design>magazine no 17

NO.17

www.designmagazine.co.za

www.flordecor.co.za

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CONTENTS

THOUGHTLEADERS

16 > HarryPearce’sschizophrenicroad

26 > Design,aviabletoolforsocialinnovation?AninterviewwithWilliamDrenttel

34 > SumienBrink:Alifetimeofcreativemultitaskingbyamasterofhercraft

42 > Juxtaposingculturalidentitywithprogress:MokenaMakekashareshisideason‘humilitydesign’

54 > Entropy:Mirrorsofthehumancondition

COMMUNICATIONDESIGN

62 > AntonSassenberg:Theoriginaldesignguerrilla

70 > Thinkingthroughdesign:MichaelBierut’scautionarytaleonlessonslearned

5 >

http://issuu.com/action/page?page=16













84 > Designcurrency:IcogradaDesignWeek2010,Vancouver

94 > WhoisSeanMetelerkamp?Aguywithtwosmoothballas

BUILTENVIRONMENT

104 > DecorexJoburg2010:Afive-dayextravaganza

112 > Conversationsonarchitecture

119 > GlasswondersfromPreciosa

124 > TalesfromtheAfricanDiasporafeaturingNinaBriggs

130 > ElphickProomeArchitects:21yearsinthemaking

140 > DHKArchitects:Onearchitecturalfirm,threearchitecturaldesigns

156 > MosesMabhidaStadium:Iconographythrougharchitecturaldesign

6 >















172 > CapeTownStadium:TheprideoftheCape

185 > MbombelaStadium:Fortheloveofthe‘Game’

200 > EllisPark:Asliceofhistorygetsafacelift

208 > LoftusspectatorswitnessedanotherBafanaBafanagame

212 > GreenPark:Work,live&play

219 > ThefirststepintheSouthAfricangreenbuildingevolution

241 > LegacyCorner:JoiningthestylehubofJohannesburg

248 > ThejuxtapositionofoldandnewatMontecasino

7 >











248


255 > CoralInternationalCapeTownHotel:CapeTown,beachesandsandaperfectcombination

DESIGNPROMOTION

262 > Socialconsciousdesignforasustainablefuture

266 > Makingsenseofstrategyandpolicy

INTELLECTUALPROPERTY

270 > Rebranding:Afewlegalconsiderations

ART&CRAFT

274 > Transformingruralvillagesintowealthytownsthroughtheindustrialisationofcraftenterprises

280 > Fashionart:What’sMoreAliveThanYou?

286 > PACE:ThePanAfricanCraftexhibition

290> KudzanaiChuirai:Apictureisworthathousandwords

296 > BOOKREVIEWS

8 >














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ENDORSERS> MEDIAPARTNERSHIPS>

10 >

http://www.aza2010.org/

http://www.constructionguru.in/

http://www.worldarchitecturefestival.com/

http://www.wmaty.com/

http://www.theloerieawards.co.za

https://www.sabs.co.za/Business_Units/Design_Institute/Initiatives/Africa/nad.aspx

http://www.mybyte.co.za/home.php

http://www.joburg.org.za/culture/museums-galleries/jag

http://www.icograda.org/

http://www.designmind.co.za/

http://www.buildmind.co.za/home.php

http://www.tt100.co.za/tt100/index.php

http://www.safashionweek.co.za/

https://www.sabs.co.za/index.php?page=designinstitute

http://www.namany.net/

http://www.ksa.co.za/

http://www.iidprofessions.com/

http://www.fedhasa.co.za/Pages/Default.asp?

http://www.defsa.org.za/news.php

http://www.cyberprop.com/

http://www.think.org.za/newsite/index.php

PUBLISHER>

CameronBramley

[email protected]

GROUPEDITOR>

JacquesLange

[email protected]

CONTRIBUTORS>

NinaBriggs,EbendeWaal,ReggieDlamini,

JennieFourie,ZeldaHarrison,BevHermanson,

StaceyRowan,LeonardShapiro,SunéStassen,

SashaStrauss,AnriTheron,GeoffVreeken

SALESTEAM>

GeriAdolphe,JasonBramley,FrançoisFassler,

RachelHarper,ChenesaiMadzvamuse,Jeff

Malan

PRODUCTION>

CharlLamprechtandStaceyRowan

ADMINISTRATION&ACCOUNTS>

ClaudiaMadurai&MichelleSwart

CREATIVEDIRECTOR>

JacquesLange

DESIGN&LAYOUT>

BluprintDesign

COVERILLUSTRATION>

SeanMetelerkamp

PUBLISHEDBY>

DESIGN>MAGAZINE

T:+27(0)828828124

F:+27(0)866788448

E:[email protected]

W:www.designmagazine.co.za

Blog:www.designmagazine.co.za/wordpress/

Twitter:http://twitter.com/DESIGNarrow

©2010DESIGN>MAGAZINE

ISSN1814-7240

Number17,August2010

DISCLAIMER:Nomaterialmaybereproducedinpartorwholewithouttheexpresspermissionofthe

publisher.Noresponsibilitywillbeacceptedforunsolicitedmaterial.Thepublisheracceptsnoliability

ofwhatsoevernaturearisingoutoforinconnectionwiththecontentsofthispublication.Thepub-

lisherdoesnotgiveanywarrantyastothecompletenessoraccuracyofitscontents.Theviewsand

opinionsexpressedinDESIGN>MAGAZINEarenotnecessarilythoseofthepublisher,itsendorsers,

sponsorsorcontributors.

CREDITS

11 >

[email protected]



http://twitter.com/DESIGNarrow


Tel: 011 787 7301 Fax: 011 787 2575

www.rabanaarchitects.co.za

BANA r c h i t e c t s A

ARCHITECTS & PROJECT MANAGERS

q u e s t f o r s o l u t i o n sc r e a t i v eq u e s t f o r s o l u t i o n sc r e a t i v e

a c o m p l e t e r a n g e o f a r c h i t e c t u r a l c o n s u l t a n c y

w o r k f o c u s i n g o n h i g h e s t s t a n d a r d s o f d e s i g n

a n d s o l u t i o n s t h a t s e e k t o a d d r e s s a l l c l i e n t s

n e e d s i n a n e n v i r o n m e n t a l l y s e n s i t i v e a n d

c o s t e f f e c t i v e a p p r o a c h . . . .

a r c h i t e c t u r e

u r b a n d e s i g n

p r o j e c t m a n a g e m e n t

d e v e l o p m e n t p l a n n i n g

c o m p u t e r a i d e d d e s i g n

www.rabanaarchitects.co.za

WhenIthinkoftheword‘current’,Ialsothinkof

wordslike‘flow’,‘motion’,‘lines’and‘between’.Iam

overwhelmedwithpridethatDESIGN>MAGAZINE

encapsulatestheverymovementwithwhichlife

grows.HereatDESIGN>it’saboutpioneering,be-

inginnovative,flexible,everlastingandsomuchmore.

‘Current’isthesumofourhistory,ahistorywhich

needsnolibraryandnoinstitution.Itexistsinour

everydaylivesandminds,continuingtopushand

growourperceptionsofabetterlife,abetterdesign.

Ourhistoricalandcurrentdesigninputsdetermine

thefuturecurrenciesandtrends.Asourcurrent–cy[sic]growsintothefuture,ourcarefortheplanet

andourchildren’sliveshavebecomeanemergent–cy[sic].Asmuchaswegrowinourcreativities,we

depleteourownexistence;paradoxicallyweare

forcingourselvestobebetterwithless.

Nowit’saboutgoingbacktozero,goingbackto

thebasicsofpioneering,innovation,flexibility,

ever-not-lastingandsomuchless.Ourfightforef-

ficiencyhasmadeusdeficient,whichwillleadto

newefficiency.

SomeofyoumayremembertheDecencyedition

ofDESIGN>MAGAZINE.Thateditionisascurrent

thenasitisnow.Ilookforwardtothenewchallenge

ofDESIGN>presentinganewcurrency.Ilookforward

todrivingthoughtleadershipwitharticlesthatnever

dieanddesignthatbringsmotiontoourfutures.

Thisprefaceisascurrentasyourattempttoread

it.Yourdesiretobecurrentreliesonwhetheryou

arefascinatedwithchangeornot.Yourcurrent–cy[sic]is,simplyput,drivenbydesignandyourevery

dayinfluencesandchoicesaremanagedbyyour

consumerism.Asconsumers,weneedtomakethe

rightchoicesonwhattoaccept.Ifourfutureisnot

consideredinourconsumption,whetheritbebeau-

tifulaward-winningdesignornot,wearecutting

offourownhandsandthoseofourchildren’s.Iam

certainthatourneedtopreserveourplanetand

futuresbyconsumingless,hasnowsparkedanew

futurecurrency.It’sexcitingstuff.

Enjoyour17thedition.<

CameronBramley,Publisher

PREFACE

13 >

w w w . b o w m a n . c o . z a

www.bowman.co.za

15 >

ThiseditionofDESIGN>MAGAZINEfocusesonthe

theme:Current.Thetermobviouslyhasmultiple

meaningsandourcontributorsexploreadiversity

ofitsinterpretations.

‘Current’canmean:belongingtothepresenttime;

beinginprogress;circulating;prevalent;flowing,

steady,smoothonwardmovement;ebbandflow;

ageneraltendency,movement,orcourse;aflow

ofelectriccharge,amongstothers.

Webelievethatourcoverdesignillustratesthese

diverseissuesmosteloquently.Thedesignisbased

onastickmandrawingbySeanMetelerkamp,one

ofthemostinnovativecreativesofthecurrentgen-

erationwhoquestions,pokesandprovokeswhilst

alsobeingamasterstorytellerandprovocateur.

InmostofthearticlesfeaturedinDESIGN>17,con-

tributorsfocusontheinterpretationof‘ebband

flow’ratherthanwhatiscurrently‘stylishandhip’.

Theyaddresstopicsrelatedtoprofessionaldevelop-

mentandthebroadscopeofsocial,environmental

andeconomicsustainability.Keyconceptsinclude

designandhumanism,designcitizenship,designers

ascreatorsofbeauty,humilitydesignandthinking

throughdesign.

HarryPearceremindsusoftheimportanceofcon-

nectingminds,enablingustoshareadifferent,

clearervisionandfacilitatingsocialchange.William

Drettelexpandsonthisanddirectsthefocusto

theimportanceofdevelopingthedesigndiscourse

throughjournalism.MichaelBierutsharesinsights

intovaluablelessonslearntwhileworkingonTheL!braryInitiativewhileSashaStraussexaminesour

relationshipswithbrandsandhowtheydetermine

ourcommercialchoices.SumienBrinktalksabout

herlifeasoneofAfrica’sleadingmagazineeditors

andwealsolookatAntonSassenberg’scolourful

careerasaseminalpublicationsdesigner.Archi-

tectMokenaMakekashareshisideasonhumility

design,whileStrijdomvanderMerweexplores

mirrorsofthehumanconditionanddelvesintothe

complexworldofentropyandlandscapeart.

Wealsofeatureprojectreviewsonthreeofthesports

stadiumsthatwerecustombuiltforthe2010FIFA

WorldCupaswellasreviewsontworefurbished

stadia.OurBuiltEnvironmentsectionalsoinvesti-

gatesSouthAfrica’sfirstbuildingtoreceiveGreen

Staraccreditation–NedbankPhase2.

Thesearejustafewhighlightsfromthe35articles

featuredinDESIGN>MAGAZINE17.

Wewishyouagreatread!<

JacquesLange,Editor

EDITOR’SFOREWORD

HA

RR

YP

EAR

CE’

S

SC

HIZ

OP

HR

ENIC

RO

AD ByZeldaHarrison.HarryPearceisa

manthatprompts,pokesandpro-

vokes.Hisworktouchesmanydisci-

plines,fromspatialdesignandidentity

toprintandpackaging.In1990heco-

foundedLippaPearceDesignandin

2006hejoinedPentagramLondonas

apartner.Hehasdesignedforabroad

rangeofclientsincludingPhaidon

Publishing,WilliamsF1,Kangol,Shake-

speare’sGlobe,SaksFifthAvenue,the

ScienceMuseumandBoots,toname

justafew.Toeachhebroughthisown

brandofintelligence,eleganceand

wit.

ThroughouthiscareerPearcehas

beenconcernedwithusingdesignto

connectminds,enablingthemtoshare

adifferent,clearervision.Mostnota-

blyishisworkforWitness,thehuman

rightscharityfoundedbymusician

PeterGabrielforwhichPearcehas

beentheleaddesignerformanyyears

andalsoservesasamemberofits

advisoryboard.

CONUNDRUMS

Asdiverseashisclientbase,sotooare

hisinterestsandpassions.Sincehis

earlychildhood,Pearcehasbeenin-

triguedbytheplaybetweentypeand

words.InDecember2009,thispas-

sionculminatedwiththepublication

ofhisfirstbooktitledConundrums.

Pearceexplains:“Igrewuplovingthe

crazyworldofSpikeMilliganandPeter

Cook.Irememberwonderfullines

Conu

ndru

ms.

RIG

HT:

Typ

ogra

phic

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16 >

17 >

suchas:‘Inlessenlightenedtimes,

suicidewaspunishablebyhanging’

–PeterCook.”

“Ialwayslovedplayinggameswith

type,languageandimage.Thesebe-

ganwithdoodlesyearsago–Imade

themintoaposterondelicatetissue.

Theythreadthethinnestlinebetween

stupidityandgrace.”In2009,Saks

FifthAvenueranPearce’sconundrums

throughtheirChristmascatalogue

andthisledtoHarperCollinspub-

lishingthebook.

Theinteractionbetweenwordsand

typehasbeenacommonthreadin

much,ifnotall,ofhiswork.Heshares

someofhismostsuccessfulinstances

ofresolvingtheconundrum:“When

mypartnersatPentagramgaveme

thejobofdesigningtheirholidaycard

Igavethewholethingatwistand

expanded them into typographic

codestobesolved.Thebookletitself

hashiddencodes.Thesegameshave

driftedontomanyotheritems.”

“Itookapackofplayingcardsand

decidedthatitwaslongoverduefor

establishinganewattitude.Iswapped

thesuitsfortype–fourfacesforthe

foursuits.Ontheback,aftercontact-

ingaleadingcardshark,Iplaced52

differentcheatsthatyouropponent

couldreadandeitheruseorwatch

outforandthereforeneutralising

eachother.”

Pearcecontinues:“Inamorestraight-

forwardmanner,Iusetypetocapture

18 >

morethanonethoughtatatime.”

Hethenreferstohisposterdesigns

forMacbeth,Doll’sHouse,Eastof

thesunasexamplesthatillustrate

hispoint.

TYPEANDARCHITECTURE

Amongsthismanypassions,Pearce

alsohasaninterestinthewaythat

typographyandarchitectureinteract.

Hesays:“Thequestionofhowgraphic

communicationrelatestoarchitecture

isimportantbecausetheresultofa

seamlessintegrationcanbeawe-

inspiring.Anexampleofwhereitgoes

wrong,takealookattheaveragehigh

street.They’reavisualaffront.And

thisisadirectresultofaclashbe-

tweenthetwodisciplines.Graphic

designcanactuallybecomepartof

thestructureofthebuilding–itsvery

surface.Whenthis isachieved, it

canhavewonderfulimplicationsfor

thespaceinwhichpeoplelive,not

justsomeoftheobjectswithinit.”

Hehighlightstheworkthathehad

donefortheDanaCentreatLondon’s

ScienceMuseumasanexampleof

theeffectiveintegrationoftypeand

architecture:“TheDanaCentrewas

builtasaheadquartersfortheDana

Foundation,whichresearchesthe

humanbrain.Itisalsoabar,restau-

rantanddebatingcentre”heexplains

thathistaskontheprojectwasto

makesciencefunandengaging,whilst

makingitacoolfunkychallenging

arenawhere largelycontroversial

scientificsubjectsaredebated,and

inthisinstanceperformed.

“I’vealwaysbelievedthattypography

andbuildingshaveaverysimilar

nature.Anarchitectrecentlysaidto

me,thatwhatmattersmostandisof-

tenoverlooked,isthespacebetween

buildings…the space where most

peopleinhabit…Youcouldsaythe

samefortype;oftenit’sthespace

betweenformsthatholdthekeytoits

beauty.Sohereisaloveaffairbe-

tweenabuildingandsometypogra-

phy,theyfeedoffeachother.”

“Theactualdebatingcentreisencap-

sulatedwithintheframeofabigger

building,andIbasedthelogotype

onthisrelationship.Asthelogocame

fromthebuilding,Ifeltdutybound

togivesomethingback,soIcutup

thelogoandfeditintotheconcrete

ofthemainsectionsrunningright

throughthebuilding.Andsothemark

becameanactualpartofthestructure.

Thisthenleadtotheidea,thatthe

markcouldactuallybecomearchi-

tectural,soIpushedandpulleditin

differentdirections,itthenbecame

awallwhichyoucanseethroughand

walkaround.Andfinallyinit’scom-

pletedestruction.Imadeapatternby

cuttingthelogotypeintoamyriadof

slicesandthesebecamealiningfor

theinteriorwalls.”

“Sowhatgoesoninthisspaceiscon-

versation,debate.Andinthespiritof

thatImadethewayfindingacon-

versationtoo.Insteadoftheusual

Post

erfo

rMac

beth

,Milt

onT

heat

re.

Post

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rDol

l’sH

ouse

,Milt

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Post

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sun

.

19 >

The

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20 >

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21 >

listofplaceswithinthebuilding–

it’sawritteninstructiononhowto

findwhereyouwanttogo.”

“Thisisaplaceofscience.Thereisa

receptionareawhereifyou’vecome

forameetingyoucanwait.Iwanted

thistobefullofquestions,questions

youcouldneveranswer.Inacomplete-

lyirreverentgestureIfilledtheseat-

ingareawithrhetoricalquestions,

hundredsofthem.Yet,thisisaplace

whereyouaresupposedtogetthe

answers.Sonomatterhowanytimes

youvisitthisplaceyouwillneverbe

abletofindtheanswer.”

“Onthetablesintherestaurant/café

areaIplayedanothergame–thistime

slightlymoresurreal.Coveringthe

tablesurfaceswithinventedscientific

thoughtsandphilosophiesofthe

future.Andfinallythegreatglass

wall.”

“Youknowwhenaconversationtakes

place,whenit’sdoneitsdone–you

havethememoriesandyouhavethe

effectofpeople’swordsonyou.”

“Iimaginethattheplace/spacewhere

thistakesplacehasamemoryofit

too.Ifthesewallscouldtalk…”

“AndinthespiritofthatideaImade

thisgreatwalloutofconversations

–thistime,realconversations.These

arehundredsofsnippetsofconver-

sationfromwebchatrooms,running

insideandoutoftheglass.Tobe

abletodecipherthemyouhaveto

moveinsideandout.”

“Againyoucanvisitthisplaceand

neverseeorhearitall.It’sjustaghost

of conversations gone before…if

thesewallscouldtalkandIhope

theydo!”

SYNCHRONICITY

Synchronicity is another golden

threadthatrunsthroughPierce’swork.

SimilartotheprocessesthattheSur-

realistsandDadaistsfollowed,one

oftenfindsthatinPierce’swork,seem-

inglyunrelatedexperiencescasually

coexistandcreateaconversationthat

leadstonewmeaning.Heexplains:

“Onecanturnintuitionintoknowl-

edge,butonecannotproduceintui-

tionoutofknowledge.Oftengreat

designisbornfrompureintuitionand

regardlessofhowmanyfactsyouare

givenandhowdeepyoudelveittakes

thatintuitivesparktomakeithappen.”

“Formethebestexampleofsynchro-

nicityoccurredwhenIhadadream

whichleftmewithabeautifullineof

poetry:‘untilthelastbutterfly’This

happenedatthesametimeasmy

friendSteveHackettwascomposing

apieceofclassicalmusicforguitar,

tryingtoemulatetherhythmofbutter-

fliesflight.Mydreamgavehimthe

titleforthepiece.”

D&

AD

pos

ter.

22 >

DESIGN IN SERVICE TO HUMANITY

When asked if technological evolu-

tion is making people sceptical about

humanity and humanism, Pierce re-

sponds: “It all depends on how tech-

nology is used. It can help to reveal

humanity as well as exposing the more

inhuman elements of our society.

Technological advances have allowed

Witness to highlight human rights

atrocities – now that mobile phone

cameras are easily available every-

one can become a change-maker

giving the silent a voice. Eventually

there is a possibility of everyone be-

ing connected, an extraordinary mo-

ment for the human.”

Expanding on his work for Witness,

we asked Pierce how he achieves

equilibrium between commercial and

pro bono work and how he mitigates

potential conflict of conscience. “In

the early days of my first design part-

nership, Lippa Pearce, we made a com-

mitment to providing pro-bono work

for charities. While we had little mon-

ey, we hoped we could make a posi-

tive contribution to causes through

design. We saw a situation where

big money often got the best design

work, and causes without the same

kind of financial resources couldn’t

justify investing in the kind of design

that would really help raise their

profile. We used the money we made

from our commercial clients to support

worthy but impoverished projects.”

He emphatically states: “Designers

should have a place of leadership

and vision – it is not all about profit

and loss.”

In this regard, Pierce shares some

insights into his passionate and long-

standing involvement with Witness:

“I first met Peter Gabriel in 1981 at

an African art exhibition in Bath. After

he founded Witness, I was inspired

by the powerful idea behind the or-

ganisation – ‘Little brother turning

the camera on Big Brother’ – and the

amateur footage of the Rodney King

beating in Los Angeles in 1992 proved

the point. I was determined that Wit-

ness’ graphic communications should

accurately capture the significance

of the organisation’s work. I am proud

to have been associated with such a

remarkable project for more than 15

years.”

“One of the most extraordinary mo-

ments of my career occurred when I

was watching news footage of the re-

cent protests in support of the Burma

uprising. Across the world I saw im-

ages of my Burma poster being taken

onto the streets as a symbol of this

human rights struggle. To have a

piece of graphic design spontaneously

used like this is the most meaningful

thing that has ever happened to a

piece of my work.”

“I would recommend anyone to visit

the Hub – a multilingual online portal

dedicated to human rights media and

LTR: Burma poster for Witness, Infantry poster for Witness and Making truth visible poster.

23 >

Poster for UNODC.

LTR: Burma poster for Witness, Infantry poster for Witness and Making truth visible poster.

24 >

LEFT: Packaging for Scotch whiskey. RIGHT: Haiti poster for Doctors Without Boarders. FAR RIGHT: Anish Kapoor exhibition at The Royal Academy of Arts. BELOW: Lippa Pearce poster. BELOW RIGHT: Russian mugs.

25 >

action. The Hub provides the oppor-

tunity for individuals, organisations,

networks and groups around the

world to bring their human rights

stories and campaigns to global atten-

tion – rather like a YouTube for human

rights. To my mind it is one of the most

important human rights initiatives

in recent history.”

SELF-DEFINITION AND STYLE

Much of Pierce’s work is powerful and

arresting. We asked: How you do

consistently realise such visceral,

emotive communication? His re-

sponse: “I have spent my career on

a relentless hunt to find the truth and

to create as emotional an expression

of that truth as I can. For me the poster

I have recently designed for the Haiti

poster project in aid of Doctors With-

out Boarders comes as close to reach-

ing that point as I have ever been – it

is like a silent tear.”

In conclusion, we asked: How would

you define the essence of your work

or even yourself? “Peter Gabriel did

it for me: ‘Working with Harry is a mix-

ture of great design and good Karma’,

humanity and emotional truth.”

“Art, music and even buildings fre-

quently move their audiences but an

emotional reaction is rare in graphic

design. My hope is to create pieces

of graphic design that have integrity

and emotional clout.”

“I also seek balance both between my

outer daily life and my inner world of

the subconscious and between my

commercial and humanitarian work.

For me, Witness is my balance, and my

career has become a personal journey

of self-discovery as I manage to fuse

my inner world, my interest in Jung

and dreams with my work.” <

26 >

DESIGN,AVIABLE

TOOLFORSOCIAL

INNOVATION?WilliamDrenttelisacommunicationdesigner,

publisherandindustryleaderwhoworksfromthe

picturesquemountainstothenorthofNewYork

City,USA.Asaco-founderofWinterhouse,aniche

designstudiothatfocusesonsocialinnovation,

onlinepublishingandeducationalandcultural

institutions,Drenttel,withhiswifeandco-found-

er,JessicaHelfand,haveoptedtoremainasmall

operationandtocollaboratewithaselectgroup

ofclientsandpartners.Forthepastdecadethey

haveworkedalmostexclusivelywithuniversi-

ties,NGOsandnon-profits.Eventhoughtheir

operationmightbesmall,theirfootprintislarge

andWinterhousenowencompassesastudio,in-

stitute,virtualpublishingplatformandcitizen

journalisminitiatives,amongstothers.

Apartfrompracticingdesignasaprimarydayjob,

Drenttelalsoactivelyengagesinthefieldsof

professiondevelopmentandeducation.Heis

presidentemeritusofAIGA,aseniorfacultyfellow

attheYaleSchoolofManagement,andtheeditorial

directorofthemuch-acclaimedDesignObserver

andChangeObserver,aleadingInternetplatform

focusingondesigncommentaryandculturalobser-

vation.

“DesignObserverwasstartedin2002andwasa

personalpassionandahobbyforalongtime.With

mypartnersMichaelBierutandJessicaHelfand,

wejustkeptonsloggingawayatpublishingwhat

weconsideredtobegreatwritingaboutdesign.

Afewyearslaterwewokeuptotherealitythat

wehadmanagedtogatherahugeaudience,and

http://designobserver.com

http://designobserver.com

27 >

suddenlywewerebeingnominatedforWebby

AwardsforbestwritingonlinewithTheNewYork

Times,TheGuardian,TheNewYorkerandWired

recognisingourwork.Oursuccessissimplythat

westayedfocusedonthequalityofthewriting,”

saysDrenttel.

Bystayingtruetothetrio’soriginalfocus,Design

Observerhasgrownexponentiallyandhassub-

sequentlymadeamassivecontributiontothedevel-

opmentofthedesigndiscourse.Today,Design

Observeroffersexperiencedandbuddingwriters,

thinkersandtheoristsavastvirtualplatform

wheretheycanpublishcriticalwritingondesign

andculture.Yet,Drenttelbelievesthatitisonly

thebeginning:“Alargeissuefacingboththede-

signprofessionandtheusersandproponentsof

designissimplythatwedonothave[enough]

realdesignjournalismandcriticism.Architecture

hasahistoryoftheoryandcriticism–designdoes

not.Designistalkedaboutasameanstobusiness

success,buttherearefewdesigncasestudies

beingtaughtinbusinessschools.Andnowdesign

anddesignthinkingaresupposedtobetheHoly

Grailforanythingandeverything.Howoftendo

youreadaboutdesignfailing,ordesignasan

integrativepartoflargerprocesses–especially

aswerealisetheimportanceofsustainabilityand

possibilitiesforsocialinnovation?Fundamentally

designisstillinitschildhood.”

Tofurthersimulatethedevelopmentofthedesign

discourse,HelfandandDrenttel initiatedThe

WinterhouseWritingAwardsin2006,underthe

ANINTERVIEWWITHWILLIAMDRENTTEL ByZeldaHarrison

28 >

auspices of the Winterhouse Institute. A program

of AIGA, these annual awards were founded to

recognise excellence in writing about design,

and to encourage the development of new and

young voices in design writing, commentary and

criticism in the USA. Apart from being recognised

for their writing excellence, winners also receive a

monetary reward, which is intended to encourage

their further development.

Drenttel says: “The AIGA Winterhouse Writing

Awards for Design Writing and Criticism have a

simple purpose: To encourage and recognise

outstanding writing about design. I think we

need to grow writers who can serve as critics,

observers and journalists. It will happen one writer

at a time, just as one reader ultimately reads

every book at a time.” A proof of the Winterhouse

Writing Awards’ success, Drenttel says that:

“Every writer we have recognised is still writing,

many for broader audiences than before receiving

their award. This is slow, hard work. But we have

faith and patience.”

DESIGN IN SERVICE TO HUMANITY

In addition, Winterhouse is spearheading several

citizen journalism initiatives, one of which is the

Your Polling Place Photo Project, initiated in

2006, which is a wonderful – deceptively simple

portrayal of civic action. Drenttel explains: “I live

in America. Today, we have Sarah Palin in the

news and the new Tea Party seems emergent.

But Barrack Obama is still president. American

citizens elected someone who ran precisely on a

platform of civic-engagement, and his fiercest

opponents will engage millions because they

disagree.”

BELOW: Design Observer and Teach for all websites.

RIGHT: Poster for A better world by design conference, an annual event promoting globally conscious integrative design research at Brown and RISD, 2009.

BELOW RIGHT: Kafka Goes To The Movies. Book and cover design for the English edition of Hans Zischler’s study of Kafka’s moviegoing life.

FAR RIGHT: Aspen Design Summit 2009 website, poster and detail of Summit activities .

31 >

“Idon’tthinkcivic-engagementisindecline–ratherI

thinkonlyapercentageofourcitizensareengaged.Inmy

ownrural,small-towncommunity,citizensaregrappling

withissuesoflow-incomehousingandhowtosupport

localfarming.Theseissuesgeneratebroadsupportand

strongopposition.Whatwesawwhenwemountedthe

PollingPlacePhotoProjectisthatinall50states,people

wereproudtovoteandwerewillingtostandinlineto

vote–thatjustoveramajority(56.8%inlastpresidential

election)ofUScitizensvoteisofcourseatragedyanda

challenge.ButIknowsomanydesignerswhoaredeeply

engagedincreatingprocessesforgovernmenttranspar-

encyorgetoutthevotecampaigns–orencouragingthe

elderlytogetflushotsatpollingplaces.”

“ThereisamovieinwhichaPresidentsays,‘Democracy

isnoteasy.It’sadvancedcivics.’Isubscribetothisnotion

thatcivicengagementisrewarding,andhardwork,and

notforeveryone.”

InDrenttel’spresentationatthe2010DesignIndabaCon-

ferenceinCapeTown,heimpliedthatmanyeffortsat

socialinnovationarefailing.Heexplains:“IthinkIwas

tryingtosuggestthatmanysocialinnovationinitiatives,

despitetheirsincerityandgoodintentions,willnotbe

successfulorscalableincreatingtrueimpactsonpoverty

orhungerorhomelessness.Weshouldnotstopencour-

agingtheseinitiatives,buttoomanyoftheprojectswritten

aboutandcelebratedarereallywhat Icall ‘weekend

projects’.Deep,systemicchangewillresultfromdeep,

systemicwork.“

“Oneexample:AttheMayoClinicCenterforInnovation,

whereIserveontheadvisoryboard,wehavelargeteams

(50+ people) across multiple platforms working on

healthcareandwellness issues.Tryingtosolverural

healthcaredeliveryinvillageswheretherearelimitedor

nodoctorsissimplynotthesamescopeasdesigningan

identityormarketingprogramforalargecompany.”

FARLEFT:Poetrymagazinecovers.

LEFT:BelowtheFold:ispublishedasanoccasionaljournalbytheWinterhouseInstitute.BelowtheFold:explorestopicsthatflybeneaththeradaryetpersistnonetheless,shiftingperspectivesandsparkingdebate.

BOTTOMLEFT:WolfsonianThoughtsOnDemocracy.InspiredbyNormanRockwell’sFourFreedomsseries,1943.CommissionedbytheWolfsonianMuseumfortheirThoughtsonDemocracyexhibition.

BELOW:TrophyfortheNationalDesignAward,Cooper-HewittNationalDesignMuseum.

32 >

“Thegoal isnotsimplytosellsomeonesome-

thing,butrathertochangewholesystems(finan-

cial,governmental,technological)aspatternsof

behaviour(bydoctors,patients,healthcarepro-

viders,hospitals,insurancecompanies).Weneed

expertise and experience and time to engage

deeply.It’sthatsimple.Butit’sadauntingchal-

lengefordesignerswhowanttothinkofthem-

selvesasproblem-solverswhentheproblemsare

‘wickedlyhard’.”

CONCLUDINGTHOUGHTS

Whenaskedwhatkeepshimupatnight,what

gets him through the day and what would he

needsfromusasindustrypeerstokeephisvision

going,Drenttelresponds:“IworryeverydaythatI

amnotdoingenough,andthatthechallengesare

sodaunting.DuringthepastfewyearsIhavemet

somanyotherpeopledoingsomuchmore–and

whoknowsomuchmore.”

Heconcludes:“It’ssoexcitingthat’sit’seasyto

getdazzled:Whatoneneedsinsteadisasteel-like

fortitude.Mytriparoundtheworldwithmyfamily

thisyearshowedussomuchneed,andsomany

avenuesforexplorationandwork.SouthAfrica

wasespeciallyexcitingbecauseofitsrichheritage

andstunninglycomplicatedproblemsandchal-

lenges.IretunedtotheUnitedStateswiththis

deepsensethatbothglobalandlocalsolutions

willcomewithgreatdifficulty,andwitharenewed

commitmenttolearninganddoingthiswork.It

wassuchahumblingexperience.”<

33 >

WinterhousePollingPlacePhotoProjectposter,websiteandexhibition.

ALIFETIMEOFCREATIVEMULTITASKINGBYA

MASTEROFHERCRAFT

34 >

BySunéStassen

SU

MIE

NB

RIN

K

35 >

SU

MIE

NB

RIN

K

37 >

At the tender age of 12 Sumien Brink fell in

love with the world of magazines while visiting

her then best friend, Andrea Bosch, who

showed her a copy of British Vogue. This was

a defining moment that led to Sumien pursuing

a career in publishing, which took her on many

side roads before becoming one of the most

respected, innovative and multiple award win-

ning editors in South Africa. As the current

editorial director at New Media Publishing,

editor-in-chief of VISI, Plascon COLOUR and

founding editor of South Africa’s leading food

magazine Woolworths TASTE, Sumien exem-

plifies the concept of inspiring leadership and

is known as a master of managing teamwork.

Like many other creatives, her road to success

was certainly the result of a colourful array

of unique creative outlooks and approaches,

multi-fuel injected and applied during a life-

time of experiences and overwhelming pas-

sion for the creative industry in whatever

form, shape or palette.

Staring out in the 1970s, she had her heart set

on a career in fashion, but due to the distance

between Cape Town (then the epicenter of

fashion design in South Africa) and her home-

town, White River in the then Eastern Transvaal,

her parents felt it would be more convenient

for her to study at the University of Pretoria

where she completed a BA Drama degree,

specialising in costume and prop design.

It was during these years in Pretoria when

classmates Sumien, Birrie le Roux and Johan

Engels struck up a strong bond and lasting

friendship. Engels, today is an internationally

acclaimed theatre designer responsible for

the production design of many world famous

ballets and operas, and Le Roux is an award-

winning film and theatre designer who has

been responsible for the production design

of films like Fiela se Kind, Paljas, Soweto’s

Burning and Story of an African Farm, among

others. One can only imagine what this trio

got up to during those carefree student years.

Sumien says that: “We did a couple of very

wild and experimental productions and I must

say I’d love to collaborate with them again in

the future. Today we are still very good friends

but don’t see each other often enough.”

After her studies Sumien gained extensive

experience as stylist at Fairlady and Sarie,

fashion editor at Huisgenoot, fashion director

of Cosmopolitan and editor of the bi-annual

Cosmopolitan Fashion Directory.

1965 was the year when Jane Raphaely found-

ed Fairlady and in 1984 Jane Raphaely and

Associates, that published Cosmopolitan in

partnership with Nasionale Pers, were found-

ed. Sumien continues, “Although I never

worked on the editorial team of Fairlady, I

did some collaborative styling for their fashion

shoots with photographer Mike Donnelly.

When Jane started Cosmopolitan she offered

me the position of fashion editor. To me she

was a great inspiration and mentor.”

The Cosmopolitan Fashion Directory was a

brand extension of Cosmo. “We did some

really beautiful and different fashion shoots

for it. At the time it had to compete with the

very fabulous Red magazine, which wasn’t

easy. But it was a lot of fun working on it”

says Sumien.

Cosm

opol

itan’

s Fa

shio

n D

irect

ory

Mar

ch 1

990.

VIS

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2001

& V

ISI S

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02.

VIS

I Spr

ing

2002

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ISI A

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04, T

aste

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ine,

VIS

I 35.

38 >

Sumien went on to be the founding editor of

House & Leisure magazine since its inception,

before taking the reigns at VISI for New Media

Publishing in 2001. “My initial vision for VISI

was to produce a quality publication that show-

cases 100% South African content that cel-

ebrates our unique local talent. It has changed

over the years and is about to change again

when we appoint a new editor in September.

But in this rapidly changing market we are

working in, I think change is always a good

thing, especially now that we have to consider

the future of magazines and the new digital

era we will have to embrace”.

There is also the most recent launch of Plascon

SPACES, which is really the re-launch of

Plascon COLOUR magazine that New Media

Publishing has been doing for Plascon for

some years. Especially in a tight economy it has

been determined that there is a great demand

for more practical and hands on information

about paint and colour as it is still cheaper to

paint your space rather than re-decorate. “All

the projects that we feature are real spaces

and at R14.95 very good value for money. You

can say it is the right product for the right

time. And it is beautiful!” explains Sumien.

“I have had the pleasure of working with

Peet Pienaar, one of many brilliant creative’s

in our country, on a special edition for VISI

and I like what he does. He always says that

his biggest challenge in life is to ‘Maak mooi’

and I can relate to that. Having had the oppor-

tunity to work on such a variety of publica-

tions it might be a given that each magazine

has it’s own personality and audience but

there is one aspect that is non-negotiable to

me in all the work that I do – it must always

be beautiful.”

LEFT

: VIS

I 46.

RIG

HT:

VIS

I 48.

LEFT

: VIS

I 46.

RIG

HT:

VIS

I 48.

VIS

I 49.

40 >

TheplayingfieldoftheSouthAfricamaga-

zineindustryisverysmallincomparisonto

itsEuropean,AmericanorevenAustralian

counterparts,yet,Sumienbelievesthat“some

ofourtitlescomparewellifyouconsider

howmuchofourmaterialgetssyndicated

tomagazinesallovertheworldbutsomeare

reallybelowpar.Stillweallfeedoffglobal

trendsandadaptthemtoserveourlocal

needs.That’swhyweareforeverattending

trend shows and seminars all over the

world.Andofcourse…speakingoftrends,if

thereisonepersoninthebusinessthatI

hugelyrespectthenitisLiEdelkoort.Ilove

heraestheticandthefactthatshekeepson

re-inventingherself.”

WhendiscussingwithSumientheimportance

ofacountry’sdesignidentitysheexplains

thatinheropinionitisvitaltodevelopsuch

anidentityandthatSouthAfricastillhas

somewaytogo.“Wemustdevelopwhatis

uniquetousandnotcopy.Wehavebeena

nationofcopiersforfartoolong.Eventslike

DesignIndabahasshownusthatdesign

cantrulymakeadifferencetomanylives.

Weneedmoreofthisinourcountry”.

Itisthenormforfirstworldcountriestofeel

responsibleforthedevelopmentofsecondand

thirdworldcountriesandalmostbecoming

theproviderinmanyfieldsofexpertise,but

latelyweareseeingmoreandmoreexamples

ofthirdworldcountriesdesigningforthe

firstworld.“Itisveryexcitingiffirstworld

countriesstartembracingdesignsfromits

thirdworldcounterparts.Therearesomany

examplesofproductslocallysourcedthatare

marketedoverseas.Myfavouriterightnow

isaprojectinVendawherelocalwomanmake

beautiful clay pots that are now sold in

Woolworthsstores.Ibelievethatifthedesign

ishonestandpureitwillcertainlytakeflight

andbeabletotravel,”saysSumien.

Whenaskedwhatpartsofherworkingday

atNewMediaPublisherscontinuetoputa

smileonherfacesheisquicktorespond:

“Workingwithsuchacreativeteamofcourse!

Itisformeanabsolutepleasureandahuge

bonus.Ohandwhataninspirationalspace!

IjustloveNewMedia’snewbuildingat19

BreeStreet,CapeTown.”

Besidesbeingadmiredbymostasavery

successfulpioneerinthepublishingarena,

Sumienseemstohavealsosucceededin

findingabalancebetweenhercareerand

familylife.“I’vebeenveryluckytoworkon

magnificenttitlesthatIadore.Workforme

isanabsolutepleasurebutIdomakeapoint

ofmakingtimeforfamily.Itisabalancingact

really,butluckilythatisatypicalLibrantrait,”

saysSumien.

Andjustlikesomeactorsidentifymorewith

onerolethananother,wewerecuriouswhich

magazinebestalignswithherattributesas

aperson.“Latelyit’sbeenfoodmagazines,”

explains Sumien. “I enjoy Jamie Oliver’s

magazine–Jamieforitstoneofvoiceand

‘realness’.AndFire&Knives,amagazine

aboutfoodwritingwhereallthecontribu-

torsdoitforfree”.

Andherdreamproject?“I’dlovetodoaseries

ofbooksonbeautifulthings–eitherdesign

orfood,”sheconcludes.<

www.ikamva-architects.co.za

42 >

JUXTAPOSINGCULTURALIDENTITYWITHPROGRESS:MOKENAMAKEKASHARESIDEASONHUMILITY

MokenaMakeka.ImagebyAndrewBrauteseth.

MokenaMakekaisoneofthemostcolourfulperson-

alitiestoentertheSouthAfricanarchitecturalscene

inthepastfewyears.Atfirstglance,hisvariousperso-

nasmightseemtobecontradictorybutitallgells

perfectlywhenoneunpacksthevariousdimensions

thatthistalentedyoungenigmabringstothetable.

ApassionatefollowerofHip-Hopmusic,principaland

founderofMakekaDesignLab,Makekaisatwo-time

recipientoftheCIAAwardofMeritandDesignCat-

egorywinnerforthe2010JohnnieWalkerCelebrating

StridesAwards.Apartfrombeinganarchitect,he

alsohasapassionforsocialentrepreneurshipand

education.HecurrentlyservesontheWorldEconomic

Forum’sGlobalAgendaCouncilforDesign,isanex-

ternalexaminerattheColumbiaUniversitySchool

ofarchitectureandlecturesattheUniversityofCape

Town.Makeka’svisionistocreateasoundAfrican

http://www.makekadesigns.com/

43 >

CULTURALPROGRESS:

SHARESHISHUMILITYDESIGN

aestheticthatservesthepublicandhisclients,bring-

ingdignityandgracetothebuiltenvironment.

Mokenasharedsomeinsightsintohispersonalback-

ground,workphilosophyandviewsonarchitectural

practiceinaninterviewwithDESIGN>MAGAZINE’s

US-basedcontributingeditor,ZeldaHarrison.

INSPIRATIONANDPERSONALPHILOSOPHY

Makeka’slifejourneyhastakenhimtodiverseparts

oftheworld–bornintheEasternCape,spendinghis

earlyyearsinLesotho,movingontoliveintheUSA

wherehisfatherwasanambassadortotheUN,them

movingbacktoLesothobeforefinallysettlinginCape

Town.Alloftheseplacesbroughtuniqueexperiences

whichhavehadaprofoundimpactonshapinghis

personalandprofessionalphilosophies.Heexplains:

“IdidmyelementaryschoolinginNewRochelle,New

York,andreturnedtoLesothoafterstartingjunior

highwhereIcompletedmyhighschooleducation,

acquiringaninternationalbaccalaureatedegreeand

thenwentontostudyatUniversityofCapeTown

(UCT).”Onlymonthsaftergraduating,heestablished

hisownarchitecturalpractice,MakekaDesignLab.

Hesaysthathiscolourfulbackgroundisomnipresent

inhiscurrentprofessionalwork:“Ibringasenseof

cosmopolitancuriositytoallofmydesignprojects.

Myworkisdrivenbyaproposition-basedmethod

whichoftencritiquescontextfromasocio-spatialper-

spectiveasmuchastectonic,functionalconcerns.”

“Thearchitecturalstrategieswhichderivefrom

suchaprocessdonotfitintotheconventionsof

44 >

localpractice.Infact,itchallengescoreassump-

tionsthathavebecomenormative,unquestioning

andpassiveinculturaldebate.Asayoung,black

Africancreative,inthecontextofSouthAfrica’s

complexhistory,Ioccupyaspacethatishighlyun-

derdevelopedinthecountryandregion.”

Makekasaysthathisbiggestinspirationispeople.

“Myworksaremeanttoservesocietyandtoallow

ustodefeatourlesserselves.Architectureisano-

bleartthatcancapturethespiritofanation,its

pain,itstriumphsandpurpose.Buildingsmerely

serveatafunctionallevel,whereasarchitectureis

transcendentalandmakesusrevelinbiggeride-

as.”Hecontinues:“Thearticulationofmyideasis

constantlyevolving,butthecentralhumanistpur-

poseofexcellenceintheserviceofsocietyisa

continuouslymaturingandconsistentposition.

Myethicsdonotchangefromprojecttoproject.

Designwithoutethicsistyranny.”

LATESTPROJECTS

OneofthemostrecenthighlightsofMakeka’sfairly

shortbutillustriouscareerisbeingselectedasone

ofonlytwoAfricanarchitectstoparticipateinthe

Ordos100project.TheprojectisbasedinOrdos,Inner

Mongolia,andentails100architectsselectedby

Hertzog&deMeurontodesign100,1000m2villas,

contributingtoamasterplanformulatedbyAiWeiwei

basedinChina.

Makekaexplainsthathebroughtauniversal,yet

Africanperspectivetotheprojectandintentionally

avoidedtheobvioususeofFengShuiprinciplestothe

projectproposal.“Ifanything,itwasimportantto

reflectonthecontextthroughmyownlens.Mybuild-

ingisacritiqueofthenotionofthetraditionalWestern

villaandtheonslaughtonthepublicprivatecon-

tinuumasexpressedintheancienthutongs.My

buildingtransformstheinnercourtyardintoapublic

spaceandmakesthehomeastageforgreetingand

meeting.Idesignedthehousetosetupcoinciden-

talcollisionsbetweenpublicandprivateinorder

tofosterasenseofunpredictablecommunity.”

Likemanyvisionaryarchitects,Makekahasaunique

personaltakeontheconceptof‘readingtheterrain.’He

says:“Everyplacehasastorythatneedstobetold.

