About APES+ 

Who we are

APES+, the Society of Architects, Planners, Engineers and Surveyors, brings together the people who shape Cape Town's built environment. Our members include architects, landscape architects, urban planners and designers, engineers, land surveyors, quantity surveyors, project managers, environmental practitioners, property and transport economists, heritage practitioners and property valuers, along with students and others with an interest in how the city is made.

The Society's constitution sets out its purpose: to be a place of focus, information-sharing, debate and creative thinking that leads to better collaboration across disciplines, in a shared effort to improve the quality of life in Cape Town in the most sustainable way.

Our aims

• To build a better understanding of the knowledge, skills and contribution of each discipline, and to encourage the professions to work together.

• To promote constructive critique and find common ground between the professions and among members within each one.

• To help resolve differences and foster a spirit of cooperation among our members.

• To work towards more integrated planning and design across the environmental, functional, aesthetic, technical and socio-economic aspects of the built environment.

• To let the public and potential clients know about the services our members offer, individually and together.

How we meet

The Society is run by a volunteer committee and meets most months for an evening talk, usually at the Master Builders Association in Rondebosch, with drinks and snacks from 17:30 and the talk at 18:00. Alongside the talks we hold forums, site visits and a year-end social. Members attend free, guests pay R150 and students are welcome free of charge with a student card.

Our history

APES+ has been meeting for more than four decades and held its 46th Annual General Meeting in May 2026. Its constitution, last revised in 2019, now recognises twelve built environment disciplines, and the programme has grown alongside it, from six events in 2022 to twelve in the 2025/2026 year.