As part of the global 350-year anniversary of Saint-Gobain Manufacturing, the Architecture for Social Gain Awards 2015 was inaugurated in partnership with the South Africa Institute of Architects. The Steering Panel 2015 – Daniel Van Der Merwe, Hugh Fraser and Sonya Petrus Spamer – chose to focus the awards on promoting excellence in architecture and recognising work that demonstrated a significantly positive contribution to the community and the environment for which it was designed.

Continuing the successful practice of consulting with key architects to shape the awards programme for 2017, Saint-Gobain, with the guidance of Professor Lesley Lokko (Head of the GSA at the University of Johannesburg), reached out to key architects in Africa and winners from 2015 to help shape a larger vision for the awards – the first Pan Africa Architecture Awards. The Steering Panel's proposal and inputs have defined the Entry Guidelines and the structure for the Africa Architecture Awards 2017.

Steering Panel Personal

Public panel discussion on Steering Panel

The Africa Architecture Awards is a biennial award programme with the window for entries open for 6 months in a 24-month cycle. Throughout this biennial cycle, the Awards platform will actively promote and host opportunities for dialogue in order to build much-needed cultural capital on architecture in Africa.