Architecture in South Africa must do more than produce buildings; it must help shape a society in which people live with dignity, access opportunity and participate fully in community life. That was the inspiring challenge laid down by Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane at the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP) Education Conference.
Addressing Friday’s virtual conference, held under the theme “Architecture in Changing Times”, Simelane invited architects, educators, students and government to consider “not simply what kind of buildings are being designed, but what kind of society is being designed.”
Schools as the Heart of Living Settlements
One of the most hopeful threads of the Minister’s address was her vision of schools and public facilities as community assets rather than isolated structures.
“A school must form part of a living settlement. It must connect to homes. It must connect to safe mobility routes, public spaces, [and] economic opportunity. It must connect to the broader social life of the community,” she said.
Shared community infrastructure, she noted, can maximise the value of scarce public land, strengthen social ownership and help protect public assets. The Minister urged architects to think beyond the individual building and ask what happens there after school hours, who can use it, and what value it creates for the neighbourhood around it.
“Architecture must increasingly help us turn public infrastructure into anchors around which stronger communities can grow,” Simelane said.
Quality as a Message of Dignity
Simelane emphasised that quality architecture is an expression of dignity, and that communities historically denied investment deserve excellent public buildings. A child attending school in a township, a rural community or an informal settlement, she said, should never receive the message that excellence, beauty and quality belong somewhere else.
“The quality of architecture communicates value,” she argued, adding that well-designed infrastructure tells every child that their community and their future matter.
Building Skills While Building Buildings
There was good news for local economies in the Minister’s message too. She said the construction process itself should contribute to development, with human settlements and public infrastructure projects creating opportunities for local workers, artisans, small contractors and small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) wherever possible. Locally appropriate construction methods and materials, she added, can build skills, stimulate local economies and strengthen community resilience.
Looking to the classroom, Simelane called for architectural education that equips professionals with technical competence alongside a deep understanding of place, community, sustainability and spatial justice.
“We need professionals who can look at a drawing and understand that behind every line is a human experience. The professionals we educate today will help determine whether tomorrow’s South African settlement is fragmented or integrated, exclusionary or inclusive, unsustainable or resilient.”
It is a vision of the built environment as a force for good, and a reminder that every well-placed school, park and home helps draw the map of a fairer South Africa.
Photo: sanews.gov.za
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