Architectureisabouthowwellyoureadthetextofsite,

client,society,climate,etc.Subtextisoftenwhere

therealdiscoveryoccurs.Iamascholarofexploration

andunderstanding.Thisallowsmetodesignany-

whereandforanyone,becauseIdon’tbringaesthetic

preconceptionsoravisualtemplatetotheexercise.

Designisaboutunderstandingwhatneedstobe,asking

what’spossibleandlastly,strivingtosurpriseoneself

andtheaudience.”

Duetotheinternationalandgeographicnatureofthe

Ordos100project–whichisrolled-outinphasesbyits

developers–Makekaisworkingwithatrulymulticultural

teamandhedrawsuponhisdiverselifeexperiencesto

facilitatetheprocess.Hesays:“Ihavenoproblems

withmulticulturalsettings.Ithinkit’samorenaturaland

enrichinghumanstatewhendiversityisembeddedin

one’slifeandpractices...It’sfuntocreateone’sown

rulesinordertodesign.Withoutconstraintsdesign

ismeaningless,irresponsibleandinconsequential.

Onemustmakeconstraintsiftheyarenotgiven.”

Ordos100project.ImagescourtesyofMakekaDesignLab.

45 >

46 >

URBANDESIGNANDARCHITECTUREINSOUTHAFRICA

AnotherhighlightofMakekaDesignLab’sworkisthe

PublicTransportSharedServicesCentre(ajoint

venturewithJakupa),situatedinAthlone,CapeTown.

Makekaexplains:“TheProvincialTransportShared

ServicesCenterisessentiallythefirstsustainable

officeblockfortheprovincialgovernmentofthe

WesternCape.Itisdesignedtoservethetaxiindustry

byprovidingaplacewherelicensescanbeacquired,

disputesresolved,vehiclesinspectedandactashub

forcertaingovernmentservices.Thearchitectureand

thescaleofthebuildingisquiteurbanandsetsthe

toneon thesurroundingarea,and isavisible

expression of investment in the community.”

Regardingitsdesignsolution,Makekasays:“Its

urbanismandarchitectural responsehasbeen

wellreceived,andthefenestrationpatternandthe

strategyofhavingthetotalensembleofbuildings

readasonehashelpedhumanisethescaleand

bringintimacyanddetailtothedesign.”

PublicTransportSharedServicesCentre.ImagescourtesyofMakeka

DesignLab.

47 >

Makekahasveryclearviewsontheinterfaceofarchi-

tectureandurbandesign,atopicwhichisoftenheav-

ilycontestedandheavilydebate.Hesays:Therearea

numberofschoolsofthoughtrelatingtotheroleof

theurbandesignerandthedesiredextentoftheir

influenceoverthecreativeprocess.Somehavear-

guedthaturbandesignmustleadthedesignprocess,

althoughthisisnotoftenthemostappropriateso-

lution.Otherssuggestthaturbandesignshouldbe

principal-basedandactasanassessmentandguiding

toolforthedesignprocess.Historicalcontestation

byurbandesignersenteringintothebuiltenviron-

mentindustryandhencecontestingtheleadership

roleofthearchitecthasoftenbeenthefocusandsub-

textofcertainprocesses.”

“Oftentheissueshouldhavebeendesign-basedand

resolvedonthebasisoftalentandskill,andtheir

associatedoutputs.Formany,urbandesignisan

attitudewhichcreatesresponsiveandvibranturban

environments,andtheassumptionthatarchitects

aredisinterestedinurbanissuesisoftenfalse.Urban

designhasbeentaughtinanumberofwayswith

differentapproaches,anddoesnothavethehis-

toricalpedagogyandrigorofotherdisciplinesthat

wouldallowittobeuniversallyunderstoodand

accreditedasadistinctprofession.Peopleoften

forgetthathistorically,urbandesignisanoffshoot

andspecialisationofinterestofarchitects.”

ReflectingontheSouthAfricancontext,Makekasays:

“Theadversarialcultureofcommandingtheintel-

lectualspaceofthebuiltenvironmentinthiscountry

iscounterproductivetothebroaderobjectiveof

creatingsustainable,liveableandinspiringcities.”

Hecontinues:“SouthAfrican’shavebeendenied

acultureofpublicspaceforhistoricalreasons.Previ-

ouslyadvantagedpeoplecreatedenclavesforthem

anddevelopeda‘securitised’mentalitywhichmeant

thatpublicspacewasheavilycontrolledandrestrict-

ed.Wearestillreapingthefruitofthisexerciseas

peopleonthewholestruggletoengagewithpublic

space,andseekgatedsuburbsasanexcusefor

urbaneliving.Crime,povertyandapoorsenseof

communityandcommonsacrossraceandincome

48 >

groupsareparticularlypowerfulandprevalent.There

arepocketsofjoy,ofcourse,butsuccessesarefew

inthefaceofthepast.Ninetypercentofmyworkis

publicandIbelieveeveryprojecthashadapositive

impactonplaceandsetting.”

COMMITMENTTOEDUCATIONANDADVOCACY

Makekahasalwayshadapassionforeducation,be

iteducatingclientsabouttheimportanceofcreative

originality,localidentityandsustainability;informing

politiciansandgovernmentalofficialsaboutthe

rolethatarchitectureandurbandesignplaysin

transformingandrespondingtosocietalneeds

andculturaltourism;andarchitectureeducation

atformalinstitutionsoflearning.

Hesays:“Ieducatethroughmywork,anddirectly

attheUniversityofCapeTown.Thereisalwaysan

underestimationofwhatanarchitectcanoffer.”

“Peoplebelievethatanarchitectmerelydrawsandis

onlytheretodowhatyoutellthemtodo.Archi-

tectsareprofessionalsandartistsofthehighest

orderandleadtheprocessofdevelopmentforthe

greatergoodofsocietyandtheinterestsoftheclient.

Consistencyofapproachiskeytoprovidingade-

pendableservice.Designswilldifferaccordingtothe

contextandclient,butcreativityisnon-negotiable.”

Inrecentyears,Makekahasbecomeactivelyin-

volvedinadvocatingtheroleofarchitectureinurban

rejuvinationandsocialdevelopmentintheCityof

CapeTown,andasanadvisortotheCapeTown

Partnershipinitiative,hehascontributedtovarious

initiatives.Whenaskedhowhewoulddefinea‘world-

classcity’,heresponds:“I’vewrittenprettyexten-

sivelyaboutthislately.TheCapeTownof‘sand,sea

andsun’isseenbysomeasasanitisedversionof

Africa,orevenasun-African.TheCapeTownthatis

hometoRobbenIslandispoliticallydifferentfrom

therestofthecountryandistryingtocometoterms

withthat.TheCapeTownthatnestlesupagainstTable

Mountain,aWorldHeritagesite,triestopreserve

biodiversityinthefaceofdevelopmentpressures.”

“Thebrandisdeliberatelysegmentedtoattract

differentmarkets,andconsiderableeffortgoes

intoachievingthis,butbrandingneedstobebasedon

substanceifitistobedurable:theCity’scharacter

needstobeconsistentwiththebrand.Wealso

needtobeclearonwhethertheCityrespondsto

thebrand,orviceversa.”

49 >

“Inthetownships,thequestfortouristdollarsmust

consideranarea’sappeal.Dopeoplevisittownships

asvoyeurswantingtoseethefaceofpoverty,do

theywanttoexperiencemusicvenueswithaunique

character;dotheywanttoseeotherformsofcul-

turalexpression;oraretheyinternationalvolunteers

comingtobuildhouses?Whichofthesetypesof

visitsdowewanttoencourageandwhatdoesthis

meanforhowweplantheseareas?”

“Culturaltourismisatrickybusiness.Andbrand-

ingisnotonlyfortargetingtourists.AsaCitywe

aspiretodevelopaknowledgeeconomyandtoat-

tractandkeepcreativepeople.Competitionisstiff,

andtheimageandrealityofurbanspatialquality

willinfluenceoursuccess,particularlyasbusiness

locationdecisionsconsiderqualityoflifeasmuchas

urbanefficiency.Ifweplayourcardsrightwecan

achievethisalongwithsocialandeconomicprogress.”

“CapeTown’sabilitytomeetthechallengeofbal-

ancingheritagewithdynamismwilldependtoa

largeextentonourwillingnesstoco-operateand

innovate;therichnessofwhatweofferentrepre-

neurs;oursenseofwhatispossible;andourabil-

itytograspwhatisimportanttothemarketswe

seektoattractandtheliveswewanttolive.”

KhayelitshaMulti-purposeCentre.ImagescourtesyofMakekaDesignLab.

50 >

Re-imaginingCapeTownStation.JointventurewithComrieWilkinson,DHKandJakupa.

ImagescourtesyofMakekaDesignLab.

UNDERSTANDINGCONTEXT

Makekahasamatureandbalancedunderstanding

oftherolethatarchitectureanddesigncanplayin

SouthAfricandevelopment.Heconsidersthemul-

tiple layersofchallengesandthecomplexities

thatitentailsseesthegreaterpictureofpriorities

thatneedtoaddressedinthecountry,andbecause

ofthathebelievesthatprogressneedstohappen

withsteadypacesandoccasionalhops,insteadof

leapswhicharenotalwaysachievable.

Hesays:“ChangeisthebuzzwordinCapeTownright

now,andthemostvisibleprojectsaredrivenby

expectationsandrequirementsforasuccessful

WorldCupevent.Toutedasanopportunitytoin-

vestininfrastructureforanimprovedurbancondi-

tion,itisseenasanunprecedentedcatalyst.But

it’sinterestingtoconsiderwhethereachcitywill

ensuremaximumbenefitforitsresidents.Change

isnotalwaysgood.”

“Ifwearesimplyacceleratingwhatwouldhave

happenedanyway,thelegacywillhardlybetrans-

formative.Manyoftheprojectswhichwereexecuted

51 >

forthe2010FIFAWorldCuprespondedtoneeds

thatwereidentifiedlongago.Weshouldbelook-

ingformetamorphosis;theemergenceofsome-

thingnewandexcitingfromthesoulofourcities.This

requiresanewgameplan,notbusinessasusual.And

certainlynotdecisionsbasedonmaximisinginter-

nationalboastingrights.”

“Thenotionofaworld-classcitywereseenbysome

astheepitomeofblandconformity,turningCape

TownintotheStarbucksofurbanAfrica.Indeed,

importing ideasandprojectswithoutadapting

themtoourcontextprovidedanexcusetocompro-

miseourownneedstoserveanexternalaudience.”

Consideringthepre-2010FIFAWorldCupeupho-

ria,Makekasays:“Itcouldbeargued,however,

thatworld-classmeansexcellingattheordinaryas

wellastheextraordinary.Anditisonlybyadopt-

ingthisdefinitionthatwecancreateaWorldCup

experiencethatisuniquelyAfricanwhilegiving

birthtoamorehumancity.”

“Weneedtodoordinarythingswithasmuchskill,

passionandflareasweapplytoshowcaseprojects.

Andwecan,butweneedmorefocus.Ifwecanbuild

stadiums,thenwecanbuildhouses,installtoilets

andplanstreetstoservepeoplefirst.What’sgood

fortouristsshouldbegoodforustoo.”

“Imaginetrainsthatrunontime,busstopsthat

showschedulesandlocations,parksthatarechild

friendly,streetswhereparentscansafelypusha

pramandcarguardsthatarefriendlyandhelpful.

Imagineinformationkiosksdistributedthrough-

outthecityofferingtourismadvice,ahelpdeskfor

emergencies,andafriendlyfaceintimeofneed.

Imagineacitythatisassafeanduniversallyac-

cessiblefortheyouthandtheelderlyasitisfor

citizensintheirprime.”

Concludingwiththequestion:Wouldyoucareto

shareanywordsofencouragementandLessons

LearnedtoaspiringAfricanarchitects?,Makekare-

sponds:“Persevere.Wewerethefirstarchitects.

Weshallbethelast.”<

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236 shortlist presentations – 512 entries in the Festival Gallery – 3 days of interactive seminar content – 3 keynote addresses – 60+ media partner magazine distribution – Transformations multimedia thematic exhibition – AECOM global student competition – product showcases free networking events – and much more...

“WAF is a unique congress that gathers the most important architects in the world, we’re very

excited to be a part of it.” Alex Kerboobie, Turenscape, China, Winner WAF 2009, The Adaptation Palettes: Regenerative Landscape Design

Attend WAF 2010 to:1. Hear directly from all shortlisted WAF awards entrants,

who represent the most exciting architectural cultures in the world across all continents with record entry numbers from Australasia, Singapore, India and Brazil

2. Exchange ideas with over 2000 architects from more than 80 countries from practices large and small, including GAPP Architects from South Africa, WOHA from Singapore, Turenscape from China, REMISTUDIO from Russia, Sanjay Puri Architects from India, Battle & Roig Architects from Spain and HASSELL from Australia as well as household names including Foster + Partners, Zaha Hadid Architects, Tabanlioglu Architects and Isay Weinfeld

3. Mix with the pace setters in architectural thinking on this year’s Super Jury including Arata Isozaki, Barry Bergdoll, Enrique Norten, Hanif Kara and fi nd out their thoughts on the most up-to-the-minute projects today

4. Be inspired by some of the most crucial projects this year with David Chipperfi eld’s seminal Neues Museum and the groundbreaking landscape scheme Gardens by the Bay in Singapore included in the projects uncovered in our multimedia thematic exhibition, Transformations

5. Keep up to date with the most innovative and exciting architecture from across the globe with insightful keynote and seminar presentations from Josep Acebillo on the Transformation of Barcelona and Jo Noero on his restorative Red Location project in South Africa

6. Make real connections with the people you want to meet before, during and after the festival with Festival Connect, WAF’s dedicated social networking site, focussed and comprehensive networking events and online communities on Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook

7. Meet the next generation of architectural talent at URBAN SOS, WAF’s live, global student competition sponsored by AECOM

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Super-jury confi rmedArata Isozaki, Barry Bergdoll, Hanif Kara, Benedetta Tagliabue and Enrique Norten

Arata Isozaki

Barry Bergdoll

Hanif Kara

Benedetta Tagliabue

Enrique Norten

Insight. Inspiration. Exhilaration. Learn, network and share at WAFVisit www.worldarchitecturefestival.com Call +44(0) 20 7554 5800 / 0845 056 8339 E: [email protected]

www.worldarchitecturefestival.com

Insight. Inspiration. Exhilaration. Learn, network and share at WAFVisit www.worldarchitecturefestival.com Contact +44(0) 20 7554 5800 / 0845 056 8339 / [email protected]

Arata IsozakiSuper Jury ChairJapan

Sir Peter CookeUK

Enrique NortenMexico

Peter KudryavtsevRussia

Charles Jencks UK

Jo NoeroSouth Africa

Barry BergdollUSA

Wang LuChina

Mark FenwickSpain

Nabil GholamLebanon

Sanjay PuriIndia

William MenkingUSA

Richard HassellSingapore

Kim Herforth Nielsen, Denmark

Michael HeenanAustralia

Maria Solé Bravo, Spain

Ken Tadashi Oshima, USA/Japan

Chris Bosse, Germany

Kjetil ThorsenNorway

Dogan HasolTurkey

Akihiko HamadaJapan

Expert judging panelNew names announced! Feedback from the winners of WAF 2009

Seminar programme announced! Visit www.worldarchitecturefestival.com for more details

WORLD BUILDING OF THE YEAR

It’s been very successful. It’s

given me a chance to make contacts

from abroad, but it’s not just that, I’ve met incredible people. It’s been a very happy event, very congenial, It’s Barcelona, it’s the weather, it’s been very relaxed, I’ve found it really great.Peter Rich, Peter Rich Architects, South Africa

FUTURE PROJECT OF THE YEAR

WAF is a great idea, it’s a great

organisation that’s putting together

people from all over the world. I was really impressed to be here, to be in touch with people from the same profession from every part of the world. The projects are fantastic.

Benedetta Tagliabue, Miralles Tagliabue Embt, Spain

INTERIOR / FIT-OUT OF THE YEAR

The sheer number of

countries that are represented is a draw, to compete against the world, to see what other countries and what other fi rms are doing. Highlight of being here is the student work, it’s very interesting, my colleagues and I are very happy that there was a component geared toward students.Bruce Davison, Architect, Amanda Levete Architects, UK

www.worldarchitecturefestival.com

54 >

ByEbendeWaal.AccordingtotheSecondLawof

Thermodynamicseverythingintheuniverseisin

motiontowardsdecayandinevitablebreakdown

intoalesserformofdisorder.Change,asaprocess,

isan intrinsicuniversalpropertyofall things,

whichisknownasthenotionofentropy.

LifeisacontradictionoftheSecondLawinrelation

toevolution:progressionfromcomplexitytoalevel

ofgreatercomplexity.Therefore,thepresenceof

lifereducestheentropyinanyorganism.Thehigher

thelevelthattheorganismachievesinanysingular

stateofevolution,theclosertheorganismbe-

comestoentropy:itseventualfalltoruin.Fragility

increasesintandemwithcomplexity;itsrobust

ENTR

OP

Y:

MIR

RO

RS

O

FTH

EH

UM

AN

CO

ND

ITIO

N

IntheBeginning,Tankwa,Karoo,SouthAfrica.

55 >

abilitytosurvivedecreases.Consequently,allthings

relyonastateofequilibriumforcontinuedexistence.

Thisisthefundamentaldualitywithwhichtheuni-

versefunctionsasanisolatedsystem.

Allcreativeentitiesrelyuponconsciousness:thefresh

fruitofevolution.Consciousnesspresumesuponan

entitythatisawareofitsenvironmentaswellas

itselfwithinacosmictranspersonalmode.Theaware-

nessofauniversalmindandone’sunitywithits

primarycharacteristic:thecomprehensionofcon-

sciousnessaswellaslifeorder,namelyentropy.A

consciousmindatahigherlevelhastheabilityto

freeitselffromorderandpredictability,asequence

ofeventsorarrangementsofitemsunlikelytooccur

bychance.Inaworldoftotallyunrelateditems,which

hasthethrowingofdiceasitsparadigm,artandartist

findsitspurposebyexplorationofintangiblepossi-

bilities,withitsrichvarietyofchoicesaswellasop-

portunitiesbyutilisingentropy.Onesuchentity

whichhasmasteredtheframeworkofconscious-

ness:comprisingofthoughtandthemethodof

trail,errorandaccidentalsuccessexitsbythetitle

ofStrijdomvanderMerwe.

Strijdom’sapproachwithinhischosensetting–

nature–reliesontheconceptofentropyasapar-

adoxofcreativethought:theattempttodiscover

somethingthatthoughtcannotperceive;which

doesnotconstitutetoreality.Therecognitionof

TheEersteRiverproject.

56 >

thefactthatwerefertorealityisonlyaconsensus

towhatwepresumedefinesreality,orisitwhat

weashumanityhaveagreedupontocallreality

simplybecauseofconstraintsofculturalconfine-

ment.Acleardeductiontothisrecognition:isthat

weonlyperceivewhatwecanconceive.

“Man’smindmirror’sauniversethatmirrorsman’s

mind.”–JosephPearce.

Whenweconceiveorimaginesomethingunreal,

evenourfurthestimaginationcannottranscend

knownsymbolism.Theharnessingofthiscosmic

giftisthesymbioticreasontoStrijdom’ssuccess

whendefiningoccurrenceswithinentropiclandart

TriangleontheIslandSylt,Germany2009.Lines,Touwsriver,WesternCape,SouthAfrica2009.

thatintruth,defyrationalexplanation.Hehadthe

followingtosayinrelationtothis:“Whatmostofmy

workconsistofandIwouldsaylandartingeneral

istoplaceobjectsinanorderlymannerthatis

pleasingtotheeyeand,therefore,familiartolook

at.Suchasculptureisdoneinadisorderlyland-

scapeandthephotoistakeninsuchawaythatit

incorporatesthewiderlandscapewithinthecom-

position.Thesculpturegivesasenseoforderto

thatspecificplacegivingitidentity.”

Wheneverdesignorartwork,regardlessofitsini-

tialpurpose,attainsthisstatetheartistascends

toahigherlevelwithinthecomplexhierarchyof

humanitiesevolution:formallydescribedandoften

57 >

TOP:Stretchingredcottonbetweentwotrees,Kacerov,Praha,CzechRepublic,1996.BOTTOM:Redsteeltube.

approximatechargeislostexistingmerelyasa

surfacedisengagedwithinphysicalspacealongthe

arrowofentropictimefromtheworldlycontext,which

itwasintentionallymeanttoexistwithin.Neutralised,

ineffective,abstracted,politicallylobotomisedand,

finally,readytobeconsumedbysociety.

Strijdom’smannerofcreationisareminderofthe

capacityasingularentityobtainswhenoverstep-

pingtheboundariesofculturalconfinement.The

productionoftensionwithinequilibriumsinanon-

isolatedsystemsuchasnature,imposingchange

upontheceaselessregressiontohomogeneityin

entropyalsopresentinoppressiveviewpointsof

theestablishmentdefinesouruniversalexistence

condescendedbymodernsocietyasspiritualism.

“…thelandscapecanspeaktomeinaspecificway,

revealingsecretstomebygeneratingworksthat

isclusteredwithmeaningandmythology.Mywork

andIbecomeonewithnature;itisaprocessofdual

creativity.”

Thisdegradationbysocietyoccurswhenconstraints

areimposeduponart:theexpectationinduced

uponcreativeentitiestofitintomouldsoffraudu-

lentcategoriesresultinginanextensivelylimited

output.Whenartworkisconfinedwithintheneu-

tralityofagallerywhereitreflectshumannature

andexistenceatitshighestspontaneousdemand

ofidealisedplenitude,itfragments.Essentiallyits

TheSimonsbergwardpuzzle.

58 >

asarace.Strijdomnotedthat:“Theessenceofmy

workstrivestobringthemessageofourrolein

natureacross.Weareapartofthecyclesofnature,

creation,destruction,lifeanddeath.Theconnec-

tionsthathumanbeingshavewithenduringele-

mentalprocessesthatwillalwayscontinueregard-

lessofourhumaninfluence.Firstwastheland,

therefore,alwaystheland”.

Isn’tthisinfacttheessenceofbeinghuman?The

fragiletemporaryessenceofsuchartworkwere

thecontextualcomplexityisconcealedbyanover-

allsymmetryatfirstglancetrulyspeaksofcon-

trastingspectrumsofentropy.Inaninstanceof

minimalshapesofutmostorderlyprecisionand

TOPTOBOTTOM:Semi-circleinthesand,Untitled,Meyerton&Rockpillars.

thesubsequentdisplayofcorrosion,extremeop-

posites,areinfactsymptomsofsimilarprecarious

abandonment.It isthebalancebetweenabove

andbelow,lightanddarkness,eternityandtran-

sistoriness.ThusStrijdom’sarticulatemeansof

sculpturaldepictionderivesitsstructuralvalue

fromtheday-to-dayhumanconditionwhosepar-

ticularformatofordermakesitselfvisibleoraudi-

ble.Effectively,asaresultofthestructuraltheme

apurposedrivenmessageisborn:asocialcom-

mentuponhumanityandtheworld.Thisisthevital

linkintheemphasisingofanygivenconceptun-

dertakeninStrijdom’smethodology.Althoughone

shouldnotpresumethatstructuralorderisasuf-

ficientprerequisiteofartordesignsimplybecause

TOP:Snowandcages.BOTTOM:PlasconPaintbrushes.

59 >

itisnotameasurableconditionofaestheticexcel-

lence.ContextuallytheeffectofentropyuponLand

artinaformaldisciplinesuchassculptureisof

suchnatureitestablishesareturntoanessential

order.It’saharmoniousequilibriuminhibitingthe

worldfromfallingintoboundlessconfusioninre-

lationtoourself-centred,anti-metaphysicalna-

ture.Eveninthefinalmomentsofartworkcreated

inthismannerthefiniteisasinfinite,theindivid-

ualthewhole,nothinglessthananepitomeof

cosmicconsciousness.

Conclusively,StrijdomvanderMerwe’sdialectical

reflectionwithinhismediumhasproventobea

genuine,trueandprofoundviewoflifeandallit

Field’sofFloweringhands,Giloolysinterchange,Johannesburg,SouthAfrica,June2010.

encompasses:subjective,objective,realisticaswell

astheabstracteffectsofentropy,withoutallowing

elementstobecomeobjectsofformaldelectation.

Strijdom’sevocativedesignsasLandartoranyother

formthereofisnotmeanttocaptureorseizethe

streamoflife.Foritfindsitsfunctioningpurpose

asacommunicativetoolwithinanarrowduration

oftimeandspaceweretheworkconcentratesa

viewuponhumanexistence.Aminimalistsindica-

tion,thatmarksthecomplexstepsofprogression

bymeansofalterationwithintheconstantorderof

disorder.<

ImagescourtesyofStrijdomvanderMerwe.

HEAD OFFICE:Tel: +27 (0) 11 493 6833Fax: +27 (0) 11 493 7760

JOHANNESBURG:Tel: +27 (0) 11 493 6833Fax: +27 (0) 11 493 7760

CAPE TOWN:Tel: +27 (0) 21 510 8023Fax: +27 (0) 21 510 8025

DURBAN:Tel: +27 (0) 31 700 4881Fax: +27 (0) 31 700 4811

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62 >

ANTONSASSENBERG:

“THEORIGINALDESIGNGUERRILLA”

BySunéStassen

63 >

AntonSassenbergisoftenreferredtoas

beingthemostinfluentialandground-

breakingSouthAfricanmagazinedesigner

ofthepasttwodecades.Lookingathis

life’sworkthatrepresentsanimpressive

andcolourfuldiversityofpublications,

wecan’thelpbuttonotehisseminalcon-

tributionstothebrandrepositioningand

designofpublicationssuchasthethen

anti-apartheidweeklynewspaperVryeWeekblad,Afrikaanslifestylemagazines

DeKatandInsig,andmainstreamEnglish

titlessuchasCitylife,StyleandTrueLove.

But,Antonhasalsobeenaprolificde-

signeroutsidethemagazinearena,pro-

ducingmanytheatreposters,CDcovers

(notablyBloudrukandGetransformeerfor the late Johannes Kerkorrel) and

booksthatincludePenguineditionsof

AncestralVoicesbyEtiennevanHeerden,

SouloftheWhiteAntbyEugeneMarias,

TheOwlHousebyAnneEmslie,TheStoryofanAfricanFarmbyOliveSchreiner,AlanPatonbyPeterAlexanderandMandela:EchoesofanErabyAlfKhumaloandEs’kia

Mphalele.

AntonstudiedInformationDesignatthe

UniversityofPretoriabeforehedecidedto

beafull-timepainterforacoupleofyears.

“Iwantedtobeanartistbutmyfather

wantedmetohavea‘real’job.Studying

InformationDesignmeantthatIwasat

leastclosetotheArtDepartmentwhere

Ispentmostofmytime,”explainsAnton.

Hisfirstexperienceasapublicationsde-

signercameaboutwhenhemetwithPaddy

Hardeganwho,atthetime,wasproducing

booksfordifferentpublishingcompanies.

“Paddyneededassistancewiththedesign

oftheneweditionofTheStoryofanAfri-canFarmfortheFrankfurtBookFair.And

that’showIbecameapublicationsdesign-

er,”explainsAnton.

“AfterworkingwithPaddyonbooksand

magazinesforawhile,Istartedmyown

company,PressBooks.Ahighlightwas

designingMandela:EchoesofanErafor

Penguinin1990.”

Duringthistimehealsobecameacquaint-

edwithElizeViljoenwhomotivatedfor

AntontoredesigntheVryeWeekblad,

wherehestayeduntilthepublication

closeddownin1994.Anton’sworkon

thisvocalanti-apartheidweeklynewspa-

per,publishedinAfrikaans,wasasliberal

initsdesignasitwaswithitseditorial

content.Itseditor,MaxduPreez,inPalenative:Memoriesofarenegadereporter,wrote:“Inoursecondyear,VryeWeekblad

underwentametamorphosis.Thereason?

AmancalledAntonSassenberg.Heturned

everyruleinthenewspaperdesignhand-

bookonitsheadandmadeeverypage

aworkofmodernart.Andthenextweek

hewoulddoitcompletelydifferently.

HeevenchangedthemastheadwhileI

wasawayforaweek.”DuPreezcontinues:

“After1992/93,onecouldseeAnton’s

revolutionaryideascreepingintomost

magazinedesignsinSouthAfrica.He

wastheoriginaldesignguerrilla.”

“NextIworkedatDeKatandbecamecre-

ativedirectorofPentaPublicationsuntil

2000whenIalsojoinedNewMediaPub-

lishing,whohappenedtobethepublish-

ersofInsigatthetime,”saysAnton.“It

64 >

was definitely these four years that greatly

influenced my professional outlook on

publication design,” and the continua-

tion of a very successful career that was

to follow.

Anton considers himself more as a jour-

nalist, than a designer. “I basically create

platforms for different messages to be

communicated. This makes me part of

the editorial team and part of the story-

telling process. There is no real differ-

ence between designing a book and a

magazine, except for what Alexander

Brodovich, the legendary art director of Harper’s Bazaar, called ‘perpetual opti-

mism’. Magazines aren’t permanent: you

can improve them, tweak things and learn

from your mistakes, every month. And

maybe magazine design is less lonely

because you’re working with a team. So

it is my responsibility to continuously

inspire the team to consider and look

for new and fresh ideas and angles.”

HIS CREATIVE PROCESS

“I always work on instinct which is greatly

influenced by factors outside my job like

books, music, art and design. It is difficult

to justify my work ethic and to explain to

others what I do. As an art director and

working in a team, I’m involved in the edi-

torial process from the very beginning. It

is important for me to understand the sto-

ryline, who and what are involved and how

everything unfolds, as well as the inten-

tion of the piece so that I am able to in-

stinctively proceed from there. It just

makes sense to understand the history

behind the piece before you can finalise

the details. Then it is time for my in-

stincts to take control.”

HIS HIGHLIGHTS

“Citylife magazine was the first project

where we really pushed that traditional

envelope. The magazine was already in

trouble when I got involved and we did

five issues before the publishers threw in

the towel. The magazine was then moved

to New Media Publishers at the Johan-

nesburg office and we basically put it

together in our spare time. My colleague

Annelize Visser became acting editor

and we had an amazing team: Lucinda

Hooley, Daisy Jones, Ami Kapilevich and

Kerry Shaw. We were basically given

carte blanche to reinvent the magazine

on a very small budget, which was part

of our strategy. We took a risk and went

against the whole celebrity thing and

created fake celebrities. We used models

that resembled Tom Cruise or Robbie

Williams, for example, and Photoshop

did the rest. A particular challenge was

the apprentice butcher from Alberton that

we cast as Eminem. For the last issue

we invented an entirely fictional celeb-

rity. We built him out of Johnny Depp’s

cheekbones and bits of Brad Pitt. We

named him Frank and we even ‘inter-

viewed’ him.”

“We were also very conscious of the in-

teractive nature of online publishing

and we tried to replicate that on paper

by layering our content. We also experi-

mented with the placements of prod-

ucts as part of a sort-of ‘underground

advertising’ strategy.”

“A few years later we had the opportunity

to take this even further by creating a mag-

azine about magazines for Media24, called OFC. Our intention was to challenge a

67 >

lotofperceptionsandfixedideasabout

magazinesandadvertisingandwereally

tooktheconceptofinteractivitytoits

limits.Forexample,wehadasongcom-

posedaboutHeinekenandranthestory

assheetmusic.Webuiltheadlinesout

oftheTommyHilfigerlogo;wewrotean

entirestoryusingonlyadvertisingslo-

gansandwemadepaperdollsofJanet

JacksonandJustinTimberlakeanddressed

theminbrandedmerchandise.Thecover

wasa join-the-dots imageofBritney

Spears,andwedesignedthewholemaga-

zinebacktofront,whichmadepaginating

itarealpuzzle.Wereallyappreciated

Media24Magazines’CEOPatriciaScholte-

meyer’senthusiasmforsomeofthesewild

ideas,butintheendnoonereallygotit

andtheindustrymoreorlessignoredit.”

“AfewyearslaterwhenMedia24launched

True Love Babe I became consulting

creativedirector.Thiswasoneofmymost

satisfyingexperiencesasapublications

designer.WhatmadeBabesospecialis

thatAnnelizeandIworkedwithateam

offirst-timemagazinepractitionerswho

instantlytookcontrolofthebrandthey’d

created.Ourjobwastoencouragethem

tobecomebetterandbetteratwhatthey

did.Therewerelotsofculturaldifferences

andsubtlethingswedidn’tunderstand

sowehadtolistenmorethantalk.What

wasremarkablewastheteam’spatience

inshowingushowtotranslateourmag-

azineexperienceintoaproductthatwas

relevanttotheirmarket.Thiswasagreat

learningcurve.”

Overtheyears,Antonhasplayeddifferent

roleswithinthepublishingdesignarena:

from1998–1999asartdirectorofDeKatmagazineandbetween2004and2005

astheartdirectorofInsigmagazine,to

redesigningveryprominentpublications

liketheStylemagazineforCaxtonand

TrueLove,FairladyandSarieforMedia24.

Basedonhisdiverseexperiencesinthe

magazine industry, Anton says that:

”Makingamagazineisateamsport:you

can’tdoitonyourown.Thehistoryof

magazinesshowsthatthebestmaga-

zinesarecreatedwhenartdirectorsand

editorsworktogetherasateam:Anna

WintourandAlexanderLiebermanat

Vogue,BrodovichandCarmelSnowat

Harper’sBazaarandlateronLizTilberis

andFabienBaron.”Theseareallknown

tobeformidablepersonalitiesintheirown

rightanditisexpectedthatdifferences

ofopinionswillsurfacefromtimetotime.

“Conflictishealthybuttherealsohastobe

respect.Ididmybestworkwithstrong

editorssuchasMaxduPreezatVryeWeek-blad, JoanvanZylatDeKat,Annelize

VisseratCitylifeandOFC.Andin2009,

IreallyenjoyedworkingwithStefania

Johnson,theneditorialdirectoratNew

MediaPublishing,duringabriefspellas

designdirector,”explainsAnton.

HISCURRENTWORK

Antoniscurrentlyconsultingascreative

directorofAvusamagazines.“I’veonly

beenhereafewmonths,”saysAnton.

Hewasbroughtintolookatthestandard

ofdesignonalltheconsumermagazines

inthegroup.“Ihavejustredesigned

EllemagazineandIamcurrentlybusy

withElleDecoration.Afewothertitles

willfollowshortly.”Heexplainsthathis

roleandresponsibilitiesarenowabit

greaterthanbefore.Acreativedirector

68 >

is supposed to investigate the brand

identity and design to make sure it’s in

line with what the brand stands for, and

at the same time, successfully commu-

nicate this to the readers so that they can

also identify with the brand. “Because I

am a consultant on many of the different

publications within the Avusa Group, I

am a member of several teams and must

have the ability, at the flick of a finger,

to jump between different publications

that each have their own strategies and

target markets. On some days I have to

make these leaps a few times a day and

sometimes even within the span of an

hour. Being in this position, I am also

learning that I am bound to step on some

toes and how to, from there, encourage

growth. I am also positioned to be the

bridge between art directors and editors

which in itself holds a lot of challenges.”

According to Anton the most important

ingredient for success in any career is

passion. “I was recently very impressed

when I met a young designer who wanted

to join Elle Decoration. I’ve never seen

his work but it was clear that working

for Elle Decoration has been his life’s

dream.” Due to the digital era it is under-

standably difficult for young people to

break into this industry. “The youngsters

that really interest me are the ones that

are really still excited about working in

this industry. It’s a very fickle industry.

You need commitment and maybe a

second career... One day you might be a

hero and by the next issue sales go down

and you go down to zero with it. Twenty

years ago I fell into magazine design by

coincidence and I’m still here.” <

69 >

College of Human Sciences

School of Arts

Artwork: Ronit Judelman, UNISA student Nurture your creativity in the visual arts We offer a wide variety of learning programmes in the disciplines of Art History, Visual Arts and Multimedia Studies.

Our programmes prepare you for a multiplicity of careers in the contemporary art world: professional artist, corporate art advisor, community art specialist, arts and culture journalist, animator, art educator, art historian, art critic, multimedia designer, music video producer and video director. Undergraduate Studies: • BA degree in Art History • Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) • BA (Culture and Arts) with specialisation in Multimedia Studies

Postgraduate studies: • Honours, Masters and DLitt et Phil degrees in Art History • Advanced University Diploma in Visual Arts • Masters degree in Visual Arts (MVA)

For more information: Tel: (+27) 12 429-6459 / (+27) 12 429-6798 Fax: (+27) 12 429-3556 E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected] Website: www.unisa.ac.za/dept/arts

www.unisa.ac.za/dept/arts

70 >

THINKINGTHROUGHDESIGN:MICHAELBIERUT’SCAUTIONARY

TALEONLESSONSLEARNED

DESIGN:CAUTIONARY

LEARNED

MichaelBierutissurelyadesignerthatneedslittleintroduction.PriortojoiningPentagramasapartner,BierutworkedatVignelliAssociates,ultimatelyasgraphicdesignvicepresident.HeisthewinnerofcountlessawardsandamemberoftheAllianceGraphiqueInternationaleandArtDirectorsClubHallofFame.AwardedtheAIGAMedalin2006andnamedwinnerintheDesignMindcategoryoftheCooper-HewittNationalDesignAwardsin2008,he’saseniorcriticingraphicdesignattheYaleSchoolofArtandco-founderofwww.DesignObserver.com

ChristophNiemann’smuralsatP.S.69inClasonPoint,theBronx.

71 >

www.designobserver.com

72 >

InaninterviewwithDESIGN>MAGAZINE

Michaelsharedsomeof lessonsthathe

haslearntoverthepast30yearsandspe-

cificallythosegainedwhileworkingonTheL!braryInitiative.

DESIGNTHINKING

Youaredescribedasanadvocateof‘designthinking’.Howdoyouapplythisapproachandhowdoesitbenefityourclients?It’s

becomeafairlytrendytermandinthatrespect

Iamsomewhatsuspiciousofit.

Basically,whatIlearnedduringTheL!braryInitiativewasthatweshouldneverforget

aboutthelargercontextforourwork,espe-

ciallythepeoplewhowillbeexposedtoit.

It’s very easy to be distracted by other

thingswhenyou’reworkingonaproject.What

amIgoodatdoing?WhatdoIliketodo?How

doIusuallysolvethiskindofproblem?What

usuallyworks?WhatdoIthinktheclientwill

accept?Andsoforth.Theseareallgood

questions,butthey’renotthemostimportant

questions.They’realljustaboutthepre-

requisitestodoingthework,thekindsof

thingsthatanyprofessionalhastoworry

about,nomatterwhattheproject.

Theimportantquestionsareharderbecause

theyrequireyoutopayattention.They’re

thingslike:Whatreallyneedstobedone

here?Who’sgoingtobeaffectedbythis

work?Whatwouldbe thebestpossible

outcomeforthisaudience?And:HowcanI

makeauniquecontribution?

I’vebeenworkingasadesignerfornearly

thirtyyearsandthelongerIwork,oddly

enough,theeasieritistofallintothetrap

representedbythefirstsetofconcerns.

You’rerewardedifyouthinkthatway,at

leastintheshortterm.Youworkfastandeffi-

ciently,andyourclientissatisfied.Butthe

clientisusuallydifferentthantheaudience.

Andtheaudience–theenduser,whoever

itis–requirestimeandattentiontobetruly

engaged.Sothatrequiresattentiontothe

secondsetofquestions.Youcancallthis

‘designthinking’,oryoucancallthisjustplain

thinking.Theworstkindofdesignisthought-

lessdesign.Thebestkindisthoughtful.

THEL!BRARYINITIATIVE

HowdidTheL!braryInitiativecomeabout?

Nearlynineyearsago,Pentagramwasasked

tocontributetoavisionaryeffortbythe

wonderful–anddesign-conscious–Robin

HoodFoundation:aninitiativetobuildnew

school libraries in elementary schools

throughoutthefiveboroughsofNewYork

City.Arangeoftalentedarchitectswould

designthelibraries;privatecompanieswould

donatebooksandfunds;andPentagram

wouldprovidethegraphicdesign,including

signage,wayfindingandamasterbrandthat

wouldtieallthesitestogether.

Alongtheway,wediscoveredsomething

interesting.Thelibrariesareusuallylocated

inolderbuildingswithhighceilings,butthe

shelvesinthelibrariescan’tbebuilthigher

thankidscanreach.Thismeansthereisa

spacebetweenthetopshelfandtheceiling,

anup-to-six-footbandaroundtheroom

justbeggingfor‘something’special.That

‘something’turnedouttobemurals.And

theresultscannowbeseeninschoolsall

overNewYorkCity,includingfivebrandnew

onesintheBronxwhichfeaturemuralsby

RafaelEsquer,MairaKalman,Christoph

Niemann, Stefan Sagmeister and Yuko

Shimizu,andCharlesWilkin.

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74 >

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Pentagram’sinvolvementwithTheL!braryInitiativebeganbynamingitandcreatingits

logo.Atthefaceofit,there’snoreasonwhy

thisprojectneedsalogo.Ontheotherhand,

therethere’snoreasonforeachlibrarytolook

different.Afterall,noneofthekidsarelikely

toseeanylibrarybuttheirown.Butgiving

theeffortanoverallidentitymakesitmore

understandabletopotentialdonorsandto

thepublicandprivateorganisationsthatwork

withtheRobinHoodFoundation.Andmak-

ingeachlibrarydifferentmakeseachplace

memorableandspeciallysuitedtoitssite.

Dozensofarchitectshaveworkedonthe

projectsinceitbeganin2000,includingTod

WilliamsandBillieTsien,MarianWeissand

MichaelManfredi,JaredDellaValleandAn-

drewBernheimer,HenryMyerbergandDe-

borahBerke.Thefirstmural,aseriesofphoto-

graphicportraitsbyDorothyKresz,was

installedinalibraryinBrooklyn’sP.S.184

thatwasdesignedbyRichardLewis.Itwasan

immediatehitwithstudents,librariansand

teachers,andinthenextwaveofinstalla-

tions,muralswerecommissionedfromPeter

ArkleandLynnPauley,whodidfourinthree

weeks.

WhatlessonsdidyoulearnfromworkingonTheL!braryInitiative?ThelessonsIlearned

were,first,don’ttrytobesocleverallthe

time.Ithinkthatdesigners,myselfincluded,

startbytryingtoimpresseachotherwithour

ingenuity.InthisregardIrecallastatement

byChileanarchitect,AlejandroAravena,at

the2010DesignIndabainCapeTown.He

said that creativity was only necessary

whenyoudidn’thaveenoughinformation

tosolveaproblemusingothermeans.The

implicationwasthatweshould‘becreative’as

alastresort,onlywhenweweresurethat

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75 >

therewasnothingmoretobelearnedfrom

thesituationathand.Ilovethatidea.

InthecaseofTheL!braryInitiativeproject,

IlearntthatIdidn’tspendenoughtimeat

theoutsetunderstandingtheaudience.I

justtriedtosolveeverythingwithaclever

logo.

Thesecondlessonisthatyougetpowerby

givingawaypower.ThemorepeopleIin-

volvedintheproject,andthemorefreedom

wegavethemtodotheirwork,themore

effectivetheresultwas.

Thethirdlessonisthattherealopportunity

todosomethingamazingmaynotbeinthe

officialscopeofwork.AsIwassayingbe-

fore,theefficientandprofessionalapproach

istoexecutewhat’srequiredandnotdoa

singlethingmore.Butwhatyou’vebeen

askedtodoandwhatactuallyneedtobe

donemaybetworadicallydifferentthings,

andthatdifference iswhatchangesthe

worldsometimes.

The fourth lesson is thatsamenessand

consistencyaretwodifferentthings.Thisis

hardfordesignerstoremember,andeven

harderforsomeclientstoremember.Ifyou’re

acontrolfreak,it’stemptingtooverestimate

theneedtocontroleverything:that’swhat

control freaks do, obviously, and that’s

whatalotofdesignersare.Butlettingdif-

ferencescomethroughisanacknowledge-

mentofwhatmakesushuman.Designatits

bestletsthosedifferencesbeexpressedat

ahighlevel.

Regardingyournotionof“Overestimatingtheneedforcontrol”,howwereyouabletostrikeabalanceindealingwithapublic

agencywithnumerousdecision-makersandseveralcollaborators?Whatworkedwell

wastogiveeveryoneveryspecificparam-

etersandthenallowthemagreatdealof

freedomwithinthoseparameters.Ifindit

frustratingasadesignerwhenitworksthe

otherway.Youoftenhaveclientswhosay

“thesky’sthelimit,”butthat’sonlybecause

theyhaven’tproperlythoughtthroughthe

limitsfirst.TheorganisersofTheL!braryInitiativewerereallysmartaboutdefining

theprojectclearlyforalltheparticipants.

Aswestartedbringingincollaborators,we

triedtogivethemthesamecombinationof

rulesandlicense.

Doesthiscomparativesummaryresonatewithyouorwouldyoucaretoelaboratewithyourowndefinitions:

Traditionaldesigner Evolveddesign

thinking

Concernedwith

branding

Movesfromidentityto

theexperience

Clever Thoughtful

Exclusivedecision-

making,values/

prefersuniqueideas

Seeksideasthrough

collaboration,more

inclusive

Workswithinthe

scopeofwork

Identifiesopportuni-

tiesbeyondthescope

ofwork

Valuesconsistency

tothepointof

‘sameness’

Valuesconsistencyof

message,buthas

flexibilitytoadjustto

anenvironmentand

audienceneeds

Preferstoworkalone

togeneratethesingle

BigIdea

Encouragesacontinu-

ousloopofaudience

feedbacktocorrect/

adaptinitialideas

Ithinkthechartisexactlyright.

77 >

Howsuccessfulhaveyoubeenintemperingtheaudience’sneedsforthevisceralandemotionalwithyourownneedtobringyourextensiveexperienceandskill toplay?

SometimesIthinkthattheaudience’semo-

tionalneedsaresotitanicandmyownskills

aresolimitedthatit’snotreallyafairfight.

