W OME N ’ S M ON T H ZAHIRA ASMAL, DIRECTOR, THE CITY “The City puts ingenuity to work in the built environment through research, publishing, and critical and inclusive engagement,” says Zahira Asmal, who founded The City in 2010. “From architecture to design, culture and society, our focus is the making of cities.” Her work addresses the social, spatial, cultural and economic inequalities in South Africa to find ways to make our cities inclusive. “My observations and experiences of life during apartheid, especially the Group Areas Act, made a lasting impression on me,” she says. “Space for me became an important matter.” Zahira’s publications, presentations and exhibitions include the book Reflections & Opportunities, which was published in English and Brazilian and presented in 17 cities, and the triple-volume Movement , which examines the socio-political, economic and cultural environments shaping South Africa’s big cities. She also worked with British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye on his book Adjaye Africa Architecture. Other highlights include representing South Africa at the International Architecture & Design Showcase in London in 2012. Between 2013 and 2018 she led a placemaking project that re-imagines underused and abandoned spaces at Johannesburg’s prominent Park Station. Her current project, See, explores contested urban histories, equal representation in the memorialisation of history, and the construction of resilient postcolonial urban identities. She serves on the board of advisors for the International Archive of Women in Architecture. “I would like to see more networks and institutions supporting women at various levels of education, mentorship, construction and business development,” she says. “In addition, the obstacles to our development and advancement should be dismantled.” www.thecityagency.co.za | www.iseeyou.capetown
CLAUDIA MELA, SENIOR ASSOCIATE, DHK ARCHITECTS Claudia Mela joined dhk in 2012, bringing her experience in design, master planning and advanced knowledge of Revit to the team, which has proved valuable in largescale mixed-use developments. Claudia has worked on a wide range of projects, both locally and internationally, from conceptual to completion work stages. Career highlights include Newtown Junction, Oxford Parks and, recently, Ellipse Waterfall. While she says that there is no essential difference between what men and women bring to the profession, she believes “gender balance is key in all professions”. She adds, “Yes it’s been a male-dominated industry, but times are changing and society is adapting accordingly.
“If industries, especially typically male-dominated industries such as the construction industry, do not change, we will never gain global equality,” she says. Claudia points out that 50% of dhk’s management team is female. “Ultimately, hiring females within architectural practices makes firms more balanced,” she says. “Women bring a level of productivity and organisation to a firm that builds a firm up from its core and maximises everyone’s potentials and strengths. “Respect needs to be a living unconscious system among cultures, in the office environment and respect in the industry,” she says. “Equally, if you portray respect, you will receive the same treatment.”
TESSA BRUNETTE, CAPE TOWN OFFICE LEAD, ARUP Tessa is an architect, integrator and building envelope designer who leads the Arup Cape Town office, as well as Arup’s sustainable development activities in Africa. “I love the process of design, bringing many different voices and skillsets together to create something that is greater than the sum of its parts. Experiencing wonderful built spaces is an inspiration and a joy, and I strive to be part of teams that create delightful, thoughtful and well-performing spaces,” says Tessa. Tessa has experience working across a range of sectors, from master planning and infrastructure implementation to specialist façade and multidisciplinary building engineering design services, both in South Africa and abroad. Recent career highlights include working on The Ridge at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town (featured in the April/May 2021 issue of Leading Architecture + Design) where she was responsible for leading the Arup integrated multidisciplinary team, leveraging specialist skills for 13 disciplines across 11 of Arup’s global offices. “This project embodies my approach to design, and being able to work in a collaborative way to realise phenomenal sustainable outcomes,” she says. She is currently extending that approach to a masterplanning scale. “Diversity is important in our profession because of the impact the built environment that we create has on so many people, and therefore the need for different viewpoints and diversity of thought in their creation,” says Tessa. She notes, however, that one of the central challenges in her field remains retaining women throughout their career journey, and “not losing young women from the profession as they approach mid-career and often [take on the role of] primary caregiver”. She adds, “Sexual harassment on site and in boardrooms is real, and too often glossed over. Members of project teams often make assumptions of role based on gender alone, fueling gender stereotypes and undermining progress.”
Tel: +27 (0)21 409 3500 cape.town@arup.com www.arup.com Continued next page//
www.LeadingArchitecture.co.za AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2021 13
