Social Design Lab (SoDL) Conference and Exhibition

You are cordially invited to attend the conference and exhibition organised by the Social Design Lab.

Date:  Thursday, 5 February 2026

Designing the Social Conference: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm

Assembling the Social Exhibition: Opening Reception: 6 pm

Venue: SDE3 Level 1 Gallery

Please RSVP here.

Download conference programme here.

The Social Design Lab (SoDL) at the NUS Department of Architecture (DoA) functions as a mode of inquiry to explore, question, and transform social relations and systems that shape our environments and collective futures. It is an interdisciplinary initiative that connects students and faculty with external communities and practitioners to form a network of socially-engaged design practices. Through workshops, exhibitions, symposiums, research publications, and artist residencies, the Lab fosters inclusive creative design practices across disciplines. We hope to establish the DoA as a leader in design-led socio-spatial innovation on a national, regional, and global scale.

We hope to see you there!

Programme Rundown:

8:00-8:30 AM: Registration

8.30-9 AM: Opening Address by Assoc. Prof. Lilian Chee

Panel 1: Reworking Broken Systems

9:00-9:30 AM: Lessons in Planetary Expressionism and Social Becoming, Professor Hélène Frichot

9:30-10:00 AM: Taking Action for Change: Feminist Methodologies and Feminist Spatial Justice, Professor Lori Brown

10:00-10:30 AM: Repair as Social Design, Nancy Levinson

10:30-11 AM: Tea Break

11:00-12:00 PM: Panel Discussion: Moderated by Assistant Professor Dorothy Tang

12:00-1:30 PM: Networking Lunch

Panel 2: Designing Through Lived Space

1:30-2:00 PM: Reimagining Community Design, Dr. John K.C. Liu

2:00-2:30 PM: Inclusive, Public, Democratic. Social Design in the Practice of Edit,  Ar. Marianna Janowicz

2:30-3:00 PM: Organising/ Work, Professor Peggy Deamer

3:00-4:00 PM: Panel Discussion: Moderated by Assistant Professor Joshua Comaroff

4:00-4:30 PM: Closing Speech by Professor Jeff Hou