Celebrating Women in Architecture

This August, Leading Architecture & Design is celebrating the inspirational women leaders in architecture and related fields with profiles of South Africa’s top architects and professionals from related realms of design and construction.

NADIA TROMP, DIRECTOR, NTSIKA ARCHITECTS

Internationally acclaimed architect Nadia Tromp is best known for creating spatial justice through her work in social and civic architecture. In 2008, she founded Ntsika Architects, one of the few black-owned female practices in the country. “This is still a very new country, especially for many of us who were forced to grow up on its periphery. What excites us as a practise is to be at the forefront of helping to constantly reshape and reimagine this new space,” says Tromp. “It has been amazing to see how our projects have started to transform communities, from primary healthcare projects in Soweto to highly densified urban areas like Hillbrow.”

In 2017, Nadia became the first female South African architect to win a World Architecture Festival Award (WAF) for the Westbury Clinic. In 2019 another project, the Transformation and Development Centre, was awarded the highest accolade at the Architecture Masterprize in Bilboa Spain, winning the prize for mixed-use project. In 2015 her design of the Museum of Human Migration (MoHM) won an international design award with the 19millionproject. She showcased a selection of her works at the Venice Biennale in 2017. Nadia served as the GIFA president (2018-2020) and is the director of the UIA WP – Community Architecture + Human Rights.

Tel: +27 (0)11 492 7001 Email: info@ntsika.co.za www.ntsika.co.za

CLAIRE D’ADORANTE, DIRECTOR, PARAGON INTERFACE

Claire has over 20 years’ experience, and holds a BA Hons in Interior Design from Greenside Design Center. She worked for a multi-disciplinary practice in Australia for six years, returning to South Africa in 2012. As Director at Paragon Interface, Claire secured two of the largest fit-out projects in the country: the new Sasol head office and 1 Discovery Place. The latter won a 2020 German Design Award for Excellent Architecture: Interior Architecture. It was also the Office Design Winner at the prestigious SBID International Design Awards 2018 in the UK. Claire comments, “Very few people in the industry can speak of being part of a project of that magnitude in their careers. I am proud of the outcome we delivered, and how it has been received by the industry, locally and globally.” Claire most recently won SAPSA Professional of the Year Award in the Architecture and Design Class of the Built Environment. www.paragon.co.za

BARBARA SOUTHWORTH, DIRECTOR, GAPP ARCHITECTS AND URBAN DESIGNERS

Barbara says that when she began studying architecture, she was in the first year with a 50/50 gender split. Soon after graduating with her masters in Urban Design and City Planning, her career was launched in many ways when her team won first prize in the international Housing Generator Competition run by the Netherlands Institute of Architecture in 1999. Soon after, he was awarded the 2003 Ralph Erskine Prize for her role in the Dignified Places Programme in Cape Town. Her career as a spatial planner, urban designer and architect has encompassed public and private sector experience. At first, she says, she frequently found herself “the only woman in the boardroom”, but “never felt compromised”. She adds, however, “I did feel I was taken more seriously when I wore my hair up!”

Although now women architects seem more comfortable emphasising their traditionally feminine qualities, Barbara often felt she had to appear tougher than she was. “A really tough time was starting a family one year into launching a new practice and then bizarrely deciding to add on to our home while living in it,” she says. “Who would do that to themselves?”

In 2007, she established City Think Space, a specialist urban design practice, which merged with GAPP in 2014. She often appears at key international urban design, spatial planning and sustainability events and conferences, participates in global debates and has published numerous papers, lectures and feature articles.

