SAA launches the Design Playbook in celebration of World Architecture Day

The global nature-climate crisis, drastic population shifts, and increased mega urbanisation form the ‘wicked problems’ of our world today. In an increasingly complex and uncertain era, our environments require a radical rethinking.

To empower designers as architects of change, SAA has launched the Design Playbook, borne from a desire to create resilient, sustainable, and endearing spaces.

The playbook’s development was led by SAA's Senior Executive Director, Michael Leong, who worked with SAA’s research and design teams.

The Design Playbook's framework is designed to invite participants to explore design processes through thoughtfully-curated prompts, and to derive holistic responses for multi-dimensional challenges.

Key aspects of the Design Playbook include:

• 3 Core Values: Outlining why cities need to be reimagined to be liveable, loveable, and future-proofed.
• 6 Qualities: Defining what sustainable, resilient, and endearing designs should embody to attract talents and enable thriving communities.
• 25++ Enablers: Providing guidance on how these qualities can be achieved through various strategic design elements, ranging from smart technologies to public spaces and green urbanism.

The playbook was released to the public in October 2024 — a fitting celebration of this year’s World Architecture Day theme of “Empowering the Next Generation in Participatory Urban Design”.

Visualised as an interconnected system of design prompts in a honeycomb of hexagons, Michael noted: "The framework was intentionally designed as an evolutionary model, to encourage collaborators to engage actively in the design process.”

“The inclusion of empty hexagons [in the framework] welcomes stakeholders to contribute their inputs and enrich the conversation. It is in recognition of the importance of active, collaborative discussions to stay relevant in today’s world,” he added.

Michael concluded: “Whether you're developing urban planning strategies, working on community-driven projects, or focusing on sustainable building designs, this playbook provides a framework to enhance our design processes and deliver meaningful results for the people, places, and environments we shape.”

Discover the Design Playbook here.