2021 Corobrik Student Architecture Awards
The winner of the 2021 Corobrik Student Architecture Awards was announced on Wednesday 8 June at a special event at the Radisson RED in Rosebank , Johannesburg . The 35th national awards ceremony was unique in that all seven regional winners and the heads of school from their respective universities , together with leaders from the architectural fraternity , were in attendance in person for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic .
The event was livestreamed on Corobrik ’ s Facebook page and YouTube channel , with Corobrik CEO Nick Booth welcoming all and highlighting that the leading clay brick and paving manufacturer “ has been investing in the architects of the future for the last 35 years and will continue to do so .” Corobrik Chairman Peter du Trevou added that the awards were a personal highlight for him to attend and congratulate the finalists and hand out the grand prize to the worthy recipient .
Master of Ceremonies Elana Afrika-Bredenkamp opened proceedings by stating it was an honour to be part of “ one of the biggest architectural awards programmes in the country let alone the world , with our universities representing South Africa on an international stage .”
The seven regional winners presented their theses to an esteemed panel of judges in a Johannesburg studio during May , from where the final winner was selected . The judges were Ludwig Hansen from Ludwig Hansen Architects + Urban Designers , Rahdia Parker from Archi Cape Town , and Adwoa Agyei , Director : Physical Development Services at the City of Tshwane .
Guest speaker Cliff Gouws , a senior architect and urban designer at Boogertman + Partners , was national winner in 2011 and told guests and finalists there was a definite improvement in the quality of the work being presented every year . “ This is because the students have better access to information and guidance , so the universities can be very proud as to what all of these finalists present in terms of good architecture .”
Cliff added a note of thanks to Corobrik for hosting such a prestigious event that upheld a high standard that everyone in the industry could look up to . “ What Corobrik is doing for the architectural fraternity is fantastic . The quality of South African architecture is better than what we realise . We have phenomenal architectural practices that do phenomenal work . Our student work competes at an international level .”
Nick paid tribute to the hard work of the judges and pointed out that Corobrik has no input into the judging process or how the final winner is determined . “ Our three esteemed judges have applied their minds at a level of detail that was truly exceptional . It is this consideration that has made these awards so successful over the years . It is largely due to the fact that it is not company driven but is driven by the architectural fraternity itself . These awards are important to the architectural profession , the building industry , and the participating universities as they encourage creativity and innovative approaches to architecture .
“ They bring a sustainability to the profession because what we are doing is ensuring that the future of the built environment is in good ethical hands . That is an outstanding vision for your profession . We are immensely proud of the ongoing success of our past finalists and winners . They are scattered across the globe , are all working in major firms , and have been highly successful in their careers ,” said Nick .
MC , Elana Afrika-Bredenkamp and guest speaker Cliff Gouws from Boogertman + Partners
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