Alex Coetzee CREATIVE PORTFOLIO 2010-2016
About me I am a Candidate Architect working in Cape Town South Africa. My childhood was spent in Pretoria, South Africa and Maputo, Mozambique. I have completed a BAS - Bachelor of Architectural Studies - and a M.Arch (Prof) Master in Architecture (Professional) - at the University of Cape Town. After completing my undergraduate degree I spent a year working in Johannesburg, South Africa for Peter Rich Architects. My current employment is at Wolff Architects, Cape Town. My experience at architectural firms thus far has made clear to me that I am interested in working for small to mid-size firms. I enjoy working on projects at a variety of scales - from single residential projects to large civic and commercial projects - and have a particular interest in trans-disciplinary ways of working. I am interested in many fields that lie slightly on the periphery of architecture - fine art, film-making, graphic design - and enjoy the overlap that these fields can have with architecture. I care greatly about architectural representation and it's potential for opening up new ways of seeing the world. I carry a sketchbook around most of the time and consider free-hand drawing to be a indispensable part of my creative process. In my spare time I enjoy running, cycling and taking on private creative projects.
Alex Coetzee Cell: (+27) 82 802 4044 Email: alexanderfrancoiscoetzee@gmail.com Skype: a.f.coetzee Date of Birth: 1991/05/16 Citizenship: South African
Academic History MArch Prof University of Cape Town (With Distinction)
2015
BAS (Honours) University of Cape Town
2014
BAS
University of Cape Town
2012
IEB Matric
St Albans College
2009
Employment History Peter Rich Architects, Johannesburg Architectural Technologist
Jan - Dec 2013
Wolff Architects, Cape Town Candidate Architect
Jan 2016 - Present
Awards Barry Herzog Prize for greatest progress in Architectural Design in the MArch(Prof) programme
2015
2nd Place in Autodesk Africa BIM 2013 Student Competition.
2013
Finalist in Des Baker Architecture Student Competition with Honorable mention.
2012
Cape Institute for Architecture Prize-Top Student in Design and Theory Studio
2011
Dean's Merit List
2011
Top Student in Visual Art (High School)
UCT Athletics Club
2005-2009
Academic Colours (High School)
2009
Best Senior Speaker ( High School)
2009
Best Actor Award ( High School)
2009
Skills Revit Auto CAD Sketchup Photoshop Illustrator In Design Microsoft Office Animation & Film Editing Model Making
Other
Joint art exhibition with Bronwyn Horn at Frieda's Cafe, Bree str. Cape Town Word of Art chairman & co-founder (High School) House Prefect ( High School)
References Peter Rich tell: +2711 726 6151 email: peterrichtravel@gmail.com Heinrich Wolff tell: +2721 422 3803 email: hwolff@global.co.za Kevin Fellingham (Masters Supervisor) email: kevin.fellingham@uct.ac.za email: kevin@kfellingham.com
2015-2016 2012 2005-2009 2009
01
8 - 17
Waxberry Market 2015 - Thesis Project Retail Centre Du Noon, Cape Town
02
18 - 31
Bonteheuwel MOD Centre 2014 After-school centre Bonteheuwel, Cape Town
03
32 - 37
SACAP Creative Cart 2014 Creative Hub Competition Entry - Runner Up
04
38 - 43
Beaufort West House 2011 Row House Beaufort West, South Africa
44 - 45
Peter Rich Architects
05
2013 1 year internship Johannesburg, South Africa 46 - 51
Wolff Architects
06
2016 - Present Full-time employment Cape Town, South Africa 52 - 57
Drawings
07
01 Waxberry Market The Missing Middle in South Africa's Retail Environment
2015 Retail Centre Du Noon, Cape Town South Africa is representative of a condition that is common to many developing countries; known in economic terms as "The Missing Middle", it is characterized by a high number of micro-enterprises and macro-enterprises but very few small to medium enterprises. This economic condition is also reflective in the kinds of retail buildings we see in South Africa, big-box shopping malls and small-scale informal trade represent two disparate worlds of the retail sector which we have become very accustomed to seeing. What is missing in the South African context is a retail typology that lies between these two ends of the economic spectrum. This thesis explores an alternative retail typology to that of the shopping mall, one that aims to fill the gap between small-scale informal trade and large-scale retail centres in the context of South Africa's lowincome suburbs. The retail centre is located in the rapidly expanding low-income suburb of Du Noon on the site of an existing taxi-rank owned by the city of Cape Town. Aiming to exploit this site's commercial potential, its periphery is divided up into a series of smaller commercial properties to be developed by private entrepreneurs.
