The School of Explorative Architecture (SEA), formally School of Explorative Architecture (RF) NPC, is an independent, non-profit private higher education institution based in Union House, 25 Commercial Street, Cape Town, Western Cape. It focuses exclusively on architectural education, combining digital fabrication, virtual simulation, algorithmic programming and parametric modelling with theoretical and historical grounding in the built environment, alongside strong industry partnerships with local architectural practices. SEA is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) as a Private Higher Education Institution under registration number 2021/HE08/002, and it is registered as a non-profit company (registration 2017/149047/08) and public benefit organisation (PBO No. 930059735). Its Bachelor of Architectural Studies (BAS) degree received unconditional accreditation from the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP) following an accreditation visit in December 2024, and its Honours degree is registered on the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) framework under ID 123341. The school was launched in Cape Town in 2022 and enrols a relatively small cohort of students (reported at around 18 in its early intake). Class sizes and total enrolment figures beyond this are not independently verifiable.
Qualifications & Programmes
- Bachelor of Architectural Studies (BAS) – 3-year undergraduate degree
- Bachelor of Architectural Studies Honours (BAS Hons) – 1-year postgraduate degree
- Master of Architecture (Professional) (MArch Prof) – 1-year professional master's degree
- SAIL (Science, Art + Intelligence Lab) – interdisciplinary research programme