Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa December / Jan 2016 | Page 52

ARCHITECTURE

Blok Architecture
Jacques van Embdens design journey
BY KATE THOMPSON-DUWE

J

acques van Embden is a dynamic 32-year-old
architectural entrepreneur who was born and
raised in Cape Town. Currently managing director
of Blok, an urban property developer, Jacques is strongly
focused on innovating Cape Town’s urban landscape
through property development and urban interventions.
Jacques studied at UCT and graduated with his
Masters in Architecture in 2007 - right as the recession
hit South Africa and the big agencies closed their doors
to newly qualified job hunters. He was fortunate to
gain important industry experience by freelancing on
jobs for small businesses and family homes instead enabling him to work smartly in trying economic times.
During this time he planned to launch a value-based,
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DEC/JAN 2016 SA Real Estate Investor

owner-managed property fund that would manage a
portfolio of urban homes and apartments. He achieved
this goal a few years later when he launched the Prime
Residential Property Fund.
The Prime Residential Fund grew exponentially over
the following years, adding a rental division, Prime
Letting, and staking a decent claim in the Gauteng and
Western Cape’s property market. Gradually the group
started to develop sites for the rental portfolio,