From conservation to teaching, art and doing a PhD – architect Jan Smit has a wealth of knowledge and an incredibly diverse career spanning over more than three decades. Jan shares more with us here.

Which of your previous projects are you particularly proud of?

I suppose our own house – it received an award from the South African Institute of Architects. It was designed in 2000 and we’re still living there – it also features on Die argitekte. We built the house for a ridiculous price at the time (R 360 000) and reappropriated materials such as old factory steel and a staircase and made the kitchen ourselves with printers plate and trollies. We still love the way it sits on the site and avoids suburbanism.

Can you tell us more about how you’re a part of the VIA TV series, Die argitekte, and what it is about?

The programme features architects in South Africa (mainly those based in Cape Town, Pretoria, Johannesburg and Bloemfontein) who’ve made a difference to the SA architectural scene (young and old). The programme gives a more personal view into an architect’s life: a inspirational building, a building they designed and the house they live in.

What inspired you to become an architect?

I did art from an early age and also liked science. So, the combination seemed an obvious choice at the time – and I’ve never looked back!

How would you describe your philosophy and approach to architecture?

Our vision is to provide a professional and personal service to our clients, regardless of the scope of the project. We consider all clients’ needs as unique and strive towards a sensitive and responsible reaction to these needs.  Environmentally appropriate architecture is achieved by respecting the place or site, either in the city or countryside in terms of climate, context, material and appropriate technology. Jan and his wife Petria Jooste-Smit’s respective academic careers focused on meaningful place-making and since they started practicing, the completed architectural work became testament to this approach. 

What drives you to continue working in the field?

Every project has new challenges and the excitement never stops. There are new people to meet, new sites to visit, new ideas to try out… Confidence comes with experience and knowledge, both practically and academically.

What are you looking forward to next?

Finishing my PhD and building a new house in the Kalahari and Boggomsbaai!

If you missed Die argitekte, you’re in luck and can still watch the repeat on VIA TV (channel 147) from Mondays to Thursday at 16:30.

Love this series? Check out our interview with Jürgen Kieslich who also features on Die argitekte.

The post Jan Smit x Die argitekte and VIA TV appeared first on Visi.

From BCom to BSc – African studies, archaeology and psychology – Jürgen Kieslich finally arrived at the architecture department. Here he shares more on how he uses his past learnings to create buildings that consider the earth and our connection to it.

What previous project are you particularly proud of and why

Off the top of my head, there’s Studios on Park in Stellenbosch, and Studio Vijf in particular, where we did 62 prefabricated, modular boarding rooms and stacked them on top of each other to get the building completed in four months. This was a remarkable achievement and we had an incredible team in Hodevco and Remey. It set a new tone for things to come in the area, you’ll notice a distinct difference in the buildings prior to 2013 and after 2014.

On a more humble scale, we took elements of this and prefabricated a house to achieve a faster and cheaper build in Woodstock. That was back in 2015, I think, and I recall it because I just recently went back there to take pictures and the clients had just sold the house, a remarkably quick sale!

Can you tell us more about how you’re a part of the VIA TV series, Die argitekte, and what it is about?

I was handling the renovation with a small team for the most amazing clients, Izelle and her husband Charl, last year, and they had lots on their hands with COVID-19, work and life. They chose to leave things in my hands and we had the most amazingly fun time with the building and transformed it on a tight budget. Izelle was so impressed she asked the Thank You Kindly Bobby team to contact me.

They were the most remarkable crew and even though I’m not Afrikaans and nervous in front of a TV camera, they made it come together with a client’s house we did in Llandudno, where Etienne Hanekom and I collaborated on it.

What inspired you to become an architect?

While I was working, during my B Comm days and hating auditing, I realised I couldn’t wait to get back to renovating my first flat I’d bought. I’d work until late at night, building kitchens and tiling before heading home. The love of creating beautiful spaces made me realise I was doing the wrong thing.

Whose work influenced you or helped foster your love for architecture?

Probably the first architect I fell in love with was Charles Correa, particularly his Kanchanjunga Apartments in Mumbai India. The sections with double volume areas and balconies to die for made me want to do something like that. Also his Gandhi Memorial museum based on a traditional Indian village I found remarkable.

