Inspiration & imagination
Architecture needs to be functional, but it also needs to inspire us to design better. Here we cover projects and products that use creativity and imagination to realise their visions and objectives.
Earlier this year, Cemcrete launched their new website – which already blew us away – but the cement-based finish manufacturer didn’t stop there. They have now launched an even more exciting section of their website called, ‘Featured Projects’. This section showcases projects where Cemcrete finishes have been used. From retail to restaurants, residential to bush […]
Architecture and interior architecture company Paragon scooped two major awards in the Commercial Office Development category at the SAPOA Property Development Awards for Innovative Excellence, held on 21 June at the International Convention Centre in Durban.
(in)complete is a system of collective intelligence, realised by renowned Italian architect Aldo Cibic, to help us to better understand and design our future.
Well, Decorex Cape Town has come and gone and many of us will now have to wait for Decorex Joburg, taking place in August. Anita Bloom, Creative Director for Decorex, shows us her top 20 décor picks from the show.
The saying goes that change is as good as a holiday, and renowned cement-based finish manufacturer, Cemcrete has taken this to heart. The company recently launched its new website and some of the innovative features are: 1) Find your perfect finish quiz The revamped website features a new look-and-feel with an emphasis on ease of […]
Waterjet cutting is widely known for its ability to cut virtually any material to near net shape. When it comes to Nutec fibre-cement manufactured by Everite Building Products, waterjet cutting is precise and accurate and retains the quality and inherent strength of Nutec.
By 2020, UberAir plans to run air taxis in at least three big cities – Dallas, LA and Dubai. If these get off the ground a transportation revolution could be sparked that could lead to the rise of airborne cities (think Fifth Element or Blade Runner). Add to this artificial intelligence, environmental issues and the […]
This Christmas season is awash with blushing pinks and subdued hues that perfectly accent the fresh flowers and greenery that will adorn rooms and table settings as the festive atmosphere takes hold. Moving away from the excesses that have come to dominate the month of December, this year will see a more toned-down approach with […]
Italian architect Luciano Pia designed a unique apartment complex in Turin, Italy that integrates nature and people beautifully. This 5-story urban setting contains a mixture of steel girders and lush trees in order to create an apartment complex that resembles a series of tree houses. All this is right on the corner of an urban […]
Now in its 25th year, Decorex SA – South Africa’s premier décor, design and lifestyle exhibition – is bringing together all the right colours, designs, fabrics and inspiration to open up a path of harmonious creativity suited to each individual’s rhythm. By channelling the demands of everyday life into a productive, embracing space, visitors will […]
This modern vertical home is located in a calm, quiet area in Nha Trang city, distanced from the busy center of a city full of tourists. KAstudio approached the design with a goal to create a space which the owners ‘family could spend peaceful, quiet and relaxing moments together. We offer the design with low […]
Challenges achieving the smooth surface required of a dramatically undulating chapel roof were successfully solved by a high performance fairing coat from Sika. The site was the 185-hectare, newly created Bosjes Resort in the picturesque Witzenberg district of the Western Cape where the dazzling Bosjes Chapel stands proudly at the foot of the Waaihoek Mountain.
Latest design trends are now shifting in the direction of decorative elements and composition patterns, combinations reminiscent of vintage style, created around the theme of memory. The shapes and details of the past weave a material fabric complete with recollections and historical allure.
This affordable, emergency housing system is aimed at disaster prone areas and displaced peoples. Developed to create safe, sustainable and affordable homes for people living in low-income, marginalised areas around the world, LifeArk is a quickly deployable modular building system. The inaugural project of GDS Innovation Lab, a social innovation arm of the award-winning international architecture firm GDS, LifeArk aims to enable real transformation in a world where countless families remain without access to safe, sustainable homes…
The inaugural Africa Architecture Awards announces 20 shortlisted projects out of an unprecedented 307 entered projects situated in 32 African countries.
Africa is known for its host of breathtaking lodges and private retreats which makes the most of the variety of African landscapes and natural scenery. Cemcrete finishes are synonymous with lodge design and have been used in lodges and hotels throughout Africa since 1973. We showcase 5 awe-inspiring lodges all boasting Cemcrete finishes.
