Virunga Mountain Spirits, Kinigi. BE Design. BIG SEE Architecture Award 2026 winner.
AIA-SSA Members Take Centre Stage at the Pan-African Biennale in Nairobi
AIA Sub-Saharan Africa (AIA-SSA) members played a significant role in the inaugural Pan-African Biennale, held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 7–11 September 2026 under the theme Shifting the Center: From Fragility to Resilience. The Biennale provided a major continental platform for African architects and built-environment professionals to share new perspectives on the future of African cities and architecture’s role in building resilience.
MASS Rwanda speaking at PAN African Biennale
Rwanda’s Contribution: Architecture Serving Society
AIA-SSA member Lise Isaro, RIA, Int. Assoc. AIA, contributed as Curatorial Coordinator, helping shape the programme and its exploration of Africa’s architectural futures.
Rwanda was represented by Model of Architecture Serving Society, an exhibition developed through the Africa Design Centre Fellowship and presented within the Biennale’s African Futures strand.
Challenging the idea of “African architecture” as a single aesthetic expression, the exhibition presented a plurality of possible African futures. Its themes ranged from dignity and labour in construction to innovative approaches to markets, maternal health, technology and ecological planning.
The exhibition reflects AIA-SSA’s commitment to creating platforms where African architects can articulate locally grounded ideas and contribute to wider international conversations on the future of the built environment.
Kigali: Demonstrating Climate Resilience Through Urban Infrastructure
Rwanda’s participation also highlighted efforts to integrate environmental resilience into urban development. Kigali is nearing completion of the restoration of five major urban wetlands, with the World Bank reporting that the programme is restoring nearly 500 hectares of wetlands.
This initiative demonstrates how ecological systems can become part of urban infrastructure and climate adaptation strategies, offering valuable lessons for rapidly urbanising African cities.
AIA-SSA Members and African Architecture Gain International Recognition
The Biennale participation comes alongside growing international recognition of architectural work emerging from Rwanda. Three Rwanda-based projects were selected as BIG SEE Architecture Award 2026 winners:
IRCAD Africa, Kigali — S&AA
Virunga Mountain Spirits, Kinigi — BE_Design
Zaria Court, Kigali — NLÉ
IRCAD Africa, Kigali. S&AA
Zaria Court, Kigali. NLE
These awards, alongside AIA-SSA members’ contributions to the Biennale’s leadership and curatorial programme, reflect the growing international contribution of Sub-Saharan African architects to contemporary architectural discourse.
Shifting the Centre
For AIA-SSA, participation in the Pan-African Biennale represents more than attendance at a major architectural event.
It reflects the Section's commitment to amplifying African voices, strengthening intra-African collaboration, and creating opportunities for members to shape the conversations that will define the continent's architectural future.
The Nairobi gathering reinforced a central proposition of the AIA-SSA programme: Africa's future will not be defined by a single architectural language, but by diverse, context-driven solutions capable of transforming the continent's social, environmental, and urban realities.
South Africa: Advancing Spatial Transformation and Regional Collaboration
The South African Institute of Architects (SAIA) Convention 2026, themed Spatial Reset, took place from 26–28 August during Women’s Month. Bringing together architects, government, industry, academia, communities and other built-environment professionals to explore the role architecture can play in achieving a meaningful spatial reset.
The convention was conceived as a national conversation rather than a traditional conference. Through curated discussions, networking opportunities, knowledge exchange and recognition of excellence, delegates examined challenges facing South Africa's cities and settlements while identifying practical opportunities for collaboration and action.
Ar. Charles Nduku, President of the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP), addressed the benefits of the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) signed in July 2026 between SACAP and the US-based National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB).
Ar. Nadia Tromp, AIA International Country Representative for South Africa, received renewed unanimous support from SAIA in her representative role, with SAIA requesting that she represents the organisation in AIA International and RIBA Africa engagements.
On 29 August, we had our first coffee session with AIA International County Rep SAIA representative, Ar. Nadia Tromp, Ar. Nenpin Dimka, RIBA Africa Chair, and Ar. Janet Saaiman, immediate past SAIA President, to discuss a strategic partnership between SAIA, RIBA Africa and AIA International on the African continent.
We brainstormed around creating platforms for African architects to showcase their works, to contribute to current AIA and RIBA events and how we could foster opportunities to collaborate.
A follow-up alignment meeting with RIBA Africa is planned for October 2026 under the guidance of Ar. Lanre Olusola, AIA Sub-Saharan Africa President and AIA International At-Large Director.