AllIcanhopeistochoosetherighttoolsto

eventheplayingfieldalittlebit.

THE‘POST-DESIGN’FACTOR

Haveyoufelttheneedtodevelopafeedbackloopwiththeaudienceafteryourproject?Isaudienceresponsenecessarytoconsideraprojectsuccessful?Ofcourse it’snice

whentheaudienceloveswhatyoudo,but

Iwouldsaythisissecondarytothesense

thatthey’vecometotakeontheworkas

theirown,andthatit’sacquiredsomekind

oflifebeyondwhatwegavethem.Some-

timesthishappensbecausetheyreallylike

it; sometimes it happens when they’re

challengedbyit.Justtheotherday,Ivisited

aclient’swebsiteandtheyhaddonethis

terrificanimationoftheidentitywedesigned.

ItwasdoneinawayIneverwouldhaveim-

agined,anditwasjustgreat.Iwasjustso

happytoseetheseedwehadplantedturn

intothissurprisingblossom.

HOWTOMAKEYOUROWNL!BRARYPROJECT

MichaelreferredDESIGN>toAnnoradha

IyerSiddiqi,anarchitect,writerandformer

L!brary Initiative director, whose latest

bookL!braryattempts todocument the

projectasacasestudyandexplorethepo-

tentialforscalabilityoutsidetheNewYork

PublicLibrarysystem.Afterreviewingthe

resultsofthe50librariescoveredunder

thisinitiative,Siddiqiconcludesthatgood

librarydesigncanactuallyinspirelearning,

andtheuseof(artistic)talent,cultureand

apleasingenvironmentaddsvaluetothe

building’sandcommunity’ssenseofworth.

“Artdoesmatter”,shesaid,assheattempts

todemonstratehowwidelyvariedfieldsand

communities–corporateunderwriters,chil-

dren’sbookpublishers,architects,graphic

designers,productmanufacturers,library

associations,teachersandstudents–can

joinforcestomakeadifferenceinthelives

ofchildren.

Whiledesignandsafetystandardsarenat-

urallysubjecttotheirenvironmental,cultural

andlegalcontext,Siddiqiconcludesthat

replicatingandscalinguptheL!braryproject

isfeasible.“(Aesthetic)Standardisationkills

thespiritthough,”shecautionsattributing

thesuccessoftheprojecttotheunique,

customisedspaceofeachtargetedlibrary,

andthefactthattheaudienceandlibrary

usershadsomeinputindesigningthespace

allowedthemto‘ownit’.

Tothiseffect,Siddiqidedicatesthelastsec-

tionofherbookto“HowtoMakeaL!brary”,

hopingtoinspireothercommunityorganisers

andarchitectstopursuesimilarinitiatives

intheirowncommunities.<

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78 >

WHATISA

BRAND’SWORTH?

InnovationProtocol’sSasha

Straussdiscussessevenofthe

manycriticalaspectsthathe

considerswhenreviewingtherole

ofbrandinginthemarketplace.

SashaStraussinaction.

Asaneducator,Iamoftenasked

whybrandingmatters.Asastrate-

gicbranddevelopmentprofession-

al,whosejobitistolookclinically

atbrands,Ioftenhavetodeter-

minehowandwhybrandsmove

ustopurchaseproductsthatare

non-essentialornotevenwell

designed.

Brandingmattersbecauseweneedtorationaliseourdecision-making

Theinterestingthingaboutbeing

humanisthatwearealwayslook-

ingforreasonsforthethingswe

do.Ratherthanjustbeinginlove,

weareinlovebecausewethinkwe

aresupposedtobe.It’saspiritual

connection–thereareallofthese

additionalrationalesthatweapply

todecisionsandactions,including

ourpurchasingbehavior,evenfor

themostfunctionalobjectsinour

liveslikepens,computers,cars,

clothesorshoes.Ratherthanjust

usingthemfortheirbasicfunction,

weliketousethemandfeelgood

aboutouruseofthem.

Brandingisareflectionofourdesires,valuesandaspirations

Thisisthecasewhentheproducts

reflectsomethingaboutusor

somethingthatweaspiretobe.For

instance,Iaspiretobeself-expres-

siveandcreative–well,ifmycom-

puterisself-expressiveandcre-

ative,itimpliesthatIamaswell.

Asabrandposter-child,Apple

hasdonesuchanexceptionaljob

ofcreatingan‘infinity’ofsortsthat

can’tbecompromised.Thisiswhy

Iamoneofthepeoplewaitingin

line,intheworsteconomyinhis-

tory,topayforapremiumdevice.I

amexcitedtoreplacemycurrent

laptop,whichcanbasicallydothe

samethingasfarasthefunctional-

ity,butnotasbeautifullyorele-

gantly.

Itshouldn’tbesurprisingthatpeo-

plearepreparedtobuysomething

theydon’tactuallyneedbecause

thedesiretrumpstheneed.We

buythingsthatwedon’tneedall

thetime,howeverwebuythembe-

causetheymakeusfeelwonder-

ful.Andfeelingwonderfulisanin-

nateneed.Notunderstandingthis

basichumanneediswherepeople

whodon’tlikebrandingrunamuck.

Theyputbrandingdowntoamere

reflectionofconsumerismand

marketerstryingtosellpeople

thingstheydon’trequire.

Successfulbrandingreachesbeyondourphysicalneedstoouremotionalones

ThinkingaboutwhatIactually

need…IdoneedfoodbutIalso

needtofeelgoodaboutwhatIeat,

whichmeansmychoiceofapar-

ticularbrandoffoodmakesmenot

onlysatiatedbutalsomakesme

feelgoodabouttheactionofeat-

ing,whichisequallyimportant.

Everythingfromtheshoppingex-

periencetothepackagingofthe

productaddstothepleasureofthe

purchasingexperience.Afterall,

it’sacombinationofpleasures.

Evenwhenitcomestoeveryday

tasks,Ithinkmostpeopledoen-

joygoingtoagrocerystoreand

makingchoices.Brandsenableus

tohavemultiplechoices.Whole

Foods,whichisaUSandUK-based

grocerystorechainthatoffersthe

highestqualityandleastproc-

essednaturalfoods,isagreat

exampleofthis.

Reallysuccessfulbrandingmovesbeyondthephysicalproducttocraftinganexperience

Ratherthanjustabarrelofflour,

WholeFoodsfeaturesanarrayof

79 >

flouritems.Youcoulddecideif

youwantflourthatisorganically

orlocally-grown,whicheverone

makesyoufeelbetter.Itmight

costalittlebitmoretomakeyou

feelbetter,butonlyyoucanput

avaluetothatsensation.

WholeFoodsarenottheonlyones

whosellqualitynaturalproducts

–therearemanyalternatives–but

thedifferenceisthatWholeFoods

isanintegratedbrandexperience.

EverysinglethingthatWholeFoods

does,fromthemomentyouwalk

intotheirstorestothetimeyou

payforyourpurchasesatcheck-

out,isdesignedtoreinforcethe

emotionalconnectionyouhave

withbuyinggroceries.Theinter-

estingfactisthatwhileorganic

foodsaresupposedtobehealthier,

nogovernmentintheworld–at

leastnottheUSFoodandDrug

Agency–iswillingtoconfirmthis.

Thismeansthatwearewillingto

spendour‘wholepaycheck’at

WholeFoodsbecause,intheend,

webringproductshomethatmake

usfeellikeabetterparent,abetter

spouse,orabetterhumanbeing.

Successfulbrandingisdesigned

tomakeusfeellikeourchoices

arebetterthanaverage.

Doesbrandingrobusofourindividualityordoesitmakeusmoreefficient?

Ofcourse,thereisacommunityof

peoplethatisscepticalaboutthe

dominanceoflogosandbranding,

maintainingthattheworldwould

beahealthierplaceifwedidn’t

havethesehighlyseductivebrands.

Thisisonlynatural.Sinceourfirst

inclination,especiallyassort-of

liberalthinkingindividualsina

freesociety,wehavealwaysliked

tomakeallofourownchoicesand

don’tliketobe‘sold’onthose

decisions.Weliketomakedeci-

sionsbase–wehavetoomany

thingstoworryabout.Forinstance,

wehandoverourtrustwhenwe

askafriend,“Hey,whatdentistdo

youuse?”Weliketoturntoamag-

azineeditorforarecommendation

onanewcomputerweshouldbuy.

So,aswebuildthoserelationships

withextendedtrust,wehopethat

abrand,likeanindividual,can

makeapromise that theycan

keep.Forexample,Listerinekills

bacteriainyourmouthandhas

donesoconsistentlyforyears,so

youcanbuytheListerinebrand

withouthavingtovetit.Whena

brandkeepsapromise that it

makes,youbasicallybuythebrand

becausethetrustisinnate.Since

wedon’twanttomakeathousand

decisionseveryday,wealways

go back to Subway Sandwich

stores,StarbucksCoffee,etc.,

brandsthathelpusmakethose

decisions.Ultimately,inthisre-

spect, brands bring simplicity

andefficiencytoourlives.They

donotgetustobuythingswe

don’tneed.

Sowhatmakesforsuccessfulbranding?

Anorganisationhastofigureout

exactlywhatitisthattheiraudi-

encedesires,whetheritbesocially,

economicallyoremotionally,etc.

Ratherthanhopingthattheaudi-

encewillfigureitout,thecorpo-

ratepersonalityhandsittothem

–ineverycommercialandsocial

interaction,andeverytimethey

walkintothestore.

Thisiswhatyouarehandedwhen

youwalkintoanApplestore.It’san

all-encompassingenvironment,

withtheemployeesintheirt-shirts

withfunlittlenametags.Allthe

products are easily touchable,

visuallyappealingandconnected

totheInternet.Thechildren’ssec-

tion,featuringbeanbagsanda

fun atmosphere basically as-

suresyou:“Fearnot,yourchild

canpokearoundonthisdevice

andthereisnothingtobecon-

cernedabout.”Thisall-encom-

passing brand experience is

what creates that permanent

connectionwhichmakespeople

waitinlineforaday,topay$800

80 >

foradevicetheydon’tnecessar-

ilyneed.

Thesebrandsareexemplaryof

really good integrated brand

creation. It doesn’t matter

whetherit isaglobalcorpora-

tionthatsellssoftwaretoother

global corporations or a non-

profit organisation with three

environmentalistsatthehelm.It

isimperativethatwealldorec-

ognisethatabrandhastoes-

tablishsometypeofintangible

connectionwithitsaudience.I

mentionconsumerbrandslike

Nike,AppleandWholeFoods,

becauseweareallconsumers.It

doesn’t make a difference

whetheryouarethepresidentof

theUnitedStatesorahomeless

person,youchoosetoconsume

thingsregularlyandyouwantto

feelbetteraboutwhatyouare

consuming.

Somebrandshavebeenextraor-

dinarilysuccessfulatcapturing

thistypeofsensation.Anexam-

pleofastrongbrandthathas

totally‘gotit’isLandRover.Land

Roveressentially inventedthe

SportUtilityVehicle,orSUV,as

weknowit.AllSUVownerscom-

paretheirSUVtoaRangeRover.

IhaveownedfourLandRovers

inmylifeandeveryoneofthem

have been recognised by the

brand,appreciatedforitsfunc-

tionality,andrecognisedthatit

wasareflectionofme,someone

whoworkshardandisaccom-

plished,butalsohassomewhat

ofaruggedoutdoorlifestyle.

It’saverystorytellingproduct.

Someofthefirstvehiclesseen

bynative tribes inAfricawere

Land Rovers. The first-aid re-

sourcesbroughttoremotecoun-

trieswereinitiallydeliveredin

LandRovers,makingitahistorical

iconoftransport.Eventhough

peopleliketosaythesevehicles

areoverpricedorthattheymight

havehadelectricalissuesinthe

past,Ihavenotmetanyonewho

doesn’tknowwhataLandRover

is–whichisastonishing.Itjust

showsyouhowpowerfulacon-

sistentstorycanbe.

Tociteasimpleexample:Oneof

thebestbillboardsLandRover

haseverproducedwassimplya

photoofadesertwithtire-tracks

andthemessagesaid,‘Before

youcanhelppeople,youhave

togettothem…’–withtheLand

Rover logo in theupper right-

handcorner.Thispresentsjust

anepicdescriptionofthefunc-

tionalityof thesedevices.The

brandiseasytorecognise,with

agreenovalthatishighlydistin-

guished from its competition.

It’scalledexactlywhatitisfunc-

tionally, i.e. a land-roving de-

vice;hence,LandRover.Inthat

respect,IbelieveLandRoveris

ashigh-qualityasabrandlike

Apple.

Brandsare‘people’too…

Sometimes, brands lose their

way–thereisn’tanorganisation

inhistorythathaslivedaflaw-

lesslife.Beitchurches,coun-

tries, governments or brands;

everyoneisgoingtobetroubled

atonepointoranother.Ifabrand

isgoing tomakeamistake, it

needstobuildenoughpositive

brand equity so that when it

doeshappen,somanypeople

love and trust the brand that

theywon’tabandonship.Even

Applehashaditsfairshareof

mistakes–theirbatterieshave

blown up on airplanes. Every

brand isgoingtomakeamis-

takebutthemorethebrandis

loved,themorelikelythecom-

munity will forgive those mis-

takes.”It’sokayApple,because

we know and trust that you

wouldn’tdosomethingtoper-

manentlydamageouraffinity.”

Organisationslovetofocuson

theirfeaturesandfunctions,but

sometimes even the most ad-

vancedmulti-featuredproducts

fail.Whenmostengineersand

product developers create a

brand,theirfocalpointsarefea-

tureandfunction–thespeedof

theprocessororthesizeofthe

screen.DoesaniPhoneowner

haveanyideahowfasttheproc-

essorisintheiriPhone?Orhow

81 >

largethescreenisbyanydimen-

sion?Theyprobablydon’t.The

Motorola Droid product was

launchedwithfeaturesandfunc-

tionsasitsprimarybrand-voice,

and that’s the reason why no

oneispayingattention.Weare

waytoooverwhelmed.Thinkabout

everysingleiteminyourlifelike

yourcar,yourclothes,yourphone

andyourcomputer–thepoorly

executedbrandsarejustberat-

ingyouwithtechnicalfeatures.

Technicalfeaturesyoumaynot

evenunderstand.

WhatAppledoessocleverlyis

anthropomorphisetheproduct.

Despiteitscomplexfunctionsand

features,oneisnotjustinteracting

withamachine.

Ilikenthistoanextensionofyou

asanindividual.Thatiswhatthe

iPhonefeelslike.That’sthewayit

hasbeenpositioned.That’swhy

thecommercialshavealwayshad

simplewhitebackgroundsand

reallygentlesfolkychildren’smusic.

Justthinkaboutwhenyouare

sittinginfrontofthetelevision

andyouarewatchinganApple

commercial–thoughthiscom-

mercial they are showing you

oneofthemosttechnicallyca-

pabledevicesinhistorywhilst

making it look so simple and

suchareflectionofyou,theuser,

thatyoucan’tdoanythingbut

wantit.

Everybrandhasitsowncorporate

personality.Apple,forone,plays

itquiteclosetotheedge.Custom-

ershavecomplainedabouttheir

lowdegreeofcustomercare,high

prices,andcostofuse,andsome

viewthisasacomplacencethey

canafford.

Butdoyou,asaconsumer,care?

No.Whenyougotoaworkorso-

cialmeeting,especiallyincreative

forums,everyoneexpectsyouto

haveaniPhone,andtherefore

youfeelcompletebecauseyou

haveitinyourlife.

Onedoesn’tneed to interpret

thismockingly;Ithinkthatitis

beautiful.Iwishthateverybody

couldfindabrandthatmakes

himorherfeelhappy,creative,

self-expressive and complete.

That’sthebeautyofgreatbrand

development.

AboutSasha

SashaStraussismanagingdirec-

toratInnovationProtocolandad-

junctprofessorattheUniversityof

SouthernCalifornia.Corporates,

advertisingandbrandagencies,

mediaandacademicinstitutions

fromaroundtheworldhavecalled

uponStrausstosharehisknowl-

edgeandintimateinsightsintothe

worldofbranding.NPR,ABCRadio

andTheWallStreetJournalcon-

tinuetoseekhisexpertiseon

brandingeverythingfrompresi-

dentialcandidatestoinnovative

start-upsandFortune500s.Inno-

vationProtocolisabrandstrategy-

consultingfirmthatexclusively

servesinnovators,andtheirclients

includeglobalmarketleaderssuch

asJohnson&Johnson,Korn/Ferry

InternationalandPayPal.<

82 >

Vega The Brand Communications School, is an educational brand of The Independent Institute of Education (Pty) Ltd which is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training as a private further and higher education and

training institution under the Further Education and Training Colleges Act, 2006 (reg. no. 2009/FE07/003, prov. to 31/12/2014) and the Higher Education Act, 1997 (reg. no. 2007/HE07/002).

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Jozi, Durbs & iKapa

Introduction to Conceptual Writing for Brands

7 Sept – 11 Nov

Digital Branding in the Innovation Economy

7 Sept – 11 Nov

Adobe Photoshop 25 Oct – 17 Nov

Adobe Illustrator 16 Aug – 8 Sept

Adobe Indesign 20 Sept – 13 Oct

Adobe Dreamweaver 17 Aug – 9 Sept

Adobe Flash 21 Sept – 14 Oct

Action Script for Flash 26 Oct – 18 Nov

www.vegaschool.com

84 >

DES

IGN

C

UR

REN

CY:

IC

OG

RA

DA

DES

IGN

WEE

K2

010,

VA

NCO

UV

ER

Iamaspy.Notsomuchawolfin

thehenhouse,butmoreofaduck.

Quack.Yousee,hereatIcograda

DesignWeek2010,Vancouver,I’m

likelytobetheonlycopywriterin

aroomofdesignheavyweights.

Everyoneelseherehaslittledoodles

andiconographyfillingtheirmole-

skins.Mine,ontheotherhand,is

fullofharriednotesandarrows…

obviouslynotthemarkofonethat

wieldspixelsandink.Yet,Iknow

I’mintherightspot.Thisiseventis

moreholistic—macroeven.Early

onintheday,weareallaskedto

groupupandconceptualiseone

ofthethemesoftheconference:

Whatisthevalueofdesign?An-

swerscomebothlongandshort:

someinanoh-sotrendyandtweet-

able140characters,othersfullof

jargon.Onegroupdefinedthevalue

ofdesignas“six.”Butthethingis,

(andthislinksbacktomyduck/

henanalogy)isthateverysingle

answer(barringthecheeky“six”)

wasaboutinnovation.It’swhatall

creativesdo.Regardlessifyoumill

furniture,designorwriteadcam-

paigns,brewbeer,workforNASA

orcreategarments,gooddesignis

allaboutinnovation.

Sotherewehaveit,myexcusefor

being.Oratleastforbeinghereat

IcogradaDesignWeek2010while

myartdirectorpartnersitsslaving

awayatourcoffin-sizedstudio.

Uscreatives,we’reallinnovators,

andthewellthatwedrawfromin

By

Geo

ffV

reek

en

85 >

order to innovate needs to be

filledconstantly.Whatbetterway

thanlockingourselvesinanice-

coldconferencehallfortwodays

whilejackedupongenericcoffee

andstalepastries?Okay,anopen

bareveningmightbebetter,but

I’llgettothatlater.

ThefirstspeakerwasBrainfood

CreativefounderMarkE.Sackett,

discussing,“Whysittingstillisnot

anoption.”Ironically,thiswasim-

mediatelyillustratedwhenhisco-

speaker,MarkBusse(GDCpast

president and Industrial Brand

founder)triedtostandupandjoin

him,andpromptlyfellrightoffhis

chair—papersandcoffeeflailing

roughly10feetinasoutherlytra-

jectory.Oncethecheershadsub-

sided,thetwobegananinspiring

back-and-forthdialoguethatset

thetonefortheweekendahead.

Theyspokeabouttakingrisksand

failing,andhowthatsimplyequaled

iteration—acrucialpartofdesign.

Theyalsotouchedonprocessand

technology,andhowtheirrepeti-

tivenaturescanalsocreatebland

andhomogenousthinking.Watch-

ingaseverycreativeintheroomcon-

stantlyfiddledwiththeiriPhones,

Icouldclearlyseehowinvasive

technologywasseparatingusfrom

thesurroundingworld,makingus

blindtoinspiration.

Thetwowrappedupwithabrief

commenton‘specwork’.Thiswould

turnouttobeaprefaceforaheated

topic that would come up time

andagainduringtheconference.

TheopinionbetweenthetwoMarks

wasthatspecinanyformdevalued

design.Nomatterwhatexcusea

designerhad,itwastheirstance

thatfreeworkhurtsallofus.

Switchinggearsratherabruptly,

thenextpanelwasatrioofarchi-

tectsspeakingonsustainablecities.

CameronSinclairspokepassion-

atelyabouthisorganisation,Archi-

tectureforHumanity,andhowcrea-

tivitycouldovercomesmalloreven

no budgets when approaching

housing,business,orenergychal-

lenges.Inoneexample,heillustrat-

edhowmedicalclinicsinthedevel-

opingworldsentmedicalsupplies

fromonelocationtothenextvia

camel.Bystrappingsolarpanels

onsaiddromedary,theywereable

tosendpoweralongwithmedicine.

Localarchitectandchampionof

Vancouver,PeterBusby,wasup

secondandspokeaboutthere-

zoningof thiscity to theeffect

thateachmicro-communityhad

alltheamenitiesitneededwithin

10minuteswalkingdistance.Bruce

Hadenspoke lastonthepanel,

showinganothersideofVancou-

ver.Hearguedthatourmoderncity

was“pretty…butplastic.”Hepro-

posedthatthechaosandadap-

tivenatureoforganiccommunities

suchastheonethatspringsup

yearlyattheBurningManFestival

allowedformorejoyandvisual

Designerdoodles.©GDC/BC.

86 >

satisfaction.Toillustratehispoint,

hebroughtattentiontothefactthat

Vancouver’snewFalseCreekWater-

frontdidn’thaveasinglebaronit.Not

one.Thegreedthatdrovedevelop-

erstobuildwaterfronthomeshad

eliminatedthepossibilityforcom-

munitywateringholes.Sad,really.

Busbythenspokeagain,goingthrough

anumberoffascinatinggreenbuild-

ingtechniquesincludingstructures

thatfedoffthewastedenergyoftheir

neighbouringbuildings.Continuing

ontheinnovativedesignforthegood

ofmankind,OscarPenaofPhillips

LightingDesigndiscussedanumberof

productsthey’drecentlydeveloped,

including a solar-charged soccer

fieldinNairobi–thefirstofitskind

toallowsportstobeplayedafter

sundown.

DuetoourfriendlyIcelandicvolcano,

thenextspeakerhadbeengrounded

inAfrica,unabletophysicallyattend.

Thatdidn’tstopMartinMirukafrom

deliveringathought-provokingtalk

liveviasatellitefromNairobi.Histopic

wasBrandAfricaandhowcomplex

itwas.Comprisedofamind-boggling

54countries,Africasufferedfromigno-

ranceonthepartofNorthAmerican

media–manyofwhomhadtrouble

tellingthedifferencebetweenSouth

AfricaandAngola.Becauseofthe

manycelebrity-endorsedcharityef-

forts,Africa’sbrand(theentirecon-

tinent)hasbecomeinherentlyabout

desperationandpoverty.Obviously,

thisisnowherenearreality,butitis

theoverallperception–whichcan

oftenovershadowreality.Mirukahy-

pothesisedthat theoverallbrand

couldonlybesavedbysmalldesign

andstrategyvictories.Everybrandthat

becamepositivelyworld-renowned

as ‘madeinAfrica’hadtobewell

thought-out,andhadtobeofquality.

Onlythen,couldtheoverarchingbrand

moveforward.

CurrentAIGApresidentDebbieMill-

manpresenteda150-yearretrospec-

tiveonbrandingandadvertising,

coveringeverythingfromcave-painters

leavingtheirmarkonwalls,tomodern

brandingandcommunications.One

ofhermorepoignantmomentscame

whenshepointedoutthathumans

loveapuzzle;solvingariddlecreatesa

deeperoverallconnectiontothemes-

sage,hencethepopularityofabstract

adcampaigns.

Towrapupdayone,BrianCollinsof

NewYork’sCollinsDesign&Innovation

presentedanintriguinglookatthe

creativeprocess.Heofferedtheopin-

ionthattoday’subiquitouscreative

TOP:©AdrianJ.K.Shum.CENTRELTR:CameronSinclair,co-founderofArchitectureforHumanityandMarianBantjes,designerandtypographic

illustrator.©GDC/BC.BOTTOMLTR:DebbieMillman,branddesigner,radiohostandpresidentofAIGA(©OliverOike)andHeatherFraserisDirectorofDesignWorks™andRotman’sDesignInitiative©GDC/BC.

87 >

process that focused on target

marketsanduniquesellingprop-

ositionshadbeendemocratised,

andcouldbeusedasapredicable

toolforanyone–thusleavingthe

creativesomewhatuseless.Ifcli-

entsandcrowdsourcingcouldpro-

ducework formuch less thana

traditionalagency,thenwhat is

theagency’svalue?Hissolution

hasbeentodevelopanewproc-

ess,onewhereintenseproduct/

serviceresearchsetsthetablefor

choosingahumanarchetypewith

whichtopairsaidproduct/serv-

ice.Perhapsthechosenarchetype

isthehero,therebel,thelover,sha-

man, etc. Once that persona is

selected,thenastoryiswritten

aroundit.Thatstoryisthenaligned

withthebrand,andacampaignis

born.

Ondaytwooneofthemostpolar-

isingspeakerscameearlyinthe

morning–MarianBantjes,oneof

theworld’smostsought-aftertypog-

rapherstookthestagewiththe

opinionthatartandcommunication

designhavebecometwoverydif-

ferentthings.Communicationde-

sign, she says, has become so

paint-by-numbers,thatitislargely

strategicallydriven,robbingitof

itsartisticsoul.Art,ontheother

hand,springsfromanunknown

partofone’sself.Itcannotbebro-

kendownintoaprocess,andit’s

notpilotedbystrategy.Sure,she

said,sheofcourselistenstoall

thedataaclienthastooffer,but

88 >

followingthat…sheletshermind

driftintotheunknown.Whatcomes

outisafinishedproductthatcanbe

beautiful,unexpected,andsome-

timesdangerous.InBantjes’case

though,eachiterationhasproved

effectiveforclients.Somuchso,that

she’sbecomearelativecelebrityin

ourindustryworldwide.

Afteranotherheadydoseofcoffee

thatwasbeginningtotastesuspi-

ciouslylikeasphalt,localboywon-

derandcreativedirectoratRethink,

IanGrais,tookthestagetochatabout

what’spropelledhisagencytosuch

success.Onecampaignhediscussed

wastheTankersareLoonieproject,

anenvironment initiativetodrum

uppublicoutcryagainsttheuseof

westernCanada’sNorthernGateway

asanoiltankerroute.Thiswould

causeahugeriskforthedestruction

ofcountlessnativespeciesofwild-

lifeshouldevenaminorspilloccur.

Usingaminisculebudget,Rethink

createdtinydecalsthatwereaffixed

toCanada’snational$1coin.Thecoin

alreadyfeaturedaLoon,(anational

bird)andthedecalsimplymadeit

appearsoakedinoilwiththeURL

“notankers.ca”underneath.Thepage

ledtoapetition.Sincethesubmis-

sionofsaidpetition,thetankerroute

hasbeenscuttled.Lateroninthe

dayIposedthisquestiontoGrais:

“Beingthatthiswas,forallintents

andpurposes,aspecproject,does

itmakeitokaythatitwasforagood

cause?” “Yes, absolutely,” he re-

plied“wedon’tseeitasspecatall.

Thisisus(Rethink)givingbacktoa

causewebelievein.”Iagreedwith

Graiswholeheartedly,butcouldn’t

helpthinkinginthebackofmind,“Yep,

italsolikelywonyouafewawards

andatonofPR.”But,it’sadouble-

edgedswordthatdidwellforevery-

oneinvolved,so,kudostoRethink.

Oneofmyfavouritespeakerswas

upnext:FrankChimero–adesigner,

writer,andgingham-cladmetahipster

hailingfromthecreativeincubator

thatisPortland,Oregon,USA.Chimero

spokeabout‘delight’.Heexplained

thatitoccurredattheintersection

ofsurpriseandclarity—simplethings

thatareserendipitous.Asanexam-

ple,hepointedtothechainofAce

HotelsacrosstheUS.Theyhadwall-

paperedthedoorofoneroomwith

pagesfromabook.Legally,theyhad

toplaceaneonexitsignabovethe

door.Itruinedthelook.But,thede-

signertooktheobstacle,andcreated

somethingdelightful.Usinglargetype,

theyused‘EXIT’aspartofalarger

TOPLTR:FrankChimero,designerandwriterandwallpaperforAceHotelsbyChimero©GDC/BC.AliGardinerandBenHuisepresentingthe

brandingprogrammefortheVancouver2010OlympicandParalympicWinterGames.©OliverOike.THIRDROW:IanGrais,creativedirector

atRethinkCommunicationsandTankersareLoonieprojectbyRethink.BOTTOMLTR:DavidBerman,designerandauthorofDoGoodDesign

(©AdrianJ.K.Shum)andDaveMason.©GDC/BC.

89 >

sentenceonthewall:“Everyexit

inanentrancesomewhereelse.”

Delightful.Inexpensive.Memorable.

Next,BenHulseandAliGardiner

arrivedtodiscussthecreationofthe

brand,graphicsandadvertising

forVancouver’s2010Olympics.This

massiveundertakingincluded20

full-sizestylemanualsforthetwo

logosalone.Oneofthemorein-

terestingsectionsofthebranding

they covered was the modular

andscalablegraphicssystemthat

coveredtheentirecityfromcoffee

cupsandtinypins,tothesidesof

entirearenasandmassiveout-

doorareas.Themacroimagewas

madeupofhundredsofelements,

allofwhichcouldbemovedand

scaledtocreatesemi-customex-

ecutions,whilestillconveyinga

consistentgraphicbrand.

Later,apassionatepanelagaintook

uptheconversationofspecwork,

specificallyinthenewbusiness

pitch scenario. AIGA president

DebbieMillmanwasagainonstage,

alongwithauthorBlaireEnns,and

P&GadbuyerJohnGleason.The

latterwasofcoursetheassumed

bad guy to begin with. A client

championingspecworkinacon-

ferencehallfullofdesignersand

artdirectors?Goodluck.But,the

tonequicklychangedas itwas

broughttolightthatitwasagencies

themselvesthatwereconstantly

offeringthefreework.Forthe100

shops withholding spec, there

90 >

wasalwaysonewillingtoshill

themselvesalittleharder–and

deliverfreecreative.Andonewas

enoughtomaketwodoit,and

soon,andsoon.

Intheend,Millmanofferedthe

mostrealisticcalltoarmsforde-

signers.Ifyou’reyoungandstrug-

gling,maybespecistheshort

initialsprintyouneedtogetin

thegame.Butoverthelongrun

–themarathon–integrityand

valuingyourworkwasthekeyto

true success and fulfillment.

Thesearewordsthathaveme

noddingmyheadagainasIwrite

this.

ThelastspeakerI’llcoverfrom

theconferenceisDavidBerman,

acommunicationdesignerof25

years,andferventchampionof

sustainabledesignpractices.He

talkedaboutsustainabilityinde-

signandhowitneededtobeomni-

present.Notaseparatebolt-onto

everyproject,butbakedintoits

veryDNA.Inhisbook,DoGood

Design,Bermantalksabouthow

we’reallthedesignersofthefuture

ofcivilisation–an interesting

conceptindeed.

Following the conference, the

themeWhatisthevalueofdesign

hadbeenansweredeverywhich

way.Design’svalueisincalculable;

itisman’sdesiretoinnovateand

evolve.Designshapeseachand

everyexperiencehumanshave.

Itissomethingtobecherished,

respected,andfurtheredtogeth-

er.Assomeonewhocan’tdraw

tosavehislife,orevenreallydeci-

pherredfromorange,Ifeltmore

likeadesignerthanever.

Tocapofftheevent,weallheaded

overfortheGraphex2010awards.

Ofcourse,theonlythingdesign-

ersliketodobetterthanlearn…

istogiveeachotherawards.The

partywasloud,sexy,boisterous

and well put together. Shiny

baubles were handed around

andablurofbackslappingand

laughterensued.Forallthetalk

ofchangeandmovingforward

thathadgoneonthelastcouple

ofdays,Ihadtoadmit,therewas

onethingabouttheadvertising

anddesignindustryIhopedwould

neverchange:Thesweetparties.

ABOUTGEOFF

GeoffVreekenisacopywriterwith

dualDutch/Canadiancitizenship.

Thatmeanshewritesstuffthat

sellsstuffinVancouver,butwould

beopentowritingstuffthatsells

stuffinEurope.Beginninghisca-

reeratBrandspankandCossette

workingforclientsincludingFat-

burger,Ricky’sRestaurantsand

McDonald’s,Geoffknowsmore

aboutmass-producedcheese-

burgersthananyonemanshould.

Geoff has parachuted in as a

freelancerforallsortsofagencies

includingIndustrialBrand,Smak,

MercerandWaxPartnership,work-

ingonbrandsincludingNike,Shaw

Cable,Amacon,Visa,KiwiCollec-

tionandVancouverOlympicLeg-

acies. In 2009, Geoff founded

www.homelesscopywriter.com

aone-mancampaignfightingto

bringawarenesstoVancouver’s

homelessstreetyouth,andben-

efitingtheCovenantHouse.<

Media partners

AGDA11146 OPT_FP90+10Ad.indd 2 13/08/10 9:17 AM

www.designweekbrisbane.com

EXTENDED ENTRY DEADLINE 14 JUNE.

We’ve built the airports. We’ve cleaned the roads. We’ve trained the police. And fi nally the time has come, to welcome the world to the biggest event of the year: The 2010 Loerie Awards.

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ACTUALLY, JUST AFRICA, THE MIDDLE EAST AND ISLANDS OFF THE AFRICAN COAST.

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TO WELCOME THE WORLD!

BUT ONLY OPEN TO AFRICA, THE MIDDLE EAST AND ISLAND STATES OFF THE AFRICAN COAST.

We’ve built the airports. We’ve cleaned the roads. We’ve trained the police. And fi nally the time has come, to welcome the world to the biggest event of the year: The 2010 Loerie Awards.

Be a part of history and enter your work at www.theloerieawards.co.za

ACTUALLY, JUST AFRICA, THE MIDDLE EAST AND ISLANDS OFF THE AFRICAN COAST.

CAPE TOWN IS READY

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BUT ONLY OPEN TO AFRICA, THE MIDDLE EAST AND ISLAND STATES OFF THE AFRICAN COAST.

94 > 94 >

Cue Marius Constant’s iconic

Twilight Zone theme song, now

mix it up with the Ride of the Valkyries helicopter scene from

Apocalypse Now, Debussy’s Clair de lune and Muse’s Stockholm Syndrome – all at once it’s dis-

jointed, terrifying, uncomfort-

able and yet...magical...in a odd,

inconsistent, unfamiliar and

sinister way. You can’t seem to

get yourself to turn it off. You

need to know how it ends. You

keep listening and eventually

you can’t help but fall in love

with it all. Capture this experi-

ence in an image and you’d be

looking at the work of that

boy, Sean Metelerkamp.

‘It’s the guy that did the Zef Side music video for Die Ant-

woord’ you may say and you’d

be right – it is that guy. After

the cyber explosion of Die Ant-

woord, the offers from inter-

national producers have been

pouring in, magazines are

scrambling to profile him and

the official uploads of Zef Side

hit 6 million views on YouTube

yesterday –possibly making

him the most watched South

African music video director

ever. When we asked Sean to

describe his experience working

with Die Antwoord he bluntly

answers, “I don’t want to talk

about this anymore. Sorry.”

Like a true artist he doesn’t

seem to linger too long in the

spotlight before escaping out

the nearest exit in search of

that forever elusive image that

will satisfy his imagination: “I

am happy, but I have never

and will never be satisfied with

anything I create. It is this tor-

turous cycle that keeps me

searching for something that I

see so clearly in my mind, only

it will never let me have what I

want or accept that I have suc-

ceeded.”

Well, we think he’s been pretty

successful thus far. At the age

of 26, Sean has photographed

some of the biggest names in

the SA music industry includ-

ing Van Coke Kartel, Etc Crew,

Zebra and Giraffe, Die Heuwels

Fantasties, Fokofpolisiekar,

WHO IS SEAN METELERKAMP?

A GUY WITH TWO SMOOTH BALLAS*

By Anri Theron

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_pS46YRMIQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_pS46YRMIQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q77YBmtd2Rw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/user/MetalboxProductions#p/u/3/MrmpvUyKQAQ

http://www.youtube.com/user/MetalboxProductions#p/u/1/9MdSh8OGCGw

95 > 95 >

TOPLEFT:NewHollandTeejayTOPRIGHT:NewNationLEFT:PriestBoyABOVE:DieAntwoord

96 > 96 >

JackParow,aKingandPlaydoe,

tonamebutafew.Addtothishis

venturesinvideowhichinclude

Fokofpolisiekar’sAntibiotika

andVanCokeKartel’sVerdoofVergifitgVerskoonMymusic

videosandyoucan’thelpbut

beimpressed.

Sowhat’snext?DESIGN>heard

thatSean’sbackfromamonth-

longprojectinNoupoort,pho-

tographingandinterviewing

peoplesufferingfromdifferent

forms of addiction. Curious

aboutthisdeparturefromhis

staplesubjectmatterweasked

Seantotellusabitmoreabout

where he’s been and where

he’sgoing.

Whatisthebestmomentinthedayforyou?WhentheBaker’s

Manwhistlesinmyear,thenI

know it is ‘teaandbiscuits’

time.

What’ssittingonyourbedsidetable?Dust.

Haveyoualwayswantedtobeaphotographer?No.Myfirst

extremedesirewastobecome

amusicproducerlikeDr.Dre.

IusedtolistentorapwhenI

wasateenager.Ithinkitwas

throughsheerfrustrationthatI

startedtakingphotos.Ithought

Icouldmakebetterimagery

ofmusiciansthanthosethat

wereoutthere.SoIsoldmycar

andboughtastillscamera.I

donotconsidermyselfapho-

tographer though, rather a

constructor.

Whatwasyour‘bigbreak’?I

would rather be known as

helpingotherpeopleachieve

theirbigbreakthroughwhatI

do.That,asamatteroffact,

givesmesatisfaction.

Isthereaspecificapproachwhenfacedwithanewproject?

WhenIamfaced,Iapproachit

bytakingcatnapsandslam-

ming tea and biscotti down

mygullet.

Whattypeofequipmentdoyouuseforyourprojects?Depends

whetherit’safilmshoot,photo

shootorperhapswhenIdraw

stickmen.Stickmenentaila

whitepage,blackpen,nolonger

than15secondsandyouhave

alittlepersoninfrontofyou.

Otherwise,IhaveaCanon5D

mark1forstills.Film=rent.

We’veheardyourworkbeingdescribed as surreal, raw,whimsical and quirky. Howwouldyoudescribeyourstyleandhowhasitevolved?Show

the images to your young

onesforthequirkywhimsical

nature,butbecarefulastohow

therawsurrealenergywillaf-

fecttheminthelongterm.One

ofthesephotosorvideoscould

changetheirlivesforever.There

isafinelinebetweenpositive

97 > 97 >

LEFT:HaezerBELOWCLOCKWISE:VanCokeKartel,Suitcasevolgeld,VanCokeKartelandWynandMyburgh&VanCokeKartel,Skelms.

98 > 98 >

RIGHT:FokofpolisiekarBELOWLTR:Priest

GrandmaandPriestProfessor.

99 > 99 >

andnegative.Ithappenedto

mewhenIwas12yearsold.

Mystyleisevolvinglikealiens

haveevolvedintotheformof

dolphins.Stealthvibes.

Whatweresomeofthechal-lengesyoufacedwhendirect-ingthemusicvideosforDieAntwoord, Van Coke Karteland Fokofpolisikar? On all

threevideosmyfacewenta

dark purple and swelled up

intotheshapeofamanatees

nose.Itwasahugechallenge

gettingitbacktonormal.

InoticedtheRoycoadvertinyourportfolio– isdirectingfor theadvertising industrysomethingyouwanttopur-sue?Itisafunnyworldthat.I

havemadetwoadvertssofar.

They are nice, but nothing

mindblowingandmindblow-

ingiswhatIamonaconstant

search for. I do find it fun

thoughbecauseIgettoprac-

tice my craft, but it is not

somethingIwillaggressively

pursueinthecomingyears.

Doyouconsideryourselftobeastoryteller?I’mnottoosure.

Ihopethatpeoplecreatetheir

ownstorythroughwhatIpresent.

ActuallyIdon’tfeelasthough

Ireallycare,becauseIcertain-

lycan’tunderstanditsowhy

shouldIexpectthemto.Andif

peopleaskmeIjustmakeup

a new story every time. It’s

bad I know. I just get over

whatIdosofastthatIdon’t

wanttoseeitagainorhaveto

talkaboutit.

Tellusaboutyourlatestproject,Noupoort?Igotboredofthis

‘style’Iwasorhavedeveloped.

Iwantedtodosomethingreal

(lessthoughtabout/concep-

tualisedabout)thatcouldaf-

fectthevieweronmorethanan

aestheticlevel.SoIdecided

togotoNoupoortforamonth.

‘Thisisprettyreal’Ithoughtto

myself.Ihadaccessbecause

mybrotherhadbeentherefor

sevenmonthsandsoitwould

begreattospendtimewithhim

whilsthewasclean.WhilstI

wasthere,Iwasinterviewing

andphotographingotherpeo-

pleintherehabtotryandun-

derstandwhydrugsoralcohol

cancausepeopletodowhat

they do to themselves and

thosearoundthem.

Theonlyhighlightwascon-

nectingwithmybrother.Ishared

acoldroomwithhim.

Challenges:WellIwastheonly

onetherewhohasnotbeen

addictedtodrugsoralcohol.I

amwaytooscaredastowhat

will happen to my mind. So

everybodythereislivingwith

100 > 100 >

ABOVELEFT:DieHeuwelsFantasties,Handsout.

ABOVERIGHT:Vanfokkingtasties.RIGHT:EtcCrew,BonsaiBush.

101 > 101 >

addiction. Even the owners/

leadershavetheirstory.Forme

toempathisewithindividuals

wasimpossibleandIdidnot

wanttoseemlikesomepsy-

chologist.Coztheydon’tdig

them.Ihadtohavethisangle

asbeingasmellykidhanging

with my brother. I think be-

causeIwasthereforagood

stretchoftimeandtheycould

seeIwasnotfrom3rdDegreeor

SpecialAssignmentIwascool

tochat to.Hadtogaintheir

trustfirstthough.Thefirstthree

days were interesting, I can

tellyouthatmuch.

Addictionisacomplexissue.Didyouapproachthisprojectwithaspecificgoalinmind?

Humansarecomplex.Addad-

diction to that. I did have a

specific goal. Everything’s

changed.

Diditchangeyouoryourviewsaboutaddiction?Iknewitwas

evil,butnotthisevil.

WhatdidyouordoyouintendtoachievewithNoupoort?My

intentionsaregood.Asforthe

opinionsofothersonwhatI

present–shouldbeinteresting.

Whenwecanexpecttheexhi-bitionandbook?2011.

Thingsyouhave learnedsofar?Doit.

Completethefollowing…Life is… that old magazine

with good photos inside. I

thinktheystoppedmakingit

though.Mydadusedtosub-

scribe.

Deathis…justaroundthecor-

ner.

Loveis…somewhereoutthere.

Hurt is… truh [sic] spelled

backwards.

Waris…lame.

Religionis…control.

Musicis…AphexTwinatthe

moment

Iam…notaroundforlong.

Mywork…isirrelevant.

Words ofWisdom? JFK said

somethingaboutnotasking

your country for something

andthengettingintoaspace-

ship.Idon’tknowhowitgoes

butthatsoundscool. <

*TheAfrikaanswordforballs.

Itcanbeusedtorefertoaper-

sonsballs,ortouseitasanick-

nameforaperson–eitherfriend

orfoe–dependsmostlyonthe

toneyouuseittoindicatewhich

oneyoumean.(TheUrbanDic-tionary)

Allimages©SeanMetelerkamp.

SeanisrepresentedbyHarry&

Co.

www.seanmetelerkamp.com

www.harryandco.tv

http://www.seanmetelerkamp.com/

www.harryandco.tv

www.ergosystem.co.za

DECOREXJOBURG2010:AFIVE-DAYEXTRAVAGANZAHavingbroughtfreshperspectivesandanewera

ofenlightenmenttodesignfundi’sandhomedécor

enthusiasts,DecorexJoburg,SouthernAfrica’slarg-

estdecorandinteriordesignevent,wastheultimate

roundupofwhat’snewandnow.Withfivehallsboast-

ingseminars,free‘how-to’theatres,trendyfood

demonstrations,exclusivelydesignedrestaurants,

newreveals,freshinitiatives,themedpavilions,DIY

dreamstuff,greatbargainsand650exhibitors,

Decorexwastheextravaganzaoftheyear.

Theshow,hostedfrom5to9AugustinMidrand,

celebrated its 17th anniversary. Pondering why

Decorexhasremainedsuccessfulovertheyears,

CaireySlater,generalmanager,Exhibitions&Events,

suggestedthatitisimportanttostayontopoflocal

andinternationalindustrytrendsandinterpretthese

newdirectionsinanovel,yetaccessiblemanner

fortradeandconsumervisitorsalike.“Innovation

andnewproductlinesarevitalinkeepingcon-

sumersinterestedandsatisfytheirsearchforthe

novelandthefresh,”saysSlater.Buildingstrong

businesspartnershipswithsponsorsandexhibi-

torshavealsoprovedvitaltoensuringitssuccess.

