Architects and designers will be probing burning issues facing the built environment at the 2011 Conversations on Architecture conferences (COA), taking place alongside Decorex Joburg on 5 August at Gallagher Convention Centre, and on 11 August in Cape Town at the CTICC.
Has architecture become a fast food art form? Should architecture not return to being a handmade craft? With 2011 remaining a tumultuous year for the global economy, the effect has filtered down to the design and architectural markets, forcing these industries to seriously re-evaluate itself and the environment.
"When countries like Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Ireland, battle even with EU support, one can imagine how it is for developing economies," says Hugh Fraser, facilitator of COA, a one-day seminar sponsored by CaesarStone.
"Therefore the tone of the conference will look beyond the subject matters of the past including sustainability, green washed architecture and technology. These have been around long enough for us to evaluate their real impact on architecture."
"To this end, we have sought architects and designers from Peru, Brazil, Spain and South Africa to speak at the conference," Fraser explains. "In many ways, South Africa should be communicating more with countries whose climate and socio-economic makeup matches ours. Spain, upon unshackling itself from the yoke of a fascist dictatorship, exploded in the world of architecture, film, culture, design and ultimately its economy overheated."
But, reckons Fraser, perhaps South Africa could learn more from earning a living from design, than competing with Asia on science and technology alone. "Our presenters from Peru and Brazil reflect the joyful expression of a continent who know how to dance, live and design. We trust their zeal will be equally infectious."
The South African presenters include established, as well as new designers who have been quietly working away, integrating our vibrant and rich landscape with their designs. A new feature included at COA this year is the thoughts and ideas of architecture students who will be influencing the future.
"In some ways, they are closer to the real issues that face the South African built environment and we know that they will offer some insights to responding to the huge opportunities that lie at our feet," says Fraser.
Speaking at COA in Joburg and Cape Town is the Peruvian architect Javier Artadi of Artadi Arquitectos, internationally renowned for his modern architecture echoing the landscape characteristic of the desert coast of Peru. His presentation at COA entitled ‘The Cube in the Dessert' looks at modern architecture inside this very singular natural context. A professor for Architectural Design Studio in the Faculty of Architecture of the Peruvian University for Applied Sciences - UPC, Artadi travels the world to present and display his work at architecture events.
Bringing his international perspective to the Joburg seminar is Spanish architect Fermin Vazquez of b720 Architects, based in Barcelona. He will talk about ‘Landscape in Architecture'. "To plan buildings on a landscape is to design the landscape," he says "In fact, the landscape is always a human work, to some extent, since nothing exists beyond man's gaze. The landscape is created by observing it. Our intervention forms it and transforms it."
Speaking at COA Cape Town is the Brazilian architect Mariana Simas of Studio mk27 in São Paulo. She is a great admirer of Brazilian modernism with its pure forms and clean details. Her presentation will focus on São Paulo and the studio's recent projects, renowned for its formal simplicity, details and finishing. Studio mk27 has won several international awards, such as the recent Wallpaper Design Awards, the D&AD ‘Yellow Pencil' Award two years running, the Dedalo Minosse in 2008 and the Barbara Cappochin of the Padova International Biennial in 2007.
South African luminaries speaking at Decorex Joburg include Morne Pienaar of Holm Jordaan who will look at the tradition of making architecture, stating that architecture has become a fast food art form. His talk deals with different modes of design in architecture, primarily with the handmade. ‘As architects we have to re-consider the design of buildings, going back to basics. Architecture should be a handmade craft.'
Pierre Swanepoel of studioMAS' presentation ‘An architecture less bad and more good' is bound to create as much interest as the studio's iconic buildings. Says Pierre Swanepoel of their work: "So interrelated are the principles of best practice in architecture and ‘common sense' urban planning, that it is difficult to pin-point which is stronger; the stature of our buildings or the fluid, open subtlety of the landscapes we create around them."
Karlien Thomashoff of Thomashoff + Partner Architects will discuss recent projects, rounding of her presentation on a lighter note with WitOpWit, a company specializing in creative product and event design. Joburg will also see Ruann van der Westhuizen, winner of the prestigious Hunter Douglas Award at Archiprix International 2011, take to the stage. He will be joined by Franco Enrico who will be presenting his project ‘Slice of Earth'.
Talking in Cape Town is Mokena Makeka of Makeka Design Lab, a laboratory that designs innovative design solutions at the urban, architectural, cultural and installation scale. He believes that good architecture is a basic human right and that design possesses the power to change not only the spaces that people inhabit but that people who inhabit them. He will be joined by Stefan Antoni of Stefan Antoni Olmesdahl Truen Architects, widely regarded for his role in setting a new standard of design and professionalism in his field.
The new guard of up-and-coming graduates and students presenting their views on architecture and the built environment are Loyiso Qaqane, Andrew Moerdyk,Temba Jauch and Ruvimbo Moyo - all from the University of Cape Town.
* Conversations on Architecture is aimed at design and building professionals, including architects, lighting specialists, interior designers, interior architects, electrical engineers, consulting engineers, urban planners and other trade professionals with a serious interest in the field of design and architecture.
* The South African Institute of Architects is in the process of assessing and validating the conference for between 0.5 and 1 CPD credit.
Conversation on Architecture: Joburg
Date: Friday 5th August
Time: 09:00 - 16:00
Venue: Gallagher Convention Centre - Midrand, Johannesburg
Conversations on Architecture: Cape Town
Date: Thursday 11th August
Time: 09:00 - 16:00
Venue: Cape Town International Convention Centre
Rate: R969.00 incl VAT
For more information on speaker line-up or online-bookings visitwww.decorex.co.za – Sapa
Readers' Comments Have a comment about this article? Email us now.
Print
