What To Expect: ArchitectureZA (AZA16)

WORDS Cheri Morris IMAGES ArchitectureZA

The sixth annual South African architecture conference (AZA16), presented by the South African Institute for Architects (SAIA), will be hosted by the University of Witwaterstraand (Wits) in Johannesburg from Thursday 1 September until Saturday 3 September 2016.

The three-day design and architecture festival will be hosting a range of expert speakers and delegates. This year’s theme is SCALE and focuses on how scale transcends professions, has an endless array of interpretations and aims to assert the capacity of architects and designers to work across all scales. AZA16 will be shaped around the physical communities of architects and design delegates and extends from the University campus into neighbouring locations in the Braamfontein area.

Starting at 8am, there will be six international and twenty local speakers running a diverse programme of not only formal presentations but also creative activities, exhibitions and informal presentations to bring delegates in touch with speakers. The speakers will explore topics including the effects of big data on complex design ecologies, intimacies of crafted details, architecture in local communities and examination of how architects and designers work across scales.

Plenary sessions will be held at the Wits Great Hall, while parallel lectures will be held in the architecturally distinctive Oppenheimer Life Sciences building with a traders expo marquee and refreshment station between the two. After hours, the route will extend into Juta and De Korte streets; dynamic home to art galleries, design and clothing stores, as well as restaurants.

Booking is essential. For more information, visit ArchitectureZA and see the full programme here.