S A OTA
SAOTA
Architect Designer Technologists Developing
New Key Regions PRODUCTION: Karl Pietersen
One of South Africa’s leading architectural firms has flown the nest and is now heavily active in markets away from its home. This strategy of international expansion is one that the company will look to continue with through 2018 and beyond.
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Cape Town’s world-class architecture business, SAOTA (or Stefan Antonio, Olmesdahl, Truen Architects) is a made up of a group of outstanding design minds, each bringing something different to a product and service offering that is almost unrivalled in Africa. In 2016, Enterprise Africa looked deeper into SAOTA’s work in its home country with the Clifton Terraces project, a high-profile, high-value, multiresidential apartment building that
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cascades down the slopes of the Clifton hills, overlooking the wealthy suburb’s beaches. Now, 12-months on from completion in Clifton, the building has been heralded as a commercial and architectural success. SAOTA Director Greg Truen said of the development: “It’s looking amazing and we are very happy with the way the whole thing has turned out. It’s a fantastic building from an architectural point of view…” But it was Truen’s partners and
fellow Directors, Philip Olmesdahl and Mark Bullivant that spearheaded the project and Olmesdahl – a 21-year veteran of SAOTA – cites Clifton Terraces amongst his proudest achievements. “We are very fortunate that we have some amazingly positioned sites that we work on and that can make a project exceptional,” he says. “Clifton Terraces was predominantly driven by Mark Bullivant but we worked together so that was very meaningful; OVD 919, a local Cape Town house, which
Yalikavak - Bodrum, Turkey
INDUSTRY FOCUS: ARCHITECTURE
New Engineering Building - UCT
// WE ARE VERY FORTUNATE THAT WE HAVE SOME AMAZINGLY POSITIONED SITES THAT WE WORK ON AND THAT CAN MAKE A PROJECT EXCEPTIONAL// we finished around two and a half years ago was special, winning the Architizer A+ Award; there was one we finished in Sydney last year which I enjoyed a lot; we are busy with a large development in Turkey at the moment which is around 50 villas on a very steep site and it’s very ambitious and is certainly one of the more meaningful recent projects for me.” In the December 2016 edition of
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Enterprise Africa, we spoke to Greg Truen about the success that SAOTA has realised in foreign markets – something rarely achieved on such a scale by South African organisations. Olmesdahl is also proud and excited about working abroad and admits that, right now, his focus is almost completely away from Africa. “We divide the world by region between four active Directors. I share the US with Mark and solely look after the Spanish Islands (Majorca and Ibiza), Greece, Turkey, Indonesia, Australasia and various smaller regions. Excluding Greece, we’ve seen nice growth and we have a good spread of both residential and commercial property with much larger scale master planning-type jobs in Turkey and Spain. “We have a good spread around the world and we are localising in particular areas. We can’t apply the same model for business growth that we may have been using in West Africa in Europe. We do see huge potential in Europe and my partner Phillippe Fouché looks after that region
and he’s had a great year with a lot on the cards for next year.” With African markets proving particularly unpredictable last year, thanks to various factors including political upheaval and unstable commodity pricing, the continent was a challenging place to do business. Global macro-economic factors also played a part and, as such, SAOTA was thankful for its international spread. But the Directors are keen to build on the historic success attained in Africa. “When we first moved out of South Africa, a lot of our work was on the continent,” says Olmesdahl. “Up until around two or three years ago, Africa remained a substantial part of our business but that has changed substantially since our moves into the USA, Europe, Middle East and the Far East. Africa is not as prosperous anymore due to a number of different reasons but Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa remain busy, and Senegal, Congo, Angola and Ivory Coast still have projects. We are
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Yalikavak - Bodrum, Turkey
proud to service the African region and so we are putting a lot of effort into regrowing markets that have slowed.” With approximately 80% of SAOTA’s business now coming from markets outside of South Africa, the burden of travelling far and wide is heavy and Olmesdahl admits that one of his personal goals for 2018 is to “travel less”. ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN, TECH Many commentators involved in the global architectural industry are looking to a new trend for 2018 – Starchitecture. However, this form of architecture - that has a ‘wow’ factor and involves moving away from rectangular-type buildings are more towards eye-catching, Frank Gehry-style designs that encourage marvelling from onlookers – is