AccordingtoMelanieRobinson,DecorexSAportfolio

director,thefresher-than-evershownotonlycon-

tinuestoremainsuccessful,butitalsocontinues

tosettheexamplewithgreenexhibitionpractices,

104 >

105 >

usingtheeventasarolemodeltowardsgreener

living.“Bybringingnew,sometimesradicalideas

totheshowwecansparkoffpositiveenergytotake

exhibitors,staffandsuppliersaswellasvisitorson

theexciting,lifesavingjourneyofgoinggreen.New

attractionssuchasthePlasconLivingGreenHouse

withwww.Greenstuff.co.zasetanewbenchmarkin

green-mindedproductdisplays.Itfocusesonsus-

tainability,mindfulgreenlivingandeco-solutions,

illustratingthatgreenlivingcanbebothbeautiful

andaffordable.”

Notonlydidvisitorsexplorethecountlessarraysof

stallsandexhibitorslocatedwithinDecorex,butthey

alsohadtheopportunitytoenjoythetwodesign-

mindedconferencesthatwereavailable.Conversa-

tionsonArchitecture,afulldayconferencehosted

on5August,featuredadiverseline-upofinternation-

alandlocalindustryplayerswhopresentedtheir

challenginginsightsonlightingandfutureforward

digitaldesign.TheInteriorDesignDialogue:theIFI

TrendConference,hostedon6August,presenteda

seriesoftrendtalks,connectingtheglobaldesign

community.Apanelofdesignglitterati–interior

designersandinteriorarchitectsfromaroundthe

world–gaveaninternationalperspectiveonkey

designdirections.

Apartfromtheconferences,guestsalsoexperienced

thebrandnewtradeattractionexclusivetoDecorex

Joburg–TheLightinginDesignPavilion.Thisshining

showcaseofthelatestinlightingdesignandtech-

nologyfeaturedawealthoflightingsolutionsfor

architects,lightingspecialists,interiordesigners,

interiorarchitectsandothertradebuyers.TheLighting

inDesignPavilionwasalaunchingpadfornewprod-

ucts,includingthelatestinenergy-efficientprod-

ucts.WithLED-lightingleadingtheradiantrevolution,

novelapplicationsofthiscuttingedgetechnology

wasaboundatthepavilion.

106 >

Fromthelightingsectionoftheshow,guestsmoved

ontotheSouthAfricanHandmadeCollection,adti-

initiative,co-locatedalongsideDecorex.Thiscollec-

tionmasteredtheshapingofhandmadecraftsinto

contemporary forms, representing thehighest

quality,designled,environmentallyfriendlySouth

Africancraftproducts.

Ifvisitorsweremoreinterestedinmakingproducts

themselves,ratherthanpurchasingthem,aselection

ofDIYstallsandexhibitorsweretheretooffera

helpinghand…inDIYstyle.AtDecorex,DIYwasno

longerthepoorcousinofthedecorworld,having

elevateditsstatuswithinDecorex’sdesigncircles.

ExpertsattheMakeTheatre,accompaniedbyDIY

celebAidanBennettswhoenticedvisitorstotackle

homemakeoversanddo-it-yourself-decor,tackled

DIYtopicsthatrangedfrommodernmosaicworkto

contemporarypainttechniques,reflectingtheup-

surgeinedgyDIY.AlsoenhancingtheDIYmovement

wasAlexRoyston,from‘InGoodCompany’,whogave

talksanddemonstrationsonstylishtabledécor

andtheartofhomeentertaining.LouiseBotha,from

FoilArt,whodemonstratedfoilingtechniques,also

motivatedthemovetowardsDIY.OtherDIYdivas,

includingCharlieVettoriofTheFauxFactory,and

MarianneHansen,sharedtheirDIYtipsandtech-

niques.

Withtheoverflowofdesignprojectsandhomedécor

productsavailableatDecorex,visitorsweresure

tofeeloverwhelmed.Whilstwindow-shoppingand

ideasourcinggavesomedirection,guestswerealso

providedwithguidanceandsolutionsbyAidan

BennettsDesignandFurnspace.One-on-oneslots

wereavailabletoassistdesignandDIYenthusiasts

insolvingtheirdilemmas.

Withkitchensbeingthefavouriteentertaininghaven

andhomerejuvenationasizzlingtopic,Decorex

wasameltingpotofleadingdesign,tastetrends

107 >

LEFT

:Eco

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nce,

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108 >

andfashionableflavours.DistrictDelicious,afood

paviliondevotedtotheeating-intrend,sporteda

blendofgourmetfood,wine,kitchengadgetsand

homeentertaininghave-to-haves.Thehubofthis

newfoodiehaven,wastheSAChefAssociation’s

‘Delicious’Theatrewhichfeaturedtopchefs.Show-

casingthelatestfoodtrends,thedemonstrations

rangedfromhighend-cookingtosimpleelegant

dishesandplatingideasfordinnerparties.Visitors

alsoenjoyeddrinksandsnacks,whilstchatting

aboutdécoranddesign,atthemanycafé’sandea-

terieslocatedwithinthedifferentareasoftheven-

ue.DStvCafé,TheLovebirdandLatteLounge,Vil-

lieraWinesCapClassiqueBar,PlasconColourCafé

providedvisitorswithtrendyspotstotalkdesign.

OneofthetopicssuretobeonvisitorslipswasPlas-

con’scolourforecast2011.Plascon’s17-yearrelation-

shipwithDecorexSA,assponsor,resultedinthe

mostcolourfulcollaborationeverwiththelaunchand

revealingofthePlascon2011ColourForecast.Inspira-

tionfortheforecastcamefromtheconceptoflove.

AtPlascon,itislovethatwillmaketheworldgoround

in2011.UsingthePlascon2011ColourForecastas

theirdesigninspiration,fourtalentedJohannesburg-

basedinteriordesignersinterpretedPlascon’sfour

newcolourpaletteswithhighlycreativespaces,

wooingvisitorstofallinlovewithcolouralloveragain.

Expressingthe32newcoloursinfourdiversepalettes

throughdifferenttextures,moodsandhues,the

standalsoreflectedPlascon’seco-consciousness

–encouragingrecyclingandre-using.Asanaddi-

tionalfeature,thelatestissueofPlasconSPACES

magazinewasalsolaunchedattheshow.

AtDecorex,thereweremanynotablehighlights.

ThedebutofDetail,anessentialnewannualsource-

bookforinteriors,designandstylishliving,was

oneofthem.Filledtothebrimwithcrediblefinds,

extensivelistings,decorinspiration,tradesecrets,

New

Cre

atio

nIn

teri

ors,

win

nero

fthe

‘Bes

tUse

ofC

olou

r’st

and.

trendsandpracticaltips,Detail isa200-pager

sporting1200listings–makingitthefirstportofcall

foranyonesourcingproductsandservicesinthe

productsandservices inthedécoranddesign

field.Thisreliablego-toguide,fordiscerningtrade

professionals and design-minded individuals,

givesquickaccesstoacomprehensivepickofthe

finestinteriordecoratorsanddesigners,specialist

suppliers,retailers,manufacturersandtruecrafts-

menwhohavemadetheirmarkontheindustry.

AnotherhighlightthattookcentrestageatDecorex

wasthedesignerbirdhomes.Imaginealovenest

inspiredbyRomeoandJulietorafairytalebird

home.Decorenthusiastswitnessedthisimagination

becomereality,astheyweretreatedtoHomeTweet

Home,ashow-stoppingcollectionofthirtydesigner

birdhousescreatedforcharitybyaflockofinno-

vativethinkers.Thesebirdcribs,someplayfuland

othersavant-garde,weredisplayedtoraiseaware-

nessfortheJungleTotsMotherTouchAcademy.All

proceedsfromthesaleofthesedesignerbird-

houses benefited this fundraising campaign.

“ThroughthiscampaignDecorexSAillustrates

thatgooddesigncanalsobe‘do-gooddesign’,using

thetalentsofthedesigncommunityforacharitable

cause,”saysMelanieRobinson.

WithDecorexJoburg2010provingtobeagreat

successanda‘breathoffreshair’,asitwassoap-

propriatelythemed,welookforwardtoaneven

biggerandbetterDecorexin2011.<

109 >

www.cobra.co.za

112 >

CONVERSATIONSARCHITECTURE:SPOTLIGHTONTHEREVOLUTIONOFLIGHTINGDIGITALDESIGNByStaceyRowan.Fromdesigningtheperfectlighting

foraspecificspacetousingdigitaltechnologyto

designcomplexarchitecturalforms–speakersat

ConversationsonArchitecture(COA)onceagain

broughtrivetinginsightstotheseminar,hostedon

5AugustattheGallagherConventionCentre,Gauteng.

Theseminar–themedLightingandDigitalDesign:thenewrevolution–featuredadiverseline-upof

internationalandlocalindustryplayerswhopre-

sentedtheirdesignapproachesonthecutting

edgeofarchitectureandthebuiltenvironment.

TakingpartinthesessionParadigmshift:digitaldesignandfabricationinarchitecture,wasthekey

internationalspeakersKristofCrolla,Jeroenvan

AmeijdeandSeanMahoney.

InthesessionLight+Architecture:TheRadiantRevolution,KeithBradshaw,PaulPamboukianand

hisassociateAnthonyTischhauser,andPeterRich,

sharedtheirvastexperiencesinlightingdesign–

highlightingtheimmensetechnologicaladvances,

innovationandchallengeswithinthisfield.

LIGHT+ARCHITECTURE:THERADIANTREVOLUTION

Bradshaw’spresentationrevolvedaroundthecon-

cept:‘Withoutlightonecannotseematerialsorcom-

prehendspaceproperly:anarchitecturalspacere-

mainsahumanexperience,notjustavisualsnapshot.’

Hiswishwas,andstillis,thatmoredesignerswho

workwithlightwillrememberthecoreprincipalthat

lightingshouldbe“builtintothescene”,following

theexampleoftheatricallighting.

AccordingtoBradshaw,thismeansthatlightshould

beusedcorrectlyinaparticularspacetoenhancethe

113 >

CONVERSATIONSON

THENEWLIGHTINGAND

waythespaceisexperienced.“Designingwithlight

inarchitecturalspaceisoftenmisconceivedand

misrepresentedbyflashyandattentiongrabbing

setups.Thisiscompletelyincorrect.”

Hecontinuedtospeakabouthowlightcanenhance

orevendefineanarchitecturalspace.Healsofo-

cusedontopicslike:lightasanarrative,lightasa

brand,lightasanart,LEDaslightandlight,not

lighting.HeshowedexamplessuchastheArmani

officesinTokyo,theBBCbuildinginScotland,a

publicsquareinDublin,abridgeinNorthEngland

andtheCopenhagenOperaHousewhichillustrated

howlightingcanbeusedtoilluminatestructures,

bringingthemtolifebytheirthree-dimensionality.

“Lightingdesignisusuallyseenasaluxuryorspe-

cialistitem.Thisisridiculouswhenoneconsiders

thatwithoutlightyoucannotseematerialsorcom-

prehendaspaceproperly,”saysBradshaw.

Bradshawalsoaddressedtheissueofdesigners

whoforgetallabouttheneedfordesignlongevityin

therushtogetnewtechnologytothemarketand

usedcitedtheuseofwhiteLEDlightasanexample.

Thistechnologyisseenasmoreenvironmentally

friendlythanmoretraditionaltechnology.But,in

tryingtokeepupwiththerapidadvancementsin

thetechnology,theaestheticappealandlongevity

ofthedesignisoftenoverlooked.

PaulPamboukianandAnthonyTischhauseralso

spokeabouttheimpactsofever-changingtechnol-

ogyonlightingdesign.Withtheemphasisoncutting

downonenergyconsumption,designersareincreas-

inglylookingatsmallersourceswhicharemore

potentwhileatthesametimeusinglessenergy.

114 >

Intheirpresentation,LightingDesign:Effectorneces-

sity?theyaskedthequestion:Islightingdesignmere-

lyayearningforeffectspurnedonbytheinfluence

ofapurelysuperficialvisualtitillationoftheglossy

printedandelectronicmedia–isitalleffectwith

nofunction?

PamboukianandTischhauseralsolookedathow

lightingdesigncontributestothevisionanddesign

ofthebuiltenvironment.Theyalsoexploredthe

differentusesoflight,forexampletasklightas

opposedtoambience-creatingilluminationand

artificiallightasanextensionofourexperienceof

daylightwhichleadstonewwaysofexperiencingthe

nighthours.Othertypesoflightingthattheyfocused

onwerefocalglowand‘playofbrilliance’lighting.

Lightingdesignisoftencharacterisedbydesigns

whichhavealimitedlife-spanduetoitsbeingoverly

trendy.“Trendsarepartandparcelofanydesign

discipline.Itisallaboutfashion.However,thereis

adifferencebetweentrendsandzeitgeist.Zeitgeist

suggestssomethingthatmarksanera,adecade,

the50s,60s,etc.Trendsareheretodayandgone

nextseason.Lastingdesignneedstoseefurtherthan

thetrend,”saysPamboukianandTischhauser.

PeterRich’spresentationcentredontheconceptof

‘Architecturetobeexperiencedorphotographed

needslight.Thechanginglightofdayandthesea-

sons,shouldthroughthearchitecture,giWveaheight-

enedsenseofawarenessofthespace,theplace,

theclimate.Atnight,wehavetouseartificialmeans

toembracethesensibilityofspace.’Thistakesthe

viewthatmuchofcontemporaryarchitecturehas

toomuchlight.Richhoweverbelievesthat:“Youcan-

nothavearchitecturewithoutlight.Withoutlight

youhavenospace.Thereareillusionaryqualities

oflightthatcreatesshadows.”

AccordingtoRich,lessismorewhenitcomesto

lighting.“It’saboutsimplelighting,naturallighting.

Itisgoodtoworkwithminimalmeansintermsof

lighting–weneedtomakedowithwhatwehave.

Learnandlistenfromnature,workwiththelawsof

natureanddaylightandnightlight.Playwiththe

shadowsoflightandletithappennormally.”

KeithBradshaw,directoratSpeirsandMajorAssociates,Edinburgh.

AnthonyTischhauserofPaulPamboukian&AssociatesLightingDesign,Johannesburg.

115 >

PARADIGMSHIFT:DIGITALDESIGNANDFABRICATIONINARCHITECTURE

KristofCrolla,leadarchitectatZahaHadidArchitects

isrightatthefrontofthetechnicalrevolution,leading

thewaywithadvanceddigitalandalgorithm-based

designtechniques.Hispresentation,Digitaldesign

andfabricationinarchitecture,addressedcurrent

developmentsandchallengesindigitaldesignand

fabricationinarchitectureandtheparadigmshift

thatitistriggeringtoday.

Crollasharedhisviewsonthewaythesetechniques

allowthedesignofinnovativecomplexforms,pro-

vidingcompletecontroloverallbuildingaspectsand

enablingarchitectstodealwiththevastamounts

ofinformationtheyfacetoday.

Asadvanceddigitalandinformation-baseddesign

methodsandproductiontechniquesareexploredand

appliedincreasinglyincontemporaryarchitectural

designprocedures,anunderstandingofcomputer-

controlleddesignandfabricationprocessesisessen-

tialforcontemporaryarchitects.

“Oneofthebiggestchallengesdesignpracticesface

todayistore-inventbothdesignandbuildingmeth-

odologiesdeeplyembeddedintheprofessionin

ordertoincorporatethisdigitalrevolutionandbenefit

fromitspotentialwhendealingwithourrapidlychang-

ingenvironment,”saysCrolla.

But,ascautionedbyCrolla,theindustryisfacedwith

thechallengetobevigilantagainsttherapidspread

ofanimage-baseddesignculturethatfocuseson

theproductionofphoto-realisticrenderingsthat

arevoidofconsequentbuildingsystemstomate-

rialisethem.

“Peopleareconstantlysurroundedbydesigned

architecturalspaces.Asanarchitectyouhavethe

uniqueopportunitytodirectlyactuponandinterfere

withthisspacewelivein.Byexploringdesignalterna-

tivesandresearchingcontemporarydesigntech-

niques,newarchitectureswillbefoundthatfitbetter

PaulPamboukian,founderofPaulPamboukian&AssociatesLightingDesign,Johannesburg.

PeterRich,ofPeterRichArchitects.

toourrapidlychangingsocietythanmostother

widelyspreadandoftenoutdatedparadigmsapplied

today.”

JeroenvanAmeijde,headoftheDigitalFabrication

LaboftheArchitecturalAssociation,alsospokeabout

thejoysandchallengesofworkinginarapidlychang-

ingspherewheretheemphasisisincreasinglyon

digitaldesign.

InhispresentationtitledMachineworlds–Research

anddesignusingdigitalfabricationinarchitecture,

vanAmeijdegaveanoverviewofsomethelatest

researchanddesignprojectsthathavebeende-

velopedattheArchitecturalAssociationinLondon.

Healsolookedathowarchitectsandacademics

trytoadaptconceptualdesignprocessessothat

theycan incorporatenewtechnologies for the

processingofinformationandforfabricationand

constructioninameaningfulway.

“Themainopportunitiesemergingfromthecurrent

‘invisible’revolution,causedbynewinformationand

communicationtechnologies,isnottobeabletobuild

excitingnewshapesandforms,butthepossibilityto

reinventthenatureofdesignprocessesitself.There

isachallengetochangetraditionaltop-downlinear

processesofdevelopmentintocollaborativeand

dynamic,openprocessesofdesignconceptionand

generation,”saysvanAmeijde.

SeanMohaney,inhispresentationCommonSense

andPoetry,focusedonhowweusetechnologyas

atool.Forhim,itopensupopportunities,butatthe

sametimeitisdangerous.Onemustnotfallintothe

trapofusingtechnologyasacrutchfordesign,it

mustbeusedtoexploreandcreate.Heusedexam-

plesfromarchitectssuchasHerzogandDeMeu-

ron,aswellsashisowntoillustratethisprinciple.

Whenitcomestoarchitecture,andconsistently

changingglobalarchitecturaltrends,thereismuch

totalkabout.Withthisyear’sConversationson

Architecture(COA)conference,givingtheload-down

onallthingslightingandallthingsdesign,one

wonder’swhatnextyear’sCOAwillhaveinstore.<

LTR:KristofCrolla,leadarchitectatZahaHadidArchitects.JeroenvanAmeijde,headofDigitalPrototypingandDRLatArchitecturalAssociationSchoolofArchitecture,London.SeanMahoney,directoratStudioMASArchitectureandUrbanDesign,CapeTown.

116 >

www.bbarchitects.co.za

PRECIOSA GULF, FZCOJebel Ali Free Zone P. O. Box 18185 Dubai United Arab Emirates

P + 971 – 4 – 883 8473F + 971 – 4 – 883 7913e [email protected]

PRECIOSA CUstOmer CentreOpletalova 3197 466 67 Jablonec nad Nisou Czech Republic

P + 420 488 115 555F + 420 488 115 665e [email protected]

www.preciosa.com

… w h E R E t h E s t y l i s h , i N N O vAt i v E D E s i g N

i s B O R N O U t O F t h E C R A F t s m A N s h i P

O F w h O l E g E N E R At i O N s O F g l A s s m A k E R s

www.preciosa.com

GlasswondersfromPreciosa

Lightingfixturewithfibreoptics,TheYasHotel,AbuDhabi,UAE.

119 >

Lightingfixtureofcontemporarydesignmadeofmouth-blownglass

components,TheYasHotel,YasIsland,AbuDhabi,UAE.

120 >

121 >

TheCzechRepublic,asmallnationlocated

intheveryheartofEurope,hasalwaysbeen

particularlyfamousforauniquehandcraft

–handworkedglass.Theoriginsofthiscraft,

whichranksamongtheoldestinhumanhis-

tory,datebackto3000B.C.HereinBohemia,

glassmakinghasbeenamajorindustry

sincethe13thCentury,andin1724thefirst

chandelierworkshopwasestablishedinthe

regionofKamenický Šenov.Kamenický

Šenovhasacquireditsworld-widefame

asaglassproducer,thankstothedelicacy

ofitsformsandthepurityofitshandcut

crystal.Magnificentchandeliershavebe-

comeaninseparablefixtureofroyalpalaces,

noblemanorhousesandothersplendid

buildings.

Thetraditionofthisrenownedcraftofglass-

makingcontinues in theproductionof

PRECIOSA–LUSTRY,a.s.(joint-stockcom-

pany),whichisafixedstarinthefieldofglass

lightfixtures.Thecompany,basedinnorth-

ernBohemia,intheregionofKamenický

Šenov,hasbeenoperatinginthemarketfor

decadesand,therefore,itcanboastofa

greatdealofexperience,acquiredthanksto

thelong-termhistoryofitsactivity.Today,

itisspreadacrosstheworldwithofficesin

Dubai,HongKong,Singapore,Moscow,

MadridandNewYork.

Nowadays,PRECIOSA’scoreactivitylies

inthedesignandproductionofdecorative

lightingsonawidescale,consistinglargely

ofdecorativelightingfixturesofvarious

stylesandsizes,walllamps,tableandfloor

lamps,deliveredascompletelightingpro-

jectsorasacatalogueassortment.Besides

lightingfixtures,lightingsculpturesand

decorativeartisticobjectsformanotherpart

oftheirproduction.

ThemainactivityofPRECIOSAisthecreation

oftheso-calledlightingprojects.Theseare

individualsolutions,composedonthebasis

ofspecificrequirementsoftheclient.Itcom-

prisesacomprehensiveservice,ranging

fromdesign,productionandinstallation

tothesubsequentmaintenanceandrepair.

Extensiveprojectsusuallyrepresentluxu-

riousinteriordecorationsforvariousspaces

ofaprestigiousnature,suchasluxurious

hotels,palaces,religiousandgovernmental

buildings,restaurantsandtheatres.

TheseuniqueconceptsoriginateinPRE-

CIOSA’sownstudioonthebasisofaclose

collaborationwithtoparchitectsanddesign-

ersfromallovertheworld.Inthedesign

phase,traditionalmethodsofhandsketch-

ingareusedsidebysidewithup-to-date

software,whichpresentsafaithfulsimula-

tionofthelightfixtureinitsfutureenviron-

ment.Thedesignersdrawtheirinspiration

fortheshapingofglassobjectsfromvarious

sources:natureprovidesapermanent

andalmostendlesssourceofinspiration;

122 >

folkloreandlegendprovidesanother.New

viewscanalsobeappliedtowellknownclas-

sicalworksofart.

As mentioned above, PRECIOSA’s product

portfolioisquiteextensive.Thefirstproduct

groupconsistsofluxuriousclassicallighting

fixtures,characterisedbytheclassicalshapes

oftheirarmsandtrimmings,oftendecorated

withrichetching.Theotherself-containedgroup

consistsoffashionablelightingobjectsmade

upofhand-blownglasscomponents.Overthe

lastfewyears,theso-calledfreesets,created

byhangingdifferentlyshapedobjectsinclusters

inanopenspace,havebeenpopular.Theyrange

fromminimalisticpureshapestocomplexorgan-

icmotifs.Glasssinteringandfusingtechnology

addsafurtherdimension,whereaglasspowder

ofvariouscoloursisfusedintoonepiece,which

canthenbebentandshapedinvariousways.

Theseobjectsareoftenfloodlitbymodern

lightsourcessuchasLEDsoropticalfibres.

Theuseoffibres,especially,canleadtothecrea-

tionofmagnificentpieces.Theirlightsources

canbepr0gram-medtobeabletochangetheir

intensityorcolour.Asidefromanimpressive

decorativeeffect, theplacementofthe light

sourcegivesthemamajoradvantageinsimple

maintenance.<

Lightingfixturemadeofglasscomponentsinspiredbynature,One&OnlyCapeTown,SouthAfrica.

123 >

124 >

NinaBriggsisaPasadena-based,Californian

interiorarchitectwithaspecialpassionforthe

sensoryeffectsofspaceonitsinhabitants.She

sharessomeinsightsintoherbackground,work

processesanddesignphilosophy.

TALESFROMTHEAFRICAN

DIASPORAFEATURING

NINABRIGGS

125 >

Althoughmygoalsincechildhoodwas

tobeanarchitect,afterearningaBach-

elorofArchitecture,Iwasgivenun-

expectedopportunitiestoworkfor

interiordesignersandartists.Iwas

challengedtodesignnotonlythear-

chitecturalenvelope,butalso,thefur-

nishings,caseworkandlandscaping.

Iwasgiventhefreedomtoinventarchi-

tecturalsystemsandinnovatesurfaces

withatypicalmaterialsfinishes.For

me,thereisnoenvelopeseparating

interiorfromexterior,onlyaseriesof

spacesspilling,morphing,intersecting

intooneanother,astheirsurfacesei-

therbleedthroughorstopandchange

whenconfronted.

Ifoundthatanin-depthstudyofmy

clients,theirlifestyles,culturalinflu-

ences,privatewishes,travels,and

theirchildhooddreamsservedasrich

inspirationtodesigntheirhomes

andworkplaces.Idiscoveredthatthe

variousaffectsofcertaincompositions

oflight,colour,textureandpattern,

juxtaposedagainstpreciousconstruc-

tionsofmemoryandtreasure,could

bestowspacesofcomfort,sanctuary,

glamour,celebration,healing…what-

everrequiredorsecretlydesired.

Materialsquilt.

126 >

Mygoalsshiftedfromglidingalongatypical

architecturalcareer,tocraftingamoreholistic

designmethodology.Ichosenottolimitmyself

onlytotheroleofarchitect,butrathertofunction

inanundefinedroleofplace-making.Assuch,

I’vebeenabletoexpandmyskillsbydesigning

everythingfromstructuretoshelf,rooftorug,

doortodrapery,allwithinacohesiveconcept

embracingindividualityandpersonalnarrative.

Withthisapproach,Itravelled,observedand

collaboratedindifferentbusinesses,withartists,

builders,craftsmenandeducators.Itravelled

toandlivedinFrance,Italy,Greece,Nigeria,Burki-

naFasoandMontrealandfocusedmyobserva-

tionalstudiesonhowpeoplelive.Domesticity,

inallitsvariedinterpretations,fascinatesme

–forinthehomewefindasurplusofculture

andpersona, intersectingwithshelterand

storage.

Irealisedthatmostofuswanttobringhome,

andsurroundourselveswithmorethanthe

souvenirsofourtravels,butalso,wewantto

embedtheexoticandfamiliarfeelingswe’ve

experiencedonourventures.Weallwantto

somehowsave,displayandhidemostofthe

memoriesandaspirationsofourlivesintoour

personalspaces,sowecanrememberwhowe

are,getinspiredwhenweforgetandaccept

ourcurrentconditionwithoutangst.

Mypersonalsourcesofinspirationalwaysrefer

backtomyheritage,myinherentmélangeof

ethnicitiesandthedomesticritualsofprepar-

ingfood.Cookingandeatingareafunctionof

thespiritandsoulofculturalmemory.This

127 >

Heritagefood.

Queensresidence.

128 >

palatablenarrativeiscomposedofthebasic

ingredientsassociatedwithmigratedidentity

whereindigenousbecomesbothdomesticand

exotic.Forme,theresourcesfordesignlieinthe

re-collectionofculturalingredients,yielding

anabundanceofcomplexityandrichness.

Mydesignprocessbeginswithavisualquiltof

myclient’snarrativeonwhata,ortheir,place

meanstothem.Whilethisquiltisnotliterally

interpreted,itservesmeasaninspirational

tooltocollagepastandpresentwiththereal

andimagined.Thisprocesshelpstoinform

colour,texture,pattern,light,temperature,pro-

portion,scaleandenvelope.<

ABOVE:Brentwoodresidence.

RIGHT:AvalonHotel.

www.efarchitects.co.za

130 >

ELPHICKPROOME

ARCHITECTS:21YEARS

THEMAKING

131 >

ByStaceyRowan.Fromasmalloffice

spacethatcomprisedofabedroom

inahouseinMorningside,toasmall

officeinBerea,andthenaself-built

largeofficebuilding,ElphickProome

Architects(EPA)hasseenitselfgrow

withinthemarketplaceovertheyears.

Establishedin1989,thepracticeisin

its21styearnowwiththetwofound-

ingdirectors,NickProomeandGeorge

Elphick,stillinpartnership.Afterex-

pandingtoa60-personspracticein

thelastfiveyears,thepracticehas

developedanotherawardwinning

studioinWestville,whereitiscur-

rentlylocated.

“GeorgeandIstudiedtogetherat

theUniversityofNatalinthelate70s

andearly80sandsomeyearsafter

qualifying we decided to go into

ELPHICKPROOME

ARCHITECTS:YEARSIN

MAKING

EPAStudio,Westville,KZN,2008.

practice.Thepracticewasestablished

tocreateappropriatearchitecturethat

respondstofunction,context,region

andclimateandendeavourstocreate

designsolutionswhichrisetothechal-

lengesofoursocialandeconomic

contextandthatmakeasignificant

contributiontotheSouthAfricanre-

ality,”saysProome.

Definingmoments

Withinthe21yearsinpractice,EPA

hasseendefiningmomentsthathave

madetheyearsthatmuchmoreworth-

while.“IrememberthemomentNick

andIagreedtostartapracticeto-

getherandthedaywemovedintoour

firstofficebuildinginTollgate.The

daywewonanAwardofExcellence,

http://www.eparch.co.za

nationalities.“Wealsohaveprojectsin

tencountriesacrossthreecontinents.

Ourworkisdistinctiveandwellrecog-

nisedbothprovinciallyandnationally,”

addsProome.

Inaddition,EPAhasalsoreceived

severalawardsincludinganAward

forExcellenceforEPAStudio,sixNa-

tionalAwardsofMeritforfourdiffer-

entbuildingtypesandfourSAISC

Awards,oneNationalOverallWinner

AwardandoneSpecialCommenda-

tion.

wasalsoanotherdefiningmoment

forthepractice.Ican’talsoforgetcel-

ebrating our 20th birthday bash,”

saysProome.

Achievements&recognitions

ApartfromthefactthatEPAisthe

largestarchitecturalfirmwithinthe

KwaZulu-Natalregion,whichisan

achievementinitself,thepracticealso

enjoysarainbownationintheirstudio,

withapersonnelofninedifferent

BELOW,LTR:ABSARegionalHeadOffice,Durban,KZN.OneTheBoulevard,Westville,KZN.DeneysReitz,LaLucia,KZN.BOTTOM:VillageBharoochi,Westville,KZN.

132 >

We are proud to be associated with the development of the Investec Regional Offices – Durban

The first real Green HVAC installation in Durban. The Investec HVAC installation was designed originally to comply with the requirements of a 4 Star GBCSA (Green Building Council of South Africa) rating. This was the original design intent and most of the options and alternatives were incorporated in the final installation. Below are the major design concepts implemented to achieve GBCSA Credits. The air distribution to all offices is via a Displacement System which is based on low velocity higher temperature air being supplied at floor level via the floor void. This provides the ultimate indoor air quality as air is not mixed but flows up via convection to the ceiling return air path, thereby satisfying the IEQ Green Star Credit. In addition, all areas are provided with individual control with variable speed drive motors where required. A central computerized Building Managements System monitors and controls, HVAC, Electrical and other building essential services. This is an essential energy management system required to satisfy the Management Green Star Credit. Heat Reclaim Energy Wheels are used to provide free cooling of Outside Air. This is achieved using free heat transfer between outside air and building exhaust air through the Energy Wheels contributing to the Energy Green Star Credit. High efficiency Screw Chillers using Non Ozone Depleting refrigerants and Variable Primary Pumping further contribute to the Energy and Emissions Green Star Credits. Side Stream Water filtration has been installed to reduce the amount of waste water through bleed off from the Cooling Towers, contributing to the Water Usage Green Star Credit. by Noel Smith – Director and Senior Design Engineer of RPP Consulting Engineers (Pty) Ltd

www.rppinc.co.za

Compliance = Green ProcessesSeveral Environmental Management Systems have been implemented in all

of Plascon’s South African Manufacturing Plants and in 2005, we attained ISO 14001 certification at all of our plants.

Plascon South Africa strives to inspire more ecological considerate decisions throughout our business. We have responded to the challenge by innovating unparalleled sustainable solutions based on the 3 fundamental pillars of compliance, sustainability and products.

Sustainability = Green PracticesPioneering ground-breaking processes have been implemented to ensure

that we are starting on ground level. Our processes focus strictly on achieving complete sustainable progression.

For more information contact the Plascon Advisory Service: 0860 2040 60 or visit our website www.plascon.co.zaor www.plascontrade.co.za

Products = Green Products Plascon is dedicated to provide industry-first solutions, through quality, environmentally-aware products, which do not compromise the finished product performance or our world.

• Plascon Premium Brands – Double Velvet (white and pastel tint base), Cashmere (white and pastel tint base) and several of our Plascon Professional products all have VOC levels lower than 16g/ℓ when tinted with Plascon Inspired Colour colourants

• Plascon Cashmere was voted No.1 in the Product of the Year 2010 Paint Category for its Triple Action Bead™ technology. Cashmere diffuses light and hides imperfections, it’s washable and stain resistant and retains its stylish, plush matt finish over time.

co

pp

erc

oa

st 2

6278

6

2010

www.plascontrade.co.za

EPAisalsorecognisedforitsservice.

Inmaintainingapositiveandclose

clientrelationshipfrominceptionto

completionofallprojects,EPAiscom-

mittedtoprovidingacomprehensive

and effective professional service

whichfacilitatesqualityontimeand

withinbudgetconstraints.

AnormaldayatEPA

“DependingonwhoyouareatEPA,

orwhatpositionyouhold,theday

mightseemlongorshort!Ourstudio

isabusyplacewitharealbuzzattimes

aswesimultaneouslytackleupto

30projects.Daysarefullofmeetings,

designsessionsandpresentationsfor

ourarchitectsandourinteriordesign-

ers,”saysElphick.

TheworkprocessatEPA,onadaily

basis,placesastrongemphasison

collaboration.Thedesignofeach

projectconceptisinitiatedbyadi-

rectoranddevelopedwithinateam

structureledbyaprojectarchitect.

Designreviewsessionsareunder-

takeninalldesignphases,ensuring

bothaninnovativeandresponsible

approachtothedesigndevelopment

process.

VaalStudio,VallRiver,FreeState.

135 >

136 >

“AnormaldayasanarchitectIexpect

wouldvaryconsiderablyacrossthe

worlddependingoncircumstance,

locationandclientbase.Typically

though,architectsworkhard,spend

longeveninghoursdesigning,day-

timehourschasingwork,interfacing

withclientsandconsultantsandman-

agingstaff.Itisarichandvariedcareer

experience,”saysElphick.

ThefutureofEPA

Withcorporateofficesandprivate

residences,amongstothers,being

EPA’sspecialityandwhattheyare

bestknownfor,thereisnoendto

their projects and new develop-

ments.“Wehaverecentlycomplet-

edthenewInvestecRegionalHead

OfficeinUmhlanga,a6500m2land-

markcorporateofficebuildingcon-

sideredtobethefinestofficebuild-

ing Investec owns worldwide. In

designphaseisanewglobalshow-

piece facility for an international

corporateinRiverhorseValleyanda

numberofnewofficebuildingsin

Durbanand Johannesburg.Under

constructionareagroupofcutting-

edgeprivatehousesinCapeTown,

the Southern Cape and KwaZulu-

Natal,”saysElphick.

Alsoonthepractice’sarchitectural

plateis“…generatingourownde-

velopmentprojectswhichhavecar-

riedusthroughtoughtimes.Weare

alsobuildingaveryunusualvillaon

theislandofZanzibarandacorpo-

rateofficeinLusaka,Zambia,”adds

Proome.

IdwalaLodge,Elandslaaget,KZN.

137 >

Proudly associated withElphick Proome

Ridge63Goba,Umhlanga,KZN.

ABOVELEFT:StandadBank,Kingsmead,KZN.ABOVERIGHT:InvestecRegionalOffices,Umhlanga,KZN.BELOW:GottliebGroupofCompanies,KZN.

www.geberit.co.za

WithprivatehousesinCapeTown,

the Southern Cape and KwaZulu-

Natalandmanyofficebuildingsin

theworksforthenearfuture,what

isthedistantfuturelookinglikefor

EPA?“Wenowhavefivedirectorsin

EPAandthefutureaugerswellas

wetacklemorechallengingprojects

bothsmallandlarge.Weintendde-

veloping our design approach to

embracesustainabilityasakeyas-

pectofallprojects.Thisisamoral

decisionanddemandsclearvision

and a practical approach to built

outcomesinthisSouthAfricancon-

text,”concludesElphick.<

BELOWLTR:QuaysidePointWaterfront,KZN.SpinnakerPointWaterfront,KZN.ProteaHotelUmhlangaRidge,KZN.BOTTOM:StudioElphick,Westville,KZN.

138 >

Palace was registered in 1992

Contact details: 031 464 6595

We have completed works such as Reserve Bank, Sugar Mill Casino, Sibaya ,Suncoast Casino and currently involved in

Umfolozi Tusk Casino.

Investec new offices at Umhlanga, Durban and have worked on all Netcare hospital in Natal.

We specialise in Suspended ceilings, partitioning and shopfitting

We do work ranging from small contracts to the larger ones.

We are BEE compliant with a level 2 contribution

PALACESHOPFITTERS

140 >

ONEARCHITECTURAL

FIRM

THREEARCHITECTURAL

DESIGNS

140 >

142 >

IdeallysituatedinCapeTown,the15onOrangeHotelhassplendidviewsofTableMountaininthebackground.

Withhotelsanduniversitiesbeingonoppositeends

ofthearchitecturalspectrum,itrequireddhkArchi-

tectstoapproachtheTajPalace,15onOrangeand

theLifeSciencesBuildingwithverydifferentarchi-

tecturaldesigns.Beingactiveacrossthefullrangeof

architecture,thispracticehasexperienceinthe

creationofnewbuildingsaswellastherefurbish-

mentandrestorationofexistingstructures.Ithas

undertakenprojectssuchashotels,publicandinsti-

tutionalbuildings,eco-sensitiveandsustainable

buildingsandeducationaldevelopments,among

others,makingthispracticetheperfectchoicefor

thesedifferentprojects.

“Thethreeprojectsaresovastlydifferentfromeach

another.Theyposeddifferentchallenges.TheTaj

Palaceisaseamlessmarriageofanewcontemporary

highrisecitybuildingwithtwogorgeousheritage

buildingsthathadtoberestoredandrefurbished

andconvertedintoaluxurygrandhotel.Theowners

of15onOrangeHotelwantedtomakean‘offthe

wall’hotelstatement,differentiatingtheestablish-

mentfromallotherhotelsinCapeTownandeven

throughoutSouthAfrica.Thishotelisahugedesign

statement.Finally,theLifeSciencesBuildingatthe

UniversityofWesternCapeisaneducationalbuilding

andhasitsownchallenges.Ithasbeendesigned

andbuilttoinspireindividuals,studentcommuni-

tiesandresearchers.Wearetoldthatithasbeen

enthusiastically receivedbyall.Theuniversity

wantedthisbuildingtoplacethemonthemapand

heraldanewinternationalacceptance,symbolising

excellenceineducationandresearch,”saysDerick

Henstra,founder,dhkArchitects.

143 > 143 >

www.kenzantiles.co.za

www.kenzantiles.co.za

www.wallcoverings.co.za

145 >

Atnight,the15onOrangeHotelbecomesastrikingandcontemporaryarchitecturalstructurethroughtheinnovativeuseoflightingdesign.

146 >

Profileandphilosophy

Thisdynamiccompany,whichcompetessuccess-

fullyatthetopleveloftheprofession,providesthe

higheststandardsofdesignandprofessionalism

throughoutallphasesofitsservice,fromunder-

standingtheclient’sbriefthroughtodeliveringa

completedbuilding.ForthepartnersatdhkArchi-

tects,itinvolvesaddingvaluetotheirclients’de-

velopments.It’saboutcorrectlyinterpretingthe

clients’requirementsanddesigningsolutionsthat

integratetheserequirementswiththeappropriate

architecturalresponses.Inaddition,itentailsin-

corporatinginternationaldesigninfluences,techni-

caldevelopments,sustainability,economicrealities

andtheinterdependencebetweenarchitectureand

theurbandesignframeworkinwhichthebuildings

exist.

dhkArchitects’reputationforinnovative,yetcost

efficientdesign,hasgrownintoawardwinningand

internationalrecognition.“Architectureisamost

challengingprofession.Itissocomplexandsoincred-

iblyinteresting.Thereisneveradullmoment.Itismy

passionandIwouldn’tknowwhatotherprofes-

sionIcoulddo.Asmostoftheworld’sgreatarchi-

tectsareover70,itisaprofessionthatyougoon

practicingforever.IstartedinthisbusinessasI

washeadstronganddeterminedtodomyownthing,”

saysHenstra.

Theoldandthenew–15onOrangeHotel

Thevisionoftheclient,NewCityDevelopment(pty)

Ltd,forthe15onOrange5starhotelwastocreatea

striking, iconicandcontemporaryarchitectural

building.Thebuildinghadtobecomeanurbanmark-

er,respondingsympatheticallytoitssurroundingen-

vironmentwhilstmaintainingdignityinasensitive

historiccontext.

This108keyAfricanPrideflagshiphotel,valuedat

R250-million,isideallysituatedatOrangeStreet,

akeyandveryvisiblespotintheCapeTownCity.

WithallthemagnificentviewsthatCapeTownhas

tooffer,thishotelhasviewsacrosstheMichaelis

gardens,TableMountain,LionsHead,SignalHill,

GraysPassandtheUpperCity.

BuiltontheformerNederduitsGereformeerdeKerk

SynardHallsite,thehotelmaintainskeyelements

ofthefaçadeofthepreviousapartheiderastruc-

ture,whilstgivingconsiderationtothemeritsofthe

existingbuilding.Thebuildingisanexpressionofits

eraandforsomepeopleitembodiescertainaspects

Aviewoftheinteriorstructurewhichistransformedbyalight-filledandcontemporarymulti-volumeatrium.

Guestscanenjoydrinksordinneratthetrendyandstylishbarsandrestaurantsavailableatthehotel.

147 >

Western Province Tileworks cc covers a large section of the tiling industry and has been involved in some of the major fast track, Residential, Offices Blocks, Shopping Malls and Hotels in the Western Cape.

.

Western Province Tileworks cc (Formaly known as Model Tilers ) has been in the wall & floor, granite, marble and porcelain tiling in the building industry for the last 36 years and is known for their commitment and expertise on the tiling side of the contract and with the Architect & professional teams. We have over the years been committed to deliver a quality product to the satisfaction of the main contractor and their clients.

ENS HOUSE – CAPE TOWN CENTRAL

Members of Western Province Tileworks CC will ensure that goods and services are supplied to meet their intended purposes and in accordance with the requirements of the various codes, standards and practices to meet the requirements our of clients. We are committed to service excellence and guarantee quality workmanship on time all the time.

SOME OF OUR PROJECTS TO DATE : Sun International Hotel – The Table Bay Protea Hotel The President - Seapoint Canalwalk Shopping Centre – Century City Breakwater Parking - V&A Waterfront Newlands Rugby Railway Stand - Newlands BOE Offices /Clocktower Mall – V&A Waterfront Arabella Sheraton Grand Hotel – Cape Town Old Mutual Offices / Business School - Pinelands Sable Square Shopping Centre – Century City UWC Lab Block / Learning Centre - Bellville Standard Bank Head Office - Cape Town Cape Quarters Shopping Centre - Greenpoint Claremont Central Offices - Claremont CTICC – Cape Town ENS Offices – Cape Town Pick n’ Pay – Kenilworth Pick n’ Pay – Gardens Villa Italia – Century City Mutual Heights Apartments – Cape Town

V&A WATERFRONT

SERVICE EXCELLENCE

Western Province Tileworks cc, formally known as Model Tilers, has been in the building industry for 36 years, providing clients with wall & floor, granite, marble and porcelain tiling solutions. Known for their commitment and expertise, Western Province Tileworks cc is committed to delivering a quality product that holds up to main contractor’s and client’s standards.

Western Province Tileworks cc covers a large section of the tiling industry and has been involved in developments in the Western Cape such as residential projects, offices blocks, shopping Malls and hotels, among others.

Members of Western Province Tileworks CC ensure that goods and services are supplied to meet their intended purposes. In addition, members ensure that all services and goods are in accordance with various codes, standards, requirements and practices, in order to meet client’s requirements. Members work on the tiling side of each contract, together with working with the architect and professional team that are present. Western Province Tileworks CC is committed to service excellence and guarantees quality workmanship on time, all the time.


.





V&A WATERFRONT

SERVICE EXCELLENCE


.





V&A WATERFRONT

SERVICE EXCELLENCE

ofthecountry’sculturalheritage.Majoreffortswere

dedicatedtothearchitecturalretentionofthemost

dominantfaçadeonGraysPass.Fromanhistoricand

urbanimpactpointofview,greateffortwentintolim-

itingtherevisedprofileoftheextendedbuildingen-

velopeanditsimpactontheviewofTableMountain

fromthetopofLongStreet,whilststillmaintaining

thememoryoftheoldbuilding.

Theoriginalentranceporticowithitsstainedglass

windows,beinganiconicelementandsecretive

barriertoasolemnhallatthecentreoftheold

building,wasdemolished.Thisopenedthewayto

exposingthebuildingtothestreetandthememo-

ryoftheinternalisedhallbeingre-interpretedin

theformofalight-filledatrium.

TheclosedstreetedgesalongOrangeStreetand

GraysPasshavebeenreactivatedwiththeadditionof

retailshoppingandrestaurantopportunities.These

newactiveedgesaresoftenedandanimatedwiththe

insertionoflandscapingintheformofplantsandtrees.

Thediscreetoriginalentranceatlowergroundlevelon

GraysPass ismaintainedforthePorteCochere

drop-offandhotelsecurityarea.Fromthispoint,

tworefurbishedliftstakegueststothereception

areaonthefirstfloor.

Atthereceptionarea,guestsenterintothespirit

ofthehotel’sstructure,whichistransformedby

theimpositionofavast,lightfilledandcontemporary

multi-volumeatrium,surroundedat its footby

tieredrestaurantsbarsandlounges.Theimmense

atrium’sglazedheightopensouttowardstheout-

sideterracefromwhereguestscanenjoyviewsof

theCapeTowncity,LionsHeadandSignalHill.

Whilstrespondingtotheoriginalaxisofthehotel

building,italsoaffordspassersbydramaticviews

intotheinteriorarea.

