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Personal Statement I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Cape Town (2010 – 2012). In the three years I was introduced to the world of architecture through theory and practical application through means of various installations on campus and in parts Cape Town. After graduating I interned within the ministry of Public Works; department of building design services (government of Lesotho). A year later I interned at a quantity surveyors office as an architectural technician. What I learnt in this process is that theoretically, it is simple to grasp the concepts and adhere to them conceptually in a design but it seems practically it is an entirely different challenge. In theory one tends to work with isolated ‘perfect’ scenarios but in the real world things will never be that smooth. I also learned that it is important for an architect to establish their own design ‘voice’ or ‘style’, that is, in order to fully master design one must develop their own ideas followed by learning how to implement these ideas into an object of great architectural merit. The question that is therefore raised is; ‘why do you design?’ Working within the ministry of works I gained a lot of experience in designing public buildings whereas whilst working with the quantity surveyors, I gained experience in designing efficient and low cost housing. In each scenario one comes to a realisation that there are many ways to address a single spatial problem but it is the architect’s individual intuition that eventually determines the form of the solution. Knowing why you design, what architectural issues are you trying to address, what role do your design ideas play within the community they serve etc., enables one to critically focus on those things they deem important regarding design and thus hone in on their craft and in the end develop a deep and meaningful architectural voice. It is my goal to attain this architectural ‘voice’ and to fully achieve merit as a designer of spaces. Mokhele Ntho