Architecture for Kids & American Institute of Architects | Architecture Week 2026: Inspiring the Next Generation – Samantha Chavez, Joaquin Sanchez, and Natalie Quintero AIA El Paso, Texas

A forgotten park is never just a planning problem, it is a community story waiting to be retold. We sit down with three emerging designers from El Paso, Texas, Joaquin Sanchez, Samantha Chavez, and Natalie Quintero, to hear how they reimagined Keystone Heritage Park as a place people actually want to use again, not once, but for years.  Their ideas start with a simple question: how do you make a space feel welcoming, comfortable, and meaningful for the people who live nearby? From creating shaded areas that encourage people to linger, to designing experiences that bring visitors outdoors while still offering refuge from the heat, they show what community-focused architecture looks like when it is led by young voices who know the city first-hand.  We also dig into the Architecture Week 2026 theme “cultivate” and how it shapes their approach to sustainability and growth. They connect sustainable design to local identity by choosing adobe, a material tied to regional culture and well suited to the desert climate. Just as importantly, they treat cultural heritage as a design driver, using storytelling in architecture to build a timeline of the region through spaces and details that reflect local history, including the Diwa tribe, so visitors learn as they move.  If you care about architecture education, youth design, public space regeneration, or how the American Institute of Architects (AIA) supports K-12 students, this conversation offers practical inspiration. Subscribe to Architecture for Kids, share the episode with someone curious about the built environment, and leave a rating and review so more young designers can find their way into architecture.