CONFERENCE · TRAININGS · PAVILION EXHIBITION
FUTURE
FUTURE
FORMS
FORMS
For architects done with white boxes.
LIMITED EVENT
300
seats only.
Register early.
WHEN
4 DEC 2026
WHERE
Emerald Hall, The Goodland, Ogudu–Lagos Expressway, Lagos
THE 2026 THEME
Designing a New Architectural Identity for a Changing Continent.
One day to ask what African architecture should look like next: rooted in our cultures, our climate and our materials, and built for the cities we are becoming.
THREE IDEAS AT THE HEART OF IT
01
Identity
Buildings that could only stand here: rooted in our cultures, our stories and the way we actually live.
02
Climate
Designed for our sun, rain and heat, not glass towers that overheat.
03
Material
Local materials, local craft and the skills to build them at scale.
WHY WE’RE GATHERING
Africa is building faster than ever. Too much of it could stand anywhere. We’re here to change that.
Glass towers that overheat. White boxes copied from catalogues. Buildings that ignore our climate, our materials and the way we actually live.
FUTURE FORMS brings together the architects, designers and students who want to design what African cities look like next, and gives them the skills, the tools and the network to do it.
One day. One room. The people redesigning architecture in Africa.
There’s a seat for you.
Architect, student, studio or company: pick your way in.
I’M AN ARCHITECT
Five training tracks, the live workflow and the network.
↗
I’M A STUDENT
Register, then get the competition brief on 10 October.
↗
WE’RE A STUDIO
Build and exhibit a pavilion at the event.
↗
WE’RE A COMPANY
Exhibit your products, sponsor, and scout new talent.
↗
LEARN THE WORKFLOW
The process behind @davidpetersen.arc, taught live.
The sketches, renders and AI experiments you see on Instagram come from one repeatable process. At FUTURE FORMS, Petersen O. David opens it up end to end: how an idea becomes a sketch, how a sketch becomes a building, and how AI lets a small studio deliver like a big one.
SKETCH
→
BUILDING
01
Sketch
Find the idea fast by hand: massing, light and form, before you open any software.
02
Design
Turn the sketch into a buildable scheme rooted in climate, culture and site.
03
AI workflow
Generate options, iterate and render with AI inside a real architectural process.
04
Scale
Systems that cut studio overheads and turn days of production into hours.
THE TRAININGS
Five tracks.
Practical from minute one.
Every track is led by people who practise what they teach, and every one ends with something you can use on Monday.
STUDENTS + YOUNG ARCHITECTS
Design Mentorship
Small-group sessions where practising architects review your work and tell you exactly what to fix.
You leave with: honest critique and a clear next step for your portfolio.
STUDIOS + FIRM OWNERS
Design Automation and Workflow
Map how your studio really works, then automate the repetitive parts: drawings, documentation and presentations.
You leave with: a workflow plan that cuts production time and operating costs.
ARCHITECTS + DESIGNERS
Design and Rendering
From concept to presentation-ready visuals, using the tools and AI workflows working studios rely on today.
You leave with: a faster rendering pipeline you can repeat on every project.
EVERYONE
Building and Networking
How projects actually get built in Nigeria: clients, contractors and developers, and how to meet the right ones.
You leave with: new contacts and a plan to win your next commission.
YOUNG ARCHITECTS
Creator and Visibility
Build an audience for your work: content, personal brand, and turning attention into clients.
You leave with: a content system you can run alongside practice.
All five tracks in every ticket. From ₦10,000.
40K+
DESIGN COMMUNITY MEMBERS
150+
COMMISSIONED PROJECTS
5
TRAINING TRACKS
18
SPEAKERS AND PANELISTS
1
DAY THAT CHANGES HOW YOU WORK
STUDENT DESIGN COMPETITION
Students: design the future of African architecture.
Open to architecture and design students registered for FUTURE FORMS. Shortlisted entries are exhibited at the event and presented to the architects, studios and sponsors in the room. The best work gets seen by the people who hire.
Student ticket: ₦10,000, valid student ID at the door
Prizes: [To be announced]
THE BRIEF OPENS
10.10
Saturday, 10 October 2026. Registered students only.
