AZA2015 to focus on positive impact of design disciplines on economy

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The event will take place from 24-26 September and aspires to bring together all design fraternities to create awareness of the value and positive impact design disciplines have on the economy and society. Success stories, case studies, lessons learnt and international best practice will be shared by top pioneers.

Among the esteemed speakers is Beatriz Colomina, professor of History and Theory of Architecture, director of Graduate Studies at Princeton University School of Architecture and founding director of the interdisciplinary Programme in Media and Modernity at Princeton University. Colomina has written extensively on the subjects of architecture and media, which includes Domesticity at War (2007) and Privacy and Publicity: Modern Architecture as Mass Media (1994).

Transforming lives

Alta Walker, head of innovation at PPC, comments that architecture has the power to transform society and citizens' lives, a key focus at this year's ArchitectureZA. The event promises an insight into how architects contribute towards urban environments. "The various conference speakers represent original ways of architectural thinking, of identifying with their respective constituencies, and of practising and engaging with the various contexts and pressing issues presented in South Africa and other developing countries," says Walker.

As the founder and managing director of the non-profit organisation, DESIGNING_SOUTHAFRICA (D_ZA), Zahira Asmal is no stranger to design for social advancement. Having worked with governments, architects, designers and academics globally, Asmal will provide valuable insight on the impact architecture and design has on developing cities.

Specialists needed

"The cities that best support their creative communities, from architects to city visionaries, tend to be the best known and most visible. A developing nation like South Africa desperately needs designers, urban thinkers, economists, engineers, artists and planning specialists, not only to create suitable responses to social challenges but also to seek collaboratively to construct and create a better society," says Asmal.

Other speakers that have been confirmed include Lesley Lokko, associate professor of architecture at the University of Johannesburg and the author of nine best-selling novels; Alfredo Brillembourg, co-founder of Urban-Think Tank (U-TT) in Caracas, Venezuela and professor of architecture and urban design at ETH Zürich; as well as Hannah le Roux, director of the architecture programme at the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.