MMA Design Studio is a Johannesburg-based award-winning Architecture
studio founded by owner and architect Mphethi Morojele as MMA Architects in
1995.
Can you give us a history of the
practice?
MMA Design Studio was first started as
Mphethi Morojele Architects in 1995. It then
became Mphethi Morojele and Associates
(MMA) Architects in 1998 and was rebranded as MMA design Studio in 2014.
Mphethi Morojele is founder and owner of
the practice which has various associates.
What do you believe differentiates
your work from other practices?
MMA was formed just after the advent of
democracy in South Africa in 1994 and
was one of the practices which at the time
were at the forefront of transforming our
cities and public architecture away from an
apartheid and segregated past.
In architectural terms this required courage
and innovation and going back to “firstprinciples” of design, an experience the
firm uses in practice up to today as key
differentiator.
The practice became involved in a number
of “firsts” for the new Democracy, first
Embassy built overseas, first national legacy
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and heritage project, first traditional healers
market in Johannesburg etc.
What would you rate as MMA Design
Studio’s top projects to date?
• SA Embassy in Berlin, Germany
• SA Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• Freedom Park Heritage site, Pretoria
• Faraday intermodal and market Precinct
• Ellis Park Urban regeneration project
(See next spread for images)
What do you have in store for the
next twelve months?
The next twelve months sees the roll out of
an expansion beyond South Africa’s borders
to countries such as Mozambique, Lesotho,
Botswana, Nigeria and possibly The Gambia
and Uganda.
What about African design inspires
you?
We are inspired by an African design that
is syncretic, able to absorb many different
influences yet remains of Africa, her history,
peoples and landscapes.