Thestrongsenseofopulenceandverticalitycan

beexperiencedinthethreepanoramiclifts,which

takehotelgueststothesurroundingaccesswalk-

waysandroomsattheupperlevelsoftheatrium.

Thehotelrooms,outfittedtothehighestquality

andstandardsandofvaryingtypesandsuitesizes,

arearrangedinsingleanddoublebankedconfigu-

rationaroundtheatrium.

Thehoteloffersaspa,gym,wellnesscentreandpool

deck.Alsoavailablearesectionaltitleapartments.

Theapartmentsrangeinsize,insimplexandduplex

configuration,andareallfinishedtoexactingstand-

ardsofluxury.Theseapartmentsinhabitthelight-

weightuppertwofloorswhicharesetbacktoprovide

amplesunterraceswithspectacularviews,whilst

reducingthemassoftheupperlevels,inaccordance

withheritageindicatorsthatgovernthehotelde-

velopment.

Theglassandaluminumhoteladditionsrespond

inacontemporarymannertotheretainedhistori-

calelements,specificorientation,views,roompri-

vacyandtherequirementsofgreatertransparency

forallpublicareaswithinthehotel.

Whilstkeepingimportantelementsoftheexisting

historicbuilding,thewholehotelistransformedby

theimpositionofthevast,light-filledatriumand

theadditionofcontemporaryarchitecturalelements.

ThehotelmakesforanewandtransparentCapeTown

focalpoint,breathinglifeintothiskeyjunction.

Thefirstofmany–TajPalace

TheTajPalaceHotel,locatedinthehistoriccoreof

CapeTownattheentrancetotheStGeorge’sMall,is

thefirstofmanyluxuryhotelstobeopenedbythe

TajGroupinSouthAfrica.Theclient,GoodHope

PalaceHotels(Pty)Ltd,wanteda175keyluxury

hotelfortheTajGroup,valuedatR450-million.

Therecentlycompleteddevelopmententailedapar-

tialdemolition,arefurbishment,theconstruction

148 >

149 >

Aviewshowcasingthecelebrationofthesynthesisbetweenthehistoricfabricofthesiteandthecontemporaryinterventionsofthehotel.

151 >

ofinfillelements,theconstructionofacontempo-

rarytowertoaccommodate175roomsandthe

preservationoftwoimportanthistoricbuildings,

namelytheOldReserveBankbuildingandtheTemple

Chambersbuilding.

Itwasimperativetoretainandcarefullyrestoreas

muchaspossibleofthetwohistoricbuildingsthat

hostthegrandpublicspacesofthenewhotel.The

contemporaryinterventionsonthesite,intheformof

aninfillbuildingonStGeorge’sMallandthenew

towerthatrisesoutofthecentreofthecityblock,

house thebackofhouse spaces and the hotel

rooms.

Theequalintegrationoftheoldandthenewcreated

achallengefordhkArchitects.Itwasimperativeto

celebratethesynthesisbetweenthehistoricfabric

andthecontemporaryinterventionsonthehotel

site.Thiswasdonebycreatingabuildingthatmain-

tainsandechoesthearchitectureofeleganceand

thebeautifulcraftsmanshipembodiedinthehistoric

buildings,whilstengagingwiththepurposeofthe

buildingsasa‘place’forthepeople.

TheTajCapeTown,showcasingacombinationofrich

historyandstylishcontemporaryarchitecture,offers

adiversevarietyofcuisineandculinaryexperiences

includinganIndianspecialtyrestaurant,arelaxed

andcasualall-daydiningrestaurantandachampagne

andoysterbar.Themagnificentbanquetingand

meetingroomscombinetheeleganceofahistorical

erawithstate-of-the-art technology.A full Jiva

GrandeSpaandafitnesscentrearealsoavailable

toguests.Inaddition,theTajPalaceisalsohome

toHeritageRoomsandSuites,TowerRoomsand

Suites,ThePresidentialSuiteandtheTajClub.

Theseexquisiteroomsofferguestsoldworldqual-

itycomplementedbylavishamenitiesandcontem-

poraryfeatures.

AviewofthenewTajPalaceHotelsituatedinthehistoriccoreofCapeTown.

152 >

Architectureisa‘science’–UniversityofWesternCapeLifeSciencesbuilding

Theterm‘science’refersto,initsbroadestsense,any

systematicknowledgebaseorprescriptiveprac-

ticethatiscapableofresultinginapredictionorpre-

dictabletypeofoutcome.Sciencealsoreferstoa

highlyskilledtechniqueorpractice.Architecture,a

highly-skilledpractice,isascienceinitself.Itisthe

artandscienceofdesigningbuildingsandother

physicalstructures,predicting theoutcome, in

termsoffunctionandappearance,ofaparticular

structure.Manybelievethat,basically,architectureis

asciencefirstandthenanart.

ThenewLifeSciencesBuildinglocatedontheUni-

versityofWesternCape’sWestCampusadjacent

toRingRoadandflankedbyModderdamRoad,isin-

tendedtoplacetheuniversityontheglobalmapasa

centreforteachingexcellenceandaresearchentity.

Byintegratingsixdepartmentsintoasingledevel-

opment,thisinturnallowsforthefacilitationofcol-

laboration, promoting inter-departmental and

trans-disciplinaryresearch.Thebuildingispositioned

asapivotalandiconicelementoftheurbanplanning

oftheuniversity,asanembodimentofsocialanden-

vironmentalscientificresearchinAfrica.Thiscutting-

edgeinstitutionalresearchlaboratoryisasymbol

oftheuniversity’scommitmenttoscience,technology,

innovation,developmentandresearch,withtheaim

ofreducingpovertyandpromotingsocialandenviron-

mentalresponsibility.

Themainobjectiveofthepositioningandthedesign

oftheLifeSciencesbuildingwastocreatealandmark

thatannouncestheUniversityoftheWesternCape’s

presence,formingthemostsignificantelementof

thenewscienceprecinct.

TheLifeSciencesBuildinghasbeensecurelyinte-

gratedintotheexistingcampusframeworkfrom

allaspects.Sixdifferentdepartmentsarehoused

withinthemacrozoningofthebuilding.Twomajor

componentsofthebuildingareplacedoneither

sideofasocialnucleus,comprisingtheentrylob-

byandgatheringspace,oversailedbyavastcan-

opywhichissupportedbytree-likecolumns.This

153 >

gatheringspaceformsthemainfocusandthelink

betweenthemajorcomponentsoftheuniversity,

namelythelaboratorybuilding,theinteractivelearn-

ingcentre,cafeteriaandauditorium.

Thegenerallayoutoftherectilinearandorthogo-

nallaboratorybuildingisdesignedaroundazone

thatstretchesalongthelengthofthesitethatfronts

directlyontoModderdamRoad.Theintentionwas

tocreatedirectrelationshipsbetweenthesupport

spacesonthesouthside,researchandlaboratory

spacesinthecentreandwrite-upspacesandcel-

lularofficessituatedonthenorthside.Twoserv-

icecores formthe fulcrumforbreakoutareas.

Theseareinteractionspacesthatactasvertical

transportationforbothpeopleandserviceswhile

formingeasilyinterchangeablelaboratoriesand

servicespaces,permittingadaptabilityandflexi-

bilitythroughoutthegeneralplan.Thecoresinter-

actwithteakitchensandextendouttobalconies

thatareintendedtofacilitateinformalmeetings.The

coresaretheverticalelementsthatbreakthelongitu-

dinalfaçade,withverticalaccentsculminating in

glassboxesthathousethehotwaterplantwhich

islinkedtothesolarwatersystem.

Inadditiontobeingthecentreforacademicteaching,

thelearningcentreisavailableforconferencesaswell

asbeingavenueforvariousgatherings,presentations

andfunctions.Thecentrehousesastate-of-the-art

auditorium,acollaborativecomputerlabandresource

centre,seminarandtutorialroomsandacafeteria

openingontothegatheringspace.Thedevelopment

incorporatesbothinstructionandresearchfacilities

withsharedclassrooms,laboratories,facultyfacilities

andamenitiestoaccommodateanestimated800

studentsandresearchers.

Thissixstoreylaboratoryblockissplitvertically

intoinstructionfacilitiesonthelowertwolevels,

withresearchanddevelopment(R&D)labshoused

ontheupperlevels.Theblockisdividedintothree

moduleswhicharelinkedbyservicecores,provid-

ingpublicandserviceaccessandsecurityfiltersfor

thevariousR&Dlabs.Thelaboratoriesthemselves

aredesignedtoassimilatetheusers’requirements

ThislandmarkhasgreatpresencewithinCapeTownandispositionedwellasapivotalandiconiceducationalentity.

154 >

intopredominantlygenericflexibleandadaptable

solutionsthatensureshort,medium&longtermsus-

tainabilityfortheclientwheredifferentdepartments

canwaxandwaneastheneedsarise.Thelaboratories

areplannedalongahorizontalstratificationwhich

facilitatesadirectrelationshipandinterfacebetween

thecellularseniorresearcher’sofficeswithopen-

planwrite-upareastothenorth,withresearchtaking

placeinlaboratoriesandtheirsupportspacesto

thesouth.Thishorizontalstratificationiscreated

throughvirtualcorridorstraversingthelengthof

thebuilding,providingorientationandexternalex-

pressionthroughthebaywindowsattheends.

EntrytotheLifeSciencesbuildingisfromtheeast-

ernforecourtviatheentrancelobby.Thisgasket-

likeglazedentrancelobbyjoinsthelaboratoryand

learningcentre,providingorientationandaccessto

thevariousfacilitiesandleadsintothegathering

space.

Thedesignphilosophyofthisbuildingfocusesonen-

ergyefficiency,environmentalresponsibility,resource

efficientdesignandacommitmenttosustainability.

Theorientationofthebuildingreducessolargain

withinthebuildingandencouragesnaturalventila-

tionthroughoutthebuilding.

Theuseofgreywaterforthelandscapinghasbeen

fullyimplementedandcoordinatedinthedesign.

Thegreenareasandgardensarelandscapedwith

indigenousvegetationandtreesandthelandscap-

inghasbeentakenontotheroofoftheLearning

Centreasascalingstrategyandasanenvironmental

thermalconsideration.

Thegardensareintegratedintoalandscapingplan

thatrespondsdirectlytothelocalenvironmentalcon-

ditionsbyencouragingbio-diversity,protectingbio-

massnutrients,usingpermeablesurfacestominimise

run-off,increasingretentionofgroundwaterlevelsand

adoptingindigenouswater-wiseplants.Through

lifecyclecosting,resourceandenvironmentalman-

agementandtheadoptionofcosteffectivestrate-

gies,namelyoptimisationofthethermalenvelope,

wasteheatreclamation,harvestingofrainwater

andgreywaterrecycling,thisbuildingstrivesto

limititscarbonfootprint.<

Viewoftheexteriorfaçade.

155 >

www.fgwilson.co.za

156 >

By

Sta

cey

Row

an Namedafteraherooftheworkingclass,Durban’s

MosesMabhidaStadiumisaniconicsymbolof

wherethecityhascomefromandthefuturethat

itisstrivingtowards.JustasMosesMbhekiMncane

Mabhidahelpedto forgetheunited front that

eventuallysawthecreationofademocraticandnon-

racialSouthAfrica,sothestadiumbroughttogether

countriesatthe2010FIFASoccerWorldCup.

ICO

NO

GR

AP

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THR

OU

GH

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RC

HIT

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RA

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IGN

157 >

Anexteriorviewofthelitupstadium,whichactsasabrightbeaconforthecityofDurban.

158 >

Wetraditionallyrevereiconicbuildingsfortheirabil-

itytoinspireandimbuesymbolicassociationsand

meaningtoabroadaudiencebecausetheyreflect

uniquecultural,socialandenvironmentalcontexts

–beitthepast,currentorfuture.TheMosesMabhida

StadiuminDurbanrespectsthesequalitiesandit

referencesthepastwithdignityyet,itsucceeds

bestinthewayitreflectstheaspirationsofthecur-

renttimeandthefuture.Itwasstrategicallyposi-

tionedtobecomeaniconicbeaconfortheCityof

Durbanaswellasbeingacentrepieceofthehuge

integrateddevelopmentplanwhichweavesitself

intothecity’slandscapeasasymbolofgrowthand

prosperity.Thisstadiumsuccessfullyachievedthis

throughtheinnovativeuseofspace,texture,colour

andartifacts,whilstalsohavingdrawnonitssur-

roundingsandphysicalfeatureswhichgaveita

vernacularidentityandcharacter.Itsarchitectural

andstructuralelementsallowedpeopleto‘feel

alive’withinitssurrounds,havinginvitedpeopleof

allwalksoflifeandbindingthemwithinaniconic

webofspaceandcommunity.

“Itisimportanttorecognisethatthisstadium,anarchi-

tecturaljointventure,wasagroupeffort.Therewere

fivelocalpractices:TheunissenJankowitzDurban,

Ambro-AfriqueConsultants,MthulusiMsimangAr-

chitects,NSMandOsmondLangeArchitects&Plan-

nersandoneinternationalpracticeinvolved,name-

lyGMP.Eachpracticefulfilledadifferentrole.The

localeffortandlocalexpertise,mergedwiththe

internationalexperience,madeitallhappen.Theef-

fortisreflectedinwhatwasbuiltanddesigned.From

theurbandesignapproachtotheiconography,the

stadiumhasastronglocalrepresentation,”says

GerhardleRoux,director,TheunissenJankowitz.

An

arch

itec

tura

lvie

wo

fthe

arc

han

dit

’sd

esig

nel

emen

ts.

The

tim

eles

sar

chre

pres

ents

the

past

and

the

futu

re,w

here

So

uth

Afr

ican

sha

vec

ome

from

and

whe

reth

eya

reg

oing

.

159 >

www.mccoysglass.co.za

160 >

An

inte

rior

vie

wo

fthe

sta

dium

bow

lfaç

ade,

sho

wca

sing

it’s

cir

cula

rfor

m.

Iconography

Fromadistance,thestadium’sarchisadefining

silhouette,afamiliarmarkeragainstthelandscape.

Fromwithin,thearchforksonbothsides,tocreate

aviewofDurban,awindowontothecity,symboli-

callylookingbackatwherethecityhascomefrom,

ontheoneside,andthefuture,ontheotherside.

“Wewantedtocreateatimelesslongarchwhich

representsthepastandthewalkintothefuture.

Onceyouareinthestadiumyouareawareofthesur-

roundingenvironmentwherethestadiumislocated,

bywayofthestadiumwindowonthesouthside.You

canseetheconnectionbetweenthesea,cityandthe

heartofDurban,”saysDeonvanOnselen,Director,

OsmondLangeArchitects&Planners(Pty)Ltd.

Thewhitetensileroofingisreminiscentoftheactivi-

tiesofthenearbyharbour.Theuseofnaturalindig-

enousplantsandtreeslinkstheprecinctonanurban

scaleandtheincorporationoftheAfricanlandscape

contextualises the building.The expanded steel

meshwrappingthefaçadeandtheinfillpanelsof

thebalustradesissymbolicofthebeautyofhand-

madebaskets.Thebaregreycoolnessoftheoff-shutter

concreteiscontrastedbythepaletteofwarmcolours

usedoninfillwallsandinteriors–anexpressionof

theAfricanclimateandspirit.

Tonesofthebeaches,thecoloursofclothingand

handcraftedjewellerywereusedtoexpressthevi-

brancyofthelocalsurroundingsinthebuilding.

Brightlycolouredseating,drawingitsinspiration

frombeachsandmergingintotheocean,givesthe

stadiumbowlasensethatitisalandscape.Theupper

standseatingiswashedinyellowandwhitecolours,

themiddleseatingisgradedinayellowtogreen

162 >

D & H Flooring was established in 1993 with just two employees, our main focus was to supply and Install flooring to both the domestic and commercial sectors.

From their humble beginnings and over a decade of successful trading and solid customer relationships, D & H Flooring have grown to be one of the leading

Flooring Contractors in KZN employing a compliment of in excess of 50 permanent staff trained in their specialised fields.

BBBEE CertificationD & H Flooring has a 135% BEE Recognition and is a Level 1 Company

PRESTIGE PROJECTSStadium - Presidential Suite Bamboo Flooring - Norament Rubber Matts

King Shaka International Airport - N2 Toll Plaza - Ceramic TilesSt Lucy Hospital - Ceramic Tiles

Cecilia Makiwane Hospital - Ceramic TilesHibiscus Hospital - Vinyl sheetingAl Shifa Hospital - Vinyl Sheeting

Newcastle Private Hospital - Vinyl SheetingPearls of Umhlanga - Wall to wall carpets Breeze Reef Dawn Tides A&B

Florence Mkhize Building - Old Martin West - sanding Zimbali Lodge - New Installation - Rhodesian Teak Wooden Floors

OUR SERVICES

CarpetsVinyl tiles

Vinyl sheetingLaminatesSolid wood

Repairs, sanding and sealing Marmoleum

Bamboo flooring

SUPPLIERS / DEALERS

Belgotex floor coveringsVan Dyck carpetsCrossley carpetsNouwens carpets

FloorWorx Polyflor

Traviata FlooringBona

163 >

colourmixwithscatteredlightgreysandwhites,

andfinallythelowerstandseatingisgradedinablueto

greenmixsprinkledagainwithlightgreysandwhites.

Driversofdesign

Althoughstadiumsaremostlyvenuesofsheerscale,

theyareconsideredsingularpurposestructures.Dueto

thestadium’ssheersize,therewasaneedto‘humanise’

thestadiumintermsofscale,toallowforitsintegration

intothecityfabricandlandscape.

AdriverofdesignfortheMosesMabhidaStadium,

wastheneedtoencouragemixeduseinorderto

promoteongoingactivities.Fromanurbandesign

pointofview,itwasofprimaryimportancethatthe

stadiumwaslocatedwithinanenvironmentthat

enablesthebroadercityandsurroundingareato

benefitfromit.Therefore,oneofthekeydriverswas

theneedtodesignbeyondthebuilding.Inorderto

bringextensiveinvestmentintotheprecinct,the

stadiumwasdesignedaccordinglyinordertoserve

asacatalystforcontinuinginvestment.

Heroeswalk–Theiconicjourney

Adominantpathleadingfromthecitycentretothe

stadium,knownasHeroeswalk,lendsitselftoavariety

ofprocessionsthatwillbeenjoyedbylargegroupsin

thefuture.Thewalkstartsinthesouthwithinafrag-

mentedlandscapeofharshwallsandmonochro-

matictones,reflectingthefragmentationofpast

Africa.Thisisthejourneydedicatedtotheiconsof

sportandpoliticalchange,forthosewhohavebeen

andfortheheroestobemadewithinthestadium.The

rigidstructureofthewalkbecomesmoreorganic,

softandcolourfullyadornedasoneapproachesthe

Av

iew

oft

hes

tadi

ums

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rior

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de

and

one

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An

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ofs

truc

ture

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Av

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arc

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164 > 164 >

Door Control Panic Hardware Glass Fittings Door Handles Door Locks Automation Mose

s M

abhid

a S

tadiu

m

DORMA WAS THERE.

Architecture taken to new dimensions: Structural elements of glass impart an impression of unrestricted openness and expanse. Trusses and supporting components of high precision provide stability to intricate structures. External and internal walls, facades and roofs of glass require construction systems that satisfy the highest demands in terms of functionality and aesthetic elegance.

Manet Construct single point fixings meets the specific requirements of all-glass systems by providing the sophisticated technology and harmonious design required.

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www.dorma.co.za

165 >

stadium.TheHeroesWalkisdesignedtosymbolise

thejourneywalkedbythepeopleofAfrica.

A‘world-first’achievement

TheMosesMabhidaStadiumhasplacedSouthAfrica

onthemap,havingobtaineda‘Worldfirst’inthedesign

ofroofarchfoundations,whichinvolvediaphragmwall-

ingtobedrock,massivecappingsandspringerplinths.

Inaddition,thestadiumhasachieveda‘South-African

first’forpre-castdesignandinstallationinstadiumsand

alsoachievedthespecifiedstrictrequirementsforcon-

cretequality,durabilityandaesthetics.

Themainconcretestructurecomprisesanovalbowl

oftieredseatingwithsixaccesslevels,sheercores

andstairwellsandapodium.Thelightweighttranslu-

centroofissupportedbyasteel-cablestructuresus-

pendedfromthearch.Theremarkable104mhigh

arch,spanning380m,issecuredonlargeconcrete

foundationswhichextenddowntothecretaceous

bedrock.Thesefoundationsareelongatedrectangu-

larboxeswith800mmthickreinforcedconcretewalls,

whichwereexcavatedandcastunderbentoniteslurry,

inpanellengthsofupto7mandtoadepthof20m.

Thestadiumbowlstructureisfoundedonatotalof

1901 CFA piles varying in diameter from 450 to

700mm,installedtodepthsof20m.“Thebowl-like

shapeofthestadiumallowsforallthespectatorsto

beabletoseetheactionandfeelthattheyarea

partofthewholeevent.Normalstadiumstendtobe

morerectangularinshape,withNorthern,Southern,

EasternandWesternsides.Theclientwantedall

peoplefromdifferentwalksoflifetobecomeunified,to

becomeoneformwithinthisdome-likestructure,”

saysvanOnselen. The

seat

sw

ithi

nth

est

adiu

mre

sem

ble

the

blue

oce

ana

ndit

sm

ovin

gw

aves

.

166 >

Thefaçadeofthestadiumbowlisalayeredinte-

gratedseriesofcomponents.Overonehundred

leaningpre-castconcretecolumnssweeparound

thecircumferenceofthestadiumbowlformingthe

skeletonofthefaçade,creatingtheimpressionofa

sculpturalelementinthelandscape.Addingtothe

sculpturalqualityofthebuilding,aluminiumfinssit

verticallybetweeneachoftheconcretecolumns

and,finally,awovenmeshtiesthefaçadetogether.

Theexpandedmetalmeshcoveringthebrightlycol-

ouredfaçadeandthefillingtotherailingsinthe

stadiumtaketheirinspirationfromthestructureof

basketweave.

“Animportantaspectofthestadiumisthatitis

basedontheageoldAfricantraditionofelevatinga

structureabovegroundlevel,wherebythestadium

isplacedonapodium.Byplacingitonthepodium,

thestadiumisgivengreaterstature.Theclientwant-

edthestadiumtoriseupfromtheenvironment,creat-

inganexperienceasvisitorsleaduptotheentrance

ofthestadium,”explainsvanOnselen.

Theroofing

Theroofcableswerepre-manufacturedtotheex-

actlengthsrequiredtoachievetheprecisegeom-

etryofthecablenetstructurethatspansbetween

thearchandthecompressionring.Itwasneces-

sarytohaveverystrictspecificationsaccordingto

thetolerancesrequiredforallsupportpointsat

theinterfacebetweentheconcreteandroofstruc-

ture.Inaddition,thestiffnessoftheconcretesup-

portstructurehadtobeaccuratelydetermined.

Themainstructuralunitoftheroofconsistsofthe

104mhigharchspanning380montothefounda-

tions.Theroof,whichdefinesthestadiumasanicon-

icedifice,alsoconsistsofotherstructuralelements

namelysupportingcables,amembraneroof,anda

steelcompressionringrestingonsteelcolumns.

Atotalof50mainridgecablesaresupportedfrom

thearchwhichdefinestheshapeforthe46000m2

roofcoverage.Theseridgecablesaswellasthevalley

cablesareconnectedtothecompressionringthat

inturn,issupportedonsteelfaçadecolumns.

Concrete–TheNo.1choice

Concretewasusedforthemajorityofthestructural

andarchitecturalelementsbecauseofitshighqual-

ity finish, its ease of construction into complex

shapesandforms,durabilitytoresistthemarineen-

vironmentofDurban,itsspeedinconstruction,its

lowmaintenanceandbecauseoftheeconomical

advantages.

Theconcretefaçadecolumnsarethemainfeature

ofthefaçade.VerticalinthevicinityoftheNorth-

Southspanningarch,theyrakeprogressivelyout-

wardtowardstheEastandWestofthestadium,

definingthedramaticbowlshape.Theyarepre-

castconcretefromlevel3tolevel6andsteelfrom

level6uptothecompressionring.Ofthe102col-

umns,42areverticaland60arerakedatvarying

inclinations.Thecolumnsarepaintedwhitetofitin

withtheoverallfaçadecolourconcept,withahigh

leveloffinish.

167 >

Visi

tors

can

exp

erie

nce

mag

nific

entv

iew

sof

the

stad

ium

and

the

Dur

ban

City

from

the

cabl

eca

ron

the

arch

.

168 >

SME ad

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As a result of this listing, as well as CIDB accreditation, and our BEE status, we have been successful in undertaking contracts throughout Southern Africa, and as far as Tanzania. and Madagascar, with extensive contracts in Mozambique, Zambia, Botswana, and more recently, Namibia. We are eager to extend our customer base further in Zambia, and hope to become active in Zimbabwe and Angola.

Our client base is largely made up of Corporate Clients in the private Sector, as well as large government contracts such as 2010 Stadia, and the new King Shaka Airport in Durban, due to our ability to deliver a quality product on time, and within budget.

Our core business of Lightning Protection and Electrical Earthing, supplemented by our large range of surge protective devices (SPD’s) is crucial in our subtropical climate, which experiences some of the highest lightning activity in the world, that can result in catastrophic losses in plant and equipment, not to mention risk to personnel.

2010 marks our 25th anniversary as an independent company, and due to the growth in our client base, we are constantly striving to improve quality of delivery, and adding skilled personnel to our ever-growing operation.

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169 >

LightningProtection&Earthing

SMELightningProtectionandEarthingwasproud

tobeassociatedwiththecelebratedMosesMabhida

SoccerStadium,inthattheywerecontractedtoin-

stalltheLightningProtectiontotheStadiumStruc-

tureaswellastheearthingforthesubstation

feed.Overall,itwasimperativetoensurethatthe

installation,fromthemetaloftheseatingthrough

tothearchoverthestadium,wasearthedtothe

exactingstandardsdemandedbytheSABS/IEC

codesofpractice.

Due to the commitment and dedication to the

projectdisplayedbyVusiShabane,theteamlead-

er,andhiscrew,nodelaysorproblemsoccurred

duringthecourseoftheproject.SMEiscurrently

innegotiationwiththeirclient,GLEvents,regard-

ingtheearthingrequirementsforthemediacentres

whicharebeingerectedateachstadium,inorder

formediavisitorstobekeptsafeshouldtheyhave

thepleasureofexperiencingarealSouthAfrican

lightningstorm.

SME,with25yearsinbusiness,isstilltheonlycom-

panyinitsfieldtohavesuccessfullyheldthecov-

etedSABS/ISO9001-2000listinginSouthernAf-

rica,since1987.Asaresultofthislisting,aswell

asCIDBaccreditation,andtheirBEEstatus,they

havesuccessfullyundertakencontractsthroughout

SouthernAfrica,andasfarasTanzaniaandMada-

gascar,withextensivecontractsinMozambique,

Zambia,BotswanaandNamibia.Theirclientbaseis

largelymadeupofcorporateclientsintheprivate

sector,aswellaslargegovernmentcontractssuch

as2010Stadia. Alo

wa

ngle

sho

toft

hee

xter

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açad

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inte

rior

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conc

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fini

shes

and

str

uctu

res.

170 >

Theircorebusinessoflightningprotectionandelec-

tricalearthing,supplementedbytheirlargerangeof

surgeprotectivedevices,iscrucialinSouthAfrica’s

subtropicalclimate,whichexperiencessomeofthe

highestlightningactivityintheworld,resultingin

catastrophiclossesinplant,equipmentandpersonnel.

“Thisstadiumlooksbeyond2010.Itlooksatthe

wholeprecinctandhowthisdevelopmentwill‘sell’

Durban.Thisisoneofthefirstopportunitiesthat

SouthAfricanconsultantshavehadtoprovethat

we,asSouthAfricans,canproduce largescale

projects.TheMosesMabhidastadiumisworldclass,”

concludesvanOnselen.< BEL

OW

:An

exte

rior

vie

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icon

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brig

ht.

172 >

ByBevHermanson

THEPRIDEOF

THECAPE

173 >

Of all the stadiums that were prepared for

the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup, only three

were entirely new constructions. One of

these was the Cape Town Stadium situated

close to the popular V&A Waterfront along

the shoreline of Table Bay, within full view

of Cape Town’s most famous landmark,

Table Mountain.

Oneofthelargestconstructionprojectsthathad

beentackledbytheCityofCapeTown,theCapeTown

Stadiumandthesurroundingparklandhadbeencom-

pletedatacostofR4,5-billion.Alongwithitspark-

ingareaandaretailplaza,thestadiumcoversanarea

of18hectares,equivalenttosixcityblocks.Built

tobemorethanmerelyasoccerstadium,thisde-

velopmenthasbeendesignedasamulti-purpose

venuethatisequippedtohostrugbymatches,mu-

sicconcertsandmanyothermajoreventsaswell.

PhotobyBruceSutherland,CityofCapeTown.

174 >

Itssuccessfulcompletioninvolvedalargetask-

forceofprofessionalscomprising15differentdis-

ciplinesand51firmsandajointventureof2ofthe

largestcontractingfirmsinthecountry.

GreenPointasasportsprecinct

SincebeforetheAngloBoerWarinthelate1800s,

theGreenPointCommonhasbeenhometoavari-

etyofsportsclubs,includingHamiltons,SouthAfri-

ca’soldestrugbyclubthatwasfoundedin1875,

andtheGreenPointCricketClubthatstartedin1897.

Declaredapublicopenspaceforrecreationandsport

byBritain’sKingGeorgeVin1923,thisvaluable

pieceofgroundhasbeenstaunchlyprotectedfrom

thethreatofovercommercialisationandexpansion

aroundtheMotherCity.

TheGreenPointStadium,builtontheCommonin

the1940s,wasrathercontroversial,as,withaca-

pacityofonly18000seats,manysawitasa‘white

elephant’thatwasunder-utilised.Overtheyears,it

wasusedforvariousevents,includingsmallscale

concertsandsportsevents.Itwasadditionallyhome

totheSantosandHellenicSoccerClubsandlaterthe

AjaxFootballClub.

Atthetimethatthe2010FIFASoccerWorldCup

wasawardedtoSouthAfrica,theplanningcommittee

determinedthatthestadiuminCapeTownwasgo-

ingtoneedcloseto70000seatstoqualifytohost

atleastoneofthesemi-finalmatchesthere.Under

thecircumstances,theydecideditwouldbeeasier

tobuildanentirelynewstadiumclosetotheold

stadium,ratherthantrytoupgradetheoldfossilfa-

cilities.TheoldGreenPointStadiumhassincebeen

175 >

partiallydemolishedandhasbeenconvertedinto

adedicatedstadiumforathletics.

TorefertoCapeTown’sstadiumastheGreenPoint

Stadiumis,therefore,acompletemisnomer,asthe

landallocatedfortheconstructionofthenewstadium

waslandthathadbeenusedbytheMetropolitanGolf

Clubforitsnineholegolfcourse.Tocompensate

theMetsandothersportingdisciplinesusingthe

Common,theentireareahasbeenreorganised.Anew

nineholegolfcoursehasbeenbuiltand12,5hec-

tareshavebeenconvertedintoanurbanparkthat

boastswalking,cyclingandjoggingtracks,thatweave

aroundbeautifulwaterfeaturesandlandscaped

gardens.Otherfacilitiesintheprecinctincludea

Health&FitnessClub,tenniscourts,hockeyand

rugbyfieldsandacricketoval.Atree-linedpedes-

trianwalkwayfurtherconnectstheMouillePoint

lighthousewithSomersetRoadontheoutskirtsof

thecity. In total, thisencompassesanareaof

some65hectaresofparklandandsportsfacilities.

Withinastone’sthrowofthenewstadium,the123

hectareV&AWaterfrontoffersvisitorsawealthof

pleasurepursuits–fromaferrytriptothehistori-

calRobbenEiland,wherethewellknownfreedom

fighterandpastpresidentofthecountry,Nelson

Mandela,wasincarcerated,toasumptuousarrayof

restaurants,luxuryhotels,storesandotherleisure

pursuits.

Thenewstadium

Thestate-of-the-artCapeTownStadiumhostedfiveof

thefirstroundmatches,onesecondroundmatch,one

quarterfinalandonesemi-finalofthe2010FIFAWorld

The

vari

ous

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176 >

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177 >

Cupsoccermatches.Designedbyconceptarchitects,

gmpArchitectsofGermany,inconjunctionwithlo-

calfirms,LouisKarolArchitectsandPointArchitects,

thestadiumcoversanareaof290mx260mand

stands50matitshighestpoint.

Themostamazingaspectofthestadiumisthe

high-techroofthatcovers38000squaremetres,

protectingthebulkofthespectatorsfromtheoften

inclementCapeweather.Knowingthe‘CapeDoctor’,

theharshsouth-easterwindthatoccasionallythrash-

estheForeshoreandtheGreenPointCommonat

galeforce,asubstantialroofwasdefinitelyonthe

city’swishlist.Thedoublewhammyofthisdesign

isthatitnotonlyprotectsthespectatorsfromharsh

weatherconditions,itreducesthenoiseemanating

fromthestadium–whichwillbemostwelcometo

theGreenPointandSeaPointresidentsthatdo

notrelishhearingthevuvuzelasatfullblastthrough-

outthematches.

Commandingasignificantchunkoftheconstruction

budget,theroofhasbeendesignedasasaddleback

curvewithadoublemembrane.Itssmoothflowing

appearancefromallanglescontributestomakingthis

stadiumoneofthemostdistinctiveinthecountry.

Weighingintheregionof3735tons,theroofstruc-

ture,thatrestsonatotalof72columns,comprisesan

outer‘compressionring’whichislinkedtoaninner

‘tensionring’byasystemoftrussesandcables.The

innertensionringhousesthelightsandacoustic

equipment.Thetoplayeroftheroofismadeofaround

9000panelsoflaminatedsafetyglasstoallowin

plentyofnaturallight,whilethebottomlayerismade

upofwovenPVCceilingpanelsthatabsorbssound,

whileprotectingtheequipmentfrombelow.

Phot

osb

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Bos

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m.

178 >

Facilities

Althoughtheseatingcapacityforthedurationof

theWorldCupaccommodated68000spectators,

aftertheendofthetournament,13000seatswere

removed,whichleft55000permanentseats.To

channelthelargecrowds,59maingatesleadto

115turnstilespositionedaroundthe745metrepe-

rimeter.Conveniencesinclude530toiletsand360

urinals.TherearefourTVstudios,24mediadesks

and178mediaseats,aswellasamedicalcentre

andapolicestation.Tocaterforthemovementof

theimpaired,thereare16liftsand120placesfor

spectatorsinwheelchairs.

“Thesizeofthefacilityisphenomenal,”saysBev

Mitchellofprojectmanager,MitchellduPlessisAs-

sociates(MDA).“Theroofiscolumn-freeandthe

seatingispositionedinsuchawaythatspectators

canseeallfourcornersoftheplayingareawithout

havingtostandorjump.Evenwhentheyleavetheir

seatstobuyfood,therearestillopportunitiesto

seethegamewhilestandinginthequeues.To

complementtheactiononthefield,twogiantTV

screenshavebeenmountedabovetheseating

area–excellentforactionreplaysandclose-upsof

theaction.”

Jointeffort

Withinthetimeframeoftheproject,thedesign

teamspentayearinthepreparationphasebefore

theconstructionteameventuallybrokegroundin

February2007.However,timewasextremelylimited,

consideringtheenormityoftheproject,andtherefore

therewasacallfortendersfrommulti-disciplinary

Phot

oby

BKS

.

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179 >

teamstoensurethateverythingwouldbecom-

pletedontime.

“Duringthetenderprocess,MDAputtwoteamsto-

getherandenteredtwodifferenttenders,which

cameinfirstandsecond.Afterlengthydelibera-

tions,itwasdecidedthatbothteamsshouldbe

appointed.MDAwasthecommondenominator,so

thetwoteamswereco-ordinatedfromtheMDAof-

fices.Weputtogetherajointventureoffourproject

managementfirms–ourselves,BKS,AriyaProject

ManagersandNgonyamaOkpanumAssociates.

Overall,weendedupwithover51firmsinvolvedon

theprofessionalteam,representing15disciplines.

Thatwastheonlywaywecouldseeourselvesbeing

abletohandthestadiumoverbytheendof2009,

thespecifieddeadline.”

Thefirstcostingscameout20–30%overthebudget,

requiringsignificantdesignrefinementsinorder

toshrinkthecosts.“Tryingtoadjustthecostswasa

nightmareastheWorldwasgoingthroughareces-

sionandourlocalconstructionindustrywasflying,so

thelabourratesandmaterialscostswerealothigh-

er,”Mitchellelaborates.“Fortunately,wemanaged

tonegotiateaslightlyhigherbudgetasacompro-

miseandwewereabletocomeinbelowthat,in

theend.”

Withthehelpofgmp,theGermanarchitects,thede-

signteammanagedtoconceptualiseastructure

thataddstothebeautyofCapeTown.Standing

proudlywithintheparklikesurroundings,itsform

iscertainlydistinctiveandsomewhatsculptural.

www.auditorium.co.za

www.burocentrum.co.za

180 >

Sustainability

TherevampedGreenPointCommonisverymuch

apeopleplaceandtofallinlinewiththenatural

andhumanaspectsofitsenvironment,theCape

TownStadiumneededtobeasenvironmentally

sustainableaspossible.Partofthechallengewas

toreducetrafficcongestioninordertoreducethe

stadium’scarbonfootprint.

“Fortunately,theCentralBusinessDistrictofCape

TowniswithinwalkingdistanceandanIntegrated

RapidTransitsystemisalsoavailabletotransport

spectatorsfromtheparkadesandopenparkingareas

withinthecitytothestadium.ThereareonlyVIPpark-

ingfacilitiesallocatedwithinthestadiumgrounds

–thesewillaccommodateupto3000vehicles.”

Furtherenvironmentallyconsciousinitiativesin-

cludedwatermanagementandenergyconservation

andrecyclingwhereverpossible.“WhentheGreen

PointStadiumwaspartiallydemolished,95%ofthe

componentswereincorporatedinthenewstadium

aspartofarecyclingproject,”Mitchellcontinues.

“Waterandenergysavingswerealsoapriority.”

Abuildingmanagementsystemhasbeenincorpo-

rated.Thismonitorsenergyusageandlightscanbe

switchedoffandair-conditioningadjustedinrooms

thatareunoccupied.Compactfluorescentlamps

havebeenusedinmostareasandtoreducethe

needforairconditioning,theoutercladdingofthe

stadiumallowsairtocirculate.

Waterfromtheroofischannelledintostoragetanks

andasmuchgreywaterisrecycledaspossible.

MuchofitisusedtofillpondsontheGreenPoint

Commonaswellasforirrigationofthegardens.

Furthermore,neithertheCommon,withitsurban

park,northestadium,reliesontheCityofCapeTown’s

Phot

osb

yB

ruce

Sut

herl

and,

Cit

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181 > 181 >

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182 >

watersupplyfordrinkingwater.Thisissourcedfrom

theOranjezichtNaturalSpringslocatedamerefour

kilometresaway.

Sustainability,ofcourse,doesnotonlyextendto

naturalresources.Atpeakstimes,therewereup

to2500peopleemployedonsite.Amongstthese,

around1200artisansreceivedtrainingduringthe

constructionperiod,whichwillequippedthemto

findfurtheremploymentinthefuture.

Thestadiumismanagedbyaconsortiumconsisting

oftheSouthAfricansportsmarketingcompany,

SAIL,andStadedeFrance,operatorsofamajormulti-

purposevenueinParis.<

PhotosbyBruceSutherland,CityofCapeTown.

183 > 183 >

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184 >

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185 >

MBOMBELASTADIUM:FORTHE

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Known as Africa’s wildest stadium,with18structuralgiraffeelementsandseatspatternedwithzebrastripes,theMbombelaStadiumwastheultimatesportsvenueforthe2010FIFAWorldCUp,wherethe‘game’ofsoccermetthe‘game’ofAfrica.

ByStaceyRowan

‘GAME’

186 >

AsoneofthestadiumsusedintheFIFA2010World

Cup,theMbombelaStadiuminNelspruitillustrat-

edtheloveofthesoccergamethatwasplayed

withinit.Thestadiumalsoshowcasedtheloveof

Africa’sbiggamethroughitsanimalisticarchitec-

turaldesign.

SituatedclosetotheworldrenownedKrugerPark,

surroundedbynumerousgamelodges,itwasimpera-

tiveforthestadiumtohavesomereferencetothebig

gameofAfrica.Aswildlifemuralsarenotconvinc-

ing,and following thebelief that form follows

function,thelongroofcantileverdesignlentitselfto

acablestayedroofdesign,whichinturnrequireda

tower,creatingthegiraffeicon.Thegiraffetowers,a

keydesignelement,providedthestadiumwithan

Africanmotif.

The30metrehighgiraffemotifs,eachwithanabstract

headlargeenoughforapersontostandinside,

havebeenplacedaroundtheoutsideedgeofthe

stadium,facingoutwards.Thebodiesandlegsof

thegiraffeshavebeenbuiltintotheconcretestruc-

tureofthebuilding,whilethenecksformanimpor-

tantpartofthesteelsupportingstructureforthe

roof,makingtheconceptnotonlyeye-catching,

butalsopractical.

“ThestadiumisatthedoorstepoftheKrugerPark

gamereserve,perfectlypositionedsothatattendance

ofoneofthemany2010WorldCupmatcheswas

becombinedwithavisittoviewthemagnificence

ofAfrica’swildestanimals.Thiswasnotlostonthe

stadiumdesignersandthesignaturefeatureofthe

stadiumistheabstract18structuralgiraffes,making

thisSouthAfrica’swildestfootballandrugbystadium.

Inox Manufacturing specialises in the design, manufacture, supply and installation of steel items required by the construction industry. We cover the full spectrum of steelwork requirements, ranging from structural steelwork to highly aesthetic architectural steelwork. Our process capabilites include working with stainless steel, aluminium, brass and mild steel. Our mission is to provide our clients with a personalised service, meeting the client's requirements within theproject budget and deadline and at the highest standard of quality.

Some recent projects include: Mbombela Stadium – Galvanised Pedestrian & Motor Gates – Basil Read (R1.3M)UNISA NRB – Steel Staircases & Balustrade – G. Liviero & Son (R4.1M)The University of JHB – Balustrade – Group 5 (R1.5M)The Core – Steel Staircases, Balustrade, Cross Bracing & Signage Pylon – G. Liviero & Son (R1.4M)The Axis – Brick Bearers, Fire Escapes – Group 5 (R0.7M)Silver Star Casino – Laser Cut Steel Facades – Grinaker-Lta (R0.5M)

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187 >

Theroofsupportswerenaturallytallandslender

andcriedouttobegiraffes.Itwasoneofthosegreat

synergiesbetweenfunction,formandstructural

necessityandsotheMbombelaGiraffecametobe.

Theseatingbowlpatternedlikeaherdofzebrasen-

hancedtheassociation,”sayDouglasRoberts,

founder,R&LArchitectsandMikeBell,projectarchi-

tect,R&LArchitects.

ProudlySouthAfrican

LocatedinMpumalangaandworthR1,07billion,

theMbombelaStadiumwastheonlywhollySouth

Africandesignednewstadiumoutofallthestadi-

ums,withSouthAfricanproductshavingbeenused

asfaraspossible.OtherstadiumswhichwereSouth

Africandesignedweretechnicallyrevampsandnot

newlybuiltstadiumsastheMbombelaStadiumwas.

“ThisstadiumistheonlySouthAfricandesigned

anddetailedstructure.Thedesignintentionwas

tomakethisanAfricanstadium.Itclearlylooks,feels

andisSouthernAfrican,”addRobertsandBell.

Asthesiteiscradledinanarcofgraniteoutcrops

andlocalthorntrees,thesurroundinglandscape

providesa‘SouthAfrican’feelandlowveldexperi-

ence.Theopeningbetweentheupperedgeofthe

seatingbowlandtheroofprovidesagapthrough

whichtheskyandsurroundinggranitetoppedhills

arevisiblefrommostoftheseats.Theroofcreates

theillusionoffloatingwithalightnessratherlikean

acaciatreecanopy.AnAcaciaforestonthesouth

hasbeenpreservedandadjoinsthestadium.The

main spectator approach path passes through

thesetreesprovidinga‘bushveld’experience.

Functionalityversusaesthetics

WithDurban’sMosesMabhidaStadiumhavingan

iconicarch,Johannesburg’sSoccerCityshowcas-

inganimpressivecalabashfaçadeandtheCape

TownStadiumpossessinganimpressiveroof,it

Theexteriorfaçadeofthestadiummoldsbeautifullyintoitswildandplant-filledsurroundings.

www.aleita.co.za

www.aleita.co.za

189 >

wasimperativefortheMbombelaStadiumtohave

itsownuniquelyidentifiablesignature.

Designedforcontextualrelevanceandfunctional-

ityratherthananiconicstatementandaesthetics,

theMbombelaStadium’spleasantstadiumexperi-

enceshavetodowiththeintimateproximitytothe

pitch,clearsightlinesandeaseofaccess.Otherele-

mentshavegreaterattentiontodetailratherthan

flashydécorandstoicstructures.

Stadiumdesignprinciples

Thestadiumseats40000spectatorsonthreeseat-

ingterraces.Foragoodviewofamatch,aspectator

requiresgoodfloodlighting,proximitytothefield

ofplayandaclearviewofallpartsofthepitch.These

are,tosomeextent,conflictingrequirementsbe-

causethecloseryoubringthestandstothefield,the

poorerthesightlinesbecome.Ifyouremovespecta-

torsfromthepitchbyhavingseatingplacedata

distance,theirexperienceisdiminished.Thetrick

hereistofindtherightbalanceinordertoachieve

bothproximitytothepitchandgoodsightlinesfor

spectators.Basically,thesightlinesattheMbombela

Stadiumareexcellent,enhancingspectatorsatis-

faction.

Thedesignatalltimeswaskeptrelativelysimple,tak-

ingintoaccountthelocalityofthestructureandthe

skillsavailablefromthelocallabourforce.Another

majorfactorinkeepingthestadiumsimpleandacces-

siblewasthatthearrivalandgeneralspectatorcir-

culationoccursatthemid-heightlevelofthestadium.