01
Register for FUTURE FORMS with a student ticket.
02
Get the brief on 10 October.
03
Submit your design by [deadline].
04
Shortlisted work is exhibited on 4 December.
THE EXHIBITION
Pavilion
Exhibitions
Architecture you can walk into. Full-scale pavilions designed and built by emerging architects and studios, on show all day at FUTURE FORMS.
PAVILION ASA
HERITAGE
PAVILION IPADE
GATHERING
PAVILION IRAWO
STAR
PAVILION AFEFE
BREEZE
PAVILION IMOLE
LIGHT
OPEN CALL
Build your pavilion.
Graduate architects and studios can team up to design, build and exhibit a pavilion at FUTURE FORMS. It is a live portfolio piece, seen by developers, sponsors and every architect in the room.
Pavilion exhibitor ticket: ₦150,000. Open to studios and graduate architects. Places are limited.
01
Register your studio or team
Graduate architects can apply as a team or ask to be matched with one.
02
Submit a pavilion concept
A short design proposal: idea, materials, footprint and build plan.
03
Get selected and matched
Selected teams are paired with collaborators and build partners.
04
Build and exhibit
Your pavilion goes on show at Emerald Hall on 4 December.
CONVENED
BY
Petersen O. David
Director, DACHSPACE · @davidpetersen.arc
ON STAGE
Seven conversations shaping practice.
[Full schedule and timings announced soon]
01
The Business of Architecture
How architects build profitable practices.
02
Design That Pays
How architecture creates real estate value.
03
Who Are You Designing For?
Architecture, market demand and real estate.
04
From Blueprint to Business
Designing buildings people will actually pay for.
05
The New Architectural Workflow
AI, BIM and the future of practice.
06
From Sketch to Simulation
How technology is changing how we design and build.
07
The Future of Nigerian Architecture
Practice, technology, development and opportunity.
FOR SPONSORS AND EXHIBITORS
Hire the future before anyone else does.
FUTURE FORMS puts Nigeria’s most driven architects, designers and creatives in one room. Exhibit your products to them, sponsor the event, and scout the talent your company needs next.
Product exhibitor ticket: ₦300,000. Sponsorship packages on request.
01
First look at new talent
See student competition entries and pavilion teams before anyone else.
02
A shortlist of standouts
Architects, designers and creatives flagged by our mentors and judges.
03
Your brand in the room
On stage, across the event and in front of a 40,000+ design community online.
04
Direct introductions
Meet the studios and graduates you want to hire, on the day.
TICKETS
Pick your ticket.
Every in-person ticket gets you into the full day: the conference, all five training tracks and the Pavilion Exhibitions. Outside Nigeria? Join online.
REGULAR
₦20,000
Architects, designers and built-environment professionals.
■ Full conference day and panels
■ All five training tracks
■ The live workflow session
■ Pavilion Exhibitions and networking
STUDENT
₦10,000
Architecture and design students.
■ Everything in Regular
■ Entry to the student design competition
■ The competition brief from 10 October
Bring a valid student ID on the day.
PAVILION EXHIBITOR
₦150,000
Studios and graduate architects who want to build and exhibit a pavilion.
■ A pavilion slot in the exhibition
■ Event access for your team: [number] passes
■ Your studio featured as an exhibitor
PRODUCT EXHIBITOR
₦300,000
Companies exhibiting products to architects, designers and studios.
■ Exhibition space for your products
■ Event access for your staff: [number] passes
■ A room full of specifiers and decision-makers
ONLINE · OUTSIDE NIGERIA
$35
Architects, designers and students joining from outside Nigeria.
■ Recorded sessions, released to you after the event
■ Access to the FUTURE FORMS community when it opens after the event
ENQUIRIES
Got a
question?
Tickets are sold on Selar. For group bookings, exhibiting, partnerships or anything else about FUTURE FORMS, send us an enquiry and our team will get back to you.
DATE
Friday, 4 December 2026
VENUE
Emerald Hall, The Goodland, Ifako, Ogudu–Lagos Expressway, Lagos
FEE
From ₦10,000 · see ticket types above
300
Seats only. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.
