THE DESIGN SPACE

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS PROFESSION?

I was always drawn to detail. In an art composition I would take hours to draw the pattern in the backdrop fabric and the rest would be almost irrelevant. My parents introduced me to an architect when I was 16 and from there my school subjects were steered towards a career in architecture.

PLEASE EXPLAIN WHAT IT IS THAT YOU DO

We document and resolve structures in the built environment. Basically, we are given a design/ concept for a building and with the help of a structural engineer make the building stand up.

WHAT TRAINING DID YOU UNDERGO?

I le Zimbabwe at 18 with a couple of A Levels behind me and did a three year Diploma in Architectural Technology at Cape Tech. The course took me six years in the end, as I worked while I studied to support myself through the course.

DESCRIBE A TYPICAL DAY

A typical day would be spent behind the computer drawing. It’s not a glamourous job but I find the challenge of resolving how a building

Sh Okanga

ZOOLOGY PHD STUDENT

Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, UCT