Unique takes on the latest trends will creatively merge into this year’s Décor District presented by Canvex featuring at Decorex Joburg 2017
Will one of these striking structures take 2017’s World Building of the Year title? Here are 22 architectural gems that really stand out.
This tiny 12m² pop-up hotel in Wales designed by Miller Kendrick Architects, known as Arthur’s Cave, is inspired by the natural surrounding landscape.
NEW YORK – Etsy, Inc. announced today that after extensive sustainability work conducted alongside Gensler, Etsy’s global headquarters in Brooklyn, NY received the Living Building Challenge (LBC) Petal certification, the world’s most rigorous proven performance standard. Etsy envisioned this project as an opportunity to instigate change, set a new standard for sustainable construction and design, […]
The Southern Africa Stainless Steel Development Association (sassda) has launched an exciting new competition in which entrants (e.g. engineers, architects, quantity surveyors, end-users and specifiers and members of the public) stand to win a trip to Paris worth R125 000! Entrants need to download and use sassda’s life cycle costing (LCC) app to calculate the significant long-term maintenance savings that could have been achieved had the Eiffel Tower been constructed from stainless steel.
Maboneng’s Hallmark House, designed by international starchitect David Adjaye, applies fresh thinking to urban communities to create a new typology that reflects changing lifestyles.
Sandton Central, without doubt, has become the most important business and financial node in South Africa, and plausibly sub-Saharan Africa. It is home to many of South Africa’s largest corporates, the world’s top multinational companies, the JSE and the iconic Sandton City mega-mall.
Cape Town’s new landmark building, the 6 000m² new head office of wealth management business Citadel, is located in the heart of Claremont, next to Cavendish Shopping Centre. Dubbed ‘The Citadel’, it comprises a six-storey, four-star green building, with four basement parking levels below, adding a further 6 000m2 to the gross built area. The […]
117 on Strand designed by Kotlowitz Marais Architects, with Fabian Architects undertaking the heritage building project. Modern homes are generally becoming smaller as more people look to live in convenient sectional title apartments or more compact, manageable houses. Yet whatever the price bracket, we still want to live in an appealing and functional home. So how does one create a home across all sectors that provides the optimum use of space for a convenient modern lifestyle, but is still comfortable and efficient while providing for individual needs and preferences?
Seven Awards and four Commended projects were announced in the 2015/2016 AfriSam-SAIA Award for Sustainable Architecture + Innovation at the gala event in Cape Town on 27 October 2016.
The highlight of the structural steel industry calendar, the 35th Annual Steel Awards hosted by the Southern African Institute of Steel Construction in partnership with BSi Steel, took place on 15 September 2016 in Johannesburg, Cape Town and KwaZulu-Natal concurrently. Attended by over 1000 people, the event showcased projects completed in the previous year that demonstrated excellence in the use of structural steel. Sponsors for the event were: Main – Bsi Steel, Popular Vote Feature – Macsteel, Photo competition - Cadex Systems SA, Tubular category - The Association of Steel Tube and Pipe Manufacturers, Light steel frame category - Saint-Gobain, Metal Cladding Category - Global Roofing Solutions, Factory and Warehouse category: Safintra, Partner Sponsors - ArcelorMIttal SA, Genrec Engineering, NJR Steel and Aveng Steel.
The movers and shakers of the architectural world in South Africa gathered at Shine Studios in Braamfontein on 2nd September to witness the presentation of the 2015/2016 Corobrik SAIA Awards of Merit for Excellence in Architecture to the cream of the profession.
Over the last two decades, the African continent has seen immense transformation, development and economic pressure. In South Africa, the Engineering industry in particular has experienced significant change. It has moved away from the classic professional practice process - where companies were appointed based on merit and performance – to a system hinging on tenders, often won based purely on price. This leaves little room for evaluation of experience or quality.
The cut-off date for the 2016 Cobra Product Design Competition (PDC) is fast approaching – all entries need to be submitted by no later than July 4th.