Spectatorsneedingaccesstothelowerterraceeas-

ilywalkdowntotheirseats,andspectatorsusingthe

suitelevelandupperterracewalkuplessthan

halftheheightthattheywouldnormallydoatlarger

stadiums.“Theaimoflayingthearenainasimple

rectangularplanform,andnotinanovalshape,

wastosimplifytheconstructionprocessandkeep

thebudgetincheck.Bothofthetwomainseating

tierslinkdirectlyintocontinuousandgenerous

TOP:Thethemeofsoccerisspreadthroughoutthestadiumwiththeuseofsoccericonwallcoverings.

ABOVE:Withbrightcoloursandanimalisticdesignelements,thisisAfrica’swildeststadium.

TOP:Thecolourfulinteriorcreatesanexcitingandvibrantatmosphere.

CENTRE&ABOVE:Zebra-stripedseatsenhancethewildanimalisticfeelofthestadium.

190 >

pedestrianconcourses,which in turn linkwith

eightgenerouspedestrianramps.

Inordertomeetthechallengingbudget,MOTTMc-

DonaldinLondonoptimisedtheroofdesigntobe

extremelylight,settingaworldstandardforde-

signweights.TheroofdesignhaswontheBritish

OverseasExpertiseAwardinthesportandleisure

category.

“Thearchitectsfolloweduniversallyacceptedstadium

principlesandusedtheFIFATechnicalRecommen-

dationsandRequirementsfortheConstructionor

ModernisationofFootballStadia,2000andthe

‘GuidetoSafetyatSportGrounds’(GreenGuide)

HMSO1997,”sayRobertsandBell.

Construction

Theclient,MbombelaMunicipality,wantedastadi-

umdesignthatcouldfitapproximately45000seats

andonethatwassuitabletohostpreliminary2010

WorldCupGroupstagematches.Thestadiumhadto

beFIFAcompliantintermsofsafetyanddesigned

accordingtotheBritishPublishedGreenGuide.It

hadtobeconstructedwithinthebudgetsprovided

as,unlikelargermunicipalitieselsewhereinSouth

Africa,thismunicipalitydidnothavefundstocover

extracostsoverandabovetheinitialbudget.

Thestadiumwasbuiltonasitethathasanesti-

mated5metreslopefromendtoend,whichiside-

al,butthegroundconditionsproveddifficultwith

excessiveclaynecessitatingexpensivefoundation

piles.“Fourleggedconcretecolumnsbuiltat10me-

treintervalswerepouredincrementallyaroundthe

stadium.Thesteelroofstructurefollowed,assem-

bledmodulebymodule.Thepre-castseatingtiers

andstepsfollowedasthepouredconcretecured.

Thelowertierexcavatedintothegroundwasrela-

tivelyindependentofthemainstructureandcould

thereforebeinstalledaccordingtoitsownidealpro-

gramme,”explainRobertsandBell.

Medupi ACC JV for ESKOM, Ellisras

N1 Freeway Bridge - Lynnwood, Pretoria

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192 >

Eachgiraffemotifhasaheadlargeenoughforapersontostandinside.

AnarchitecturalgiraffestaresintotheSouthAfricansunset.

Afisheyeviewoftheentirestadium,showcasingitszebra-stripedseatsandeightgiraffes.

193 >

Outofall thestadiumsusedfor theFIFA2010

WorldCup,theMbombelaStadiumhadthelowest

perseatcost.Thestadiumcanseatupto43500

spectators,ofwhich40000ticketsweresoldfor

theWorldCupand3500wereformediaandVIP

seats.Theseatswerenotremovable,thustheca-

pacityremainedunchangedaftertheWorldCup.

Forthespectatorswithwheelchairs,196wheel-

chairspacesareavailable.

Theseatinginthestadiumwastheclosesttothepitch

ofalltheWorldCupStadiumsinSouthAfrica.Inaddi-

tion,94%oftheseatingwasunderroofing,making

MbombelaStadium,alongwiththeCapeTownStadi-

um,thestadiumswiththemostseatsunderroofing.

TheRyegrasspitch,whichis693mabovesealevel,

hasagrasssurfacesuitableforinternationalrugby

andsoccer.

Difficultiesfaced&challengesovercome

Witharestrictedbudgetitwasimperativetostaywith-

inthelimits,thereforetheconstruction,including

mostcomponents,werelocallyprocured,manufac-

turedandassembled.Thedistancefromthemain

commercialandindustrialcentresrequiredaconsid-

erableamountoftransportationofprefabricated

goodswhichwasachallenge.Otherchallenges

facedincludedthedifficultgroundconditionsand

therelativelysmallcapacityoflocalcontractorsand

subcontractorsthatwereincludedintheproject.

www.dcsafrica.co.za

194 >

Themaincontractorhadtotrainover400work-

men,andlocalresidentswhowereseasonalfruit

pickers,invariousbuildingskills.Despiteanumber

ofstrikesandthecollapseofagiantcraneinama-

jorstorm,whichresultedinthelossofnumerous

workingdays,theconstructionteammanagedto

meetthecontractualdeadlines.

The‘goal’istobe‘green’

Tomaintainalowcarbonfootprint,withthe‘goal’

ofbeing‘green’,thedesignersandthemunicipality

didtheirbittofallinlinewiththeWorldCup’sGreen

Goalinitiative.

“Alowtransportcarbonfootprintwasachievedby

minimisingtheuseofoverseascomponentsasfar

aspossible.Theenvironmentallyfriendlyandeco-

logicalaspectsofthedesignincludetherecoveryof

rainwaterrunofffromthestadiumroofandrecovery

oftheirrigationandprecipitationwateronthepitch

viaapipenetworkthatchannelsthewaterbackto

aholdingtankforre-use.Muchcarehasbeentak-

entorecoverandrecyclebothrainandirrigation

water.Another innovation is theheat recovery

fromtheairconditioningsystemwhich inturn

heatsthehotwaterforthebuilding.”

Othergreeninitiativesincludealargesolararray

connecteddirectlyintothebuildinggrid.Theclimate

oftheregionallowsforopenconcourses.Thesixme-

treopeningbetweentheupperedgeofthetiered

seatingandtheroofventilatestheseatingbowlon

hotdaysandcreatesafeelingofopenness.

Facilitiesavailable

EverynewstadiumincludingMbombelawasbuilt

toFIFA’sspecifications.Themainplayers’change

rooms,locatedinthebasement,caneachaccom-

modate50people.Thefacilitiesincludenettedwarm

upareas,afullyequippedgymnasium,amplelockers,

Anartist’scolourpalettewasusedfortheinterior,withcoloursofred,orange,blueandgreensplatteredthroughouttheinteriorstructure.

196 >

The30metrehighgiraffemotifshavebeenplacedaroundtheoutsideedgeofthestadium,facingoutwards.

197 >

Thelongroofcantileverdesignlentitselftoacablestayedroofdesign,whichinturnrequiredatower,creatingthegiraffeicon.

198 >

hydrotherapybaths,bootwashfacilitiesandre-

laxationrooms.Elaboratepressfacilitiesareincor-

poratedincludinganauditorium,withaudiovisual

equipmentforgameanalysisandpressconfer-

encesandassociatedrecreationalspaces.Offices

suitableforrunningthestadiumandagymnasium

forpublicusehavealsobeenplanned.

Themid-level, locatedbetweentheupperand

lowertiersinthestadium,hasaPresidentialSuite

withbarsanddiningroom,publicrestaurantfacili-

tiesand28publicleasedskyboxes.Alongsidethe

skyboxes,fiveclubloungeshavealsobeenbuilt.

ThePresidentialSuiteisservicedbyaliftfroma

drop-offpointinthebasement.ThereisalsoaTV

studioandthevenueoperationscentreonthe

Mid-level.

Alecturetheatrewithrelatedkitchensandacom-

mercialgymnasiumonthegroundfloorcanbe

usedforoccasionsunrelatedtofootballorrugby

games.“Thesiteislargeandwillbedevelopedin

thecourseoftimetoincludeanathleticstrack,

netballcourtsandtenniscourtswithaccompany-

ingfacilities.ItishopedthateventuallyaSports

ScienceCentrewillfollow.Asthepublic’sneeds

becomeclearer,thebalanceofthespace(thatwas

initiallyusedasFIFAentertainmentareasforthe

worldcupmatches)willberetainedaslargeenter-

tainmentareasorconvertedintofurtherskyboxes

orleasedascommercialoffices.”

“BoththeMbombelaMunicipality,includingtheir

enthusiasticMayor,andtheMpumulangaProvin-

cialofficialsappearextremelyproudoftheirnew

asset,”concludeRobertsandBell.

DannyJordaan,headoftheFIFALocalOrganising

Committee,hasalsorecentlysaidthat“theMbombela

Stadiumisoneofthemostdistinctiveandunique

stadiumsinFIFAWorldCuphistory.”<

TOP:Asimpleandformalarchitecturaldesignwasusedfortheshowerfacilities.

CENTRE:Brightcolourpaletteshavebeenusedforinteriorrooms,togetherwithAfricanelements.

ABOVE:Thelockerroomsprovideplayerswithaprofessionalspacetoprepandgetreadyforthebiggame.

We do allBuilding alterations

PlumbingFire-claims

Replacement of ceilingsPainting

Burglary repairs

Tel: 012 664-1717 Fax: 012 664-7810 email: [email protected]: 22 Botha Avenue, Lyttelton, Centurion

200 >

Theinteriorviewofthepitchandsomeoftheseating.

201 >

TheEllisParkStadium,situatedintheheartofJohannes-

burg,isoneofthecountry’smostfamousvenuesforlarge

sportingevents.Inordertoqualifyasavenueforthe

stagingofmatchesforthe2010FIFASoccerWorldCup,the

stadiumunderwentafaceliftandupgrade.Thiswashighly

challenging,asthestadiumremainedoperationalthrough-

outtherenovation.

ByBevHermanson

ASLICEOFHISTORYGETSAFACELIFT

TheEllisParkStadiumwillalwayshaveitsplacein

thehistoryofSouthAfricanrugby.Fewwillforget

thespiritofunitythatsoaredhighabovethena-

tionasNelsonMandelahelduptheRugbyWorld

CupTrophythatwaswonbytheSpringboksback

in1995.Itwasapoignantmomentinthecountry’s

historythatwillliveforeverintheheartsofourre-

centlyliberatedrainbowpeople.

Fewcanlikewiseforgetthetragiclossoflifeastoo

manyfans,crammedintoEllisPark,panickedand

ranamokatanOrlandoPiratesvsKaiserChiefs

clashin2003.Thusthestadium’shallsresonate

withglory,yetareshroudedinsorrow.

ThefirstEllisParkstadiumwasbuiltonthesiteback

in1928on13acresthatwereearmarkedforthepur-

posebytheJohannesburgCouncillor,JDEllis.After

justoverhalfacenturyofrugbytriumphsandde-

feats,thestadiumwasdemolishedtomakeway

foramoremodernfacility.Thenewstadiumwas

completedin1982,butitremainedverymucha

maledominateddomain.

FrombeingthebasefortheTransvaalRugbyUnionin

theearly1900s,thenewstadiumwasestablished

asthehomeoftheCatsandtheLionsRugbyUnion.It

wasalsoapopularvenuefortestmatcheswherehis-

torywasmadeinthetitanicstrugglesbetweenrug-

bynations.Thiswastheplacewherelegendswere

born.

Oneofthemostmemorablemomentswaswhen

JoelStranskybootedadropgoalinextratimeonthat

fatefuldaybackinJune1995,whentheSpringboks

wrenchedtheRugbyWorldCuptitleandtrophy

fromtheAllBlackswitha15:12finalscore.

Tenyearslater,historywasagainmadewhen51%

ownershipwaspassedtotheOrlandoPiratesFootball

Club,establishingEllisParkasthefirstblack-owned

stadiuminSouthAfricaandhometobothsoccer

andrugby–stillinthemain,maledominatedsports.

Thebrief

Whenplanswereputinplacetopreparethevarious

citiesforthestagingofthe2010FIFAWorldCup,

EllisParkagaincameintothelimelight.Where

nearlyacenturyago,13acreshadeasilybeenset

asideforenjoymentofthesportofrugby,thepre-

cincthadnowbecomelargelybuilt-up.Thiswas

indeedchallengingfortheteamatDBMArchitects,

whowerepartoftheconsortiumtaskedwithup-

gradingtheconvenientlysituatedstadiumtoa

seatingcapacityof62000spectators.

“ThestadiumformspartoftheEllisParkWorldof

SportCampus.NowknownasCocaColaPark,the

stadiumrubsshoulderswiththeJohannesburg

Stadium,thehomeofathletics,theStandardBank

Arena,apopularvenueforconcerts,tennistourna-

ments,boxingandsquashchampionshipsandthe

202 >

AerialviewofEllisPark,nowrenamedtheCocaColaStadium.Thestadiumprecinct.PhotobyEmilyVisser.

203 >

CELEBRATETHE POWEROF COLOUR

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203 >

www.nexuscarpets.co.za

204 >

Olympicsizedswimmingpool.Althougharound

R2-billionwassetasidebytheJohannesburgDe-

velopmentAgency(JDA)foramajorupgradeand

regenerationofthesuburbsofDoornfontein,Ber-

trams,BezuidenhoutValley,Troyeville, Judith’s

PaarlandLorentzville,onlyR230-millionwasallo-

catedtotheupgradingoftheCocaColaParkStadi-

um,”saysWynandduPlessisofDBMArchitects.

“Thiswaslessthanatenthofthebudgetsforsome

ofthenewstadiums.”

Whenonelookedattheaerialviewoftheprecinct,

thetightnessoftheurbanfabricwasapparent.As

therewasnotmuchinthewayofparking,hence

thePark‘nRideschemethatwasputinplacesome

yearsback,tocopewiththeinfluxoffans.

Theupgradewasdividedintofourcategories:

> Theentiremainwesterngrandstandwasupgrad-

ed,includingallofthecompetitors’,hospitality

andmediaareas.

> Theexistingtoiletsandconcessionfacilitiesaround

thestadiumwerecompletelyoverhauledandaddi-

tionaltoiletfacilitieswereaddedforwomen.

> Anewupperseatingtierthatwouldaccommo-

dateanadditional5000seatswasaddedtothe

northernpavilion.Thishadtoincludearoof.

> Aparkadewasadded,enoughtoaccommodate

1100vehicles forVIPparking,withplans in

placeforfurtherexpansioninthefuture.Thisbuild-

ingnowincludesprovisionforstoragespace,a

publicmedicalcentre,apolicestationwithholding

cellsandretailtradingspace.

“Inorderforastadiumtoqualifytohostsomeof

thematchesuptoquarterfinallevel,theseatingca-

pacityhad to accommodate more than 60 000

spectators.Thiswastrickyas,duetothebigpress

contingent,we‘lost’alotofseats,”duPlessisex-

plains.“Asaresultoftherestrictedbudget,wehad

tobeverydisciplinedintermsofwhatshouldbe

upgradedandhow.Oneoftheareasthatwede-

cidedtofocusonwasthepublicareabetweenwhat

wastheEllisParkStadiumandtheStandardBank

Arena.Weknewthatmostofthepublicapproached

thestadiumfromthenorth,sowedecidedtomake

thisaspectthefaceofthenewCocaColaPark,with

thenewParkadelocatedontheeasternside.”

Executionofthedesignconcepts

Theaestheticstyleofthenewnorthernelevation

canbedescribedasmodernfunctionalism.Elements

weredevelopedto‘workwith’theexistingstruc-

ture.Theseincludedanewstructuralskinofcare-

fullydesignedsteelsupportsthatcarrythenew

roofandseating,alongwithhugeuprightsmade

ofoff-shutterconcretedissectedbyanenormous

TheEllisParkprecincthasbeenextensivelyupgradedaspartoftheJohannesburgurbanregenerationinitiative.

Thestadiumprecinct.PhotobyEmilyVisser.

205 >

AerialviewofEllisPark,nowrenamedtheCoca-ColaPark.

206 >

redarchthathintsattherainbowofthenewde-

mocracy.Further, thesteelgrillescreeningthe

glassedareaissuggestiveoftheSouthAfrican

flag.

Overandabovethearchitecturalrequirements,

every other aspect of the stadium had to be

broughtintolinewithFIFA’srequirements.Thisin-

cludedtheupgradingofthefloodlighting,which

hadtobedoubledinintensity.Therearetemporary

structuresthathavebeenplacedasoverlays,tobe

usedonlyduringtheSoccerWorldCup–thesewill

bedismantledandremovedafterthechampion-

shipsareconcluded.Thisincludesabridgebe-

tweentheuniversityandthestadiumforusebythe

press.Then,forfuturesustainability,alegacyelement

hasbeenintegraltotheoveralldesign.Thisincludes

aconferencecentre,thatwillaccommodatebetween

800and1000delegates,thathasbeencreatedout

ofwhatwasaparkinglevelbehindthegrandstand.

Fortheconferencevenue,thepresidentialsuite

andthesportscentre,anaffordabletuftedcarpettile

fromNexus’sMatrixrangewasused.Thisprovides

insulation,warmthandtheabsorptionofambientsta-

diumnoise.

“WiththecarpetingattheEllisParkStadium,budg-

etanddurabilityweremajorconsiderations.Nexus

wasawardedthecontractasourproductsaremanu-

facturedlocallybuttothebestinternationalstand-

ards.Ifanyproblemsarisewiththeflooring,itis

easiertoobtainsuppliesandmaterialsfromalo-

calmanufacturerandourcarpetsarebackedwith

a15yearwearwarranty,”saysAdrianScholtz,a

Nexusrepresentative.

Nexusisthecommercialdivisionofleadingcarpet

manufacturer,BelgotexFloorcoverings(Pty)Ltd.

Withitswiderangeofproducts,Nexusassisted

DBMArchitectsbyprovidingadurabletiletocope

withtheexpectedheavytrafficflow.“Theobjective

wastosteerawayfroman‘officelook’andtocre-

ateanaestheticallypleasinginterior,withalinear

appearance.Forthis,weusedcarpettiles,instead

ofbroadloomcarpeting,”Scholtzexplains.

Publicsafety

Spectator safety is an essential consideration

whenplanningapublicfacilitysuchasastadium.

Crowdcontrolandthedynamicsofemergency

situationshavedistinctivepatternsandsincethe

2003tragedy,themanagementoftheCoca-Cola

StadiumattheEllisParkcampusisemphaticthat

thiskindofincidentshouldnotbeallowedtohap-

penagain.Likelyevacuationpatternswereexam-

inedandescaperoutesidentified.

Themainescaperouteprovidedisa4m-widetun-

nelatthenorth-easternendofthestadium.Thisis

wideenoughforemergencyandservicevehicles

tousetogetontothepitchinordertoevacuate

anyonethathasbeeninjured.Theexitofthetun-

nelisclosetothenew,state-of-the-artmedical

centrelocatedinthenewparkade.

Disabled and paraplegic spectators have also

beenconsidered.Thereare200spectatorseating

positionsallocatedatgroundlevelwithrampsfor

easy access by wheel chairs and in the cloak-

rooms,emergencyalertshavetakensightand

hearingimpairedindividualsintoaccount,too.So,

forexample,aflashinglightwillindicateaneedfor

evacuation,toalerthearingimpairedspectatorsto

anemergency.

TheupgradestartedinAugust2007andendedin

March2009,intimeforthesuccessfulstagingofthe

ConfederationsCupinJune2009.

“ItwasindeedaprivilegeforDBMArchitectsto

havebeeninvolvedinthisproject.Ithasenhanced

ourunderstandingofstadiaasabuiltformand

whilechallengingonmanylevels,itwasapleas-

uretobepartoftheveryspecialteamthataccom-

plishedthisupgrade,”saysduPlessis.<

207 >

Twoconcretecolumnssupportaredflashthatisreminiscentofthecountry’srainbow.

Theextensiveuseofsteelsupportsaddsaslightlymorecontemporaryappearancetotherenovatedstadium.

www.aluglass.co.za

208 >

Itwasin1999thatspectatorsattheLoftus

VersfeldStadiumwitnessedBafanaBanfana,

SouthAfrica’snationalteam,playasoccer

gameagainstSweden.Asoneofthevenues

thathostedmatchesofthe2010FIFAWorld

Cup,LoftusVersveldgaveitsspectatorsthe

opportunityonceagaintowitnessBafana

Bafanaplayanothergameofsoccerwhen

theyplayedagainstUruguayatthestadium.

TheLoftusVersfeldStadiumhasalotofcharacter,

ithashistoryandithasasenseofplace.Situated

inTshwane,Pretoria,thestadiumislocatedwithin

averydenseandurbanfabric,makingitpartof

thecity.Itisnotisolatedfromthecityassomeof

theotherstadiumsare,whichmakesitunique.“It

isnotjustastadium,butitisabuzzofactivities.

Ithasavibe,”saysBhavikRanchod,architectand

projectmanager,TheCreativeAxisArchitects.

ONEOFTHEOLDESTSTADIUMS

LoftusVersfeldStadiumisoneoftheoldeststadi-

umsinSouthAfrica.Thisall-seaterstadiumhas

beenusedformajorsportingeventssince1903,in-

cludingsignificantmatcheswhichwerepartofthe

1995RugbyWorldCupandthe1996CAFAfrican

CupofNations.Hostingcountlessrugbyandsoccer

matches, this stadium is no stranger to these

sports.LoftusVersfeldStadiumisthehomeground

oftheMamelodiSundownsFootballClub,oneof

SouthAfrica’spremiereprofessionalclubs,andSuper-

sportUnited.Itisalsohometooneofthecountry’s

toprugbyteams,theBlueBulls.

Thestadium’sfirstconcretestructure,builtbythe

CityCouncilofPretoriain1923,couldonlyaccom-

modatetwothousandspectators.Since1948,Loftus

Versfeldhasundergoneconstantupgradesand

renovationsanditsfourmainstandshavebeen

completelyrebuilt.

LOFTUSSPECTATORSWITNESSEDANOTHERBAFANABAFANAGAME ByStaceyRowan

209 >

UPGRADINGTHEOLDTOMAKEITNEW

ThemostrecentrenovationatLoftuswasthe2010

FIFAWorldCupfacelift.Toqualifyforselectionasa

SouthAfrican2010hoststadiumandavenuefor

theWorldCup,thestadiumwasupgradedtomeet

thestringentrequirementsspecifiedbyFIFA.

“ThestadiumisownedbyTheBlueBullsCompany

(Pty)Ltd,wherebyotherstadiumsareownedeither

bymunicipalitiesorthegovernment.Beinganold

stadium,itrequiredvariousupgradesinorderto

makethestadiumFIFAcomplaint.Unlikeother

newlybuiltstadiums,thisprojectonlyinvolvedan

upgrade,”addsRanchod.

Thebriefentailedanupgradethatincludedbasicad-

ditionsandarefurbishment.Thefloodlightswere

upgradedandanewroofovertheeasternpavilionwas

built,whichnowhousesanewsetoffloodlights,

addingtotheaestheticsofthestadium.Another

upgradeincludedtheimplementationofback-up

power,throughtheuseofgenerators.“Duringthe

matches,thestadiumwillrunoffgenerators,elimi-

natingtheriskofpowerfailures,”saysRanchod.

Thescoreboard,players’changeroomsandsound

systemwerealsoupgradedtomeetFIFA’sspecifi-

cationsanddesignatedmediaareaswerecon-

structedinthelowerleveloftheweststand.With

anestimatedseatcapacityof49215seats,thetask

ofreplacingeachseatwaschallenging.“Thenewly

placedbrightblueseats,whichareplasteredevery-

where,standout,”saysRanchod.Anewliftonthe

north-westcornerofthestadiumwasadded,to-

getherwiththeplacementofanewringofturn-

stilesthatarelocatedaroundthestadium.TheIT

systemswerealsoupgradedwhichallowedfordig-

ital access control and the pitch was restored,

amongotherminorupgradesthatoccurred.

Inaddition,anewwalkwaywasbuiltontheeastern

sideofthestadium,whichallowedformorethan

210 >

50%ofthestadiums’spectatorstocomethrough

theeastside.Thisentrancewasalsodesignedto

doubleupasanessentialaccessforemergencyve-

hicles.Thewalkwaywas,andstill is,seenasa

meansofknittingtheprecincttogetherwithboth

thetransportandbusroutes,aswellasthejam-

packedsocialareaofHatfield.Withthewalkway

beingdesignedaroundaclassicpark-likeapproach,

itmadethestadiumupgrade,asawhole,serveas

adynamicrenditiontothelistoflandmarksalready

definingthecity.

Otherupgradesincludedtherefurbishmentofthe

boardhallarea,newtoiletblockswereintroduced

andtheVIPareasonthemainpavilionwereup-

graded.Thekeyentrancesaswellasablutionfa-

cilitiessituatedaroundthestadiumwererenovat-

ed,whichgavethestadiumafreshnewlook.

THESTADIUMTHATNEVERSLEEPS

TheLoftusVersfeldStadiumwasdifferent from

mostoftheother2010FIFAstadiumsasitwasa

workingstadium,withmatchesthatwereplayedon

anongoingbasisduringtheconstructionphase.

“Wefacedenormouschallengesinthatweneeded

totakehealthandsafetyintoconsideration,mak-

ingsurethatnospectatorsorplayerswerehurt.

EventhoughLoftusVersfeldwasa‘living’stadium

atthetimeoftheconstructionperiod,noincidents

occurred.

Havingthesmallestbudgetofallthe2010stadiums

wasanotherchallengefortheprojectteam.“We

didnothavethefreedomtodowhatwewishedar-

chitecturallyduetoourlimitedbudgetandthere-

forewecouldnotmakeanarchitecturalstatement,”

explainsRanchod.

Keepingwithinthestadium’ssurroundingswas

alsoachallengethatwasfaced,yetaccomplished.

“Wehadtotiethestadiumintowhatwasalready

there,keepwithintheheritageofthestadiumand

notallowourconstructionactivitiestodisturbthe

outsidearea.”Thestadiummaintainedinteraction

withthecity,whichwasvital.

Duringtheupgrade,theprojectteammaintained

eco-friendliness.Someoftheeco-friendlymethods

usedincludedtheuseofenergyefficientproducts

forlightingandplacementofeco-friendlyflooring

likebamboofinishedfloorsandcertaineco-friendly

carpets.“Wetriedtomakethestadiumeco-friendly

wherewecould.”

AMIXED-USEDEVELOPMENT

“Thefullyoperationalstadiumcanbeconsidereda

mixed-usedevelopmentasithousesmorethan300

offices,aconferencevenue,anauditorium,change

roomsfortheplayers,manysuitesandskyboxes,”

saysRanchod.Accordingtotheclient’sbriefand

theBlueBullsManagementAgency,thestadium

hadtobeofbenefittotheownersasafuture-use

development,afterthe2010WorldCup.

“TheLoftusVersfeldStadiumprovedtobeareward-

ingprojectuponcompletion.Withthebasicinfra-

structureimproved,itisnowaFIFA-compliantstadium

andweareproudtosaythattheFIFAaffiliatesare

satisfiedwiththestadium,”concludesRanchod.<

211 >

[email protected]

GREENPARK:‘WORK,LIVE&PLAY’Withapublicsquare,offices,a5-starboutique

hotel,apavementretailcentre,cafes,anup-

marketnightclub,aconferencecentre,aVirgin

Activehealthcentre,aspaandapartments,

residents,employeesandguestsatGreen

Parkdon’thavetostepafootoutsideitsdoors.

Alltheirbasicneedsaresatisfiedbythefacilities

availableatthedevelopment,whichprovide

meansoffood,exercise,leisure,workandrest.

Atthisurbanlifestyledevelopmentit’sall

aboutthe‘Work,Live,andPlay’.

GreenParkissituatedinWestRoadSouth,

Morningside,withinwalkingdistancefrom

SandtonCentralandthenewGautrainStation.

Althoughphasetwoandthreeofthedevel-

opmentareonlysetforcompletionin2013

and2015respectively,phaseoneisduefor

completionattheendof2010.

212 >

ByStaceyRowan.

213 >

ARCHITECTURALDESIGN

ThearchitecturaldesignofGreenParkis

environmentallyresponsive.Thedevelop-

menthastobecarefullyorientatednorth-

wardstoallowfornaturalsunlightandsum-

mershading.

“Thesiteitlocatedwithinapublicenviron-

mentandhasbeendesignedtoaccommo-

datethepeople.Thedesignisdeliberately

pedestrianandinclusiveofthesurrounding

areas.Theintentionwas,andcontinuesto

be,tocreateacomfortablehumanenviron-

mentsimilartothekindofsmallerscaleur-

banareaswhichexistedbeforecar-driven

planningdestroyedmostofthiscity.Also,

theclientunderstandshowcomplexand

integratedenvironmentsfunctionwhichhas

madeitpossibleforthedesigntodevelop

inaverydifferentmannertoconventional

projectsinSandton,”explainssaysVaughn

Horsman,headarchitectontheproject.

Apartfromthearchitecturaldesign,the

overallaestheticsofthedevelopmentare

modernandcontemporary.Theinterior

calledforacleanandneutrallook.“Thiswas

createdthroughtheuseofneutralmaterial

choiceslikeconcreteintheframestructures,

glassforthefacadesandgreyandwhite

plaster.Otherchoicesincludedrobustexter-

nalmaterials,brickworkskinwithgamma

zenithorcladdingandtimberforthebal-

conies.

214 >

CHALLENGESFACED

Withthedevelopmentofferingapartments,

hotelroomsandofficespaces,among

others,thisrequiredasubstantiallylarge

amountofparkingthatneededtobebuilt.

“Thereisahugeamountofparkingaccom-

modatedoverfourbasements.”Notonly

didthesefacilitiescreateaneedformass

parking,butthemixed-useofthedevel-

opmentalsocreatedchallenges.“Thecom-

plexitiesofmixed-usearenaturallychal-

lenging.Theresidentialapartmentson

topofretailhadtobecarefullyplanned,as

wellastheofficespacethemselves.The

useofdeepgreengardendecksandar-

cadesthatseparatethesevariouszones

providedasolutionforthis,”saysHorsman.

SOARINGINTOTHESKIES

GreenParkcertainlysoarsintotheskies

withits20storycommercialoffice,which

formsthetallestbuildinginthedevelop-

ment.“Thedesignbrief,fromourclient

LushakaInvestments,calledforamixed-

use,highriseandhighdensityprecinctin

Morningside,whichwouldfocusaroundan

urbansquare.Thelandcosthasdemanded

thatthedesignmaximisesheightand

bulkatallcosts,”saysHorsman.

www.redlarch.co.za

217 >

LANDSCAPEARCHITECTURE

BerthaWiumLandscapeDevelopment,in

associationwithRedLandscapeArchi-

tects,wasresponsiblefortheexecutionof

thelandscapearchitectureoftheLandscape

DevelopmentPlan,ascommissionedby

A3Architects.

“Workingincloserelationwiththeclient

andthearchitects,thevisionwasformu-

lated–developingalandscapethatwill

emphasisethenameofthedevelopment

‘GreenPark’.Thedesignallowedforample

green,verticalwalls,raisedplantersand

lawnareas,potgardensandlargetrees

plantedinsunkengardens,”saysBertha

Wium,MD,BerthaWiumLandscapeDevel-

opment(Pty)LtdandFrancoisvanRooyen,

MD,RedLandscapeArchitects(Pty)Ltd.

Thelandscapearchitectureneededtoover-

cometheadverseclimaticconditionsas-

sociatedwiththebuiltupenvironments

inSandton.Thiswasachievedbystrate-

gicallydesigningthelocationoftheland-

scapewithinandaroundthebuilding,

ensuringthattheultimatelandscapewas

chosenintheavailablespaces.

“ThedesignofGreenParkwillbeayard

stickfornewbuildingsinandaroundSand-

ton,”saysWium.

A3ARCHITECTS

A3Architectsworkedcloselywith the

LushakaGrouptocreatetheultra-modern

architecturaldesignofGreenParkSandton.

Differentiatingthemfromotherarchitec-

turalfirmsisthereuniquerelationshipswith

clientsandsuppliersandthereongoing

personalservice.“Ourpracticeisnotonly

aboutdeliveringtheendproduct,butit’s

alsoaboutcreatingrelationshipswithour

clientsensuringthattheirrequirements

aremet.Thepracticeitselfisahardwork-

ingbutrelaxedenvironmentwithagood

vibebetweencolleagues.Itisalsoalearn-

ingenvironmentwhereeveryoneisableto

participateinalllevelsofacertainproject,

askquestionsandanumberofstudents

areemployedandtrained.<

218 > 218 >

We SALUTE , NEDBANK’S EARTHLY “GREEN” SOUTH AFRI-

CAN VISION for commitment to a healthy work environ-

ment, and their insistence that all Carpet Tiles installed

at their Sandton “Phase 2” premises are manufactured

IN South Africa and are “Greenstar IEQ-13” compliant.

This “Green – Keep it South African” vision was directly

responsible for Dyemension Dynamix Corporate Carpets

(Pty) Ltd urgently researching and acquiring the neces-

sary knowledge, technology, skills and equipment for

production and the resultant “Greenstar IEQ-13”

accreditation on all of our products including the

Nedbank carpet tiles used in “Phase 2”.

In addition to creating a healthier, sustainable environ-

ment the opening of export opportunities with compli-

ant South African products is an important added

benefit.

This “keep it – Green and South African” vision is appre-

ciated and seen as a genuine display of Nedbank’s

Corporate Responsibility in creating opportunities and

jobs, by ensuring local products enjoy all the benefits

of, and are equivalent to, internationally available “state

of the art” products worldwide.

For more information please visit us at

www.dyemensiondynamix.co.za

Email us: [email protected]

Tel no: +27 (31) 464 2627

Fax no: +27 (31) 464 9450

N T R ACT

O

C

CAR P E T T

I L

ES

C

ORPORAT

E

yemension ynamix

DESIGN DYNAMICS BY DYEMENSION DYNAMIXNedbank – colour sandune carpet tiles.As supplied by Dyemension Dynamix and Installed by

Peter Bates Flooring in Nedbank’s Phase 2 Rivonia Project.

GREENBUILDINGCOUNCIL

MEMBER ORGANISATION

SA

www.dyemensiondynamix.co.za

219 > 219 >

The‘Gogreen’movement,atrend

thathasbeenaroundforages,is

continuouslyevolving.

THE

FIR

ST

STE

PIN

TH

ES

OU

THA

FRIC

AN

GR

EEN

B

UIL

DIN

GE

VO

LUTI

ON

ByStaceyRowan

Weallknowthewaystoliveeco-friendlyliveslike

switchingofflightsandusingwater-savingdevices

inourhomes,reducingourusageofmotorvehicles,

plantingtreesinourgardensandrecycling.Going

greenisheretostayandthevarioustrendswithin

thegreenmovementarenowchangingdirection,

movingbeyondmaintainingeco-friendlylives,to

developingeco-friendly‘green’buildings.

NedbankPhase2,situatedinSandton,Johannes-

burg,notonlyisoneofthelargestbankofficecom-

plexesinSouthAfrica,butitisalsothefirstbuilding

inSouthAfricatoreceiveGreenStaraccreditation.

“ThisisahugeachievementinSouthAfrica,asthis

hasneverbeendonebefore.Therearenoothercerti-

fiedbuildingsyetinSouthAfrica,”saysMarloes

Reinink,thesustainablebuildingconsultanton

theNedbankproject.

Whatisagreenbuilding?

Tounderstandthisachievement,itisimportantto

firstunderstandtheconceptofagreenbuilding.

AccordingtotheGreenBuildingCouncilofSouth

Africa(GBCSA),agreenbuildingisastructurethatis

energyandresourceefficient,whilstmaintaining

environmentalresponsibility.Thebuildingitself

integratesdesign,materials,construction,techno-

logicalandoperationalpracticesthatdramatically

reduceorcompletelyeliminateitsnegativeimpact

ontheenvironmentanditsinhabitants.Building

green,anopportunitytoaddressclimatechange,

createsimproved,healthierandmoreproductive

workenvironmentsforemployeestoworkin.

Specificgreenbuildingmeasuresincludecareful

buildingdesigntoreduceheatloads,themaximisa-

tionofnaturallightandpromotingthecirculationof

freshair;theuseofenergy-efficientair-conditioning

andlighting;theuseofenvironmentally-friendly

materials;thereductionofwaste,andtheuseof

recycledmaterials;water-efficientplumbingfittings

andwaterharvesting;theuseofrenewableenergy

sourcesandsensitivitywithregardtotheimpactof

thedevelopmentonthesurroundingenvironment.

Ratingagreenbuilding

Inordertoenableanobjectiveassessmentastohow

‘green’abuildingis,agreenbuildingratingtoolneeds

tobeputinplacetosetstandardsandbenchmarks.

Theratingsystemsetsouta‘menu’,acartedujour,

ofallthemeasuresthatcanbeincorporatedinto

abuildingtomakeit‘green’.Pointsareawardedto

abuildingaccordingtowhichmeasureshavebeen

builtinand,aftersuitableweighting,acomplete

221 >

scoreiscalculated.Thisdeterminestheratingof

thegivenbuilding.

TheGBCSAdevelopstheseGreenStarSArating

toolstoprovidethepropertyindustrywithanob-

jectivemeasurementforgreenbuildingsandto

recogniseandrewardenvironmentalleadershipin

thepropertyindustry.EachGreenStarSArating

toolreflectsadifferentmarketsector,forexample:

office,retailandresidential,amongothers.

TheGreenStarobjectivescreateacommonlan-

guageandstandardofmeasurementforgreen

buildings, togetherwithpromoting integrated,

whole-building design. Raising awareness of

greenbuildingbenefits,recognisingenvironmen-

talleadershipandreducingtheenvironmentalim-

pact of developments are other criteria of the

GreenStarsystem.

Greenbuildingsversusconventionalbuildings

Asidefromthereducedcarbonfootprint,thereisa

convincingbusinesscaseinfavourofgreenbuild-

ings.Withstudiesshowingdramaticincreasesin

productivityamongusersandemployees,dueto

increasedfreshair,morenatural lightandless

toxicmaterialsused,tenantsarebecomingmore

awareofthese‘green’benefits.Alongsidethisin-

creasedawareness,thedemandforgreenbuild-

ingsisgrowingatarapidpace,withtenantseven

beingpreparedtopayhigherrentals.

Duetothesubstantialsavingsinutilityservices,

particularlywhenviewedonalifecyclebasis,ten-

antsingreenbuildingsarefindingthatoperating

costsarelessenedconsiderably.Agreenbuilding

doesnotnecessarilyneedtocostmorethanacon-

ventionalbuilding.Throughintelligentdesignand

theuseoffundamentalenergyefficientmaterials,

muchcanbeachieved.

Thegreenbuildingmovementisamoreefficient

wayofdevelopingandoperatingbuildingsandit

ishopedthat,overtime,itwillleadtotheobsoles-

cenceofconventionalbuildings.Themovementis

nowbeingseenas‘futureproofing’buildingsand

isbeingregardedasariskmanagementissue.

Operatorsofgreenbuildingscanreducetheircon-

sumptionofenergytolessthanhalfofwhataconven-

tionalbuildingconsumes,withsimilarreductions

inpotablewaterusage,runofftosewerandsolid

waste.Bypromotinggreenbuildingpractices,the

GBCSAcanhaveareallysignificantimpactonthe

223 >

www.gerberit.com

224 >

reductionofresourceconsumptionandoncombat-

ingglobalwarming.

Thenamewiththegreenlogo

Woulditnotbeconsideredcoincidentalthatthe

clientofthefirstGreenStarratedbuildingsports

agreenlogo?

NedbankGroupisSouthAfrica’sfourthlargest

bankinggroupmeasuredbyassets,withastrong

depositfranchise,thesecondlargestretaildepos-

itbase,aclient-centricwholesaleandretailfran-

chiseandasubstantialandgrowingassurance

andwealthmanagementoffering.Thisgrouppro-

videsanamplerangeofwholesaleandretailbank-

ingservicesthroughfivemainbusinessclusters,

namely Nedbank Capital, Nedbank Corporate,

NedbankBusinessBanking,NedbankRetailand

Nedbank Bancassurance & Wealth. Nedbank

GroupfocusesonSouthernAfrica,withthegroup

positionedasabankforall–frombotharetailand

awholesalebankingpointofview.

NedbankGroupoffersbankingserviceswhich

comprisebusiness,corporateandretailbanking,

property finance, investment banking, private

banking,foreignexchangeandsecuritiestrading.

Italsogeneratesincomefromprivateequity,cred-

itcardissuingandprocessingservices,custodial

services,unittrustadministration,assetmanage-

mentservicesandbancassurance.

Makingthingshappen

WithNedbank’sproudslogan‘makethingshappen’,

thequestionisposed:howdidNedbankmakethe

Phase2developmentgreen?

Asustainabilityreviewofthedesigntookplacein

2007byagroupconsistingofWSPGREENbyDESIGN,

PJCCarewConsultingandTheCouncilforScientific

andIndustrialResearch(CSIR).Thereviewpanel

evaluatedthedesignandsuggestedinitiativesto

improvethesustainableperformanceofthebuilding.

Therecommendationswerecategorisedandpri-

oritisedusing the ‘shadesofgreen’approach,

whichclassifiedtheinitiativesintothreelevelsof

sustainability,includinggoodpractice,bestprac-

ticeandcuttingedge.Afterthesustainabilityre-

view,WSPGREENbyDESIGNwasappointedto

assistinimplementingenvironmentalinitiatives

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226 > 226 > 226 >

andtoguidetheprofessionaldesignteamtowardsa

4StarlevelofGreenStarSA–OfficeDesignv1rating

whichwasachievedon15October2009.Inaddition,

theprojectteamiscurrentlypursuingregistration

foraGreenStarSAOfficesAsBuiltv1rating.

AGreenfieldsitewasnotusedasthebuildingis

locatedonpreviouslydevelopedland.Takingthe

landuseandecologyintoconsideration,thetopsoil

onthesitewastakenawaybythesub-contractor,

cleanedandreusedonotherdevelopmentprojects,

whiletheecologicalvalueoftheNedbankPhase2

sitewasenhancedbeyonditspreviouslyexisting

state.Thebuildingispredominantlyframedincon-

cretewith95%recycledcontentforrebarsanda

minimumfly-ashcontentof30%onaverage.

“NedbankhadwantedthePhase2buildingtobe

agreenbuildinglongbeforetherulebookcame

out,”saysXavierHuyberechts,seniorexecutive

partner,GLH&AssociatesArchitects.

Togogreen,Nedbankrequiredthatallemissions

frommaterialsandprocessespossessrefrigerant

andgaseousfiresuppressantsandthatthermal

insulantshaveanOzoneDepletingPotentialofzero.

VolatileOrganicCompoundsoftheofficeinterior

paintandcarpetshavebeenreducedtoabare

minimum.

Theindoorenvironmentqualityalsoturnedgreen,via

freshairintakeinthebuildingbeing100%greater

thenrequiredbySANS10400-O.Theinclusionofcar-

bondioxidesensors,integratedatthereturnpoints

oneachfloor,ensurescontinuousmonitoringand

adjustmentoftheamountoffreshairenteringthe

building.TheMeanValuelevelswerepredictedtobe

between-0.5and+0.5,calculatedinaccordance

withISO7730usingstandardclothingandmetabolic

ratevaluesduringoccupiedhoursduringtheyear.

Although60%oftheofficeshavedirectlineofsight

totheoutdoors,noisefromtheoutsidehasbeen

minimised,whilethenoiselevelswithintheoffices

havebeenreducedinaccordancewithinSANS10103:

2004.Aswithmostbuildingsthatcomplywiththe

smokingrules,theNedbankPhase2Buildingisnon-

smokingandhasnodesignatedsmokingareas

internally.

Aconservativeapproach

Withregardstowater,oncemunicipalityreticence

hasbeenovercome,aBlackwatertreatmentsystem,

www.minaco.com

www.groupfive.co.za

229 >

aprojectinnovation,willbeinstalledtoproviderecy-

cledwaterforallnon-potablewaterusesincluding

irrigation,toiletsandcoolingtowers.Anotherproject

innovationistheimplementationofarainwaterhar-

vestingplantthatwillcollectandtreatrainwaterfor

usealongwiththerecycledwater.

Toensuresignificantsavingsinwaterconsump-

tion,watermetersforallmajorwateruseshavebeen

connectedtoaBuildingManagementSystem,which

supportsproperfacilitymanagementofwatercon-

sumption.Pumptestingrequiresnoconsumption

ofwater,efficientwaterfixturesandfittingshavebeen

installedandisolationvalvesoneachfloorlimitthe

amountofwaterusedformaintenance.Thefiresys-

temhasbeendesignedtodirectsprinklerwaterfrom

maintenancedrain-downstotheBlackwatertreatment

plantforon-sitereuseandalllandscapinghasbeen

designedtoincludelowwaterconsumptionplants.

Anothergreeninitiativeis inthefieldofwaste

management.Thisinvolvesadedicatedstorage

areaprovidedfortheseparationandcollectionof

paper,glass,plastics,metals,usedcompactfluo-

rescentlightbulbsandothermaterials.

Alloutflowstotheseweragesystem,duetooccu-

pantuse,hasbeenreducedbyimplementinghighly

efficientfixturesandfittings.TheBlackwatertreat-

mentsystem,onceitisinstalledwillfurtherreduce

theoutflow.

Energysavingentailedtheimplementationofeffi-

cientopencircuitevaporativecoolingtowersforheat

rejectionofthechillers.Thepartialeconomycycle

hasbeendesignedtoprovide100%freshairto60%

ofthefloorplateswhenoutsideconditionsallowit.

Lightingpowerdensitieswereputinplacefor95%

oftheofficeswithanenergyuseof2.25W/m2per

100Lux.Inaddition,aprogrammabledigitallight-

ingsystemhasbeenprovidedfortheoffices.The

lightingdesignachievesanaveragemaintainedil-

luminationlevelofnomorethan400Luxforthe

officesandhighfrequencyballastshavebeenin-

stalledinallthefluorescentluminaries.

