Framework for Design Excellence 2025

Architecture can start with one great teacher, one school project, and one moment where a building suddenly feels alive. We sit down with Jack McMahon, a young designer from Las Vegas, Nevada, to trace that moment and follow it forward, from an inspiring high school architecture programme to studying architecture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Along the way, we talk about why Jack calls architecture “art with logic and people behind it”, and how that mix of creativity and rigour becomes a real pathway into the creative industries for K-12 students and emerging designers.   We also unpack one of Jack’s Architecture Week submissions, the Elkhorn Community Centre, and the challenge of fitting a complex brief together like a jigsaw puzzle. Jack shares what he wanted people to feel as they move through a community hub built for gathering, connection, and everyday use. We explore early sustainability thinking too, including a green roof concept adapted for the realities of a desert climate, plus how influences and the AIA Framework for Design Excellence themes can shape decisions about wellbeing, integration, energy efficiency, and ecosystems.   The most useful advice is also the simplest: learn architecture by experiencing spaces. Visit buildings, pay attention to comfort, light, movement, and mood, then bring those observations back into your own design work. If Architecture Week 2026 has been on your radar, this is your nudge to put yourself out there, submit work, ask questions, and meet people. Subscribe to Architecture for Kids podcast, share this with a student or educator or parent / guardian, and leave a rating and review so more young designers can find their way in.