Boukunde - Department of Architecture, UP

A massive thank you to the generous property owners and architects who welcomed our University of Pretoria MArch(Prof) students into these exceptional spaces!

Huge shout-out to Nadine Engelbrecht and Julie-Anne Geldenh for hosting us, sharing your invaluable design insights, and walking our students through the story behind each project. Grounding academic theory in real-world practice makes all the difference! ✨📐

📍 Featured Projects:
Hillenberg Apartments | Nadine Engelbrecht Architects
JCAF Gallery | StudioMas Architects

Today we celebrate the women who are part of our Department of Architecture: our students, staff, graduates and alumni, and the many women contributing to architectural practice, research, education and the built environment across South Africa.

We recognise and celebrate your work, your knowledge and your contribution to the discipline.

Happy Women’s Day.

Prospective students sit for the Round 3 selection test at the Department of Architecture today and Monday. Our intake of prospective students who meet the minimum admission requirements is 700% oversubscribed for next year, and we are therefore compelled to select students for admission to our first-year of study. We employ a four-step selection process, developed over the past 18 intake cycles, in order to identify the strongest applicants. Apart from academic merit in the first round, we also consider an applicant’s comprehension and communication skills, general knowledge and interests, initiative, independence, ingenuity, spatial imagination, aptitude and record of community service to identify self-motivated all-rounders who are strategic thinkers with the ability to engage resourcefully with logic as well as abstract theory. This process has led to improved pass and graduation rates, establishing the Department of Architecture as a leading performer within the institution. Read more about our admission requirements at https://www.up.ac.za/architecture/study-bsc-architecture-university-of-pretoria.

On 23 July 2026, BIMcommUNITY.Africa and UP Department of Architecture (Boukunde) hosted the Student Session of BIMHarambee. The theme of ‘Smarter, and Better Connected’ was reinforced by the morning’s presentations. The aim was to introduce students to the world of BIM (Building Information Modelling) and to show how they could remain relevant in an industry that’s evolving with the adoption of digital technologies. They were exposed to practical lessons on identifying companies that would contribute to their growth and relevance, a strategic choice that would position them for the fast-changing built environment. 259 Students from the University of Pretoria, University of the Witwatersrand, Tshwane University of Technology and the University of Johannesburg packed out the Boukunde auditorium and left the session with a deeper understanding of the potential of digital technologies and how to best position themselves for a constantly evolving career.

The videos and presentations of the Student Session of BIMHarambee 2026 can be found at https://www.bimcommunity.africa/bimharambee-2026

CONSIDERING A POSTGRADUATE DEGREE IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE?
If you're considering a Postgraduate Degree in Landscape Architecture, don't navigate the application process alone. Join our annual online Q&A session to get direct insights, program details, and answers to your questions!

📅 When: Wednesday, 12 August | 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM SAST

📍 Where: Online (Click to join: https://eu.bbcollab.com/guest/fe2237e991ae443993eeb1bf839a89e4)

⏳ Application Deadline: 30 September 2026

Third-year OMG 320 (History of the Environment) students recently attended a lecture by Johan Swart on the South African Modern Movement. The session included an opportunity to view drawings of Zerohour and House McIntosh from the Gordon McIntosh Collection.

We love models at Boukunde. Here are some of the models from the 2nd year design studio of 2025

Watch this exciting video of the latest project by the Unit for Urban Citizenship

Raw Modular Long-Format Training Experiences for advanced Architecture Students. Don't miss out... Raw Modular is levelling up.We’ve launched a new long‑format train...

Excited to share a new piece in The Conversation based on our Regenerative Public Spaces project at the University of Pretoria! Dr Jan Hugo, Prof Chrisna Du Plessis and Prof Karina Landman explore how South African parks and community gardens serve as vital social infrastructure to help African cities build equitable, transformative climate resilience.

Read the full article: https://theconversation.com/lessons-from-south-africa-on-how-parks-and-community-gardens-can-help-cities-adapt-to-climate-change-282891