Places of belonging: designing hope & regenerating futures
Three days connecting South African and global SBE perspectives
7 - 9 July 2027
Wednesday - FridaySTADIO Campus
Durbanville, Western Cape, South Africa
Work by Kevin Kimwelle
We currently find ourselves in a place where narratives of environmental and social crises dominate our everyday discussion. SA-SBE27 + 1SBE asks you to move beyond these narratives and to shift perspective to the possibilities of hope, agency, resilience and place-based innovation. We invite you to contribute stories to SA-SBE27 + 1SBE which answer the questions:
“How can we design our built environment so that people and planet flourish?" and "How can we create places where all belong?”
Conference tracks & thematic horizons
We welcome session proposals that engage with the subthemes Places for Life, Places for Longevity and Places for Futures.
Places for Life
Biocentric and regenerative approaches to architecture, construction, water, biodiversity and material innovation.
Places for Longevity
Inclusive, participatory and intergenerational places, with integrated infrastructure for energy, water and mobility.
Places for Futures
Housing, energy, food systems, pedagogies and design as a tool for climate optimism, imagination and change.
Three framing pillars
The theme begins from the understanding that the built environment is not simply a collection of buildings and infrastructure, but a network of places in which people seek belonging, security, livelihood and connection. At a time of deepening ecological, social and spatial uncertainty, the conference asks how built-environment thinking and practice can move beyond responding to crisis and contribute actively to more hopeful and regenerative futures.
Places of Belonging
Foregrounds relationships between people, place, culture and identity, particularly within South African, African and wider Global South contexts.
Designing Hope
Positions design as a practical form of agency rather than abstract optimism.
Regenerating Futures
Extends the discussion beyond reducing harm towards restoring ecological systems, strengthening communities and creating more equitable spatial relationships.
Call for Sessions
We invite you to contribute stories to SA-SBE27 + 1SBE. We want to explore design-based, practice-led and academically informed approaches that address ecological regeneration, social equity, cultural relevance and economic resilience in the built environment.
The conference would welcome contributions relating to regenerative design and construction, climate-responsive practice, housing and settlement, social and spatial justice, material and technological innovation, education, policy, community knowledge and other related built-environment questions.
How to submit
- check_circleSubmit a description of no more than 100 words and a short biography at the end of your session description (no bulleted or lengthy CVs).
- check_circleChoose the subtheme in which you would like to facilitate a session. You may make multiple submissions.
- check_circleNot all submissions may be accepted. Facilitators will be notified by email. No correspondence will be entered into about non-acceptance.
- check_circleThe organisers reserve the right not to place sessions within the requested subthemes should subthemes be combined.
Guidelines & timeline
Facilitators will be notified of acceptance by the Secretariat.
STADIO Campus, Durbanville, Western Cape, South Africa.
STADIO School of Engineering & Architecture
STADIO's School of Engineering and Architecture is proud to host the SA-SBE27 + 1SBE Conference. At the School of Engineering and Architecture, we recognise that the built environment is an interconnected system. Architecture and engineering do not operate in isolation, and the decisions we make about buildings, infrastructure, energy, technology and communities all have wider social and environmental impacts.
This thinking is embedded in our approach to teaching and learning. Our students are encouraged to consider how creative thinking and technical expertise can work together to shape environments that are functional, responsible and responsive to the needs of society. By combining theoretical knowledge with hands-on, practical experience, we prepare future architectural and engineering professionals to contribute confidently to their professions and communities.
Sustainability and regenerative thinking form an important part of this approach. Students are encouraged to understand their role within a broader ecosystem and to consider how their decisions can contribute to healthier, more resilient and sustainable built environments.
The SA-SBE27 + 1SBE Conference provides an important platform for academics, professionals, industry partners and students to share research, ideas and practical approaches to sustainability and regeneration in the built environment. The School of Engineering and Architecture looks forward to welcoming delegates to SA-SBE27 + 1SBE and to creating opportunities for meaningful discussion, knowledge sharing and collaboration across disciplines.
Convening partners
SA-SBE27 + 1SBE is hosted by STADIO's School of Engineering and Architecture, in association with 1SBE and the Cape Institute for Architecture
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Sponsors and partners
