Shaped by Place: 40 Years of Architectural Practice

Shaped by Place: 40 Years of Architectural Practice opens at Brundyn Arts & Culture in Cape Town, on Thursday 1 October 2026, coinciding with First Thursdays. Presented by Poliform, the exhibition brings together architectural models, large-scale imagery and curated narratives drawn from four decades of SAOTA’s work, and runs until 31 October with free entry.

Rather than a conventional retrospective, Shaped by Place examines the thinking behind the work: how place, collaboration, research and changing contexts have shaped the practice’s approach to architecture over four decades. It is an account of a design culture, and of how a building is arrived at.

The Cape Town presentation follows SAOTA40 exhibitions in Shenzhen and Chengdu earlier this year. SAOTA also designed a stand at this year’s Salone del Mobile in Milan, becoming the first South African practice to do so.

The exhibition coincides with the pre-sale launch of Shaped by Place, SAOTA’s new monograph, from which the exhibition takes its name. Through projects, essays by leading industry voices and personal reflections, the publication documents the principles and philosophies that have informed the practice and extends the exhibition’s argument beyond the gallery.

Open to the public throughout October, the exhibition is accompanied by a programme of talks bringing together SAOTA principals and invited guests. The programme will include conversations on the making of the monograph, on architecture and social impact, and on artificial intelligence in design practice. The full programme of speakers and dates will be announced on SAOTA’s social media over the coming weeks.

The Cape Town exhibition builds on an established relationship between SAOTA and Poliform, bringing together two design-led organisations with a shared commitment to quality, craft, and innovation.