SAOTA

SAOTA SAOTA is an award-winning architecture firm with a global footprint of projects on 6 continents.
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This is SAOTA's official page where you will find news and information about us and the way that we work.

This June, SAOTA Principal Greg Truen will participate in two leading industry events in Shanghai, serving as an awards ...
03/06/2026

This June, SAOTA Principal Greg Truen will participate in two leading industry events in Shanghai, serving as an awards juror at the REDMO Design Award & Forum and a keynote speaker at the WAD Luxury Residence Design & Construction Summit.
 
These engagements provide an opportunity to exchange ideas with peers from across the global design community and contribute to ongoing conversations around architecture, residential design, and the evolving ways we live.
 
Swipe to learn more about each event and Greg’s role in these discussions.

Villa Albany, New Providence Island, The Bahamas Rooted in its island context, the villa is defined by measured proporti...
01/06/2026

Villa Albany, New Providence Island, The Bahamas
 
Rooted in its island context, the villa is defined by measured proportion, refined materiality, and spatial depth. Light coloured granite and pale regional coral stone echo the tones of nearby beaches, while a continuous waterbody reflects the architecture and mediates the transition between building and landscape.
 
Contemporary in form, the residence balances openness and protection through a precise architectural language shaped by climate, light, and site.
 
SAOTA Project Team: Dominik George, Mark Bullivant, Brigitte Stevens
AOR: CDS Bahamas and Lloyd Mckenzie
Landscape Design: Mills Design Group
Photographer: Ema Peter
Interior Designer: Aldric Speer
Lighting Design: LUX Populi
Window system:
Contractor: MEB

29/05/2026

Last week, our SAOTA Mentorship Programme stepped beyond the studio and into the workshop through a factory visit to Infin8 Surfaces and Craft Furniture.
 
The visit gave our mentees first-hand insight into the craftsmanship, technical precision, and production processes behind the materials and products that shape our built environment. Engaging directly with the teams on-site deepened their understanding of materiality, detailing, and the realities of manufacturing in practice.
 
Experiences such as these form an important part of the programme, helping bridge the relationship between concept, making, and construction.
 
Thank you to the teams at Infin8 Surfaces and Craft Furniture for hosting us and sharing your knowledge and expertise.

Villa Albany, New Providence Island, The Bahamas Villa Albany is defined by a layered composition of walls, courtyards, ...
28/05/2026

Villa Albany, New Providence Island, The Bahamas
 
Villa Albany is defined by a layered composition of walls, courtyards, and shaded thresholds that structure movement through the home. The design balances openness and enclosure, drawing on regional principles of cross-ventilation, protected outdoor space, and responsiveness to climate.
 
Materially, pale coral stone and light granite reference the surrounding coastal landscape, while terraced ceilings and shaded outdoor spaces reinforce the relationship between shelter, light, and environment.
 
SAOTA Project Team: Dominik George, Mark Bullivant, Brigitte Stevens
AOR: CDS Bahamas and Lloyd Mckenzie
Landscape Design: Mills Design Group
Photographer:
Interior Designer: Aldric Speer
Lighting Design: LUX Populi
Window system:
Contractor: MEB

Villa Albany, New Providence Island, The Bahamas Set within Albany on New Providence Island, this villa expresses a meas...
27/05/2026

Villa Albany, New Providence Island, The Bahamas
 
Set within Albany on New Providence Island, this villa expresses a measured composition of planes, courtyards, and layered geometries shaped by light, climate, and landscape. Planar walls frame the approach and choreograph movement through the home, while a series of courtyards improve airflow, draw natural light deep into the plan, and strengthen the connection between interior and exterior spaces.

SAOTA Project Team: Dominik George, Mark Bullivant, Brigitte Stevens
AOR: CDS Bahamas and Lloyd Mckenzie
Landscape Design: Mills Design Group
Photographer: Ema Peter
Interior Designer: Aldric Speer
Lighting Design: LUX Populi
Window system:
Contractor: MEB

Located in Cocody, Abidjan, this twelve-storey residential building is shaped by its climate and context. A layered faça...
18/05/2026

Located in Cocody, Abidjan, this twelve-storey residential building is shaped by its climate and context. A layered façade, inspired by the African oil palm, introduces a diagonal screen that filters harsh sunlight while framing views across the city. Behind it, a more solid layer defines privacy and programme.
 
Material contrast between white concrete and dark glass gives the building a clear, sculptural presence, while tropical planting at ground level softens the boundary between architecture and landscape.
 
SAOTA Project Team: Greg Truen, Erin Gibbs, Duke Williams, Jasper Blockland, Teag Theron, Ashley Harwood, Mario Van Wyk, Darius Navin

Sonyaka, White River, South Africa Given the building’s orientation, the design incorporates a considered approach to en...
13/05/2026

Sonyaka, White River, South Africa
 
Given the building’s orientation, the design incorporates a considered approach to environmental performance. Overhangs, recessed openings, and screening devices are strategically positioned to optimise daylight pe*******on, frame key views, and mitigate solar heat gain. This passive design strategy enhances comfort while reinforcing the architectural expression.
 
SAOTA Project Team: Dani Reimers, Sean Mash, Fundokuhle Kubheka, Annerica Venter, Sameeya Moola, Luca Truen
AOR: Co-Lab Architects

07/05/2026

SAOTA’s Design Fridays series is now open to the public.

Bringing together voices from across architecture, design, and creative practice, Design Fridays offers a space for conversations around design thinking, research, projects, and the cultural and environmental influences shaping the built environment.

This week, we welcome Senthil Kumar Doss from Play Architecture for a talk titled Contextual Tectonics: Architecture Rooted in Place; exploring an architectural approach shaped by context, materiality, and a strong connection to place.

Friday, 08 May
15:00–16:00 (Online)

Registration link in bio.

07/05/2026

Island Villa, Dubai, UAE

On Dubai’s Jumeirah Bay Island, Island Villa explores a more restrained approach to waterfront living, where architecture, interiors, landscape, and climate response are conceived as a single spatial experience.

“It shifts the focus from opulence to quality, comfort and an intentional way of living,” says SAOTA Principal Philip Olmesdahl.

Designed by SAOTA with interiors by ARRCC, the residence balances crisp architectural forms with layered materiality and a softer, lived-in atmosphere. “It’s a design language rooted in restraint, authenticity and laid-back luxury,” says ARRCC Principal Nina Sierra Rubia on the Scandinavian-inspired interior approach.

SAOTA Project Team: Philip Olmesdahl, Joe Schutzer-Weissmann, Nasreen Larney, Bobby Labrou
ARRCC Interior Décor Team: Mark Rielly, Nina Sierra Rubia, Amy King, Amy Kidger, Kelly Fischer, Ariane Bissict, Nicola Dicey
AOR: Architectural Corner under High Performance Directive (HPD)
Landscape Design: NLME
Photographer:

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Cape Town
8001

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Thursday 07:00 - 18:00
Friday 07:00 - 18:00

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