African Design Magazine March 2017 | Page 78

FEATURE Architect profile
COA , who have just celebrated their 10 year anniversary , are an award winn company founded in 2006 by partners Ian Gray , John van Wyk and Michal Ko offices in Cape Town and Durban and a global portfolio .
Can you give us a history of the practice ? Ian Gray , John van Wyk and Michal Korycki are the founders of Craft of Architectur spent four years together working on large scale projects in the Middle East , they set practice concentrating on work in Southern Africa . By melding the vast experience g massive projects abroad , with a desire to be more personal and creative in their appr delivers simple , creative solutions for both small and large projects and prides itself capability to produce innovative and sustainable ideas and solutions , encompassing Current projects include a vast portfolio , ranging from master planning & urban des residential , hotels and lodges , commercial and mixed use , Interiors and brand archit estates , educational & sports facilities as well as bridges & infrastructure . Projects sp including Bahrain , Oman , Andora , Italy , Lebanon , Nigeria , Mozambique , Angola , M Cayman Islands , Turks and Caicos Islands , United Kingdom and the USA . They hav Cape Town and Durban and currently employ more than 30 architects , designers an more recently added interior design arm . They share a belief of craft filtering down t from concept to final product . It is this ‘ hands on approach ’ that is evident in everyth the creative process above all else places a strong emphasis on a collaborative approa made possible by the smart , imaginative minds of their design teams , supported by organisation , enabling projects to flow smoothly and timeously .
John van Wyk : John holds a Bacheor Degree in Architecture from the University of P registered with the South African Council for the Architectural Profession . He has o in commercial , resort and high end residential development . Prior to establishing CO experience was gained as a Professional Associate at a large leading architectural pra Thereafter , he assisted in the set up , and was Director of A J Architects , a practice inv large scale , multi-million dollar projects in the Middle East focusing on Bahrain and
Ian Gray : Ian has over 20 years experience working as an architect since graduating of Port Elizabeth . He is registered with the South African Council for the Architectu lived and worked as an architect in London , the Caribbean , San Francisco and the M gained valuable global architectural design experience before ultimately establishing
Michal Korycki : Michal completed the Bachelor of Architecture ( ADV ) Degree at the Kwazula Natal . Since then he worked as a concept architect with several architectura before moving to Cape Town where he then worked on large scale projects in the Mi design architect . Michal was integral to setting up COA with particular focus on the and ethos of the practice .
What do you believe differentiates your work from other practices ?
• We invest enormous care and thought into each and every project and pay firm att brief .
• Our firm includes many relatively young Architects who bring a fresh approach to for a project
• We invest in technology and streamlining the production with BIM systems , which time to focus on better solutions , thus ensuring that the practice remains a market lea
• We love and are passionate about design and architecture and really care in makin
• We have many years of experience in the management team , from all over the wor provide practical and sensible solutions .

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