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CONTENTS

11 > PREFACE

11 > ProActive

13 > Editor’s foreword

14 > Design awards and competitions calendar

16 > THOUGHT LEADERS

16 > Design professionals and social activism

24�� > Greenwashing: The 8th sin

28�� > The role of design in international

development

36 > DESIGN PROMOTION

36 > INDEX: Design to improve life

40�� > O
 f bogies and bush fellers, of monitors and
motorbikes
CONTENTS

48 > COMMUNICATION DESIGN

48 > XIN: THIS IS CHINA CALLING! 76 > S

 ome great stuff, some done stuff and some
*yawn* stuff
68 > The Loerie Awards: Celebrating creative
excellence for over 30 years 82 > B
 elow-the-line agency Mick and Nick talks
design

104 > BUILT ENVIRONMENT

99 > M
 MA Architects: Providing platforms for 138 > B
 edford Precinct: Achieving a design
cultural engagement balance in a mixed-use environment

110 > Burj Dubai: reaching for the skies 152 > C
 rystal Towers: The jewel in Century City’s
crown
116 > S
 outhern Sun Hyde Park Hotel: Chic hotel
with an awesome view

232 > INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

242 > D
 esign is about the future 261 > Distant voices

254 > C
 arrol Boyes: A true marriage of sculpture 264 > C
 reating harmony between engineering
and function and art
 84 > PAPER

87 > The metamorphosis of signage 94 > Sappi leading by example

90 > S
 A Publication Forum: Proactively improving
corporate publications

161 > G
 reenstone Mall: Unusual and defining
design elements
175 > Gautrain: An interactive engineering feat
205 > A
 conceptual design challenge: Central
Terminal Building at the OR Tambo
International Airport
215 > Soccer City: Africa’s melting pot

260 > JEWELLERY 260 > FASHION

270 > The Gold of Africa Museum: The embedded 280 > 2
 010 Winter wrapped: Sanlam SA Fashion
history of gold Week

286 > Cape Union Mart launches Poetry

CONTENTS

278 > POPULAR CULTURE 283 > ART & CRAFT

288 > Entertainment on wheels: Matatu mania 292 > W

 ithout masks: Contemporary Afro-Cuban
art

296 > Explore 2: The best of Namibia on show

ENDORSERS
 288 > IP 291 > EDUCATION

302 > Protecting your ideas in Africa: part II 305 > M

 ohair and design educators: A cosy
combination

309 > Imagine the future! Adobe Design

Achievement Awards 2009

MEDIA PARTNERS
238 > EDUCATION
 CREDITS
formation

PUBLISHER & CEO > SALES DIRECTOR >

Cameron Bramley Jaime-Lee van Sittert
cameron@designmagazine.co.za
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT >
EDITOR > Charl Lamprecht
Jacques Lange
jacquesL@iafrica.com ADMINISTRATION & ACCOUNTS >
Lana McLachlan & Michelle Swart
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS >
Jennie Fourie, Bev Hermanson & CREATIVE DIRECTOR >
Suné Stassen Jacques Lange

CONTRIBUTORS > DESIGN & LAYOUT >

Lois Aitchison , David Berman, Amanda Bluprint Design
Breytenbach, Duncan Cruickshank,
Veruska De Vita, Nicky Garnett, Carl PUBLISHED BY >
Harisson, Jacques Jansen van Vuuren, Design Information
Lilac Osanjo, Karuna Pillay, Chantal Tel: +27(0) 82 882 8124
Ramcharan-Kotze, Sali Sasaki and Fax: +27 (0) 86 678 8448
Anri Theron www.designmagazine.co.za

© 2009 Design Information.

DESIGN > is produced by Design Information. All material is strictly copyright, with all
rights reserved. No material may be reproduced in part or whole without the express
permission of the publisher. No responsibility will be accepted for unsolicited material.
The publisher accepts no liability of whatsoever nature arising out of or in connection
with the contents of this publication. The publisher does not give any warranty as to the
completeness or accuracy of its contents. The views and opinions expressed in DESIGN >
are not necessarily those of the publisher, its endorsers, sponsors or contributors.

