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Architecture Students Move Outdoors for 5 Days

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Students at the annual Architectural Student Conference hosted by Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University from Sunday, 18 to Friday, 23 September 2011, will be close to nature when they exchange comfortable beds for tents.

“The area around the Vodacom Indoor Centre will be transformed into a tent town for our 600 to 800 delegates from Free State, UCT, Wits, University of Pretoria, UKZN and NMMU,” says conference organising committee member and second-year Bachelor of Architectural Studies (BAS) student Catherina Etsebeth.
The living-in-tents idea is in line with the sustainability theme of the conference.

Architects from Brazil, Mexico, America and Namibia will share knowledge and expertise at the conference with its focus on “Sustainable Architecture in a Developing World”.

The conference will explore sustainability as a way of living, architecture and sustainable cities, architecture, culture and society, African architecture in transition and the most important recent technical developments in relation to sustainability and its integration into the design of new buildings.
As part of the conference the students will visit the Red Location Museum designed by Noero Wolff Architects whose firm won the Lubetkin Prize from the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2006.

Jo Noero is one of the keynote speakers at the conference. He obtained his degree in Architecture from Natal University and his master’s degree in architecture from the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in 1980. He now practices as Noero Wolff Architects in Cape Town where his works range in scale from single houses to large museums/law courts/schools.

Home-grown Nina Maritz will address the conference on the influence of African society on sustainability. Nina, who grew up in Port Elizabeth, is a Namibian architect whose work reflects local building strategies and is built with local labour. The Habitat Research and Development Centre is most probably her most well-known building. It is located in Katutura, a former black township on the outskirts of Windhoek. This design focuses on the housing needs of the Namibian community and embraces sustainability.

Mexican architects Oscar Hagermann and Paloma Vera will address the Mexican experience and Mexican architectural critique. In addition, Jack DeBartolo, the principal and design leader of debartolo architects based in Phoenix, Arizona, will talk about community architecture.

Students will also get the opportunity to hear how sustainable houses can be built. The Bio-Architecture and Intuitive Technology (TIBA), is an institute in Brazil’s Mata Atlantica jungle to show a deeper awareness of how we should perceive our environment. Its work will be discussed by Peter van Lengen, the son of Johan van Lengen, author of The Barefoot Architect. Johan decided to move with his family to Brazil were he started to work with poor communities and to build more environmentally sustainable housing. In 1987 he founded TIBA, with his wife Rose.

Other well-known local speakers will include architects Dorelle Sapere and Hedwig Crooijmans.

Conference delegates will do tours of the Donkin Memorial area, different residential suburbs, the Ubuntu Centre and the Red Location. The Cement and Concrete Awards Function is also part of the conference programme.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.