About A+DEN

To advance public interest and education in design and architecture, the American Architectural Foundation [AAF] and the Chicago Architecture Foundation [CAF] established A+DEN, the Architecture+Design Education Network. A+DEN is a collaborative association of like-minded organizations in the fields of architecture and design, committed to promoting innovative architecture and design education for teachers and students in grades K-12. The founding partners [AAF and CAF] each have more than 40 years of experience developing educational programs that introduce school-aged youth and their teachers to the built environment. They partnered in presenting the National Symposium on K-12 Design Education in 2004 and launched A+DEN in October 2005.

Architecture and design education draws upon the creative design process to teach and learn core academic subjects: math, science, social sciences, language arts and fine and visual arts. Incorporating the design process into academic subjects enhances the ability of students to think critically and creatively. Additionally, using the built environment as a foundation for learning fosters educators' and students' interest in their surrounding community, and it prepares citizens to participate in making informed decisions about the built environment.