ProActive
As much as we all try to be proactive in our approach
to design at all levels, we are often lacking. South
Africa and Africa is still fixed in a bureaucratic approach
to design at most levels. In the previous edition of
DESIGN > we focused on the design economy, which
to me is a critical issue for all economies around the
globe. Society has done well to re-engineer its design
process for centuries, far superseding its own expec-
tations. Imagine way back, if all economies agreed upon
a design alliance that concerned itself with all the issues
that we have to deal with today?
In this edition ‘ProActivity’ means a lot of things. It is
mostly a positive term. Its use in this edition however is
both positive and negative. My most recent experi-
ence of proactivity was attending the SABS Design
Excellence Awards. It was an honor to see such excep-
tional designs – this is proactive. What concerns me
is that the focus of much design has little to do with
the current global environmental crisis. I ask: what
use is a product designed for the future if it doesn’t
in some way reduce carbon footprints or support the
environment?
PREFACE >
It seems that the largest corporates are the least involved
in Pro–Environment–Active–Design and they are the
ones that destroy it most. We can point a finger at the
countries that are not ProActive, although unfortu-
nately even some of the most Pro–Active–Design
counties are not making enough headway to turn the
ship around.
The only three places I have visited locally where I
have witnessed Pro–Activity for the environment are
the universities, the Imvelo Awards for Responsible
Tourism and the Top Technology 100 Awards.
I am truly excited to witness great designs – yet they
are simply that – great designs. In my opinion, any
design of any worth today, no matter how significant
and worldly it is, is worth little if it doesn’t consider
the environment and the wellbeing of all societies
across the planet. <
Cameron Bramley
DESIGN > CEO and publisher
 Many pairs of hands then support the one pair
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systems • More energy efficient (high COP) on R-410A • Automatic refrigerant containment
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For more information call 0860-DAIKIN or visit www.daikin.co.za for a Daikin dealer near you.

EDITOR’S
FOREWORD
When we started developing the editorial theme for
this edition of DESIGN > magazine some nine months
ago, one word continuously kept coming up in my
mind: Proactive.
First coined in the 1930s by Paul Whiteley and Gerald
Blankfort in the context of experimental psychology, it
became a popular term because of a seminal book pub-
lished by Viktor Emil Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning,
published in 1946. Frankl used the word to describe a
person who took responsibility for his or her life, rather
than looking for causes in outside circumstances or
other people. Frankl also stressed the importance of
courage, perseverance, individual responsibility and
awareness of the existence of choices, regardless of
the situation or context.
‘Proactive’ is a magical word that has intrigued and in-
spired many of our writers who have contributed articles
for this edition. They delivered responses that span the
gamut of the design disciplines, from visual communi-
cation, industrial design, architecture, fashion and
jewellery to fine arts and popular culture. One golden
thread running through this edition is ‘change’ and as
PREFACE >
Linda Mvusi might have said it best: “Design reflects
change. Change as the norm, not the exception.”
In her address at the 2009 SABS Design Excellence
Awards, Dr Bonakele Mehlomakulu, CEO of the SABS
said, “design empowers us to change the world as we
know it. Design is about the future, about what might be
or should be. Design involves living in a future world;
conceiving and planning what does not yet exist”.
I fully agree.
It has been a scintillating year since DESIGN > maga-
zine converted to a digital platform. In this time we
have produced five bumper editions spanning more
than 1 330 pages. This exceptional growth in stature
is also reflected in our readership that now extends to
more than 55 countries.
On behalf of the DESIGN > magazine team, I would like
to thank all our readers, advertisers and writers for their
incredible support. We wish you all a wonderful 2010.
Jacques Lange
DESIGN > Editor
 ENTRY DEADLINES F
A W A R D S

Discipline January 2010

12 > e Volo 2010 SKYSCRAPER COMPETITION registration deadline

(International)
Architecture, Interior Design & Built 18 > The High Bridge International Ideas Competition (International)
Environment 31 > The Restaurant and Bar Design Awards (International)

04 > T he Press Cartoon Europe 2010 (EU)

Communication Design, Advertising,
Animation & New Media
27> D &AD Awards 2010 (International)
22> A rtDirectorsClub Awards 2010 Design/Interactive/Student
(International)
25> 2010 Summit Creative Awards: Call for Entries (International)
29> Hong Kong International Poster Triennial 2010 (International)

Craft

Fashion & Jewellery

Industrial Design 25 > International Design Excellence Awards 2010 (International)

Multidisciplinary 26 > M
 aterial Trends Award 2010 (International)

Research & Journalism

20 > E coTopia Will Highlight Cutting Edge Sustainable Designs

(International)
Sustainability 25 > T he IAHH International Student Design Competition
(International)
FOR AWARDS AND COMPETITIONS

