ACG Architects and Development Planners

28/05/2026

08/05/2026

What does a wall along one of Cape Town’s major urban corridors mean for the future of the city?

The ACG team tackled this question during a recent studio discussion unpacking the City’s proposed N2 corridor wall development.

Planned along the N2 approach from the airport into Cape Town, the proposal aims to improve safety by preventing dangerous pedestrian crossings. While the intention is clear, the discussion opened up broader questions around how infrastructure shapes movement, access, visibility and ultimately oppurtunity within the city itself.

As a studio, we debated alternative strategies to the proposed wall, approaches that prioritise people, dignity and connection rather than division. From layered mobility systems and safer crossing infrastructure to activated edges and landscaped buffers. The conversation centred on how design can improve safety without disconnecting communities from opportunity.

Safety for pedestrians, motorists and surrounding communities remains essential, but as designers, we believe infrastructure should do more than protect, it should enable. This was less about a wall and more about imagining an urban edge that works harder for both the city and its people.

29/04/2026

1st Place Winners 🥇 |

We’re proud to share that our competition entry took 1st place, responding to the challenge of rethinking housing, access and belonging in Cape Town’s urban context.

Home Sweet Home
A VERTICAL NEIGHBOURHOOD FOR ARRIVAL & BELONGING

The proposal begins with arrival and builds a path toward permanence. In Cape Town, many live at the edge of opportunity while working at its center. Our proposal transforms underutilized public land into a vertical neighborhood structured as a “ladder of living,” where residents can move from shared, transitional accommodation to stable family homes within a single, integrated building.
The architecture is organized as a perimeter block with an inhabited courtyard, anchoring an active street edge and stitching into the existing urban grid. The ground floor is porous and adaptable, accommodating retail, informal trade, childcare, and community services, allowing the building to evolve with its neighborhood. Above, open-access galleries and layered communal terraces form defensible, socially active thresholds, ensuring passive surveillance while enabling everyday interaction.
Homes are arranged through a modular system of units, ranging from shared clusters and studios to multigenerational apartments. This system allows residents to transition over time without displacement, supporting changing household structures and economic conditions. Flexibility is embedded not only in unit layouts but also in the building’s social infrastructure shared kitchens, laundries, courtyards, and roof terraces that accommodate routine, care, and collective life.
The spatial sequence is deliberate: public street to point of arrival, courtyard to gallery, and gallery to home. Each layer balances privacy and connection, allowing residents to define their own degree of openness. Washing lines, balconies, and planted edges become visible markers of daily life expressions of identity rather than concealed necessities.
Here, home is defined not by enclosure alone, but by security, routine, and belonging. It is where children are visible at play, neighbours recognize one another, and life unfolds across shared space.

23/04/2026

What happens when a neglected dumping ground becomes a thriving community wetland park?

At the UCT APG Pink Talks 2025, Landscape Architect, Ilham Gabier took to the floor to unpack the Asanda Village Wetland Park project, completed by ACG Architects in 2024 , a powerful example of what community-centred design can achieve.

Nestled in Strand's Helderberg basin, this City of Cape Town initiative transformed a degraded open space into a safe, green, multi-use haven for the communities of Asanda Village, Nomzamo and Lwandle. The project speaks to ecological restoration, stormwater resilience, and giving people a space that belongs to them.

Located in Asanda Village, the proposal focuses on the rehabilitation of a degraded wetland, positioning it as a living infrastructure that responds to both environmental and community needs. The design integrates stormwater management with landscape-led interventions, allowing the wetland to function as both an ecological system and a public amenity.
Carefully structured pedestrian routes, social spaces, and ecological buffers work together to improve connectivity, enhance safety, and support everyday community life within the landscape.

This was one of three compelling presentations at the UCT Pink Room, all weaving the same thread: that thoughtful, people-first design can regenerate not just land, but communities. 💚

📍 UCT School of Architecture, Planning & Geomatics
APG Pink Talks | 23 September 2025
🎥 Full lecture link in bio : https://www.instagram.com/p/DXeFKtllPp3/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

26/12/2025

As 2025 draws to a close, we’re taking a moment to reflect on a year of thoughtful design, collaboration, and growth at ACG Architects. This edition of our newsletter highlights the projects, ideas, and milestones that shaped our year. Thank you to our clients, collaborators, and community for being part of the journey. Read the full year-end newsletter through the link in our bio.

12/12/2025

As we wrap up an inspiring year of design and collaboration, our team will be taking a break from 12 Dec 2025 to 12 Jan 2026.
Thank you to our clients, partners, and community for your continued support.
Wishing you a joyful holiday season and a creative year ahead! ✨

24/09/2025

Explore our architectural legacy, shaped by years of innovation and craftsmanship.

19/09/2025

This week we had the pleasure of hosting our clients from Lesotho for productive workshops and collaborative design sessions — a great reminder of the exciting journey ahead.

The ACG team also came together for a special lunch — a chance to pause, connect, and celebrate the dedication that drives our projects forward. Our founding Director, Malcolm Campbell shared a warm message and introduced our talented team to our visiting clients, making it a moment to remember.

Here’s to teamwork, progress, and everything still to come!

09/08/2025

Happy women’s day from the ACG Team ✨