For a design to be everlasting, I believe that you need to have a vision for the larger scale – and scale is not always relative to a building’s size. Understanding the effect on the urban fabric, the users, the environment, and the community, are all bigger outcomes that inform my design response. I get a buzz from education projects as they contribute to real change. What I do is a drop in the bucket, but it creates a ripple effect. By that, I mean the education environments that I create influence how teachers teach and students learn, and that contributes to how students grow up and create their own ripple effects.
I approach all design stages with equal sensitivity - I want to create a good experience for the client and deliver a project that everyone can be proud of. My design approach focuses on how phenomenology influences the experience of the user.
Growing up in South Africa, I was surrounded by different cultures. To me, experiencing different ways of doing things enriches the human experience. I also admire Alejandro Aravena’s work. His projects are not always glamourous, but they have a positive social impact.
