The future of South Africa’s housing and neighbourhoods will be on display at the Off-the-Wall Human Settlements Showcase, which will be held in Pretoria on 8 and 9 February 2019.

Hosted by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and other partners such as the Department of Human Settlements, the Off-the-Wall Human Settlements Showcase will give entrepreneurs, innovators and industry the opportunity to showcase new ideas for future houses and neighbourhoods.

The event, which is a first for the country, is part of a process to develop and adopt the Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Human Settlement (STI 4 SHS) Roadmap that is due for completion in September this year.

Improved quality of life

The roadmap sets out a 10-year plan for a coordinated investment and collaboration between key stakeholders, recognising the demand for alternative and innovative technologies in the built environment to help achieve citizens’ right to adequate housing and improved quality of life.

The project will formally establish a strategic alliance through a national forum for STI 4 SHS to lead the way for its subsequent implementation.

Global risks such as climate change, environmental degradation and resource depletion require governments to rethink how resources are managed, and STI 4 SHS is aimed at using science, technology and innovation to respond to these risks.

Selected projects from the showcase will be featured in a book, while all exhibited innovations will be documented in a register, which forms part of the broader road mapping initiative.

Bringing public and private sector together

CSIR project leader and senior researcher, Peta de Jager, says: “The event will feature a two-day open-air fair environment at which technologies can be demonstrated and discussed with human settlement stakeholders from both the public and the private sectors.”

There will also be public lectures on innovative building technologies and the protection of intellectual property, among other topics.

“This will be of interest to implementers in the human settlements sector, innovators and built environment professionals. The event also aims to initiate discussions with potential investors and collaborators for the STI 4 SHS roadmap project,” says De Jager.