Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa June/ July 2019 | Page 26

TRENDING
South Africa’s Student
Architect of the Year
Breaking boundaries to adapt exsiting structures and
employ advanced technological tools
BY ISHANI CHETTY
A
student from Nelson Mandela University, Riaan Hu-
iskens took home first place at the prestigious 32nd
Corobrik Architectural Student of the Year Award held
earlier this year, recognised for his innovative thesis.
Hosted at the Maslow Hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg
– Huiskens went head to head against eight regional finalists
from universities across the country, for a grand prize of R70
000.
CEO of Corobrik, Dirk Meyer commented on this years’
winner as he addressed key stakeholders in the world of
academia, architecture and construction.
“The architects of the future will be the pathfinders who
use the sophisticated technologies of the future to tackle the
challenges of today whilst addressing both the learnings and the
mistakes of the past,” he said.
Huiskens thesis, titled “The design of a 3D printing facility
in Central Port Elizabeth” further analyses and explores the
use and incorporation of digital fabrication technology in
architecture and how there is a movement towards utilising
these techniques. As a fifth-year student, Husikens thesis
aims to address potential future issues that may arise within
construction and ad
In an official statement by Corobrik explains the importance
on understanding the role that digital fabrication technology
plays in maintaining the heritage of existing structures.
“This is extended into the discussion of recycling existing
infrastructure and ties together both the heritage and ecological
discourse and recognises the significance of historical urban
elements and the finite quality of heritage resources within the
city.”
Meyers goes on to explain Huisken’s thesis and the role that
3D printing can play in construction and the adaptation of
existing buildings.
“A historical building used as a host for the design of a 3D
printing facility invites a dialogue between the architecture of
the old and the expression of the new. The Premier Mill Building
is identified as a historical urban artefact and the programme
complements the historical background of the building, which
was a granary. The primary architectural exploration focuses
on the possibilities offered by 3D printing in the making and
expression of architecture. The nature of the facility organises
function before sign. Meaning the initial architecture lies in
the systematic operations of the facility as a place of digital
fabrication. Therefore, it focuses on successfully incorporating
existing infrastructure as functioning components to the
system. Secondly, the building is a sign of its function, a visual
opportunity for a new architecture to reflect the nature of the
facility,” he said.
Head of the Department of Architecture at Nelson Mandela
University, Andrew Palframan, explains that Huisken’s thesis
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JUNE/JULY 2019 SA Real Estate Investor Magazine
explores developments in construction and design, ushering
towards the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’.
“While increasingly mechanised and technologically
advanced, the building process has essentially not changed for
millennia. Riaan’s thesis creatively explores the potential for a
fundamentally new way of making buildings, implementing
cyber-physical systems that blur the lines between the physical,
digital and biological spheres. The project lends insight not
only into the systems and materials involved in this new way of
making but comments on how these might be implemented in
the preservation of our built heritage.”
Commenting on the importance of the architectural awards,
Palframan says that it drives future architects to think outside
of the box.
“This is particularly important since architecture and the
issues involved in its making are not generally part of public
discourse in this country. Furthermore, the award programme
is aspirational, driving quality through competition, promoting
the adoption of contemporary issues and values and setting a
benchmark for standards of excellence in architecture,” he said.
The panel of judges for the 2019 awards included renowned
architects, including Lauren Haiden from Paton Taylor
Architects, Rob Gillard from Intsika Architects in East London
along with Luyanda Mphahlwa, President of the South African
Institute of Architects (SAIA) and director of design space.
Corobrik aims to create materials that merge the future and
the past – with its renowned creation of the ‘face-brick’ which
was created with technology dating back to 7 500 BC. With
the recently launched black and white face bricks created
by Corobrik, a new ‘era of materials’ is awakening. These
facebricks, compared to their predecessors are manufacture
using the latest technology in eco-friendly gas fired kilns
which decrease the energy usage and emissions made during
production. Corobrik has developed an old-but-loved into a
new and modern building material.