2021 / 2022 COROBRIK-SAIA AWARDS OF MERIT AND AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE

Cue the confetti, because one of the biggest nights in the architectural calendar recently lit up the stage in Joburg!

The 2021/2022 Corobrik-SAIA Awards of Merit and Awards for Excellence saw 35 excellent projects walk away with prestigious accolades. Amira Osman, SAIA President and Awards Convenor, along with a notable panel of adjudicators including Karabo MotsepeMarutla, Sushma Patel, Althea Peacock, and Reverend Michael Weeder, remarked that the quality of the submissions was especially impressive this year, and that we can all be extremely proud of what the profession has accomplished.

The awards programme is structured over a two-year period and is conducted in two stages. Stage one sees the regional awards for architecture presented by the nine regional institutes affiliated with SAIA. During the second stage, the winning projects are entered into the national awards and receive either a Commendation, an Award of Merit, and/or an Award for Excellence, which recognises exceptional achievement in the field of architecture.

After the shortlisting, the adjudicators visit the project sites for in loco inspections to walk through, experience, and engage with both the completed built project and architects. The awards look beyond just the image and plans to consider the conceptualising, client relationship, and the unique site conditions and constraints that ultimately lead to the success of the project.