Boukunde - Department of Architecture, UP

30/09/2026

Dr Johan N. Prinsloo recently returned from England, where he co-hosted, with Gareth Polmeer (Royal College of Art) and the Cambridge Centre for the Study of Platonism, a conference entitled Of Soil and Soul: The Garden in Christian Platonism. The event was held in the beautiful surroundings of Clare College, Cambridge.

29/09/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Designing for Local Impact, the fourth edition of the National Student Timber Design Competition has launched.

Students are invited to develop an architectural or structural proposal in which timber is used as the primary construction material, with a clear response to a South African social, environmental, spatial or cultural context. The competition is open to students in architecture, engineering and related built environment disciplines at South African higher education institutions, with individual and team entries accepted.

More information: https://www.growingtimberconnections.com/home/timber-design-competition-2026/

28/09/2026

Congratulations to Lucy Gachogu on a series of recent research achievements.

Lucy’s M.Sc. (Architecture) work on “Occupant-Centric Digital Twins (OCDT) for Acoustic Comfort” investigates how real-time acoustic data can be visualised to improve awareness and user control in architectural studio environments.

Her research was selected as one of the Top 10 finalists in both the University of Pretoria Visualise My Thesis Competition and the Gauteng Environmental Research Symposium.

She was also nominated to present her work as a poster at the Alliance for African Partnership meeting at the University of Dar es Salaam.

Congratulations, Lucy, on representing the Department of Architecture across these research platforms.

25/09/2026

Professor Ida Breed will deliver her inaugural address, “Landscapes of biological and cultural diversity in Africa”, on Thursday, 15 October 2026 at the Musaion Theatre, University of Pretoria.

The address will draw on her work in landscape architecture, green infrastructure, biodiversity, nature-based design and collaborative approaches grounded in African contexts.

Date: Thursday, 15 October 2026
Time: 17:30 for 18:00
Venue: Musaion Theatre, Hatfield Campus
RSVP by 8 October https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSetoLnxk3ccrHe0JIoIv9zbYsN1dNAMFtfEfZosHTDek7BkDA/viewform
Enquiries: Please contact Mrs Suzanne de Wit at [email protected]

We look forward to welcoming colleagues, students, alumni and friends of the Department.

24/09/2026

This past few days Dr Jan Hugo and Christo van der Hoven have been in Nairobi, continuing the workshopping and planning as part of the NextGen Build Project, which is supported by Danida. They are joined by team members from Technical University of Mumbasa, Univeristy of Nairobi and University of Aarhus. We look forward to see how the NextGen Build Project develops.

22/09/2026

The Department of Architecture participated in the SACAP Education Conference 2026, held under the theme “Architecture in Changing Times”.
Prof Carin Combrinck contributed to discussions on education methodologies and curriculum development, including the changing role of architecture in responding to contemporary social, environmental and technological conditions.
Our Master’s students also presented their research, sharing current work emerging from the Department and contributing to the wider conversation on architectural education and practice in South Africa.

21/09/2026

Tariq Toffa recently presented at The African Architectural and Urban History Network (AFRAUHN) conference, hosted by the Department of Architecture at the University of Nairobi.

His paper, “Fumbling with fundamentals and back to basics? Questions from a decolonial Global South for a theory of African public spaces”, examined questions around how African public spaces are theorised and understood.

The conference ran alongside the inaugural Pan-African Biennale in Nairobi, creating an important setting for discussion on African architecture, urbanism and public space.

21/09/2026

A wonderful article about our recent Landscape Architecture PhD graduate, Dr Gaby Hansen: https://www.nust.na/dr-hansen-breaks-new-ground-phd-landscape-architecture

For Dr Gaby Hansen, completing her PhD is more than the culmination of years of academic work.

15/09/2026

Snippets from the 2nd year quarter 3 design crits

14/09/2026

A reminder to join us tomorrow for the next session in the Disability Webinar Series:

“What we don’t see: guide dog teams on inclusion and exclusion”

Dr Nico Botes and Janri Barker from the Department of Architecture, in association with the South African Guide-Dogs Association for the Blind, will explore the lived experiences of guide dog handlers, with a focus on barriers to inclusion and the concrete changes that can make a difference.

📅 15 September 2026
🕐 13:00–14:00
💻 Microsoft Teams - link in the Boukunde Department of Architecture UP page bio

We hope you can join us!