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The taxi-rank remains managed and owned by the City of Cape Town but benefits from the rentals and sales of the surrounding commercial properties. As a public/private venture it is an alternative to the mall, not only as a business model but as a building type. As opposed to the introverted singular mass of the shopping mall, the building is broken up into a permeable edge on its periphery and an open court in its centre. Half of this open court functions as a taxi-rank whilst the other half forms a grand market space fronting onto the street. The market is a civic-scaled spaced enclosed by a large sculptural roof, it can also be used for concerts, church services or any other large-scale public gathering. As a contribution to the public realm, it again represents a departure from typical mall who's public face typically consists of advertising and car parks. Given the small-scale of the surrounding context, the building is particularly concerned with breaking its apparent mass into smaller segments that give it a finer grain at street level. Breaks at key points along the building's periphery break up its scale as well as providing links to existing pedestrian routes and surrounding cul-de-sac's.
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The first floor of the centre has a more private nature. Along it's back edge runs a spine of small apartments and businesses of a more domestic nature - a gym, creche and internet cafe. The apartments are based on a model which has been developed in Du Noon a highly economical but very spatially compact one that makes no room for recreational space within the dwelling. These businesses, therefore, provide a vital "escape" from the very confined space of one's apartment. The upper floors of the perimeter buildings facing the street contain seating space for restaurants and small scale office spaces. In the center of these perimeter buildings is a large open floor slab which relieves the need for parking space on the ground floor. This large open area can also be used for 5-a-side soccer matches and other communal functions.
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In its construction, the building is concerned with being executed by predominantly small-scale contractors. This resulted in the development of two unique construction systems. One system allows small-scale contractors to build vertically by making use of prefabricated concrete slabs; the other is a system developed for the large hanging roof over the market space, a system of steel tension cables hung into place by a rentable platform lift and clad in rubber.
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02 Bonteheuwel MOD Centre A civic place in a nondescript landscape 2014 After-school centre Bonteheuwel, Cape Town The intention of this project was to tie together the loose urban fabric around two existing schools in Bonteheuwel - a suburb in the Cape Flats. This is a vast sandy area designated as a non-white area under Apartheid; it is characterized by monotonous low-rise housing and large unoccupied open spaces which have become sites of regular criminal activity. The building caters for activities that take place after school hours - sports fields, a library and an agricultural centre. Formally, the building is stretched out as long as possible making a hard edge between the two schools with a pathway connecting them to one another. The bulk of the building is contained in two double volume sheds with saw-tooth roofs and secondary elements such as benches, balconies, pergolas and ramps are wrapped around these sheds to exaggerate the buildings length. The character of the building was refined by an extensive process technical development. It is reliant on very conventional construction methodsmainly brickwork and off-shutter concrete - but tries to exploit the raw sculptural qualities of these materials. Against these rather heavy materials, steel, timber and aluminium are treated as bright and light, painted with reds and yellows.
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library
sport
agriculture
Ground Floor Plan ( Sketch Design Phase )
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First Floor Plan
Second Floor Plan
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03 SACAP Creative Cart Broadening the network of architectural knowledge 2014 Creative Hub Competition Entry - Runner Up
In 2014 SACAP (South African Council for the Architectural Profession) held a competition for the design of an exhibition stand at the UIA (International Union of Architects) conference. The conference was centered around themes of Resilience, Ecology and Values; it is in the spirit of these themes that the SACAP Creative Cart is designed. This proposal envisioned the exhibition stand as a mobile creative hub - one that can be used after the conference in order to broaden the network of architectural knowledge beyond of the confines of the architectural community. It places particular emphasis on an aspect of architectural knowledge which is often taken for granted - the value of visual literacy and creative thinking. This kind of knowledge is a scarcity in a country like South Africa where subjects such as Art, Technical Drawing, Design etc. are only offered at a select number of schools. It is envisioned that SACAP can use the creative cart when addressing the general public in order to shine light on the value of creative thinking and visual literacy. The cart is a place where one can produce and display creative work as well as a place where one can discuss and reflect upon it.
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UIA 2014 The cart will firstly be used by SACAP to promote their values, corporate identity and agenda's at the UIA 2014 conference.
TRANSPORTATION The cart has been designed as a roadworthy trailer that can be easily transported.
