When I decided to attend Archi School at UCT, my father showed me a sketch he had drawn of a structure I had made as a small child - it was a cantilevered structure I had built with Lego blocks. My father was a Structural Engineer. He was the kind of person who excelled at everything he put his mind to. Shortly after graduation he was head hunted by Ove Arup and he spent a year in London learning
the ropes. On his return to Zimbabwe he worked for Arup in Harare, and spent time in Zambia and Malawi. The cutlery set, we used as a family and which I have now inherited, was a personal wedding gift from Ove Arup to my father and mother on their wedding day in London. When I was about 8 my father decided to go fruit farming. He applied his engineering knowledge to his farming operations - he dug contour trenches in the catchment area of the small stream on the farm to prevent soil erosion and increase flow; he devised calipers that would work out the estimated crop for any given year; he would walk around the orchards at night and said how he could 'feel' what the trees needed. The orchards were planted in sections with trees between each section to create micro-climates. The climate was not suitable for all the varieties, so by taking advantage of the angle of the sun, and using evaporative cooling at the appropriate times he could modify conditions and make them more favourable. He continued his engineering on a small scale throughout his life. At about 12 or 13, I started to draw. He gave me lessons on how to see light and capture it. I also started to draw buildings, and designed a house for the farm next to the dam. Whenever we were in built up areas we would discuss the structure, the design and our responses to what we were looking at. Eventually we worked together on a few projects in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe. We did all out surveys using a manometer, and marking key points by painting on a rock or placing a pole in the ground. At that time I made prints by exposing my drawings to light sensitive paper held between two sheets of glass, to the sunlight for a few seconds, then developing them in a box with ammonia in a tray at the bottom. I could also make sepia copies that way. Throughout my life, while he was alive, he was my sounding board. One of the brothers is also a Structural Engineer and we are now collaborate on various projects. It is a great asset to work closely with a creative Structural Engineer. In 1997, I joined Pearce Partnership in Harare and was Project Leader for the Harare International School. Our offices were in the famous Eastgate Building and Arup was on the floor below us. Mick Pearce and I were brainstorming passive cooling options for the Middle school that I was working on. I sent a fax to my father describing what I was thinking and he sent one back with a rock store beneath the floor ... the team latched onto the idea and with Arup running simulations and the school children joining in different experiments we developed and built the rock stores. In the next block, I designed, Arup came up with the idea of a vawtex turbine that was patented by them and and after I left, Mick designed the Great Hall also with rock stores. In 1999 the parts of the school I had been involved with won an IAZ Award and Mick sent me up to receive it. The Institute ran a questionnaire at the Awards Ceremony to see how the public viewed the projects on the exhibition. I had submitted McMorran Lodge and the Public voted it their most favourite building with 109 votes. The second favourite building was the Harare International School with 54 points! I was invited to talk about the houses I had done in the Eastern Highlands, for which I received a standing ovation. In 2000, I went to Ireland. In 2004, I moved to England. Whilst in England I registered with the ARB and became a member of the RIBA. When I returned to Africa, in 2009, my parents were living in Great Brak River. After a few months I was found employment with Arup in Johannesburg and I was Project Leader for the Moses Mabhida Station in Durban. This project won 2 Awards. My approach to design is to find unique simple solutions in response to a client's brief and aspirations, the site, the context and the climate to create quality living environments, that inspire and uplift the occupants. I have 40 years’ experience across a wide range of architectural projects including: Defense; Education; Entertainment; Health; Heritage; Mixed Use; Religious; Residential; Retail; Sport; Transport and Sustainability. I graduated from UCT in 1984. I have worked in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Ireland and the UK. Whilst in the UK, I registered with the ARB as a Chartered Architect and was a member of the RIBA. I am currently registered as a Professional Architect with SACAP and I am a member of the CIfA (Cape Institute of Architects) and the SAIA (South African Institute of Architects). I am also a member of the APHP as a Candidate Heritage Practitioner.
