Timber iQ October - November 2019 // Issue:46 | Page 5

NEWS
Students showcase timber designs
By HWZ International South Africa
To promote environmentally friendly and sustainable building, the
Wood Student Foundation, the Hout Bay House research project, and
HWZ International SA, joined forces to launch their timber competition
for aspiring and current architects in August of 2018.
A
t the end of June 2019, jury members, Pavel Horák,
Ivan Jonker, Mano Kalos, and Richard Stretton, were
faced with the difficult task ofa choosing only one
design out of the ten notable final projects.
The winner of the Timber Competition was Carla Jooste,
second prize went to Fundokuhle Kubeka and third prize
was awarded to Monique Visagie. The winner for the ‘most
popular’ project on Facebook was Walter Lombard.
Participants were invited to design a conceptual draft of
a timber structure home for a South African family with
three children. Limited only by the criteria of sustainability
and a use of timber, much of the design – including the
needs of the family and the representation of South Africa
– was open for interpretation by the contestants, creating
variety and insightfulness among the final projects. Results
range from an interpretive take on social housing in the
tight townships of Cape Town, to superfluous mansions in
the sprawling South African hills.
NATURE AS PART OF THE HOME
Each contestant demonstrated a unique translation, often
drawing upon their own experiences of growing up in
South Africa, such as Inscape Design College student
Angela Snyders. Snyders, the youngest of the participants
at only 19 years old, drew her ‘Embrace the Country’
design from her own experience of living on a farm.
Despite her modern rendition, Snyders feels she is taking a
risk in keeping her design ‘down-to-earth and simple,’ but
risks certainly aren’t unknown to the sophomore who is
following her dreams despite coming from a community in
which opportunities don't come easy. In fact, Snyders has
high aspirations of applying her architectural knowledge to
make a difference in her community.
Snyders wasn’t the only contestant who incorporated
nature within their designs. Tshwane University of
Technology graduates, Monique Visagie and Arné Gunter
also chose scenic locations for their homes. Visagie,
similarly inspired by traditional South African farmhouses,
capitalises on sliding verandas to both connect with the
vast range of the Great Karoo and maintain a sustainable
temperature indoors. Gunter also addressed sustainable
living temperatures with large overhangs and sun-resistant
glass. His design cultivates efficiency and convenience
with smaller, pre-designed elements that are easily
arranged or rearranged on the spot ‘like a Meccano set’ as
he puts it.
Jooste claims this trend of incorporating the outdoors in
the designs is especially South African. According to
www.timberiq.co.za
www.timberiq.co.za
Carla Jooste’s design was selected as the winner for the Timber
competition.
Second prize winner Fundokuhle Khubeka’s design focused on
social housing.
Jooste, South Africans want to ‘live from inside, out,’ which
is why she employed Biophilia, or the hypothesis that
humans have an instinctive urge to be with other forms of
// OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019
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