African Design Magazine December 2015 | Page 64

Feature Awards AFRISAM-SAIA AWARDS Entries are now open for the 2015/2016 AfriSam-SAIA Award for Sustainable Architecture + Innovation. T he bi-annual awards recognise contributions that bring sustainable innovation to human living environments through an integrated approach to communities, planning, design, architecture, building practice, natural systems and technology. This year, two new award categories have been added, significantly expanding South Africa’s most important built environment sustainability awards. The two mainstay categories of Sustainable Architecture and Research in Sustainability are now joined by Sustainable Products and Technology and Sustainable Social Programmes. This means that a full scope of visionaries working in the field of sustainable architecture, construction and innovation will now be recognised by the prestigious award presented bi-annually by AfriSam and the South African Institute of Architects (SAIA). “The role of architects and their project partner s in ensuring South Africa plays its part in the global journey to sustainability is really emphasised by these awards. It is also a recognition of the fact that we are now in a new era that recognises that sustainable design has to be an integral part of the building industry from the very start of a project, “comments AfriSam’s CEO Stephan Olivier. Read more here