SAOTA

20/10/2026

A look back at Architecture, Power & Justice, our recent conversation as part of the Shaped by Place series.
 
SAOTA Principal Mark Bullivant joined Nigel and Sher’Neil Savel, co-founders of 9Miles, to explore the relationship between architecture, education and social impact.
 
Drawing on the 9Miles Learning Centre, the discussion reflected on how design can support access, dignity and community empowerment, creating lasting value beyond the building itself.
 
Thank you to our speakers and everyone who joined us at Brundyn Arts & Culture.
 
We look forward to continuing these conversations this Wednesday, 21 October, with Modern Architecture in the Cape, the next discussion in our Shaped by Place series.

20/10/2026

We recently welcomed Yinjispace 印际 back to Cape Town for the 2026 InTour 谷行 South Africa Study Tour, continuing a design exchange developed over five visits to SAOTA.
 
Across the week, the group joined studio conversations with SAOTA, _arrcc and OKHA Design Studio and visited a selection of SAOTA-designed residences. Guided by the architects, these visits explored how each project responds to Cape Town’s terrain, climate and views through light, materials and the relationship between interior and exterior.
 
ARRCC Principal Jon Case shared the studio’s approach to interior architecture, exploring materiality, sensory experience and the connection between interiors and their architectural and natural surroundings.
 
The programme also included a visit to the exhibition Shaped by Place: 40 Years of Architectural Practice, where Greg Truen offered insight into the people, places and ideas that have shaped SAOTA’s work over four decades.
 
Thank you to YINJISPACE and everyone who joined us from China for another week of shared ideas and conversation.

19/10/2026

14/10/2026

We’re proud that 9Miles Learning Centre has received the SCAPE Award for Unbuilt Project of the Year.
 
The award adds to a growing body of recognition for the project in 2026, including a WAFX Award in the Power & Justice category, a shortlist in Future Projects: Education at the World Architecture Festival, and selection as a finalist in the Architecture Hunter Awards, Unbuilt & Concepts: Institutional Facilities category.
 
9Miles continues to be recognised for the ambition behind the project and its focus on architecture, education and social impact.

Thank you to SCAPE for recognising 9Miles and celebrating the people and projects shaping South Africa’s built environment.
 
SCAPE Magazine Scape Awards of Excellence 9Miles Project
 
SAOTA Project Team: Mark Bullivant, Stefan Antoni, Edward Peike, Enran Frankenfeld, Lichumile Monakali, Kiara Skors, Alex Pienaar, Janka van Zyl, Peter Harel.

13/10/2026

In our 40th year, we’re proud to receive the SCAPE Award for Large Architecture Firm of the Year.
 
This award follows the 2026 SAIA Gold Medal for Architecture, the highest honour conferred by the South African Institute of Architects, presented for the first time to a practice rather than an individual architect.
 
This recognition honours the collective work of our team and the clients, collaborators and partners who have helped shape SAOTA over four decades.
 
Thank you to SCAPE for bringing South Africa’s architecture and design community together to celebrate the people and projects shaping our built environment.

12/10/2026

Last week at Shaped by Place.
 
From exhibition tours and student engagement to conversations on architecture, education and social impact, here’s a look back at some of last week’s highlights.
 
Swipe through to see what happened and what’s still to come throughout October.
 
In partnership with Poliform, Shaped by Place continues to create opportunities for dialogue, reflection and exchange around architecture and design.
 
The exhibition is remains open at Brundyn Arts & Culture, 21 Church Street, Cape Town, until 31 October. Admission is free.
 
Opening times
Monday to Friday: 10:00 to 17:00
Saturday: 10:00 to 16:00
Sunday: Closed
 
Poliform The Excellence Group Yinjispace 印际 InTour 谷行 9Miles Project
 
# SAOTA40

09/10/2026

1986-2026. Forty Years of Practice.
 
From a small studio in Cape Town to a global practice, SAOTA’s evolution has been shaped by the people, places and partnerships that continue to inform the work today.
 
Over four decades, the practice has grown across continents and cultures while remaining grounded in a commitment to design excellence and a deep understanding of place.
 
As we mark 40 years, we reflect on the journey that brought us here and the ideas that will shape what comes next.
 
Shaped by Place, in partnership with Poliform, SAOTA’s 40th anniversary exhibition, runs throughout October at Brundyn Arts & Culture. We invite you to visit and explore the people, projects and ideas that have shaped four decades of practice.
 

 
# SAOTA40

06/10/2026

The founding partners of SAOTA – Stefan Antoni, Greg Truen and Philip Olmesdahl, the trio behind South Africa's most globally successful architectural practice – look back over the last four decades to how they started and what led to their sustained success.