RE-USE The cart is re-used as a mobile creativehub. It promotes values of visual literacy and creative thinking to school children, students, the general public etc.
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04 Beaufort West House A house for a desert climate 2011 Row House Beaufort West, South Africa
This project imagines a typical row-house for a desert climate and tries to give expressive value this climatic response. It makes use of solely passive environmental design strategies and articulates them as distinct parts, giving the building an anthropomorphic quality. The most dominant of these parts is a large vertical horn which houses a chimney and wind-catcher. It's shaft is divided into two parts allowing cool air to filter into the one and smoke to exit out of the other. The horn, like the rest of the house, is concerned with addressing the radical temperature changes that can occur on a daily basis in a desert climate by providing options for both cooling and heating. The internal temperature is regulated by half-meter thick masonry walls that only have a few carefully placed openings. The openings are given thick frames and painted with bright colours giving them the appearance of eyes or mouths. A courtyard in the centre of the house creates a cool sheltered outside space with a rainwater harvesting pond that collects water from the large butterfly roof. In dividing the house in two, the courtyard also allows the house to become more flexible to options of backyard tenants, home offices, teenagers seeking privacy etc. The back part of the house is therefore designed a small, completely self-sufficient unit.  |39
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05 Peter Rich Architects One year internship after completion of undergraduate degree 2013 Johannesburg South Africa
Peter Rich Architects is an award winning architectural office based in Johannesburg, South Africa. The firm is known for creating authentic contemporary African architecture and has received a great deal of international acclaim in recent years for projects such as the Alexandra Heritage Centre an the Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre. In my year of working at the office was I was involved in many different projects varying greatly in scale, location and typology. Notable projects included a museum for the photographer Sam Nzima, a competition for a Transitional Living Centre in Pietermaritzburg, a large mixed-use building in Addis Ababa and an archaeological museum in the Ngorongoro crater of Tanzania. The office is small but works in regular collaboration satellite offices, namely Rich Architects (lead by the sons of Peter Rich) and Light Earth Designs (a sustainable design company). Given the small size of the office, I was able to gain exposure to a variety of different tasks, namely, design, model building, client liaison, submitting tender proposals, 3-D modeling, drafting and producing presentation images. In June I was also given the opportunity to travel to Ethiopia for a client meeting and site visit. this trip was extended with a 10 day trip through the North of Ethiopia visiting its incredible vernacular architecture and rock-hewn churches.  | 45
Work by Peter Rich Architects - Images courtesy of Peter Rich Architects
Travel photo's of Ethiopia - Images by Alex Coetzee
06 Wolff Architects Full time employment after completion of Masters degree 2016 - Present Cape Town South Africa
Wolff Architects is a Cape Town based architectural firm founded in 2012 by Heinrich Wolff (previously of Noero Wolff Architects) and Ilze Wolff ( of Open House Architecture). The firm has produced many award-winning buildings in South Africa and abroad, ranging from single residential buildings to largescale civic and commercial works. The firm also undertakes a great deal of work on the periphery of building design such as research, exhibitions and furniture design. In my time at Wolff I have been involved in building design work, urban scale projects, research and office software management. I have been involved in a small restaurant project from design development stage until practical completion. An urban scale project that I was involved in included a proposal for re-routing circulation and creating quality retail and public space at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. I have also worked on construction drawings for a school for children with special needs which is due to be complete in 2018. Other work I have been involved in includes research and film-making. The research project is an ongoing investigation into the rapid urbanization of a state housing development in Du Noon, Cape Town as a result of owner initiated business development in what was initially planned as a residential neighborhood. Empirical research was done to document this growth and the unprecedented ways of living it has produced within a South African context.  | 47
Construction drawings by Alex Coetzee - Images courtesy of Wolff Architects
Legibility: Existing
These diagrams illustrate the vis first floor outdoor walkway of the V
Presentation drawings by Alex Coetzee - Images courtesy of Wolff Architects
An isovist is used to show what a p not see) from various positions a This study shows that in most c first floor walkway is obscured fro pedestrian, who cannot see where
Flagpost Terrace
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Presentation drawings by Alex Coetzee - Images courtesy of Wolff Architects
6.4 Illustrations Quay Six
Models done in collaboration with colleagues - Images courtesy of Wolff Architects
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Models done in collaboration with colleagues - Images courtesy of Wolff Architects
03 Drawings
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Thank You. Feel free to contact me for any further information.