...TO THRIVING PRACTICE

The company has spread its operations beyond South Africa's borders, setting up an associated practice in Athens. It has undertaken various smaller commercial projects in other countries and continues to work successfully in both the UK and Greece; it has had particular success in Greece, having completed numerous hotels and upmarket holiday villas, as well as the head office and television studio for MNet in Athens.

The operation has always been geared more towards commercial work than to private residential projects, although it has several of these in its portfolio. In earlier years the firm undertook projects at mines such as the Conolidated Modderfontein Mine, Crocodile River Platinum Mine, Hartebeesfontein Gold Mine and South Roodepoort Mine. For a long period of time however, the company also specialised in hotel design, both locally and abroad, as well as high density residential projects. It has completed a minimum of one hotel a year since its inception, having worked across the spectrum of budget chains such as the Don Group and the City Lodge Group, to designs for deluxe resort hotels. One of the latter is the Astir of Paros in Greece, which has been listed as one of the top 100 hotels in the world. Closer to home, the firm recieved a TPIA award for its design of the Indaba Hotel and Conference Centre.

KEEPING IT REAL

The company's approach to its work has always been driven by two factors which it believes are essential to running a successful commercial arhitectural practice: namely, to provide a high quality and efficient service for its clients, and to adopt a design approach that prioritises the creation of workable and liveable spaces. This approach has several benefits, for one it gives the firm an enormous diversity of styles within which to work, preventing it from being 'typecast' and therefore limiting its scope. It also obviates academic questions of style by concentrating on the fundamentals of creating pleasant, usable spaces.

LOOKING AHEAD

The firm has aimed as much as possible at the commercial sector of the market over the last five years and intends to keep focusing actively on this sector. The current partners will carry the proud reputation of the firm well into the future.