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something that SAOTA has been doing for years. The Douala Hotel in Cameroon, Alex Junction in Johannesburg, the Apex tower in London, the Cocoon in Zurich, and Bora Headquarters in Spain are just a few examples of outstanding SAOTA designs that are certainly breath-taking. Other trends set to take more of a mainstream focus in 2018 include an increased emphasis on the blending of indoor and outdoor space; an ongoing drive for eco-friendly development; the merging of residential, commercial, and industrial space; and a ramping up of the use of wood. But, again, SAOTA is vastly experienced across all of these ‘new’ trends. What makes SAOTA a hugely successful business, and not only
an outstanding designer, is its organisation and support processes that back up its glittering portfolio. “If someone is looking at an architect or a practice, you look at what has been built as what is meaningful, but being an insider, what is also meaningful is the process,” explains Olmesdahl. “The projects that stand out for me are the ones where the processes have been great and have been great because of fantastic clients.” As Mr Truen detailed last month, SAOTA’s advanced use of tech is what helps it stand out when it comes to processes, and Olmesdahl agrees, saying: “A number of factors have pushed us into being extremely technology focussed in the office, meaning the platforms that we design the buildings on, the way in which
SAOTA
// I CAN COMFORTABLY SAY WE ARE SOUTH AFRICA’S INDUSTRY LEADER WITH PROGRAMS LIKE REVIT // we illustrate the buildings for clients, and development of documentation for clients. I can comfortably say we are South Africa’s industry leader with programs like Revit and programs that allow you to create fairly basic but illustrative walkthrough videos, like Lumion, and with VR where we have been able to utilise technology in marketing and in presentations. We are creating a new aspect of the business that makes it a more attractive package for developers.” And it’s not just utilisation of technology in the SAOTA office that
has critics praising the business; the company is also ahead of the curve when it comes to installing tech into homes and other buildings. Whether its connectivity between devices, energy efficient elevators, solar panels, efficient water usage, or self-closing curtains, Olmesdahl is happy to see home-usage becoming easier and more refined. “The majority of our work remains in residential, whether it’s single or multi. At the top end of the residential market, that kind of technology has been around for many years and it’s become more user friendly and
competitively priced which is great. It compliments a contemporary lifestyle whether it’s security or in general. I’m not sure whether it’s becoming more popular or whether it’s becoming more sophisticated. Before, there was a situation where systems were very badly designed and had a number of flaws but those kinds of things have largely been washed out of the industry.” But using gimmicks and installing tech for the sake of it is not part of the SAOTA mantra. Truen told us that the company is ‘conscious of designing buildings that give people a better quality of life’ and Olmesdahl says that if it’s not practical and effective then it runs the risk of being value engineered out of a project. “Automation is not the most important consideration but we are
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INDUSTRY FOCUS: ARCHITECTURE
New Engineering Building - UCT
always conscious of the designs being unconscious of it. We want a system that is robust, flexible, intuitive and has the greatest convenience and so consequently you are not aware of it. It’s important but we push our designs to be more about the experience of the space and the environment rather than tech,” he says. A PEOPLE INDUSTRY In architecture and design, perhaps more so than in other industries, trust is one of the key factors, held in the highest regard by both parties. Often, the capital invested into the design of buildings and spaces, or the redesign of existing areas, is monumental and without trust the process would never get off the ground. SAOTA’s people recognise that transparent communication with
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clients is key, and this has been a vital part of the business since its formation in 1987. “SAOTA has a unique brand strength” says Olmesdahl, “and we’re highly technical in 3D development/ coordination of architecture documentation. With over 230 staff across three companies, we have so much ‘band width’.” By ensuring the provision of solutions for clients and adding to their success, SAOTA has rightly become a valuable partner to many developers