Qualitymanagement

Commissioninghadtobedoneinaccordancewith

CIBSE,TheCharteredInstitutionofBuildingServ-

icesEngineers’commissioningcodes,atpractical

completion.Thedesignteamandcontractorhad

totransferprojectknowledgetothebuildingown-

er throughdocumenteddesign intent,as-built

drawings,operationsandmaintenancemanuals,

commissioningreportsandtheactualtrainingof

230 > 230 >

buildingmanagementstaff.Totunethebuilding

systems,monthlymonitoringwillneedtobeconduct-

edforoneyearafterpracticalcompletion.ABuild-

ingUser’sGuidewascompiledforstaffinclose

cooperationwithdesignprofessionals.Themain

contractorontheproject,GroupFive,developed

andimplementedanon-siteEnvironmentalManage-

mentPlanthatwillrequirecontinuousmonitoring.

Duringconstruction,themaincontractoralsotracked

allwastestreamsandcompletedquarterlyreports

onwastegeneration,recyclingandreuse.

Astransportandmotorvehiclesarenotregarded

as‘green’,itwasdecidedthatthenumberofparking

spaceswouldonlybeallocatedaccordingtothe

minimumlocalrequirements.Fivelevelsofunder-

groundparkingwith1598parkingbaysareavail-

able.Dedicatedparkingbayshavebeensetasideto

provideforhybridvehicles,motorbikesandbicycles,

inordertopromotefuel-efficienttransport.Complete

bicyclefacilitieswereconstructedwithchange

rooms,showersandspaceforbicyclestorage,in

theformofracks,toencouragetheuseofbicyclesas

ameansoftransportation.AstheNedbankPhase2

buildingislocatedwithinthecentreofSandton,

theuseofpublictransportationisencouraged.In

thefuture,thiswillincludetheBusRapidTransit

systemthatwillhaveabusstoponRivoniaRoad

andtheGautrainSandtonStation.Residentialdwell-

ingsincloseproximitywillfurtherreducetheneed

forlongdistancecommutingforthosewhooptto

stayclosetowork.

TherelativescoresoftheNedbankPhase2building

foreachGreenStarcategoryinclude:75%forman-

agement;52%for indoorenvironmentquality;

30%forenergy;71%fortransport;86%forwater;

36%formaterials;43%forlanduseandecology

andlastly,50%foremissions.

Paintinga‘green’picture

Alongwiththeenvironmentalinitiativesthatwere

implemented in thePhase2development, the

‘greening’ofthewallcoveringwasputinplace

throughtheuseofDuluxTradeEcosurepaint.This

productformspartofthefirst‘green’rangeintro-

ducedbyDulux.Usedonmostoftheinteriorwalls,

ConsistantDurableQuality

LowVOC

Paint for aGreenerFuture

+=

For further information visit www.duluxtrade.co.zaDulux Trade, Ecosure and Paint for a Greener Future are trademarks of AkzoNobel © 2009

FACT: • Reduced VOC content Less than 16g/L• Contributes towards points in the IEQ category of Green Star SA

- Paint for a Greener Future

Environmental benefits no longer have to be chosen at the expense of performance when specifying paints. The Ecosure range from Dulux Trade provideshigh quality, long lasting finishes with excellent application characteristics and colour choice. Dulux Trade Ecosure can be tinted using the Dulux TradeColour System to allow flexibility in colourful decorating while taking the environment into account. Available in both Silk and Matt finishes in 5L and 20L.

Dulux Trade is a Silver founding member of the Green Building Council of South Africa and our specifiers have been trained on the Green Star rating tool.

www.duluxtrade.co.za

232 >

Design Electronic Nedbank Ph2 advert Rev1 20100818.doc

ASTER INTERNATIONAL (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd

A Subsidiary of the Gilaf Group of Companies, Italy Air-Conditioning Engineers and Contractors

Johannesburg

Erf 89 Impala Road, Kelvin View Eastgate Extension 8, Sandton 2090

PO Box 1599, Kelvin 2054 Tel: +27(0)11 581 9400

Fax: +27(0)11 581 9548 or (0)86 636 1190 E-mail: [email protected]

Aster International is a leading contractor for medium to large projects in the Heating, Steam, Ventilation

and Air-Conditioning industry. Aster specializes in the installation of plants for the climatisation and ventilation of buildings for corporate

offices, hotels, hospitals, shopping malls, pharmaceutical, clean rooms/sterile air and industrial plants. Aster provides Engineering, Project Management, all aspects of Air-Conditioning contracting, Operating

and Maintenance Services and has more than 30 years of proven local experience.

Proudly associated with Nedbank for the Nedbank Head Office Phase II Project

thislowVOCpaintcreatesapictureofeco-friend-

liness,contributingtoNedbank’sgreen-starrating.

WhentheNedbankPhase2projectcommenced,

therewasno‘green’paintavailableontheSouth

Africanmarket.Duluxwasveryaccommodatingin

thattheystartedtomanufacturethis‘green’paint

inordertomeettherequirementthatpaintshould

beproducedlocallyfortheNedbankproject.

DuluxTradeSA,aprofessionalproviderofpaintprod-

uctsandservices,pridesitselfinbeingoneofthe

leadingauthoritiesonproducts,colourandservice,

undertakingresearchintolocalandinternational

trendstoproducethemostcomprehensiverangeof

productssuitedtothenationalSouthAfricanmarket.

NowasasubsidiaryoftheAkzoNobelgroup,the

leaderinperformancecoatingandtheworld’slargest

decorativepaintscompanyandleadingspecialty

chemicalsbusiness,thecompanyaspirestowardsbe-

inganinnovative,sociallyandenvironmentallyre-

sponsibleorganisationwithbrandsthatprovide

valueformoney,goodtechnicalperformanceand

minimalimpactontheenvironmentandpeople’s

health.AlsobelongingtoSAPMA(SouthAfrican

PaintManufacturersAssociation),Dulux’sproduct

stewardshippoliciesareanintegralpartofitsstrat-

egiesinAfrica.Akzo-NobelandDuluxarepassionate

aboutintroducingnewideasanddevelopingsustain-

ableanswersfortheircustomers,suchasNedbank.

ThePluviaSyphonicroofdrainagesystem

Geberit,thecreatorofthePluviaSyphonicroof

drainagesystem,iswellknownforitswater-saving

plumbingandsanitarytechnology.Beingnamed

oneoftheTop10oftheWorld’s100Sustainable

233 >

Companies,Generithasbeenrecognisedforits

commitmenttosustainability.

“ThebiggestroleGeberitplayedintheNedbank

Phase2projectwastheplacementofthePluvia

Syphonicroofdrainagesystem,”saysMarkSchurr,

operations director, Geberit. Geberit used the

moreeco-friendlyHDPEpipes, rather thanthe

conventionalPVCPipes.Thesewerearequirement

fortheNedbankproject.

GeberitPluviaisaroofdrainagesystembasedon

anintelligentnegativepressuresuctionsystem.This

systemofferssolutionsforthearchitectureoftoday,

providing architects with considerably greater

flexibilityintheplanningofbuildings,intheutili-

sationofspaceandintheco-ordinationofdifferent

buildingrequirements.

Thehigh-performanceGeberitPluviaroofoutlets

arelinkedtogetherdirectlyundertheroofwitha

non-slopingcollectorpipe.Largeroofareascan

thusbedrainedthroughasingledischargestack.

Thissimplifiesplanningandreducesconstruction

time.Cost-intensivedischargestacksanddrains

aredispensedwith,multiplyingboththeplanning

optionsavailabletothearchitectandthepotential

usesforthebuilding.Thetechnicalprincipleandthe

highdrainagerateofGeberitPluviaensurethatthe

systemcanbeusedinawiderangeofapplications.

Someofthemanyadvantagesofusingthissystem

includelessplanningeffort,fewerdischargestacks

androofoutletsandthesimplificationofbuilding

planning,permittingoptimumspaceutilisation.A

diminishedneedfordischargestacksreducestheout-

layforundergrounddrainconnectionsandsurfacelines

aswellasthecostsforthepropertydeveloper.

Physical Address: Unit 7, Citrus Street Industrial Park,Citrus Street, Laser Park, Honeydew, Gauteng

Postal Address: PO Box 1477, Honeydew, 2040

Contact numbers: Tel: +27 11 794-6551 Fax: +27 11 794-5055


Web: www.knightshopfitters.co.za

Knight Shopfitters are Proud to be Associated

with the Nedbank Phase II Development

www.knightshopfitters.co.za

234 >

Attheforefrontofthemove

GroupFiveBuilding,asthemaincontractoronthe

NedbankPhase2project,wasattheforefrontof

the move towards a cleaner environment.The

GroupFiveconstructionteamputinamassiveef-

forttoachievethestandardssetbytheGreenStar

SA–Officev1ratingtool.

Asoneofthelargestconstructionandmaterials

manufacturingcompaniesinsouthernAfrica,Group

Fiveisabroad-basedinfrastructurecompanywith

abalancedportfolioofbusinessesacrossselected

geographiesinAfrica,EuropeandtheMiddleEast.

Offeringmulti-disciplinaryconstructionandengi-

neeringskillsandexpertise,thecompanyachieves

deliveryofallaspectsofprojects,includingconcept

developmentanddesign.

Withyearsofconstructionexperience,GroupFive

hasplayedamajorrole inthedevelopmentof

southernAfrica’sinfrastructure,achievingarepu-

tationbothnationallyandinternationallyforinno-

vationandprofessionalism.

“Wemonitoredtheprogrammeverycloselyand

anydeviationsoractivitiesslackingbehindwere

immediatelyaddressed.Everypersonknewex-

actlywhatwasgoingonandwhatwasexpectedof

him.Eachmorning,thepreviousdaywouldbedis-

cussedintermsofworkbeingdone,togetherwith

howweweregoingtogoforward.GroupFivewas

chosenforthisprojectbecauseofourprevious

trackrecord,thededicatedteamwehaveandthe

spiritpresentedbyourteam,”saysJohanMatthee,

SeniorProjectManager,GroupFive.

Derrington Floors – suppliers and installers of superior wooden flooring including the following:Solid wood flooring, Super-Engineered wood flooring, Engineered wood flooring, Bamboo flooring, Laminate flooring

Suntups Super-Engineered wood flooring was chosen for Nedbank's Phase II building – the flooring chosen offering all the benefits of an engineered floor along with the useful life of a solid wood floor whilst using the optimum quantity of valuable timber.

www.derrington.co.za

Tel: 082 900 3343Fax: 086 666 1686Email: [email protected]

www.derrington.co.za

235 >

Notjustadesk

Witheightlevelsofofficespace,Phase2oftheNed-

bankHeadOfficewillprovidenewaccommodation

for3,000employees.WithateamcomprisingGLH

Architects,TerraEtherArchitects,ClaassenAuret,

Aurecon,CoffeyProjects,Group5BuildingandWSP

Structures,amongothers,theNedbankPhase2

buildinghasbecomemorethanjustanofficewith

adesk.

Weallknowtheterm‘sick-buildingsyndrome.’Al-

thoughthisdefinitionmayrefertoahumanhealth

conditionwhereinfectionsarecausedbyexposure

tocontaminantswithinabuildingasaresultof

poorventilation,thistermalsoappliestothede-

signandarchitectureofaspecificbuilding.Whenit

comestothelayoutofabuilding,thecolourpalette

used,theinteriordesign,theinternalandexternal

lighting,amongothers,theimperativeistocreate

theperfectworkenvironmentthroughcorrectstruc-

turalanddesignimplementation.

“Theaimofarchitectureistocreateenvironments

forpeopletoworkandliveinthattheyareproud

ofand that theyarehappy toassociate them-

selveswith.Payingattentiontoaworkenviron-

mentdoesalotintermsofincreasingtheemploy-

ees’performanceandinkeepingstaff.Thequality

oftheworkenvironmentisveryimportanttous,”

saysHuyberechts.

“Theclientwantedtocreatealargeoffice,which

wouldbringdepartmentstogether.Bybringing

peopletogether,itwouldinturnmakecommuni-

cationstrongerbetweendepartments.Wepride

ourselvesinhavingcreatedaworkenvironment

www.batesaccessflooring.co.za

www.batesaccessflooring.co.za

237 >

thatpeopleliketoworkinandcreatingabuilding

thatworksanddoeswhatitisintendeddo.Our

primaryaimwastocreateanoffice,butforus,it

wasgoingbeyondfunctionality.Byachievingthat,

we have reached where we want to be. If you

speaktopeopleinNedbank,theyarepositiveand

happypeople,”addsHuyberechts.

Thesimpleoffices,canteens,amenities,littleshops

andgreenopennessoftheparks,allowforthemixing

ofpeople,creatingarelaxedwayofworking.“Itisa

buildingthatpeoplewanttogotoworkin.Nedbank’s

employeeslovegoingthere.Forthem,workismore

thanjustadesk,”explainsHuyberechts.

Greenerywithincement

Inordertoimproveonthepreviousworkingenviron-

mentsofNedbank’semployees,itwasessential

forthearchitectstogobacktotheoriginaldesignof

thepastoffices.BeforetheNedbankHeadOfficewas

builtinSandton,thestaffwerehousedinvariousof-

ficeblocksacrosstheJohanneburgCBD.Johannes-

burg’sinnercity,oftenreferredtoasthe‘cementjun-

gle’, iscrowdedwithdevelopments,busyroads,

traffic-jamsandover-bearingofficeblocks.Essentially,

theofficeswerehousedindenseofficebuildings

whichwereseenasalienatingtotheemployees.

Asnature,withitsgreenelements,affectsthework-

ingenvironment,NedbankPhase2wasdesigned

tosurroundtwobeautifulspacesofgreeneryin

theformoftwoparks.Thegreeneryhasgiventhe

employeesofNedbankanexceptionaltypeofwork

environment.Withfloraandfauna,largelawnsof

grass,wildgeese,birds,windingwalkingpathsand

seatingbenches,thisistrulyanescapefromthe

cityhustle-and-bustlewhereemployeescanspend

theirlunchbreaksrelaxinganddecompressing.

“Whenyouareinthepark,youcannothearthe

buzzingofthecity.This,initself,isanachievement,”

saysHuyberechts.

Atimelesspiece

Imperativetothedesignisthecreationofatime-

lessbuilding,onethatshowsthebank’slong-last-

ingdurationandstabilitywithinSouthAfrica,whilst

differentiatingitsdesignandappearancefromoth-

erbankingdevelopments.Forthearchitects,itwas

importanttodesignabuildingthat‘ageswell’.

“Weusedaslightlyclassicallookforthebuilding,

avoidingfallingintoaneo-classicalappearance.

Peoplearenotscaredofthistypeofarchitecture.It

hasalreadybeenassimilatedthroughtheNedbank

Phase1building.Asthearchitectural‘handwriting’

238 >

hadalreadybeendoneinthefirstphase,wemade

astrongreferencetothepastarchitecturalstyles

andformsthatarerecognisedbythegeneralpub-

lic.”Asolididentity,fromanarchitecturalpointof

view,wasdeveloped.“Eachofourclientshasan

architectural ‘handwriting’which inevitablybe-

comestheiridentity,”saysHuyberechts.

Thearchitecture,withitsmodernityandpaletteof

lightcolours,isverystriking,creatingadistinctpres-

encewithintheSandtonarea.Itwasaboutbeing

strikinglydifferent,yeteasyrecognisable.

Thearchitecture,althoughnotalientoglobalarchitec-

ture,doesnotfallintothepitfalloftrends.“Following

populartrendsinarchitecturecanbedangerous,as

onedayabuildingistrendy,butthenthenextdayitis

dead.Wedidnotwanttofallintointernationaltrends,

whereyoutakeaninternationalarchitecturalextract

andplaceitinSouthAfrica,”addsHuyberechts.

ItwasimportanttotheclientthatPhase2bekept

inlinewithPhase1intermsofdevelopment,con-

structionanddesign.“Thisprovesthatwedidnot

gowronginthedevelopmentofphase1,”con-

cludesHuyberechts.

AlandmarkinSandton

NedbankPhase2islocatedonaprimesiteinthe

heartofSandtonandalthoughthebuildingitself

isnottallenoughtofeatureaspartoftheskyline,

ithowevercanbesaidthat“anyonewhoknows

Sandton,knowstheNedbankPhase2building,”

saysHuyberechts.

ThebuildingseekstobenefitthewholeofSand-

tonbybetteringandintegratingcityliving.Thisis

accomplishedbyopeningthebuildinguptothe

streetviaanactiveface.“Therearenootherbuild-

ingslikethisthatare‘open’andactive.Thisisan

239 >

innovation,”saysHuyberechts.Afterconvincing

theclientnottohaveahardedge,theactiveedge

alongMaudeStreetwasestablishedthroughretail

shops, a high end restaurant and a Nedbank

branchwhichareopentothepublic.

“ItisalandmarkinSandtonbecauseofitssizeandits

presencewithintheprecinct,”addsHuyberechts.

WalkingthroughNedbankPhase2,theimmense

effortthathasgoneintomakingthisdevelopment

aneco-friendlyworkenvironmentbecomesappar-

ent.Withpeoplespendingasubstantialamountof

theirlivesworkinginoffices,it’simperativethat

officeenvironmentsencouragegoodhealthand

provideaplaceinwhichpeoplecanreachtheirfull

careerpotential.NedbankPhase2isalreadycre-

atingthedreamworkenvironmentfortheluckystaff

thatwillworkwithinthisdevelopment.Forthem,

thisistrulyareality.<

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241 >

Strange,buttrue,alloftheaccommodationoffer-

ingsaround the tremendouslypopularNelson

MandelaSquareinSandtonareLegacyproducts.

ThelatesttojointhefoldaretheDaVinciHotel

andSuitessupportedbytheLegacyCornerMall.

TheLegacyGroupwasfoundedbyBartDorresteinand

thelateBrunoCortejustoveradecadeago.Theinten-

tionwas, justasthegroup’snamesuggests,to

leavealegacyofhospitalityandresidentialprop-

erties,anAfricanportfoliobuiltandruntothehighest

internationalstandards,locatedacrossAfricaand

theIndianOceanislands.

It’snotjustfinefourandfivestarhotelsthatfeaturein

theLegacyportfolio.Thereareahostofbushlodges

andlifestyleretreatssuchasKwaMaritane,Bakubung

andTshukuduinthePilanesberg,theKrugerPark

LodgeinMpumalangaandTheWindhoekCountry

ClubinNamibiathataddspicetotheselectionon

offer.Inadditiontostraightforwardhotelaccom-

modation,thegroupalsosellssectionaltitlehotel

suitesandfractionalownershipintheLegacyPrivate

Residencesanddevelopsmixed-uselifestyleprop-

ertiesthatincludegamingandretailfacilitiesas

well.

Awinningformula

Ifyouarefortunateenoughtobeinvitedtothetri-

plestoreypenthouseoftheMichelangeloTowers,

youwillgetabird’seyeviewofjusthowsubstan-

tialtheLegacyfootholdisinNelsonMandelaSquare.

OncetheGautrain’sstationhasbeencompleted,

adjacenttothesquare,theLegacystableofthe

MichelangeloHotel,DaVinciHotel,Michelangelo

Towers,RaphaelPenthouseSuitesandtheDaVinci

Suiteswillcomeintotheirownasdemandinthis

vibrantbusinesshubsurges.

TheclassicMichelangeloHotelmadewaveswhen

itwasfirstbuiltonthenewretailsquareacross

fromSandtonCity.ItssuccesspromptedfurtherLEG

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erm

anso

n

242 >

hospitalitydevelopmentandsubsequently the

MichelangeloTowersbrokethemouldofferingexclu-

siveapartmentsinalavishstyleinthetallestbuilding

inSandton.WiththeLegacyformulaofelegance,cha-

rismaandcommitmenttoservicefirmlyentrenchedin

thearea,Sandton’slatestofferinghasnowarrivedto

completethepicture.

LegacyCorneris17storeysofmixed-usefacilitiessitu-

ated on the corner of 5th Avenue and Maude

StreetsinSandton,directlyoppositethestalwart

SandtonCityretailandofficecomplex,theSandton

SunHotel,theSandtonTowersIntercontinental

HotelandtheSandtonConventionCentre.

Theretailcomponentofthisnewdevelopmentis

situatedonthreelevelsthatarelinkedwiththeupper

andlowerretaillevelsoftheexistingNelsonMandela

Square.BAIarerenownedfortheirretailexcel-

lence–andthenewLegacycornerMallistestament

tothisexcellence.Alreadyopen,themallhasmetwith

greatapprovalbyshoppersandtenantsalike.

Belowthetwoshoppingmalllevels,istheglamor-

ousMarcoPoloentertainmentcentreoffers300state

oftheartinteractiveelectronicbingoterminalsasa

diversion.ThemedasaVenetianvenue,theMarco

Polocelebratesthelifeandtimesofthefamedmedi-

evalItalianexplorerthattraversedtheglobeonnu-

merousjourneysofdiscovery.Ownedandoperated

byGalaxyInternational,aUKcompanywithover15

years’experienceinBingodevelopment,theMarco

Polohasanintimatepianobarwitha romantic

danceflooraswellasashowbarandadedicated

smokingroomcalledTheCrystalRoom.

TheDaVinciHotelhas166ensuitehotelrooms,

50single,doubleandtriplebedroomedapartment

suitesaswellastwolevelsoffourluxuryduplexpent-

houses.Afitnessgym,infinitypoolandwellness

spaareamongsttheperks.

Thearchitectswhohavehelpedwiththesuccess

oftheSandtonLegacyportfolioareBentelAssoci-

ates International (BAI)whodesigned the iconic

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245 >

MichelangeloTowersandwhoarenowresponsible

forSandton’snewaddition,LegacyCorner.

“WearemostexcitedaboutthecompletionofLeg-

acyCorner,whichwebelievewillbeafantasticnew

additiontotheSandtonskyline–thebuildingisa

carefulbalancebetweenembracingclassicalele-

mentswhichisinkeepingwithitsneighbours,es-

peciallyNelsonMandelaSquare,andmodernar-

chitecture” says Franc Brugman, architect

responsibleforboththeMichelangeloTowersand

LegacyCorner.“Wehavealsostrivedtoinclude

sustainable technologies in the design of the

buildingasfarasthecommercialbudgetofthede-

velopmentwouldallow.Weareproudtohavebeen

abletodecreasetheenergydemandofthebuilding

byasmuchas15%throughtheinclusionof:solar

panelsthatassisttheelectricalboilers,heatex-

changetechnologythatcollectsthehotwaterpro-

ducedbytheairconditioningchillerunits,insula-

tiontohotwaterpipes,theuseofperformanceglass

whererequiredtoreducetheACheatloadandsim-

plespecificationslikelowflowshowerheadstode-

crease water consumption. Furthermore, the

buildingwillhaveabuildingmanagementsystem

(BMS)installedwhichwillassistinmonitoringthe

energyconsumptionofthebuildinginthefuture.”

Dininginstyle

Intendedtoberunasa24-houroperation,theDa

VinciLounge&Barwillbeawelcomeadditionto

Sandton’sportfolioofhipandhappeningentertain-

mentvenues.TheWine&CigarBarpromisestobe

anotherpopularspot,althoughundoubtedlyoneof

themaindrawcardswillbethegraciouslyelegant

MaximillienRestaurant,withitsexpansivewindows

andextendeddeckgivingpatronstheopportunity

toenjoytheoutdoorsandviewsofSandton.

GivenaNewYorkFrenchbistrocharacter,Maximil-

lienexudesasenseofgrandeurthankstotherich

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uein

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acy

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246 >

darkbrownbambooflooring,thepewterpressed

ceilings,theantiquemirrorsframedbyrectangular

glasslightboxesandtheDouglasJonestiles.

Theinteriordesigners,VaroomInteriors,tookon

thechallengeofconvertinga longrectangular

spaceintosomethinginviting,classyandsophis-

ticated.“Theideawastomirrorthestyleofthe

renownedBalthazarrestaurantinNewYork.Balt-

hazarisaconvertedleatherwholesaler’sware-

houseandisknownforitsexceptionaldesign,”

saysVanessaPrestonofVaroomInteriors.“Ithas

aFrenchbistro/patisseriestyle,butwithavery

warmvibe.That’swhatourbriefwasforMaximillien,

butwewantedtomakeitasmarter,sexierversion.

Thesilverypewtermouldingaroundthebarkept

totheBalthazarthemeandweaddedinthelions

headstogiveittheAfricancontext.”

Therectangularspacewassubtlydividedinto‘stag-

es’,withthewelcomeareaandthebaratthefront,a

raisedsectionthatcouldbeclearedforentertainment,

themaineateryareaandthentheoutdoorterrace.

Theshopping,gaminganddiningtreatsaside,Legacy

Cornerhasanothertreatupitssleeve.Spanning

threelevels,theLegacyTVwall,wrappedwithin

thegranitecladescalatoratrium,offersexception-

alexposuretopremiumbrandnameswantingto

reachapre-qualifiedpremiumSandtonconsumer.

ThroughthegrowthoftheLegacyportfolio,the

keydecisionmakershaveappreciatedthatit’sthe

detailsthatcount.AtLegacyCorner,thisiscertainly

oneofthephilosophiesthathasbeenintegralto

thedesign.Mosaicsinthereceptionareaandonthe

pillarsintheretailmall,lowerluxlevelsinthelighting

togivetheshops‘centrestage’andhoteldécorde-

signedbyworld-renownedinteriordesigner,Stephen

Falcke,allcontributetotheheightenedsenseof

grandeurofthefinalpieceoftheLegacycollection

onNelsonMandelaSquareinSandton.<

247 > 247 >

TheCrystalRoominM

arcoPolo.ThebarattheM

aximillienRestaurant.

Maxim

illienRestaurantwithraisedstage(theflooringisdarkenedbam

boo)andthebar.

MarcoPolobingom

achines.

248 >

ConceivedasawalledTuscanvillage,inlinewiththepreviousphasesbuiltat

Montecasino,ThePivotisauniqueblendofoffice,retailandhospitalityspac-

esthatoffersconvenienceandstyletothoselookingforaccommodationand

businessfacilitiesintheupmarketsuburbofFourways.

ByBevHermanson

ThePivotcourtyardshowingpartoftheofficecomplex,theconferenceblock,the‘Pivot’sculpturedesignedbyrenownedJohannesburgartist,MarcoCianfanelli,andtheentrancetothehotel.

THEJUXTAPOSITIONOF

OLDANDNEWATMONTECASINO

249 >

EasilyaccessiblefromtheN1freeway,theLanseria

andORTamboAirportsandthebusinesshubsof

SandtonandMidrand,thecasinocomplexknown

asMontecasinooffersanexcellentblendofenter-

tainmenttotheresidentsofJohannesburg.The

firstphaseofMontecasino,comprisingagaming

floor,variousupmarketrestaurantsandboutique-

styledstores,alongwithaPieterToerientheatre,

NuMetrocinemacomplex,fastfoodcourtandkid-

diesentertainmentzone,wasopenedin2000.

Launchedamidstmuchfanfare,Montecasinorap-

idlybecameoneofthemostpopulargamingdesti-

nationsinGauteng.

Initially,the5-starPalazzoHotelbuiltalongside

thecasino,wastheonlyhotelaccommodation

nearby,butassubsequentphasescameonstream,

offices,anadditionaltheatre–the1900seater

Teatro–andanotherhotel‘onthesquare’added

morespice.

ThelatestofferingatMontecasino,intheformof

ThePivot,addsagreatdealofvalueasanextradi-

mension to the already popular entertainment

node.AjointventurebetweenTsogoSun,Abland

andABSA,ThePivotfulfillsanumberofneeds,one

ofwhichwastheprovisionofextraparking.Further-

more,forthoselivinginthevicinityandforthose

livingnorthofWit-koppenRoad,ThePivotoffers

anexcellentbusinesspremisesalternativetothe

congestionexperiencedinRivonia,Sunninghilland

Sandton.Over16000m2ofrentableofficespaceis

availableinblocksofbetween50m2rightupto

13000m2.Eachofficeblockhasitsowncorefacili-

tiesintheformoflifts,stairsandtoilets,withaccess

totheopenaircommunalsquare.

Adominantfeatureinthesquareisthehugesculpture

byrenownedJohannesburgartist,MarcoCianfanelli.

ThebrieftoCianfanelliwastocreateatallsculpture

thatwouldaddatouchofmodernitytotheTuscan

surroundings.“Itriedtocapturetheideaofapivot

Theopenplankitchencreatesa‘theatreofcooking’interactivewiththeguestsinthediningroom.

250 >

beingbothapointoforiginandasourceofenergy,”

explainsCianfanelli.Theinterpretationsuggeststhat

thepivotrepresentscentrifugalforcesandCianfanelli

decidedtodepict thisbyarrangingmultiple fins

aroundasinglepoint,tocreatetheeffectofenergy

radiatingoutwards.Theresulthasbeenquitea

featofengineering,at18metrestall,weighingsix

tonsandwiredtolightupatnight.

Theofficefacilitiesarecomplementedbyachoice

selectionofretailoutletsandrestaurants.Infact,

everyconveniencehasbeenconsidered,fromrenta-

blemeetingroomsandboardrooms,tohairdress-

ers,drycleanersandevenprinters.Inaddition,ten-

antsoftheofficeaccommodationhaveaccessto

thefacilities inthenewfourstarSouthernSun

MontecasinoHotelthatispartofthenewdevelop-

ment–inparticularthe120seaterrestaurant,the

loungeareaandtheVenetianbar.

“Theadditionofanotherhotelincreasesourtotal

roomstocktoover600intheMontecasinonode,”

saysKevinPage,directorofdevelopmentfortheTsogo

SunGroup.“Thishasbeenawelcomeextensiontothe

accommodationalreadyavailable.Theadditionalof-

ficeshavefurtheraddedanexcitingbusinessoppor-

tunity,especiallysincewehaveincludeda1200m2

conferencecentreasanextraattraction.”

ModelledonthePalazzoCorsini,afifteenthcentury

villanestlingontheslopesbetweenGianicoloandthe

TiberRiverinItaly,thenewSouthernSunMonteca-

sinoHotel,withitsdistinctivepinkandcreamexterior,

offers194roomsandboastsatheatre-styleopen

plankitcheninteractivewiththerestaurant,ahigh

techgyminthebasementandaspaciouslounge

andbar.Anextensivewoodendeckedterraceout-

sideoverlooksthepoolandwetlandareaonthe

northernsideofthehotel,which,althoughitfaces

MultiplevolumereceptionareaoftheSouthernSunMontecasinoHotelandthesweepingstaircaseleadingoffthereceptionarea.

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252 >

TheSouthernSunMontecasinoHotelenjoysprimepositionaspartofThePivotdevelopmentinFourways.

oneofthebusytrafficcircles,iseffectivelyshielded

frompublicview.

“Whatisspecialaboutthisdevelopmentistheunique

fusionofoldmeetingnew,”saysRyanIllgner,inte-

riordesignerforthehotelandconferencefacilities

andDirectorofBlacksmithAfricaInteriorDesign

Consultants.“Thejuxtapositionisevidentthroughout

thedevelopmentandespeciallyinthehotel,which

resemblesanoldVenetianbuildingthathasbeen

refurbished.”

The‘remnants’ofthe‘old’buildingareevidentin

theantiquefurniturepieces,therefurbishedceil-

ings,reclaimedoakfloorsandtimberwork.Acontem-

poraryelementisaddedthroughtheuseofglass

forthebalustrades,stainlesssteeldetailingand

theinterminglingofclassiccontemporaryfurni-

turepiecesaccentedinplaceswithstrongcolours.

“ThePivotprojectwasawonderfulexperiencein

thatitcombinedthetalentsofsomeofthetopcon-

sultantsinalldisciplineswithinSouthAfrica,who

weregiventhecreativefreedombytheclienttocreate

auniquedevelopmentwhereeverydetailhasbeen

carefullyconsideredandtested,” Illgneradds.

“ThefutureforThePivotcanonlybesuccessful.Its

beautifulclassicVenetianappealisseamlesslyin-

tegratedwithcontemporarydesignandall the

convenienceaffordedbymoderntechnology.”<

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255 >

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CapeTown,withitsbeaches,winefarms,

TableMountain,KirstenboschGardens

andtheV&AWaterfront,isconsidered

oneoftheworld’smostbeautifulcities.

And,theperfecthoteltoexperienceits

riches is the Coral International Cape

Town.ForthefirsttimeinSouthAfrica,

guestscanexperiencetheidealcombina-

tionofCoralHotels&Resorts’distinctive

hospitality,throughtheoperationofthe

CoralInternationalCapeTownHotel,and

CapeTown’sbeauty.

256 >

Theclient,CiiHoldings,isoneofthemostestablishedbusinesshousesinSouthAfrica,withawiderangeofcommercialactivitiesspreadacrossdiverseseg-ments,includingCiiHotel&ResortsCapeTown(Pty)Ltd,andisnowpoisedtobeamajorplayerinthehospitalityindustry.

A5-starbrand

CoralInternational,beingthe5-starbrandthatitis,hasbroughtitsblendofrefinement,eleganceandluxury,toppedbyitsstate-of-the-artfacilities,totheSouthAfricanshoresintheformofthisnewhotel.“Ithasthelookandfeelofa5-starinterna-tionalhotel,”saysCliveShepherd,managingdirec-tor,DSAArchitectsInternational.Featuring137spa-ciousroomsandsuites–eachequippedwiththefinestamenities–CoralInternationalCapeTowncom-binesworld-classcomfortwithoutstandingservice.Aswimmingpoolwithapooldeck,meetingrooms,abusinesscentre,tworestaurantsservinginternation-alcuisine,aloungearea,spaandgymfacilitiesonthemezzaninefloor,arealsoavailable.

TheCoralInternationalCapeTownHotelprovidesbeautifullydecoratedroomsandsuiteswithamen-itiesincludingluxuriouslinens,plasmaTVs,cableTV,highspeedwiredandWi-FiInternetaccess.“Theroomsarespaciousandthoseonthetoplevelareallsuites,whichareverylargeinsize,”saysRobLow,director,DSAArchitectsInternational.

AhintofArabesqueflavour

Withregardstotheinteriorfeelanddesign,thecli-ent wanted to have a hint of Arabesque themethroughoutthehotel,withacombinationofmid-dle-easternandorientalelements.

“CoralInternationalCapeTownbringsanewcon-cepttoCapeTownwithapowerfularchitecturalde-sign.Theideafromtheoutsetwastoexploreastrikinglydifferentapproachtodesignwhichisre-flectedinthehotel’sdistinctivearchitecture.Basi-cally,thehotelincorporatesthebestofmodern

AneveningviewoftheCoralInternationalCapeTownHotel.

AlZaeemhastheshishaforeveryoccasion.

258 >

architecturewithatouchofArabesqueandAfricandesignsuchasthebeautifulchandelierinthelob-by,thearchesattheentranceandtheornatechairs.Itgivesyouafeelingofacourtyard–thisissuchasignatureelementofArabiandesign.Whiledevelop-ingthepublicspaces,muchattentionhasbeengiventocreatingcomfortableandrelaxingzoneswhilegivingourguestsauniqueexperience.

Extensiveamenitiesandfacilitiesareinterwovenintothelayouttoofferopportunitiesforsocialinterac-tion,leisureandrecreation.ExquisitetraditionalAfricantouchesandattentiontodetailbringasenseoffamiliarityandharmonyfromourlocalcultures.Therestaurantsareequallyimaginativelydesignedintermsofcoloursanddécor.Theroomsaregener-ouslyproportionedandprovidearelaxedambiencewithasleekandultra-modernlook.Overall,CoralIn-ternationalCapeTownisavibrant,high-qualityprod-uctthatembracesthefuturewhilevaluingthetradi-tions,”says JacquiBooyzen,GeneralManager,CoralInternationalCapeTown.

TheBo-Kaap

Thehotel,beinglocatedadjacenttotheBo-Kaap,aMuslimcommunityinCapeTown,createdchal-lengesfortheteamatDSAArchitectsInternation-al,who,fromadesignpointofview,hadtomouldthehotelintotheprecinctandworkwithintheBo-Kaapcontext.

The‘BoKaap’,or‘CapeMalayQuarter’asitisalsoknown,belongstotheculturallyandhistoricallymostinterestingpartsofCapeTown.Manyoftheinhabit-antsaredescendantsofimmigrantsfromIndone-sia,SriLanka,IndiaandMalaysia.

TheCapeMalayshavepreservedtheirculturaliden-tityandMuslimfaith.TheoldMalayQuarterwithitssteepand narrow streets, the simple artisan’shouses, Mosques and Minaretts reaches fromBuitengrachtStreetrightuptotheslopesofSignalHill.Thehouseshavebeenrestoredandcolourfullypainted.ThearchitecturalstyleisasynthesisofCape

ThearchitecturalstyleofthehotelblendsintothehistoricalcontextoftheBo-Kaapprecinct.

Viewofthespaciouslobby.

259 >

Viewsofthepooldeck.

Oneofseveralmeetingrooms.

Boasting137roomsandsuites,CoralInternationalCapeTowntakesmodernluxurytoahigherlevel.EachsuiteincludesanelegantandrelaxinglivingareawithstunningviewsofTableMountain.

Thebusinesscentre.

260 >

Thestate-of-the-artgym.

TheMezbaanrestauranttakesthebestelementsfromIndiaandArabiaandaddsamoderntwisttocreateoneofCapeTown’smostoriginalrestaurants.

TheAlNafoorarestaurantspecialisesinMediterraneancuisine.

Thehairsalonandnailbar.

261 >

DutchandEdwardian.“Itisaresidentialareawith

lotsofcolourfullypaintedcottages,”saysShepherd.

Challengesfaced

WiththeCoralInternationalCapeTownhotellocat-

edonaveryprominent,butrestricted,cornerofthe

precinct,atthebaseofTableMountain,therewere

afewdesignchallengesthatneededtobead-

dressed.

“Fromadesignpointofview,thehotelhadtosit

wellaesthetically.To ensure that views of the

mountainandotherwell-knownfeaturesofCape-

Townwerenotobstructedbythebuilding,theau-

thoritiesimposedheightrestrictionsonthebuild-

ing.Tocompensateforthis,wewentoutofour

waytooptimisetheviewsoftheWaterfrontand

TableMountainfromeveryaspectwithinthehotel

andespeciallymadeanefforttogiveeverybed-

roominthehotelaview,”explainsShepherd.

Thesite restrictions required improvisation to

mouldthebuildingwiththecorner.Thecourtyard

terraceandspaweregivenprivacythroughthe

useofform,whichshieldsbothfacilitiesfrompub-

licview.

“Anotherchallengewefacedwastheconstruction

of theparking.As thehotel isboundby three

streetsithadlimitedspaceforparking.Oursolu-

tionwastobuildalltheparkingforthehotelinthe

basement,”saysLow.

“We’vemanagedtoachievea137roomhotelofavery

highquality,asrequestedbytheclient.Itfulfills

theclient’svisionofanIslamicHotelwithinaMuslim

community,whileincorporatingallofthenecessary

facilitiestoserveaninternationalclientele,”concludes

Shepherd.“Weembracedtheaestheticswhicharerel-

evanttotheenvironmentofCapeTown,andsuc-

ceededinmeetingtheclient’sexpectationsofreturn

oninvestment.”<

Viewofthesteamroom.

Thehotel’stworestaurantsprovidedinerswithdistinctiveexperiences,signaturedishesandambiance.

262 >

TheCityofCapeTownhassignaleditsinten-

tiontobidfor IDAWorldDesignCapital™

(WDC)in2014.TheWDCprojectisabiennial

internationaldesignationcreatedtoidentify

and recognise cities that have effectively

useddesigntorevivethecityandimproveits

qualityoflife.

TheWDCdesignationformspartofthebat-

teryofprojectsoftheInternationalDesign

Alliance(IDA),whichconsistsoftheInterna-

tionalCouncilforSocietiesofIndustrialDesign

(Icsid),InternationalCouncilofGraphicDesign

Associations(Icograda)andtheInternational

FederationofInteriorArchitects/Designers(IFI).

UnderthedirectionofIcsid,theWDCdesig-

nationpromotestheimportanceofgoodde-

signbystrengtheningandempoweringcities

tousedesigntopositiontheircompetitive

advantagesfromsocial,culturalandeconom-

icpointsofview.

ThisstatuswillgiveCapeTowntheopportu-

nitytoshowcaseitsvisionanditsachieve-

ments through a year-long programme of

design-ledeventsandactivitiessimilar to

whatWorldDesignCapital2010Seouliscur-

rently doing and whatTorino achieved in

2008.

SociallyconsciousdesignisatthecoreofCape

Town’sbid:designthatseekssolutionsto

theCity’schallengeswhilstcreatinganenvi-

ronmentthatissustainableandinclusive.

SOCIALCONSCIOUS

DESIGN

FORASUSTAINABLEFUTURE:WORLDDESIGNCAPITALFOR2014?

263 >

Flowerball light by Heath Nash.

264 >

NestedbunkbedsbyTsai.

CapeTownStadium.ImagecourtesyofCityofCapeTown.

DesignIndaba10x10HousingProjectwitharchitectLuyanda

Mphalwa.

265 >

Cape Town is already home to numerous

cutting-edge designers and the breeding

ground of award winning, groundbreaking

designs. Designers like Haldane Martin with

his Zulu Mama chair which draws on indig-

enous knowledge and craft techniques,

Heath Nash with his refashioning of used plas-

tic products, Luyanda Mpalhwa’s 10x10 Hous-

ing Project submission, Tsai Design’s stacking

beds and Mokena Makeka’s public buildings,

are all examples of how designers are applying

a more holistic approach to design; seeing

it as part of a greater system instead of as a

single item detached from social or environ-

mental context.

But, the City’s urban landscape and lack of

social cohesion reflect the planning archi-

tecture of apartheid and latter day political

economic policies which resulted in the ma-

jority of citizens living on the urban fringes,

condemned to poverty, unemployment and

a lack of access to resources.

In 2014, when South Africa commemorates

20 years of democracy, Cape Town will hope-

fully have a compelling story to tell of design-

led transformation. Socially conscious design

is already evident in a number of public sector

projects like the Violence Prevention through

Urban Upgrade project in Khayelitsha, the

upgrading of public spaces in the broader

Cape Town area through the Dignified Spaces

programme and the legacy left by the 2010

Soccer World Cup. The latter has seen infra-

structure investment, which has emphasised

pedestrianisation and embedded ‘people-

first’ design in its development of urban parks,

pedestrian and cycle routes and the begin-

nings of an Integrated Rapid Transport (IRT)

system. The Cape Town railway station and

the airport terminal have also been completely

transformed. All of these have a substantive

impact on people’s connection with, and in,

the city.

All these projects aim to give the poor greater

access to employment, give them parts of

the city from which they were displaced and

the relief from monotonous, bleak aesthetics.

Socially conscious design acknowledges cur-

rent world dynamics and uses design in in-

novative ways that seek to weave solutions

into the way in which design is conceived,

how its application is used, how its products

or services are consumed, and lastly how its

waste products are absorbed back into the

ecosystem. Socially conscious design em-

ploys methodologies that make use of local

techniques, are labour intensive and that

create employment. It uses products that are

not harmful, scarce or non-renewable and

which can be reabsorbed into the ecosystem

without obstructing the planet’s ability to

regulate itself.

Cape Town’s WDC 2014 bid aims to catalyse

a new way of thinking in which socially con-

scious design is integrated into the language

of design and embedded into a curriculum

of all design-led thinking. <

For more information about the World Design

Capital or how to enter your project, visit

http://www.capetown2014.co.za/

Images courtesy of Design Indaba.

266 >

MAKINGSENSEOF

STRATEGY&POLICY:

THECURRENT

STATEOFDESIGN

PROMOTION

ByJennieFourie

267 >

Mostdesignersfromdisciplinesacrosstheboard

havelittleornointerestindesignpromotionstrat-

egiesandpolicies.Truthbetold,theymostprob-

ablydon’tspendaminutethinkingaboutthese

issueswhiletherearedeadlinestomeet,plansto

bemadeandprojectstopresent.

InastudytosupporttheactivitiesofaSouthAfrican

taskteamondesignpromotion,JacquesLange,

past president of the International Council of

GraphicDesignAssociations(Icograda),collated

informationondesignpromotionstrategiesand

policiesglobally.ThisstudyfoundthatFinland

andSouthKoreaweretheonlycountriesinthe

worldthathaveacompletedesignsystemthat

implementsdesignsupportprogrammestarget-

ingbusiness,thegeneralpublicanddesignedu-

cationwithnationaldesignpoliciesoperatingat

governmentlevel.

AsiaandtheNordiccountries,inwhichSouthKorea

andFinlandresiderespectively,arethemostvig-

orousregionswhenitcomestodesignpromotion.

Infact,Asiastandsoutwithdifferentdesignpro-

motionstructuresinChina(includingHongKong),

Japan(withnolessthanfourorganisations),Ma-

laysia,thePhilippines,Singapore,Taiwanand

Thailand.OverandaboveFinland, theNordic

countrieshaveorganiseddesignstructures in

Denmark,NorwayandSweden.Themajorityof

EuropeanUnioncountrieshaveactivenational

andregionaldesignpromotionagencies.

Traditionally,designpromotionactivitieswereestab-

lishedtosupportandstimulatethemanufacturing

industriesofcountries.Adevelopedmanufacturing

industryisregardedasaprerequisitefordesign

stimulustobeeffective.Thismightexplainone

ofthereasonswhyAfricalagsbehindwithSouth

Africa’sSABSDesignInstituteasoneoftheonly

designpromotionstructuresonthecontinent.

Africaisknownforcraft-basedindustriesandit

mightwellbethatnowisthetimefornewmod-

elsofrelateddesignpromotionactivitiestobe

developed.

