Award winning architect, Derek Van Heerden, gave a thought-provoking presentation at the 13th seminar of the DUT Urban Futures Centre (UFC) series about recent works undertaken by East Coast architects in rural and peri-urban South Africa, at the ESBE Boardroom, Steve Biko campus last week.
The seminar had an overwhelming attendance. Many members of DUT staff, students, academics from UKZN, city officials and other stakeholders, were also present at the talk and many engaged in debate and in-depth discussions with Derek van Heerden.
Derek has lectured at both UKZN and DUT in the respective architecture departments. He has been instrumental in the construction and design of the Vele Secondary School in Limpopo, which won the AFRISAM SAIA Awards for sustainable architecture. He is also a recipient of a number of prestigious awards in his practice and innovation as an architect.
Professor Monique Marks who heads up the UFC at DUT said, “In the talk, Derek talks about how his mind works, he challenges alienating, inaccessible and sometimes un-useful forms of architectural design and implementation. Derek’s works also challenges the traditional ‘top down’ approach to architecture which he has successfully used in three KZN schools, with this approach.”
Derek said this had been done in recent project works that he had been involved with in designing or redesigning schools through bottom up processes. “This alternate practice shows the potential for how architectural intervention can be inclusive and can promote active citizenship design for use,” he said.
During the presentation, Derek also showed the audience pictures of the popular Vele Secondary School, which was funded by US television mogul Oprah Winfrey, in collaboration with the South African Department of Education. The school later won numerous awards.
“About 40 to 50% of all the energy that we generate is either used for the construction or the running of buildings, also 50% of our land fields are demolished buildings so this makes it seriously problematic for architects, as a profession,” added Derek.
DUT postgraduate students, who also attended the seminar, said it was very constructive and provided great concepts as well as creative ideas which they could add to their work.
The next seminar will be presented by Gill Hart on Entering new worlds and crafting innovative understandings: Doing critical ethnography in urban spaces.
-Talent Buthelezi
Pictured: Award winning architect, Derek Van Heerden with Professor Monique Marks, at the seminar.