and individuals. The attitude of ‘customer first’ and building ‘lasting relationships’ is spawned from the very top of the business and this is why it’s important for the company to frequently source staff with suitable attributes. “It’s an incredibly demanding business, especially in residential,” admits Olmesdahl. “Many aspects are extremely expensive and whether it’s trying to satisfy someone’s personal ambitions or whether its microscopically going through a hotel design that is going to be replicated 200 times, there’s an intensity that hones your analytical skills and delivery focus, and I’ve become more focussed on that with a brilliant team that has been working together for, in some cases, 10 years or more. “Design is an important skill but there’s one thing that goes across all aspects of architecture and that is the ability to think clearly and work smartly, whether its dealing with contracts or budgets or design - It’s something we look for in all of our new applicants.” SAOTA’s Directorate is full of longservers and the senior team, or PASS (Partners, Associates and Senior Staff), are mostly seven year-plus veterans in the business. When asked about the dynamic between the hierarchical levels of SAOTA, and the involvement of Directors throughout the organisation, Olmesdahl says that it’s different for each in terms of their skill set but, on the whole, the PASS group remain very hands on. “Generally, the Directors are involved with design and initiating the direction of the solution and we’re very involved with client liaison on the project. The different seniors have different strengths in terms of technical delivery; some are more involved all
// THE DIRECTORS ARE INVOLVED WITH DESIGN AND INITIATING THE DIRECTION OF THE SOLUTION AND WERE VERY INVOLVED WITH CLIENT LIAISON ON THE PROJECT //
SAOTA
the way through and others move around to remain focussed on design and client and handover the technical side. We have a large employee base so it’s not always the same for every job and every member. I am personally a control freak and like to stay close to everything throughout the project and so I’m equally involved in design, client and technical.” This fastidious attention to detail and comprehensive involvement of specialist minds is another factor that makes SAOTA stand out in the highly competitive local and international architectural and design industries. But Olmesdahl is modest about
the company’s positioning within its market places “Whilst we’re always aware of the fantastic work of our local and international competitors, (practices which have a similar profile/footprint and ethos), we’re always striving to remain just ahead.” Going forward, the SAOTA goal is simple - to remain internationally sought after and continue to pick up important industry awards. “We want to achieve our targets for the year in order to maintain growth and stability in the company,” says Olmesdahl. “We want to develop key new regions and to complete 35 – 40 of the current 60+ projects on site worldwide, as scheduled.”
With a spread of work across five continents and a number of territories, a portfolio of magnificence both in terms of completed projects and processes, and a team that uses technology to constantly improve its product and service offering, SAOTA remains a global industry leader and a South African company that should be lauded for its approach to business and its capture of global attention.
WWW.SAOTA.COM
“I studied at the University of Natal alongside Greg Truen, he graduated in ’95 and I graduated in ’96. We are both from Durban so there is a big Durban contingent in the Director’s pool at SAOTA. I’ve been with Greg and Stefan since ’96 - I didn’t formally work after graduating but I had worked while studying. I moved to Cape Town because of the limited prospects in Durban, and I’ve now been in the practice for 21 years. “A lot of the time, you can come out of university with your degree and realise what you’ve been studying is not quite what it takes to practice day to day. I don’t think I gained my organisations and leaderships skills from my studies; students have a lot of pressures in terms of time scales and managing multiple projects so that gives you an idea of what your life will be like, but I think you quickly learn that you need to separate home and business life. The faster you learn that your business life needs to be enormously efficient, the more meaningful your home life is. After a few years of practice, you are able to work more efficiently and you are able to focus on what the objectives of the design, meeting, email or conversation are, and then you go straight to the point and deliver.”
PHILIP OLMESDAHL - DIRECTOR SAOTA www.enterprise-africa.net / 9
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February 2018
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Architect Designer Technologists Developing
New Key Regions ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
Buffalo Coal / Nautic Africa / Grindrod / SAOTA
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