HEALTH DESIGN CONFERENCE | SOUTH AFRICA
HEALTH BY DESIGN:
Designing adaptively, centring community.
Conference overview
Think beyond bricks and mortar.
HDC Africa 2027 brings architects, engineers, clinicians, policymakers, facility managers and community advocates together to address the questions shaping Africa’s built health environment.
Healthcare does not begin or end at the hospital door. It is shaped by the communities, infrastructure and environments in which people live, work, move and age. The conference provides a platform to share what is working, what must change and what the next generation of health facilities must become.
2027 challenge
Move beyond incremental improvement. Bring ideas born from African experience, grounded in African need and ready for African application.
Conference streams
Four lenses for transformation.
01 Resilience & adaptive reuse
01
Rethinking the Footprint
HDC Africa strengthens the ability of design professionals to influence strategy, policy, procurement and the delivery of high-quality healthcare facilities.
- Care closer to communities
- Refurbishment and adaptive reuse
- Energy, water and supply-chain resilience
Equity & prevention
02
From Interventions to Outcomes
Treat health infrastructure as a platform for equity, prevention and long-term community wellbeing.
- Health promotion and chronic care
- Integration with everyday infrastructure
- NHI and equitable access
Dignity & participation
03
Health in Motion
HDC Africa strengthens the ability of design professionals to influence strategy, policy, procurement and the delivery of high-quality healthcare facilities.
- Rehabilitation and re-integration
- Disability, neurodiversity and ageing
- Person-centred health space
Community & civic trust
04
Public Value, Collective Care
Reposition health facilities as lasting civic assets through co-design, values-led leadership and accountable governance.
- Community engagement
- Ubuntu-informed design
- Equity, trust and civic value
Purpose
A shared vision for African health design.
HDC Africa strengthens the ability of design professionals to influence strategy, policy, procurement and the delivery of high-quality healthcare facilities.
01
Establish a common standard
HDC Africa strengthens the ability of design professionals to influence strategy, policy, procurement and the delivery of high-quality healthcare facilities.
02
Connect expertise to policy
Provide expert advice across government and non-government sectors, including where NHI affects infrastructure delivery.
03
Advance knowledge
Share research, evaluate innovation and build the training required for a sustainable, transformed profession.
04
Elevate underserved voices
Bring rural and under-resourced settings into the centre of South Africa’s health design conversation.
Panel Session
Questions worth debating
01
Ahead of the Curve, On the Right Track?
Balancing standards and procurement confidence with the agility required by climate change, AI and shifting population needs.
02
Hospital Typology: Back to the Future
Testing whether familiar hospital forms remain fit for communities from inner-city Johannesburg to deep rural Limpopo.
03
Build Better, Not Just More
Government leaders consider sustainable construction, refurbishment, recycling and long-term value.
04
A Changing Community
Designing for communities as they are—culturally diverse, geographically mobile and shaped by inequality.
05
The Future of Healthcare Technology in Africa
Future-proofing facilities for robotics, AI, digital records and telemedicine without excluding under-resourced settings.
06
Air Quality, Emissions and the Climate-Ready Facility
Practical pathways to healthier, lower-emission and operationally robust facilities.
Call for submissions
Bring innovation from the field.
Propose African case studies, cross-sector insight and evidence-based innovation—from NHI and sustainable procurement to co-design, AI, hospital air quality and the African vernacular.
Who should attend
The full health design ecosystem.
Leadership & Strategy
Directors-General, CEOs, heads of department, policy and planning officials.
Design & Construction
Architects, planners, BIM professionals, project managers and cost consultants.
Assets & Facilities
Property, facilities, maintenance, compliance and asset register managers.
Research, Clinical & Community
Researchers, clinical leaders, NGOs, advocates and students.