Tel: +27 (0)21 424 2390/1 Email: office@jhb.gapp.net www.gapp.net/en/

LEIGH BISHOP, DIRECTOR, DHK

Leigh joined dhk as a partner and member of the board of directors in 2019. Her management portfolio includes business development with a special focus on healthcare and public projects. Leigh studied architecture at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, including a semester on an exchange programme in Copenhagen, Denmark, to study co-housing. She has over 16 years’ experience in the industry and has worked for several prominent firms throughout her career, exposing her to the full spectrum of projects. Before joining dhk, Leigh established her practice, Leigh Bishop Architects, in Durban, and from 2009 to 2018 executed projects in the healthcare, high-end residential and commercial sectors. Leigh currently leads a team working on the development of specialist hospital facilities in eSwatini and Botswana, as well as the conversion of two large-scale inner-city buildings into luxury hotels. Leigh says, “I had aspirations of becoming an architect from a young age. While a career in the field hasn’t been without its challenges, it has been incredibly rewarding. Prominent female architects need to inspire inclusivity and serve as beacons of gender equality. It is essential that we continue to inspire, motivate and carve out space for the future generation of female leaders.”

dhk Architects Email: hello@dhk.co.za +27 (0)21 421 6803 www.dhk.co.za

RASHMA PATEL DIRECTOR, TCRPV Architects

Rashma brings 17 years of design and construction experience to TCRPV Architects. She holds a master’s in architecture from the University of the Witwatersrand. Before becoming a partner at TC Design Group, Rashma had founded her own practice, RPV Architecture, in 2012. Starting from humble beginnings, Rashma grew her business into a QSE level within five years. The success of her practice, together with the award of two large-scale retail competition bids, namely The Kingsley Centre in Tshwane and Malvern Shopping Centre in eThekwini, enabled RPV Architects to become a major shareholder in a well-established architectural firm, TC Design Group. This merger transformed the company into what is now known as TCRPV Architects. The company now proudly stands with 51% black female ownership and half of the 38 staff members across the group are female. Being true to her beliefs, Rashma has positioned herself to help enable women with similar circumstances to reach their career goals within the commercial architectural sector. Rashma has been instrumental in establishing the TCRPV Empowerment Initiative, which is a registered non-profit organisation that empowers black women through various learnerships and annual architectural bursaries. “I feel all architecture should be relevant and reflect the society in which it serves. In South Africa, this should be extended beyond just gender roles to also include the various cultures that make up our proud heritage. Therefore, I believe that our architectural profession should be largely influenced by women, certainly of colour, in order to create a diverse environment within the design industry. This would result in successful solutions that influence, shape and inspire people,” says Rashma.

Tel: +27 (0)11 784 3860 Email: Rashma@ tcrpv.co.za Michael@tcrpv.co.za www.tcrpv.co.za

MARINDA BJØRNSTAD ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR AT BOOGERTMAN + PARTNERS, FOCUSING ON DESIGN CONCEPTUALISATION

“I have always welcomed new design challenges in a variety of architectural typologies, and to shape space at different urban scales,” says Marinda. “The decade that I have spent part of Boogertman + Partners’ team has allowed me to participate in a broad spectrum of design projects across the African continent. But the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced a new lens on the role of the designer in facilitating creative solutions to current challenges. Collaborative design processes that generate robust outcomes with a diverse team has always been a personal passion. As our new global context is being re-shaped, traditional architectural responses, I believe, are losing their relevance. Collaboration – now more than ever – allows us to collectively speculate on alternate solutions. During the pandemic, our team has created Design the Future. It started as a turnkey consultancy providing design solutions to get businesses back to the workspace. But it has evolved into an opportunity to generate new design thinking for unusual times. Through this journey, we strive to shape the future of community-based learning, understand the essence of affordable living, and interrogate what workspace means to brand culture. I look forward to a continued journey of inter-disciplinary discovery in the future of the built environment.”

Email: mail@boogertmanjhb.co.za Tel +27 (0)11 790 1600 www.boogertmanandpartners.com

