Timber iQ August - September 2019 // Issue:45 | Page 42

PERSONALITY PROFILE
Award-winning
architect in the
making
At just 26 years of age, Riaan Huiskens already has an award to his
name after winning the Corobrik Architectural Student of the Year
Award for 2019. Huiskens was among seven regional finalists who
showcased their work at the Corobrik Awards, which took place in May
at the Maslow Hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg.
By Dineo Phoshoko
H
uiskens holds a Master of Architecture degree
obtained from the Nelson Mandela University (NMU)
in 2018. He is currently an architectural candidate at
The Matrix Urban Designers and Architects.
In an interview with Timber iQ, Huiskens explains that
growing up, he wasn’t 100% sure about what career he
wanted to pursue after finishing school. “I took a gap year
after school and I worked for my dad who is an architect,” he
says. Working for his father exposed Huiskens to the
architecture world which he found interesting. As an
architectural candidate at The Matrix, Huiskens has worked in
different areas of architecture including administrative,
technical and conceptual designing. The design component is
his favourite.
A CHALLENGING INDUSTRY
According to Huiskens, challenges in architecture appear in
two realms. Firstly, there is the architectural realm which
Huiskens defines as architectural opportunity. Here
architects are confronted with the challenge of trying to
respond architecturally, while also keeping within the
budget constraints. This has become ever more challenging
40
AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2019 //
because of the current economic conditions. Creating
sustainable and eco-friendly building designs is another
aspect architects have to deal with. In addition, architects
have to consider various social and cultural factors when
designing buildings.
The second realm has to do with the respect for
architecture as a discipline. Huiskens explains that well-
known architects, ‘starchitects’, are respected in the
industry, however it is a different story for local architects.
“Your local architects don’t get respected anymore.
Architecture doesn’t have its glory name anymore,” says
Huiskens. He adds that many short cuts are taken to save
costs, which has a negative impact on the outcome of the
building's design. “If you look at complexes and how poorly
they’re built and designed – it shows disrespect towards the
profession.” From his viewpoint, there is a rush to have
something physically produced so that it can be sold —
resulting in bad aesthetics and poor space. “We have these
buildings that are produced with a single vision (to be as
profitable as possible within the building lines of the ERF)
without any consideration of how it sits in its immediate
context, resulting in isolated pockets.”
www.timberiq.co.za