InapreviouseditionofDESIGN>(No.13,2009),

thoughtleadersfromdifferentAfricancountries

gavetheiropinionsonwhatwasneededtoboost

design on the African continent.They unani-

mouslyagreedthatthedesignsectordidnotre-

ceiveappropriate,ifany,supportfromtheirgov-

ernments.AsLindiNdebeleKoka fromSouth

Africanstatedinthearticle:“Comparatively,de-

signdoesnotreceiveenoughgovernmentalsup-

portasopposedtothecraftandfilmsectorsthat

wereidentifiedbygovernmentaspotentialsectors

foreconomicgrowthinSouthAfrica,despitethe

factthatdesignisalsopartofthecreativeindus-

tries.Currentlygovernmentalstakeholdersdo

notseemtohaveadequateunderstandingofthe

potentialofthedesignsector.Thesupportofthe

sector requires political advocacy backed by

enoughresearchthatwillmotivatethecontribu-

tionofthesectortobenefitandimpactonmajor

governmentimperativeslikejobcreation,pov-

ertyalleviationandmore.”Sheadded:“Designis

stillviewedasan‘elite’sector,sotospeak,where

thereareseriousbarriersofentryforordinary

people.”

AlthoughnonationaldesignpolicyexistinSouth

Africaatpresent,theSABSDesignInstitute,es-

tablishedin1969andfundedbygovernment,

promotesdesigntosupporttheeconomicand

technologicaldevelopmentofSouthAfrica.The

Institute’sinitiativesincludeanumberofaward

schemesanddesignpublications,withafocus

oneducation,industryanddevelopment.

268 >

Thereisgrowingemphasisonthecreationofde-

signandinnovationstructuresinSouthAfrica

throughadhocinitiativessuchasawell-defined

craftstrategy.

Whyshouldgovernmentscareaboutdesignpromotion?

Thesimpleanswertothequestionwhygovern-

mentsshouldcareaboutdesignpromotionis

thatitmakeseconomicsense.Let’stakeSouth

Koreaasanexample.

InaMcKinseyquarterlypublication,titledSouth

Korea:Findingitsplaceontheworldstage,five

essaysexplorethemiracleofSouthKorea,Asia’s

fastestgrowingeconomy.Duringthefourdec-

ades following the Korean War, this country

evolvedfromoneofthemostwretchedstatesin

the region to one of the most vibrant. It has

turnedintoamanufacturingpowerhousethat

hasvirtuallyeradicatedpoverty,malnutrition

andilliteracy.

Inaglobaleconomicclimatethatisstrugglingto

recoverfromtheravagesoflastyear’srecession,

SouthKoreaisperformingexceptionallywell.

Thiscountry’seconomyacceleratedinthefirst

quarterof2010asrisingglobaldemandboosted

salesatthenation’scarmakersandelectronics

manufacturers. Exports surged to more than

30%fromayearagoandtheSouthKoreangov-

ernmentforecaststhatexportswillrise13%this

yearto$410billion,withtheHyundaiMotorCor-

porationincreasingsalesandSamsungElectron-

icspostingaseven-foldincreaseinprofit.Finally,

thecentralbankhasraisedits2010growthfore-

castto5.2%.

InanessaytitledDesigningaDistinctiveNational

BrandintheMcKinseypublication,Christopher

Graves,statesthat“SouthKorea’sinvestmentin

designhasbeensubstantial,fromtheKoreaIn-

stituteofDesignPromotionto its230design

schoolstothedesigninstitutesatbothLGand

Samsung”.

GravespostulatesthatSouthKorea’sinvestment

indesignispayingoff.“SouthKoreandesigners

aredrivingthemostinnovativedesignsinthe

autoindustry–therevivaloftheCamaro,thenew

conceptcrossoverCadillacProvoq,theelectric

ChevyVolt,andtheLincolnMKT.Infashion,South

Koreandesignershavebeensewingupexcel-

lenceaswell.In2008,accordingtotheFinancial

Times,halfofthemosttalentedemergingdesign-

erschosentobehonouredinGenArt’sFresh

FacesfashionexhibitionwerefromSouthKoreaor

wereKoreanAmerican,andatParsons,TheNew

SchoolofDesigninNewYork,nearlyathirdofall

studentsareKorean.AtCanneslastyear,tenKorean

filmswerescreened–arecord–andone(Thirst)

wontheJuryPrize…CompaniessuchasLGandSam-

sunghavebeensweepinginternationaldesign

awards.IntheprestigiousiFdesignrankings,award-

edbyInternationalForumDesigninHanover,Ger-

many,Samsungisnumberoneintheworld–

aheadofnumber-twoApple.LGisnumbereight,

aheadofGermandesignlegendsBMW,Miele,and

Gaggenau.”

KoreaInstituteDesignPromotion

DesignbecameanationalimperativeinSouth

Koreain1970withtheestablishmentoftheKorea

InstituteofDesignPromotion,orKIDP.KIDPwas

establishedbytheKoreangovernmenttopro-

motethedesignindustryandexpandexports.As

269 >

anationalgovernmentdesignorganisation,KIDP

promotesKorea’smidtolong-termdesignpolicies

andengagesinvariousexchangeprogrammes

withcountriesaroundtheglobe.Tomeetthede-

mandsofthedigitaldesigneraofthe21stcen-

tury,KIDPparticularlyfocusesonleadingKorea’s

economicdevelopmentandenhancingqualityof

life.KIDPintendstodothisbypromotingresearch

anddevelopmentactivitiespertainingtodesign

andimplementingprojectstopromotedesignin

effectiveandsystematicways.

Withafull-timestaffofmorethan300,KIDPisbased

inthesix-storeyKoreaDesignCenterinSeongnam

Cityandissupportedby16regionaldesigninno-

vationcentres.

ThedesignpromotionpolicythatexistsinSouth

KoreaislegallyenforcedthroughtheIndustrial

DesignPromotionAct.

SeveralawardschemesformspartofKIDP’sinitia-

tives,includingtheGoodDesignAwards(product,

packaging,environmental,communication,materi-

als&surface,andprocessingdesign);theYoung

DesignersCompetition(fromelementarytohigh

schoollevel);andtheKoreaIndustrialDesignExhibi-

tionthatshowcasesthePresident’sAwardand

PrimeMinister’sAward.

ThestrengthofKoreandesigncanbeascribedto

anembeddeddesigncultureandcomprehensive

governmentsupportprogrammethataddresses

alllevels.AveryclearexampleofthisisthatSeoul

hasbeensuccessfulinitsbidtobecometheIDA

2010WorldDesignCapitalandhasdeclaredastrat-

egytobetheGlobalCentreforDesignby2015.

Andtherestoftheworld?

Aneconomiccasehasbeenmadefordesignpro-

motionbytakingSouthKoreaasanexample,but

thisdoesnotmeanthatthesubstantialeffortsof

othercountriesshouldbeignored.Themostpromi-

nentisthewell-knownBritishDesignCouncilin

Britainwhichservedasmodelformanydesignpro-

motionprogrammesformanydecades.InEurope,

Belgium,theCzechRepublic,France,Germany,

theNetherlands,SpainandPortugal,tomention

justafew,havewell-establisheddesignpromo-

tioninitiatives.TheAmericasandOceaniaalso

haveprofessionalbodies,awardschemesand

theliketopromotedesign.Althoughtheprimary

goalofdesignpromotioniscommercial,thecul-

turalidentityofacountryorregionplaysasig-

nificantroleinthenatureofthepromotionalpro-

grammes.

Andthepointofallofthis?Itisclearthatdesigners

shouldstartpayingattentiontoregional,national

andinternationaldesignpromotionactivitiesif

theywouldliketoelevatethestatusoftheirprofes-

sionontheglobalplatform.Byaddingtheirvoic-

estothoseofpressuregroupsthatarelobbying

governmentstoformalisedesignstrategiesand

policies,designerscanbeinstrumentalinsecur-

ingaprosperousfutureforthemselves.<

40 YEARSOF DESIGNEXCELLENCE

T: +27 (0) 12 428 6326F: +27 (0) 12 428 6546E: [email protected]: www.sabs.co.za

www.sabs.co.za

270 >

REBRANDING:AFEWLEGALCONSIDERATIONSAtsomepointduringthelifecycleofmostorganisa-

tions,therewillcomeatimewhenitisconsidered

appropriatetochangethecorporateidentityorits

flagshipbrands.Thishappensforvariousreasons,

suchaswithmergersandacquisitionsoftwoor

morebusinessesorpurelyforthesakeofrejuvina-

tionorrepositioning.Sometimesthereasonfor

rebrandingmaybeconnectedtoadesiretoshed

a ‘taintedimage’. Forexample, ithasrecently

beenreportedthattheglobaloilandgasgiant,

BP,maybeconsideringare-brandinlightofthe

negativepublicityithasreceivedasaresultofthe

oilspillsintheGulfofMexico.Closertohomeit

hasbeenreportedthattheSouthAfricanFootball

Association(SAFA)maybeconsideringachangeof

thepopularnationalfootballteamnameBAFANA

BAFANAduetothefactthatthismarkhasbeen

registeredinthenameofanotherparty.

Thereareafewbasicintellectualpropertyconsidera-

tionswhichbusinesseswoulddowelltokeepin

mindintherebrandingprocess.

Perhapsagoodstartingpointistherecognition

thattrademarksorbrandsareavaluableformof

intellectualproperty.Theirfunctionistoindicate

tothepublicthat‘thesearethegoodsorservices

ofme,thetrademarkowner.’Theirroleinattracting

customshouldnotbeunderestimatedsincecon-

sumersgenerallysticktothebrandsthattheyknow

orholdinhighesteem.Thatisthepowerofagood

brand.Nowadaysthevalueoftrademarkscanbe

reliablycalculatedanddetermined,andthisisan

everydayprocessacceptedbynoneotherthanthe

ReceiverofRevenue,aswellasfinancialinstitu-

tionsandthebusinesscommunity.Forexample,

BusinessWeekhas rankedCOCA-COLA as the

mostvaluablebrandintheworldwithitsnotional

valueexceedingUS$65billion.Obviouslyveryfew

brandscanbecomparedwithCOCA-COLA,but

thisbrand illustrateswell thepoint that trade

marksarevaluableproperty.

Itstandstoreasonthatasizeablechunkoftheval-

ueofatrademarkcanbeattributedtotheexclu-

sivityattachedtoit.Itisthereforecriticaltoensure

that thisexclusivity ismaintainedatallcosts,

whichcannormallybeachievedthroughtrademark

registrations,domainnameregistrationsandpre-

ventingothersfromdilutingthemark.

Whenrebranding,considerationshouldbegiven

totheprotectionofthe‘old’aswellasthenewbrand

inordertopreventpotentiallossesasaresultof

divertedcustom.Ifaregisteredtrademarkisbeing

discontinued,theregistrationshouldbemain-

tainedforaslongaspossible.Therewillobviously

beacostimplicationinmaintainingandpromoting

thebrand,whichwouldhavetobeconsidered,but

inthevastmajorityofcasesthebenefitinmain-

tainingthetrademarkregistrationwillfaroutweigh

therelatedcostasthiswouldprovidearelatively

easyandinexpensivewayofpreventingpotential

competitorsfromprofitingfromanygoodwillin

thebrand.Itwillalsoalwaysbepossibleforthe

trademarkownertosellthebrandifitisconsid-

ered to be expendable, as opposed to merely

abandoningit.

Animportantconsiderationinrelationtodiscon-

tinuedbrandsisthatinmostjurisdictionstrade

markswhicharenotinuseinthecourseoftrade

willatsomepointbecomevulnerabletoremoval

fromtheTradeMarksRegister.InSouthAfricareg-

isteredtrademarksbecomevulnerabletosuchan

attackafteraperiodoffiveyearsofnon-use.In

271 >

REBRANDING:LEGAL

CONSIDERATIONS

ordertopreventthisfromhappening,themarkwill

havetobeusedinthecourseoftradeatleastperi-

odically.Assomebeerdrinkerswouldbeaware,

forexample,SABMILLERhasdiscontinued its

LIONLAGERbrand,butinordertopreventthemark

frombecomingvulnerabletoanattackbasedon

non-use,LIONLAGERbeerisnowavailableinSouth

Africaonlyduringthefestiveseason.

Whenrebranding,protectionforthenewbrand

shoulddefinitelybesecuredpriortoitslaunchor

publication.Typicallythiswouldentailconducting

searchesoftheRegistriesinallthecountriesin

whichonehasorintendstohaveaviablebusiness

undertaking,toensurethattheproposedtrade

markisavailableforuseandregistration.Ifthemark

isavailableitshouldberegisteredimmediatelyin

alltherelevantclasses.Thisappliesequallyto

businessnamesaswellasdomainnames.Inthe

caseofFletcherChallengeLtdvFletcherChallenge

PtyLtdnewsoftheincorporationofAunderthe

nameofFletcherChallenge,whichwasformed

throughthemergerofthreeNewZealandcompa-

nies,wasannouncedtotheStockExchangeof

NewZealandon22October1980.Thenextdaythe

newsappearedinanumberofnewspapersand

financialjournals.Onthesameday,Breservedthe

companynameFletcherChallenge.InGlaxoPlcv

GlaxowellcomeLimited,Aissuedapressrelease

on23January1995,announcingatakeoverbid

which, if successful, would form a new entity

calledGlaxo-WellcomePlc.On24January1995B

filedanapplicationtoregisterthecompanyname

GlaxowellcomeLimited.Bothmattershadtobe

resolvedthroughlitigation.

Anoftenoverlookedaspectoftrademarksisthat

someofthemalsoenjoycopyrightprotection.Ifa

markisintheformoflogooracombinationof

wordsandadesignordevice,suchastheBPand

COCA-COLAtrademarks,itwillgenerallyalsoenjoy

copyrightprotectionasan‘artisticwork.’Theterm

‘artisticwork’asitisusedintheCopyrightActNo.

98of1978hasnoreferencetoartisticquality,and

should therefore not be misunderstood. Even

‘plainlooking’logosorvisualdeviceswillinmost

272 >

273 >

instancesenjoycopyrightprotection.Anotherlittle

knownfactisthatcopyrightgenerallybelongsto

theauthoroftheparticularworkandcanonlybe

transferredinwriting.Itmakesnodifferencethat

thedesignerwasremuneratedforcreatingthe

logo.Unlessthereisawrittenagreementinterms

ofwhichownershipofthecopyrightinthelogoor

deviceistransferredtothetrademarkowner,the

copyrightsubsistingthereinbelongstothedesigner.

SowhathappensifduringthecourseofA’sre-

brandingexercisethedesignerofA’snewlogo,as

thelegitimateownerofthecopyright,sellsittoB,

acompetitorofA?

Intermsofsection10(12)oftheTradeMarksAct

194of1993(“theAct”)atrademarkshallnotbe

registered,orifregisteredshallberemovedfrom

theRegisterifitsregistrationiscontrarytoany

law.InthecircumstancesmentionedaboveifA

triestoregisterthenewmarkhecanbeblockedin

termsofsection10(12)oftheAct.Ifheusesthe

markhewillinfringeB’scopyrightandcanthere-

forebestoppedintermsoftheCopyrightAct.

Consequently,A’srebrandingexercisecouldbe

stoppeddeadinitstracks.Dependingontheextent

ofA’soutlayatthatstagethiscouldpotentially

resultinasubstantialloss,oratleastsomeembar-

rassment. It isalsoarguablethatatrademark

‘owner’whodoesnotalsoownthecopyrightinthe

markcannotbethebonafideownerofthemark.In

termsofsection10(3)oftheAct,amarkinrelation

towhichtheapplicantforregistrationhasnobona

fideclaimtoproprietorshipshallnotberegis-

tered.Allofthispointstotheimportanceofensur-

ingthattheownershipofthecopyrightinlogoand

devicemarksissecured.

Rebrandingsignalschange.Anewimagewillcause

consumerstotakeafreshlookatabusiness.It

wouldbeapityiftheyfindabusinesswhichhas

unwittinglyopeneditselfuptolitigationasare-

sultoffailingtoadequatelysecureitsintellectual

property.<

274 >

TRANSFORMINGRURALVILLAGESINTO

WEALTHYTOWNSTHROUGHTHE

INDUSTRIALISATIONOFCRAFT

ENTERPRISESByLeonardShapiro

275 >

Theproductionofcraftproductsisamajorcon-

tributor toeconomies incountries theworld

over.Insomecountries,functionalcraftproducts

areproducedinvolumeslargeenoughtobesup-

pliedtomajorchainstores.

InSouthAfrica,craft-makingandtheharnessing

ofhandskillsandcreativetalentintothedesign

andproductionofcraftproductsfornationaland

globaldistributioniskeytoasectorthatcancontrib-

utesignificantlytooureconomy.Toachievethis,the

setupofpurpose-builtproductionlinefacilities

andappropriatelymechanisedmanufacturing

systemsareprimarycomponentsinthecontinued

supplyofcraftinlargevolumestosatisfymarket

demand.

Commonstereotype:peoplewholiveinruralareas

inSouthAfricaaretypicallypoorandunemployed.

Thisblindsustothefactthatthereareanabun-

danceofsophisticatedhandskillsanddesign

knowledgeavailableintheseareas,whichre-

mainuntappedandundeveloped.Theseskills

representavaluable inherentasset thatcan

formthebasisofthrivingandsustainablecrafts

enterprises.

PapermâchécrafterThembaMasalaandproductdeveloperLeonardShapiro.

276 >

Ifmoreemploymentiscreatedinruralareas,

theseareaswillbecomemorewealthyandthe

moremunicipalservicesruralinhabitantswillbe

abletoafford.Inaddition,individualswillbe

abletoaffordbetterhousing,privatehealthcare,

universityeducation,morenutritionalfoodstuffs

andluxurygoods.It’sthatsimple.

Tothisend,investmentintheruralvillagebecomes

attractiveforcertainretailoutletsandbanksas

thedemandfortheirgoodsandservicesbecome

affordable.

PovertyalleviationfundingfromtheSouthAfrican

NationalTreasuryisdirectedtoanumberofgovern-

mentdepartmentswhoaretaskedwithusingthese

fundstodevelopcraftsenterprises.Themainfocus

behindtheuseofpovertyalleviationfundsinthe

craftsectoristocreatesustainablecraftsenterpris-

esandjobsbasedontheutilisationofexisting

handskills.Thispolicyandprocesshasbeenim-

plementedsteadilyandsuccessfullysince1994.

Manycraftershavebenefitedfromproductdevelop-

mentandbusinessskillstraininginterventions

providedbyserviceproviderscontractedtovarious

governmentdepartments.

Consequently,thereareagrowingnumberofcraft

enterprisesthathavereachedthepointwheretheir

productionratecannotkeepupwiththedemand

fortheirproducts.Assuch,thenextlogicalstepin

thedevelopmentofthecraftenterpriseistheindus-

trialisationoftheproductionsysteminorderto

increasemanufacturingefficiencyandproduct

output,whilststillmaintainingproductquality.

Theindustrialisationofcraftsenterprisesthatare

atthepointwheretheycanjustifytakingthisde-

velopmentalstep,leadstoadramaticincreasein

jobsandwealth.Industrialisationneedstobein-

troducedsensitivelyandthemaintenanceofthe

RaaswaterPaperCraftandDesignenterprise.

importanthand-processesinthemanufacturing

processneedstobekeptsothatcraftproducts

stillhavethecharacteristicsthatmadethemdesir-

ableinthefirstplace.

Itisassumedthatanenterprisethatisreadyfor

industrialisationhastypicallybeeninexistencefor

atleastthreetofiveyearswithconsistentmonthly

orders,butnowtheordersfortheirgoodsarenow

outweighedbytheirabilitytoproduceandsupply.

Itfollowslogicallythatthedevelopmentofapurpose

builtproductionfacility,a‘productionworkshop’

or‘factory’,andtheintroductionofaproduction

systemalignedtothemanufacturingprocessof

thecraftproduct,willincreaseproductionoutput.

Currently,therearecraftsenterprisesthatareatthe

stagewheretheycanjustifiablytakethisnextstep

andestablishapurposebuiltproductionfacility

whilstintroducingtheappropriateinterventionof

manufacturingtechnologiestoassistthepeople

involvedinthemanufacturingprocess.

Itisimportanttonotethatanyinterventionoftechnol-

ogyissolelyforthealleviationofthedrudgeryof

humanlabour.Toelaborate,thestagesinthepro-

ductionprocessthatarerepetitiveandsuitedto

mechanicalinterventionshouldbemechanised.

However,machinescanneverreplacetheunique-

nessanddesirabilityachievedbyhandcrafted

products,andthereforethosestagesofproduction

suchashanddecoratingmustobviouslyneverbe

appliedthroughanautomatedprocess.

Takemouldingforexample.Mouldmakingmachinery

canbeusedtoreplacehumanlabourwhenacrafter

ismakinganumerousceramicplatesbyhand,where

thesizeoftheplateneedstoberegularandwhere

thedecorativeprocessisirrelevant.Thedecorative

processwillofcoursenotbemechanisedbutwill

277 >

278 >

remainahandprocess.Thereasonforthisisthat

thedecorativeprocessgivesthefinalproductits

realvalue,wheretheconsumerisbuyingthe

plateprimarilyforitshanddecoration.Mecha-

nisingtheprocessofshapingtheplatemeansthat

manymoreplatescanbemadeandorderscan

betakenfromretailoutletsandchainstoresthat

requiresupplyinlargequantities.Asordersin-

crease,morepeoplewillberequiredtodecorate

theplatesandconsequentlymorepeoplewillbe

trainedandemployedforthispurpose.Themore

themerrier!

Bysupportingthedevelopmentofsustainable

enterprisesinruralareasthroughtheindustrialisa-

tionprocess,willresultinfewerpeoplewholivein

ruralareasneedingtoseekworkinurbanareas.

SouthAfricaisarelativelyyoungdemocracyand

althoughgreatstrideshavebeenachievedinthe

craftssectorinthelast15years,developmentof

thecraftsectorisembryonicwhencomparedto

craftdevelopmentinothercountries.However,im-

portantly,indigenousknowledgeskillsthatform

thefoundationforthemanufacturingtechniquesin

themakingofSouthAfricancraftsarepartofSouth

Africa’sknowledgebankofskills.Theseskillsare

home-grown.Thesetechniqueshavebeenpassed

onfromgenerationtogenerationandalthough

theymayemploylow-technologyintheirmak-

ing,manyofthesetechniquesareinfacthighly

sophisticated.

Aftertheindustrialisationofacraftsenterprise

hasbeensuccessfullypilotedinonevillage,its

RaaswaterPaperCraftandDesignenterprise.

methodologyfordevelopmentcanbeappliedinall

oftheprovinces,tocraftenterprisesthatareready

forthisnextimportantstepintheirdevelopment.

Thereisacraftenterpriseinasmallvillageinthe

NorthernCapeprovinceofSouthAfricacalled,Raas-

waterPaperCraftandDesign.Itwasfoundedin2002

bypapermâchécrafteranddesigner,ThembaMasala.

AtthistimeLeonardShapiromentoredMasalafor

aperiodof18months.Today,Masala’scraftenter-

prisenowemploys20peopleandsuppliesretail

outlets inSouthAfrica,Germany,Switzerland,

FranceandtheUnitedKingdom.Thisenterpriseis

nowatthestagewherethedemandforproducts

exceedstheabilitytosupplytimeously.Assuch,

this craft enterprise is a perfect candidate for

mechanisation/industrialisation. Inessence,a

purposebuiltfactoryspaceiswhatisneeded.If

youoryourorganisationwouldliketosupportthe

Raaswater Paper Craft and Design initiative,

[email protected]

ABOUTLEONARD

LeonardShapiroisthedirectorofCraftSouthAfrica,

anorganisationdedicatedtothedevelopmentofcraft

enterprisesinSouthAfrica.<

279 >

280 > 280 >

WHAT’S MORE ALIVE THAN YOU™

(WMATY) isanoriginal Italianproject

producingfashion-artcollectionsofshoes,

bagsandaccessoriesbasedondesigns

bycreativesfromacrosstheworld.The

projecttargetsyoungstudentsofart,

architecture,fashionandinteriordesign

collegesaswellasallthose–regardlessof

age–whohaveapenchantforfashionart

andwanttoseetheirideasrealisedand

rewarded.

WHAT’SMOREALIVETHANYOU™col-

lectionsareuniqueandincludedesigns

developedafterartisticandstylisticre-

search,whichtelltalesfromalloverthe

worldanduseinnovativematerialsand

WHAT’SMORE

ALIVETHANYOU?

281 > 281 >

originalpatternsastheexpressionofa

distinctivestyleforthosewhowantto

standout.

Thereisasubstantialdifferencebetween

standardcompetitionsandWMATY’screa-

tivecalls.WithWMATY,participantsare

allonapar,providedthattheirideasare

newandoriginal.Thereisnoclassification

witha1st,2ndor3rdplace,butareward

forthoseprojectswhichareconsistent

withthecreativecalltheme,theorganiser’s

corporatestrategiesandthenatureof

theircollections.WMATYaimstopromote

culturaldiversityandgivingaplatformto

everybody’sartisticanddesignskills.Itis

athreadofcreativityspinningaround

theglobe,whichbringstolifethestory

thatliesbehindeachartwork.

Designersofselectedartworksreceivea

net6%royaltyfeecalculatedonthesales

priceoftheirartworksaslongastheystay

intheWMATYcollections.Selecteddesign-

ersandartistsarealsopromotedthrough

aninternationalcommunicationcampaign.

Theirimagesandprofilesaccompanyeach

oftheartworksonsale.Itisthedesigners

themselveswhointroduceandexplain

theirartworksandtellbuyersabouttheir

LTR:FloralShoesdesignedbyVictoriaGeaney,UnitedKingdom.PebbleBagdesignedbyTomásTrenchard,Ireland.

282 > 282 >

underlyingstories.Therealprotagonist

isthedesignerwithhis/herartwork.

Followingseveralyears’work,theinter-

nationalprojectfinallygotunderwayin

May2009,whenthefirstcallforsubmis-

sionswaslaunched.Submissionscame

from82countriesandincludedconcepts

forfashionartwhichencompassedshoes,

bagsandaccessories.Thefirstselection

tookplacelastOctoberattheTriennale,

Milan.Theselectionpanelcomprisedof

WMATY’sdesignsupervisors,atechnical

committeeofpatternmakersandproduct

developmentmanagersandascientific

committeeofrepresentativesfrompart-

neruniversities.Thepanelshort-listed

projectsby15designersfrom12countries

andassoonastheresultswereannounced

theprocesswassetintomotiontoget

theseproductsintoproduction.

Projectsselectedamongthoserespond-

ingtothecreativecallsareindividually

developedforproductionbyWMATY’sstaff

withthesupportofoutsourcedspecialists

TOP:RecycledShoes,designedbyLizaFredricaÅslund,Sweden.

RIGHT:MyjabaMoneyBagdesignedbyAkikoTanakashi,Japan.

FARRIGHT:PostModernGetadesignedbyAkahitoShigemitsu,Japan.

includingMaterialConnexion,Vibram

andGruppoGiovanniCrespi.Theproduct

developmentprocessisbackedupbyex-

tensiveresearchintomaterialsandevery

partoftheproductionphaseisfirstsub-

mittedtothedesignersforapprovalbe-

foreproductionproceeds.Allthismakes

WMATY not only a manufacturer of

shoes,bagsandfashionaccessories,

butaboveallatrueincubatorofprojects

whichinvestsininnovativepeopleand

creationstogiveanewperspectiveto

fashion.

WMATYisalsocommittedtoprotectand

safeguardthedesigners’creativityand

intellectualpropertynotonlyforshort-

listedprojects,butforallprojectssubmit-

tedinresponsetocreativecalls.WMATY

283 > 283 >

284 > 284 >

TOP:SushiCovershoesdesignedbyPremrudeeLeehacharoenkul,Thailand.

ABOVE:TemporaryNightclutchbagdesignedbyPremrudeeLeehacharoenkul,Thailand.

RIGHT:UpShoesdesignedbyClaudiaCivilleri,Italy.

285 > 285 >

alsorewardsanytechnicalideas,inven-

tionsorinnovationswhichmaybeselected

frombothshort-listedandnon-short-

listedproducts.Forexample,ifashoes

projectcontainsaninterestingideafora

sole,aninnovativematerialoraspecial

constructionwhichcanbesubmittedfor

apatentapplication,WMATYwillpaythe

relevantdesignera3%to10%royaltyfee

inadditiontoastandard6%iftheproject

haspassedselectionandtherebyengages

toprotectthedesigner’sintellectualprop-

ertyrights,nameandpersonalimageat

alltimes.

WMATYmightalsocallpreviouslyshort-

listed artists to complete further on-

commissionprojectsforcollectionsorco-

ordinates.Insuchcases,designerswillbe

rewardedwithbothastandardroyalty

feeandanadditionalrecompensefor

contributingtoresearchonstyle.

Thefirsttwocreativeswho’sproductswent

to market was Premrudee Leehacha-

roenkul’sSushiCovershoesandTemporary

Nightclutchbag,andAkahitoShigemitsu’s

PostModernGetamini-shoerange.Since

productdevelopmentisatime-consuming

process,collectionsarelaunchedinphas-

es.Todate,fivemorerangeshavebeen

launched,includingAkikoTanakashi’s

MyjabaMoneyBag,ClaudiaCivilleri’sUp

Shoes,LizaFredricaÅslund’sRecycled

Shoes,TomásTrenchard’sPebbleBag

andVictoriaGeaney’sFloralShoes.Other

rangeswillsoonfollow.

Afteraprototypeisdeveloped,WMATY’s

designsupervisorsdecidewhichcollection

isassignedtoeitherthePermanent,Limit-

edorPrivateCollection.ThePermanent

Collectionisthecorecollectionandgathers

togetherthe largestnumberofnewly

developedfashionartworks.Best-selling

artworksarepresentedaspartofthiscol-

lection.Here,artworkscouldremainon

saleforyears.TheLimitedCollectioncon-

sistsofthemostprecious,creative,com-

plex,visionaryandevencrazyfashion

artworks.Theyaredesignedforshort-run

production,individuallynumberedand

signedbydesigners.ThePrivateCollection

istargetedatexistingcustomers–those

whohavealreadyaccessedWMATY’s

universebypurchasinganartworktowear.

Acopyofthecatalogueofthiscollection

anditsupdatesaresenttocustomers

onaregularbasisandaswiththePer-

manentCollection,someitemsmayre-

maininthiscollectionforyears.

“Peopleandourcollectionsarethereal

strengthofourproject,sowetellyouwho

theyare,togivethemanameandan

identitythatarereflectedintheircrea-

tionsaswell,”concludesGiuseppeReo,

WMATYcommunicationsmanager.<

286 >

ByStaceyRowan.PACE2010presentedabold

newvisionforacontinentthatisascontemporary

asitisAfrican.Thisshowcaseofpiecesfromaround

thecontinentwasamust-seeforvisitorswhowere,

andstillare,interestedinavisionofAfricathatchal-

lengestheirpreconceptionsandhackneyed‘curio’

stereotypes.Havinghighlightedexcitingnewdirec-

tionsinhand-madeAfricancraft,theexhibitionpre-

sentedAfricancrafts,withanedge.

HostedattheGautengCraftandDesignCentre,

NelsonMandelaSquare,Sandton,from17June–

31July,PACE2010wassupportedbytheSouth

AfricanDepartmentofArtsandCulture,theGau-

tengProvincialGovernment,theCityofJohannes-

burgandtheGautengCraftandDesignCentre.

CuratorsAdamLevinandAndileMagengelele,

commissionedbyCreateAfricaTrading,scouredthe

continentforunusualnewpiecesandcontemporary

PACE:THEPANAFRICANCRAFTEXHIBITION

Africanhandmadedesigns thatbased their

identitylessonethnicityandmoreonshape,

modernity,textureandindividualcreativity.

“Itwasaestheticallychallengingtoenvision

somethingthathadnotyetbeendoneinterms

ofartpiecesandtheexhibitionasawhole,butit

wasalsoagreatjoy.Logisticallywehadtowork

with20countriesinashorttimeframeatatime

whenSouthAfricancustomsandair-freight

were beyond busy, due to the 2010 Soccer

WorldCup,”saysLevin.

“Whenselectingtheart,wefirstfiguredwhat

wedidnotwantandthen,throughaverygood

networkofcontacts,wesimplyworkedonpiec-

esthatblewusaway.Wedidn’twanttojust

settleonanythingmediocretofillupthespace.

Itworriedmeattimesthatwe’dhavenothing,

butintheend,theartanddesignpieceswere

veryfresh.Allthepiecespresentedagreatfu-

tureforartsandcraftinourcontinent.”

ExhibitorsatPACE2010included:KenteDigital,

Tekura,AboubakerFofana,Okechuku,Cheick

Diallo,TheLover’sDrum,KpandoPottery,Aida

DuplessisandSeringa,amongothers.When

consideringsomeofhisfavouritepiecesinthe

exhibition,LevinsaidthathefavouredtheAliLamuCanvas,CheikDiallo’sBananaRockerandTekura’sWalkingTable.

Tekura,creatorsoftheStoolandTheWalkingTable,amongstotherpiecesintheshow,focus

onconvertingthetraditionalanddecorative

intothefunctionalforexample,turningamask

intoatablelegoradrumintoachair.Forthe

Tekurateam,it’saboutseparatingcuriosfrom

designproducts,focusingmoreondesignfunc-

tionality,yetcontinuingtokeepthecultural

aspectofadesign.

287 >

KindofBlue.ThecombinationofwhimsyandfinesculptingbearstheunmistakablesignatureoftheHouseonFirecollective,Swaziland.

TOP:Calabashes.TheapplicationofrafiatothetraditionalTuaregcalabashaddsanintriguingtexturalqualitytoatraditionaldesignfromNiger.ABOVE:BananaRocker.ThestrikingrockingchairbyCheikDiallo(Mali)iscoveredintie-dyedTuaregleather.

TOP:TheWalkingTablebyTekuraplacedontopofTheHuntedrugbySouthAfricanartistConradBotesandPacoRugs.ABOVE:NdebeleChair.ThenewdesignbySouthAfrica’sforemosttextileartist,RonelJordaan.

288 >

LTR:Exhibitswerehousedinaseriesofwell-litfuturisticpodsdesignedby

NicholasdeKlerk.DolosLight.ThisnewMoonlightandMagicdesignis

basedonanotherSouthAfricaninvention,theiconicconcreteDolos

blockswhichworkaswavebreakersalongcoastlines.AloeLamp.Thisnew

designfromMoonlightandMagic(SouthAfrica)whopioneeredthe

designofmuchcopiedpapermâchéanimallamps.

289 >

HouseonFire,designersoftheKindofBlue

andBlackNapoleonChairandOpenBust,among

otherpiecesintheshow,playedadominant

rolewithintheexhibition.ForHouseonFire,

designingcontinuestobeaboutexplorationand

goingbeyondthenorm.It’sabouthavingan

enthusiastspirit,adrivingforcebehindacertain

design.Exploration,fortheteamatHouseonFire,

createsopportunitieswherewecanshareideas

andlearndifferentthings.Tobeadesigner,one

hastoholdontoavision,aplacewhereone

ultimatelywantstobe.

LorenKaplan,ceramicartistanddesigner,de-

signedtheLightRoseWindowChandelier.“I

lookatthevalueandimportanceoftheobjectI

createandtheprocessitwilltaketocreateapar-

ticularthing.Theremustbealargeimportance

placedonthe‘sensory’–howitwillfeeltothe

enduserandhowitwilllook.Theenduserwill

thinkaboutwhomadeitandwhattheproduct

ismadeof.Whatdoestheuserthinkwhenthey

usetheproduct?Asadesigneryouhavetoask

yourself–whoisgoingtouseit,whoisgoingto

touchitandexperienceit?It’saboutgettinginto

theheadspaceoftheenduser,”saysKaplan.

PACE2010allowedAfricandesigntostandits

owngroundonaglobalstagebecauseprevi-

ouslyishasbeensurpassedasnaïve,ethnic

visionsandclichés.“Throughthisexhibition

wehavebeenintroducedtoawholenewwave

ofAfricandesign.Wetendtofocusalotonthe

wonderfullocalscene,butnowwecanseethe

continentismovingforward.I’mallforAfro-

futurism.IthinkPACEhasbeenalandmarkin

settingthatmoodonthecontinent.It’salways

greattoseeyouridentitythroughfresheyes.In

ourcontinent,thereisasenseofbuilding…de-

signersandcraftersarealwaysbuilding.We

havetocontinuallykeepthinkingofhowwe

havetoupourgameascrafters,designersand

artists,”concludesLevin.<

BlackNapoleonChair.CarvedfromreclaimedwoodbytheHouseonFirecollective,Swaziland.

290 >

ByStaceyRowan.Theadage‘Apictureiswortha

thousandwords’referstothethoughtthatmulti-

facetedstoriescanbedescribedwithjustasingle

image,orthatanimagemaybemoreinfluential

thanasubstantialamountoftext.Thismaystand

trueinsomecases,butinthecaseofGreeneron

theotherside,anexhibitionbyKudzanaiChuirai,

thewordswithintheartworksspokevolumesover

theimages.

Greenerontheotherside,hostedfrom9July–7

AugustatCO-OPinJohannesburg,wasKudzanai

Chuirai’sthirdposterseriesincollaborationwith

DokterandMisses.Featuringeightpostersandsix

drawingsintotal,theshowexploredthefranchise

ofdemocracy.“Thefranchiseisopenforbusiness,

butcanyouaffordtheproduct?Manyhavecome

toacceptthattheyaresimplywindow-shoppers.”

Althoughthethemeofdemocracyplayedadominant

rolewithintheexhibition,whatwasmoreprominent

werethewordsusedwithintheartworksandthe

titlesthatweregiventoeachpiece.Onecanlook

atanartworktitleandimmediatelycreateanideain

APICTUREISWORTHATHOUSANDWORDS

291 >

TOP:KudzanaiChuirai.

ABOVE:DetailfromVirginsoftheAtlantic.Thewordswithintheartworksspeakvolumesovertheimages.

LEFT:VirginsoftheAtlantic.Acrylicandwaxcrayononboard.1500x2500mm.

one’sownhead,projectinghisorherownpre-

conceivedperceptionsandthoughtsoniteven

beforeviewingtheartwork.Notonlyaresomeof

thetitles,likethepostersnamedDisarm,Dismay

andDisplace,thoughtprovoking,butitisthewords

usedwithintheartworksthemselvesthattruly

evokeemotionsandgivetheexhibitionitstone.

“Thetitles,DisplaceandDisarmarelinkedtoa

space,amoodorcharacterwithinthespace.Aper-

soncanbetransportedtoaplacesomewhereand

disarmthemselveswithinthatdisplacedspace.

It’showthewordsusedforthetitlesconnectto

anenvironment,”saysChuirai.

InVirginsoftheAtlantic,wordslikedisassociated,

disconnected,discarded,discourage,disbelieve

anddiscriminatedevokeanegativetone,yetan

almostrealisticone–consideringthatthesewords

speaktrueofourcircumstancesinwhichwelive

(TakeSouthAfricaforexample,wherethepooris

discardedanddifferentracesaredisconnected.)

Thesewordsallowustofocusonissuesthatare

normallysweptunderthecarpet.“Inthispiece,

Iusedasequenceofwords.Ilookedthroughthe

dictionaryandputthewordsinanalphabetical

formatthatfollowedinsequence.Thetextinthis

artwork,andtheotherworks,leadthewayofhow

youlookattheshow.”

Sentencesusedinotherartworkslike“Adiamondis

forever.EenyMeeny,Miny,Moe,catchablackdia-

mondbuyitstoe,ifhehollerslethimgo,EenyMeeny

MinyMoe”,usedinDeBeers,ishumourouslychar-

ismaticyethasacynicalundertone.Thereisan

underlyingmeaningherethatcouldbeperceived

asrelatingtotheslaveryandexploitationofblack

people,theblackdiamond,whomineddiamonds

inAfricancountries.TheposterstitledLetThemEat

CakeandWorkingHardforYou,alsopertainto

ABOVE:Cazal.Charcoalandwaxcrayononboard.594x840mm.

OPPOSITEPAGE,TOP:DrawingsbyKudzanaiChuirai.

FARLEFT:ScottTissue.Charcoalandwaxcrayononboard.594x840mm.

LEFT:Rolex.Charcoalandwaxcrayononboard.594x840mm.

293 >

295 >

thismatterinthattheyalmostsymboliseracism

andthesubordinationoftheblackworkingclass.

Combinethesetwotitleswithanimageofablack

manandablackwoman,andthetitles’meanings

aresupported.

“Mentalkaboutwoman,sportsandcars.Women

talkaboutmeninsportscars”,intheartwork

Mercedes-Benz,isofagender-basednature.Join

thatsentencewiththestatement“pictureme

fucking”(whichisinaspeechbubblepointingat

amalehyena’spenis)andyoucreateaworldof

stereotypicalwaysinwhichmenandwomenare

viewedandwaysinwhichtheyboththink.

NotonlydoesChuiraifocusongenderinhisuse

ofwords,butthetopicofviolencecomesupinthe

words“MachineGunFunk”,usedinRolex.The

wordsarealsoilluminatednexttotheartwork

imagery.Aladylaysnakedwithherlegsopenand

machinegunbulletsareflyingintohergenitals.

Now,ifthisdoesnotevokeemotion,thenwhat

does?

“Flauntourtaste”,intheartworkHennessayand

“Whenyouareworkingtomorrow,wearaRolex”,

intheartworkRolex,haveanunderlyingsnob-

bishtone.Thesestatementsportrayasenseof

mockery–amockeryattherich,whoseemtothink

thatmaterialthingsdefinethemasaperson.

Notonlydoesthewordingusedinthetitlesofthe

artworksandwithintheartworkthemselves,have

thepowertocreatethetonefortheentireshow

andevokeourthoughtsandemotions,butit’s

thewordingandtheimageryincombinationthat

trulycreatesomethingbeautifulandartistic.<

TOPLTR:Disarm.Dismay.Displaced.LetthemEatCake.LithographicprintsonMunkenpureunlimitededition.420x594mm.Workinghardforyou.LithographicprintsonMunkenpureunlimitededition.420x594mm.

LEFT:GreenerontheothersideandGreenerontheothersideinvitationandposters.

296 > 296 >

ImagingOurselves:VisualIdentitiesinRepresen-

tation,editedbyLeoraFarberandpublishedby

theFADAResearchCentreandtheVisualIdentities

inArtandDesign,presentsacollectionofessayson

howvisualidentitiesinSouthAfricaareconstructed

andrepresentedacrossarangeofartanddesign

disciplines.

Thecoveriscleverlydesignedtoactlikeamirror.

Uponlookingatthecover,thereaderisabletosee

areflectedimageofhimorherselfonthecover.This

supportsthetitleofthebook,whichspeaksofim-

agingourselvesandidentities–weareabletosee

ourimage,andimagineouridentityonthecover.

Thechapterswithinthebooklookattopicslike

advertising,creatingmeaninarchitecturaland

furnituredesign,ideologiesindigitalartist’sbooks,

socialidentity,andthemutabilityofidentification

inartworks,defianceandtouristicrepresentation,

amongstothers.

OnecouldclassifyImagingOurselves:VisualIden-

titiesinrepresentationastheperfectvessel,or

coursematerial,fortheoreticalstudieswithina

coursethatfocusedonrepresentationoridentity.

Beingtextheavyandimageshy,thisbookwould

notberecommendedforaleisurelylightread.

Withessaysfromnumeroussources,itiseasyto

seehowmuchresearch,timeandeffortwentinto

thecreationofthisliterature.Whatisanotherno-

tablecharacteristicisthediversityofapproaches

thattheessaysencompass–itisinterestingtosee

differentpointsofviewsandopinions.

WiththeliteraturebeingplacedwithintheSouth

Africancontext,togetherwiththeuseofSouth

Africanimageryandinformation,thisbookiscer-

tainlyhome-grown,andproudlySouthAfrican.

Theintentionoftheauthorswastohighlightthe

centralrolethatartanddesignplaysintheforma-

tionandexpressionofpost–1994SouthAfrica

visualidentitiesand,indoingso,tocontributeto

thebroaderredefinitionofSouthAfrica’ssocial

andculturalidentities,whichisstillongoingon

multiplelevels.Afterreadingthroughthebook,it

isobviousthattheintentionhasmostcertainly

beenachieved.

BOOKREVIEWSIMAGINGOURSELVES:VISUALIDENTITIESINREPRESENTATIONANDARCHITECTUREOFTHETHIRDLANDSCAPE:AWARDWINNINGBUILDINGSOFTHEFREESTATE

297 > 297 >

Architecture of theThird Landscape: Award

WinningBuildingsoftheFreeState,writtenby

PattabiGRamanandJakoOlivier,goesbeyonda

meredescriptionofthearchitectureofthebuild-

ingsandlocatestheminthespecificphysicaland

culturallandscapeoftheFreeState.Focusingon

conservation,buildingsinthecityandtheuni-

versity,housesandhouseextensions,architec-

tureoftheindustrialtownandtheFreeStateland-

scape,thisbookisyourA-ZguideofallthingsFree

Stateandallthingsarchitecture.

Inthisbook,eachdevelopmentisdissectedinto

adescription,floorplan,elevation,drawing,sketch

andlocalitymap,togetherwithprovidingthearchi-

tect’sdetailsandawardsgivenforthedevelop-

ment.Withinthisdissection,thedevelopments

arelookedatwithadetailedeye,analysingthe

prosandconsofthearchitecture.

Someofmypersonalfavouritedevelopments,

showcasedwithinthebook,areHouseVanRens-

burgbyKobusdePreezArgitek,therefurbish-

mentofthemainbuilding,UniversityoftheFree

StateandVaalEstateStudiobyElphickProome

Architects.Withawholeselectionofdevelop-

mentstochoosefrom,thereaderisboundtohave

hisorherfavourites!

Ifyouarelookingforarchitecturalimages,thisis

thebookforyou.Sportingcountlesspagesofim-

agesandgraphicsofinteriorviews,exteriorviews

andfaçades,thisbookdoesnotfallshortofvisual

appeal.Viewingthesearchitecturalbuildings,it

isclearthethatSouthAfrica,particularlytheFree

State,havecomealongwayintermsofarchitec-

ture,andthis in itself isanachievementthat

SouthAfricanscanholdproudly.

Withlimitedtextandacasualtonetothewriting

style,ArchitectureoftheThirdLandscape:Award

WinningBuildingsoftheFreeStateisaneasy

andenjoyableread.Thisbookisaninspiration

forthearchitectandtheFreeStateloveralike.<

ReviewedbyStaceyRowan.

design>magazine no 17

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