ASHLEIGH KILLA, CO-FOUNDER, THEMAAK

Asheigh Killa is the mother-half of theMAAK, a Cape Town-based architecture studio. Her energy brings softness and care to theMAAK’s projects, all of which are people- and community-centric. Ashleigh’s passion is to be of service to people and it is through the studio’s processes and outputs that the ‘act of service’ is presented and delivered through permanent, human-scaled works of art. The studio’s recent projects include: a TB testing clinic in Masiphumelele, Cape Town, for the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation; ‘Waste to Wonder’ TetraPak installation in Langa, Cape Town, for their annual Follies in the Veld design-build programme; and ‘We See Change’, an interactive LED billboard, currently installed in Woodstock, Cape Town. The studio’s work has been praised for its genuine social agenda and has been featured both locally and internationally across print and digital media; publications include Visi, ArchDaily and Designboom. “I’m at the beginning of my career, and I’m a young beginner – both of these truths could have been areas for discrimination and discomfort; however, I haven’t experienced either,” says Ashleigh. “This could be attributed to how I handle myself on projects, it could be the teams we choose to work with, it could be that our industry is shifting… either way, I’m not recorded as ‘the female architect’, but rather, ‘the architect’ – I am seen for what I do, not the gender I represent.” www.themaak.co.za

KATHLEEN WESTERN, DIRECTOR, KATHLEEN WESTERN ARCHITECTS

With close on 20 years of experience in the industry, Kathleen Western has worked on a range of building scales and typologies in Africa and Europe, as a design and project architect and urban designer, in prominent boutique and commercial firms in South Africa and Ireland. Most recently with GLH Architects, she completed the striking pair of buildings (housing Webber Wentzel and the Advocates Chambers) on the corner of Rivonia and Pybus Roads in Sandton, and led the winning government PPP bid for the Department of Stats in Pretoria. Her passion for design integrity and pragmatic technical resolution has served her well in both the built environment and the educational sphere, where she has given talks at Universities and professional Institute conferences. Recent career highlights include attending the World Architecture Festival in Amsterdam to co-present a shortlisted competition entry; having her work featured in the Gauteng Institute for Architecture exhibition ‘New South African Architecture: Women Shaping the Future’; and, of course, launching her own architectural studio. Kathleen observes, “Although I have had to push to achieve parity, and for my high standards to be seen positively, even desirable, I am conscious that I am the architect I am today because of the generous guidance of others in the construction industry with whom I've worked.” www.kathleenwestern.co.za

ROXANNE KAYE, SENIOR ASSOCIATE, SAOTA

Roxanne Kaye graduated from the University of Cape Town with a BArch degree in 2007, after which she began her career at SAOTA as a candidate architect. With a strong work ethic and uncompromising dedication to design, she quickly rose to the position of project architect and team leader. Since then, Roxanne has worked across the globe, managing projects in Cape Town, Russia, Nigeria, Mexico, Mauritius, Morocco, Argentina and Brazil, to name a few. Her responsibilities include design, client relations, resource and financial management, system development and mentoring. Whilst she loves the varying focuses of architecture, design is her strength and passion and constantly fortifies her in her career decision. As passionate as Roxanne is about being an architect, she is a dedicated mother – testament to the fact that one can have a successful career and still raise a family without having to compromise on either. Roxanne’s hope for the profession is that young architects, and particularly women, forge their own paths by working hard and committing to doing the best that they can do. She firmly believes that success must be earned and taken, not given. She points out that SAOTA is always looking for talented young architects. “There are many pertinent questions being asked at the moment about diversity, inclusiveness and equality worldwide,” she says. “My message to the young women graduating, would be that it is critical to define yourself as an architect rather than a female architect. By celebrating the value women bring to the profession, we should progress towards more equal representation in the field and maintain the quality and impact of the work we do and value we add.”