Later, after visiting an important University of Cape Town architect, Julian Elliot at his own house in Newlands, I knew without a doubt that that was the most beautiful residential building I’d ever seen until that point. A space so beautiful because it was so humble and generous beyond words. It got me hooked on residential architecture and I’m still there!

How would you describe your philosophy and approach to architecture?

We strive to create architecture that feels settled in its context, drawing inspiration from South Africa’s awe-invoking natural environments, her history, and her people.

Our aim is to design spaces that resonate with a sense of place through the considered use of materials, craftsmanship, and the dialogue between indoor and out. Often, the space left untouched is more important than the space occupied. Honest simplicity harmonising the site, its occupants and the Earth is what makes magic happen.

Embracing a minimalist philosophy, we work with what’s cherished and let go of all that’s not. Consuming fewer resources and less space, we tread more lightly on the Earth. Letting go of the unnecessary provides time and energy for the things that are important and loved, and allows for something new to emerge. Embedded in this letting go are values of humbleness, honesty and humility – that there is such a thing as enough – all of which are important ethical principles that take work and courage.

These principles are often sorely missing in our modern world of consumption which mostly measures happiness and success by what a person can buy.

As cities and life get more frenetic, we need to remember our connection to the earth, to landscape-time, to the rising and setting sun.

What drives you to continue working in the field?

A desire to do what little good I can with each home and client that comes my way.

Has it changed what inspired you to start?

Yes, it has changed, initially I’d put every green gadget known to man to make the building “responsible” but with time I’m realising things like flexibility of the plan, keeping things simple and using humble materials sparingly is much more satisfying and productive.

What are you looking forward to next?

Etienne and I are working on a secret project that’s keeping us both very busy. Hopefully, come winter we can tell you more! Working on our own house is super exciting and a new project is due to start in Woodstock, that promises to be a delightful puzzle to crack.

If you missed Die argitekte, you’re in luck and can still watch the repeat on VIA TV (channel 147) from Mondays to Thursday at 16:30.

Love this series? Check out our interview with Jane Visser who also features on Die argitekte.

The post Jürgen Kieslich x Die argitekte and VIA TV appeared first on Visi.

Get to know the Cape Town-based architect a little better here. Jane  Visser shares some of her passions and interests that have grown over her 27-year architectural practice.

Which of your previous projects are you particularly proud of?

That’s a bit like asking who’s your favourite child! I’m proud of our unique solutions to the particular challenges of every commission – from a tiny home on a tight budget to a complex heritage or environmentally sensitive property. However, I am very proud of our design for the Science Visitors’ Centre for the Southern African Large Telescope at Sutherland – a giant disc submerged in the landscape.

Can you tell us more about how you’re a part of the VIA TV series, Die argitekte, and what it is about?

Die Argitekte is a series that shows you how various architects’ homes and work reflect their thoughts in architecture and references an influential building – it’s interesting to see what inspires others!

What inspired you to become an architect?

I think architecture’s about noticing, wondering about and feeling the world around you – I’ve always been fascinated! And, like many architects, I grew up with architects in my family

Whose work influenced you or helped foster your love for architecture?

It’s an endless list! Francesco Borromini, Carlo Scarpa, Sigurd Lewerentz, Alvar Aalto, Louis Kahn, Frank Lloyd Wright, Luis Barragán, Renzo Piano, Peter Zumthor, Álvaro Siza, Rafael Moneo and thousands of nameless makers of beautiful old buildings and urban spaces. Locally, Jack Barnett and Gawie Fagan.

How would you describe your philosophy and approach to architecture?

I like to have a conversation with the client and study the site to develop a good brief. I think an architectural solution needs to fulfil the brief, appropriately respond to its context, be practical but also be surprising, poetic and uplifting!

What drives you to continue working in the field? Has it changed what inspired you to start?

I didn’t consciously choose architecture with enough knowledge of what architecture is! However, I’m glad I did. It’s a lifelong training and fulfils my curiosity about the world – there is just not enough time… My understanding and enjoyment of this way of thinking and making grows and changes all the time.

What are you looking forward to next?

The next commission. Each new client and site opens up a new avenue of new and interesting experiences!

If you missed Die Argitekte, you’re in luck and can still watch the repeat on VIA TV (channel 147) from Mondays to Thursday at 16:30.

Love this series? Check out our interview with Jan Smit who also features on Die argitekte.

The post Jane Visser x Die argitekte and VIA TV appeared first on Visi.