109 Hatfield Street, Gardens, Cape Town, 8001 Tel: +27 (0)21 468 4400 | Email: info@saota.com | www.saota.com

KIM ANNE TIMM EXECUTIVE –STRUCTURES, BUILDINGS AND PLACES, AECOM

Civil engineer Kim Timm, Centurion Structures Technical Lead at infrastructure delivery company AECOM, was awarded the title of Woman Professional of the Year for 2019/2020 at this year’s South African Professional Services Awards. She was also awarded the CESA Mentor of the Year 2019. “Probably my favourite recent project that I have been involved in is the new Exxaro head office, the ConneXXion, for Growthpoint Properties with AMA Architects,” says Kim. “It was a technically challenging building but we had an excellent project team, which led to it winning the CESA Projects greater than R250m category in 2019, along with several other industry awards.” Over a career spanning 17 years, she has worked on a wide range of projects from heavy industrial to retail, educational and commercial buildings. In 2018, she co-authored two papers that were presented at the IABSE conference in Nantes, France. “There is definitely still bias around gender in the industry, and this will take time to change,” says Kim. “I’ve always believed that the only way I will change the misconception that women don’t belong in engineering is to be the best engineer that I can possibly be. It makes it a lot harder for people to argue the point if you are living evidence that they are incorrect.” She adds, however, “We need a broader approach than simply offering opportunity. We must address the unconscious bias that clouds our industry too.” www.aecom.com

PHILIPPA TUMUBWEINEE, SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE PLANNING & GEOMATICS

Philippa is a co-founder of IZUBA INafrica Architects, a senior lecturer and Head of the School of Architecture, Planning & Geomatics at the University of Cape Town. She was introduced to academia in the Department of Architecture at the University of Pretoria as an assistant studio master in the first-year studio. In 2007, she joined the department of Architecture at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) South Africa as the first-year coordinator and design studio master. In addition to practice and academia, she has served on the board of the Gauteng Institute for Architects (GIfA), where she contributed to the re-branding and rejuvenation of GifA as an active vehicle through which the significance of architects and architecture is made visible in the broader society. In 2018, she was awarded her PhD at the School of Higher Education Studies, University of the Free State. She continues to be an avid and active presence in the design industry in South Africa and frequently sits on the National Judging Panel for the South African Institute for Architects (SAIA) and the AfriSAM SAIA Sustainability Awards.

Tel: +27 (0)21 650 2911 | Email: ebe-faculty@uct.ac.za www.ebe.uct.ac.za

CATHARINE ATKINS, DIRECTOR, CO-ARC INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTS INC

As a founding director of Co-Arc International Architects, where she has worked for 21 years, Catharine leads the technical implementation of the architecture produced by the practice. In her role as leader of the consultant team, she managed the design implementation of Africa’s 55 storey mixed use building, The Leonardo. “To have had the opportunity to lead our team as the architects on the tallest residential building in Africa, let alone South Africa, as a relatively young female, is almost inconceivable,” she says. She points out that although strides have been made in this traditionally male-dominated industry, the field is still not without its challenges for women. Catharine has successfully guided teams to realise numerous mixed use and leisure projects in Western Africa for international clients, as well as significant corporate developments and exclusive residential projects. Catharine has mentored many young female staff at Co-Arc International and teaches them that mutual respect and common decency can earn vital common ground on a construction site. “The more we as females take ownership of what we honestly deserve and stand up with pride, the more we’ll be appreciated in this still male-dominated industry,” she says.

Tel: +27 (0)11 447 1344 | Email: admin@co-arc.com www.co-arc.com

KARLIEN THOMASHOFF, DIRECTOR, THOMASHOFF + PARTNER ARCHITECTS, Y+K ARCHITECTS, WITOPWIT AND DAGBOEK.CO.ZA

Karlien Thomashoff is not only an architect, but also acts as design specialist on projects ranging in scale from product and fabric design to sports facilities and restoration. Over the course of her career, after qualifying in 1992, she has been a key member on project teams chosen as finalists in several significant local design competitions, such as the ‘New Legislature Buildings’ in Kimberley in the Northern Cape, and the ‘Transformation of Red Location’ in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. More recently, landmark projects have included the renovation of the Boukunde Living Lab at the University of Pretoria. Significant residential projects include House Rooke, which was awarded an Award of Excellence by the Pretoria Institute for Architecture and Stand 47, which pioneered sustainable design using thermally efficient alternative building materials, completed with the participation of Saint-Gobain. She regularly sits on a range of examination and awards panels, has lectured part-time at universities and has presented public lectures on her work locally and abroad. “I believe that women’s contribution to architecture is definitely a sense of sophistication and attention to detail,” says Karlien. “The assumption that women do not have the knowledge or experience to be in decision-making positions in the construction industry needs to change.” www.thomashoffstudio.co.za