February 2010 March 2010 April 2010

01 > International Velux Award 2010
for Students of Architecture
(International)
01 > A PLD 2010 International
30 > S chindler Award 2010 Application
Landscape Design Awards 01 > W
 ho’s Next (International)
deadline (Germany)
19 > 2 010 Dulux Colour Awards
(Australia, New Zealand, Papua
New Guinea and Fiji)
19 > 2 010 Ceramic Tiles of Italy Design
Competition (North American)

05 > A  rtDirectorsClub Awards 2010 19 > D &AD Student Awards 2010

Advertising/ ADC Hybrid/ADC
Design Sphere (International)
29 > 2 010 SEGD Design Awards
(International)
(International)
29 > International Competition of 15 > G
 olden Bee International Biennial
Packaging Design of Graphic Design (International)

01 > P aola Lenti / VISI ‘Weaving

Competition’ (South Africa / see
Holiday issue of VISI)

19 > T he 2010 One Show College

Competition / NOOKA brief

03 > M
 ACEF DESIGN AWARD
MASSIMO MARTINI 2010
(International)
22 > R
 ed Dot Award: Product Design
2010 (International)

07> P DP Award: Andrea Pininfarina

26 > B
 entley 2010 Student Design
31 > C
 reate 2010 Student Design (International)
Competition (International)
Competition

15 > 7 th International Design &

Emotions Conference

01 > B lue Award: building for an

environment worth living in 26 > L eading Edge Student Design
International Award for Students Competition Registration deadline
19 > T he 2010 One Show College (USA)
Competition / Million Trees brief
THOUGHT LEADER >

Design professionals
and social activism
By David Berman, FGDC, R.G.D. (© 2009)

“Now that we can do anything, what will we do?”

– Bruce Mau
PROACTIVE
We live in a truly remarkable time. Although it is easy to
dwell upon the world’s troubles, as a global community,
we live in a time of unparalleled opportunity, and un-
precedented creative potential for hope.
As graphic designers we are the stewards of the com-
munication of knowledge. And it has never been eas-
ier, never less expensive – never more immediate, to
send messages over great distances to larger and
larger populations.
The Internet makes so much sharing possible. And
yet, Nicholas Negroponte reminds us that, for the ma-
jority of people alive today, the Internet is still just a
rumor. However, over the next ten years that will
change forever. Before the next decade is over, most
human beings will have had their first interaction
with the Internet.
I believe this situation is our single most valuable op-
portunity in which to be proactive.
Will that first access to the Internet be about sharing
the best we have to offer - medicine, conflict resolu-
tion, democracy, governance, free thought … or will it
be just one more way to convince ever-growing popu-
lations in the developing world that they need to con-
sume stuff – lots of stuff – in order to feel they belong
in the global culture?
THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
The digital divide of our global society separates the
technological haves from the have-nots. This increases
the risk that the rich will get richer, and the poor poorer.
There are two potential outcomes over the next ten
years and we as designers can be proactive in deter-
mining which will define our future.
Will we share the best we have to offer, in support of
goodness and truth, or will we prop up the greed dis-
order of the minority, by using our cleverness to help
convince more and more people that they are not tall
enough, thin enough, white enough, curly enough,
cool enough?
THE FOURTH SCREEN
My friend, Dr Peter Bruck of Salzburg, speaks of an
evolution through four screens of visual communica-
tion: the movie screen, the television screen, the
computer screen, and now the mobile screen. These
four screens represent a century-long transition from
communal, unidirectional communication to interac-
tive, personalised, portable immersion.
It will be on the mobile screen – that pocket-sized
screen – and not the computer screen that the major-
ity of humans will encounter the Internet for the first
THOUGHT LEADER >
time. Already, every month this year, in India alone,
15 million people are getting their first mobile phone.
LIFE AND DEATH IN 160
CHARACTERS
I would like you to imagine for a minute that you live in
Ghana. Your young daughter is ill. Not deathly ill, but
mysteriously coughing up all night. You’re not sure
what’s wrong, and you rush to a pharmacy in the middle
of the night to buy medicine. But you’re uncertain what
to do: your dilemma is that in Ghana over 20% of pre-
scription drugs are fakes. You buy the medicine, but you
don’t know if it will do more harm than good. You
can’t be sure what’s in the bottle. She’s crying: what will
you do? You could do more harm than good. Are you
going to have your daughter swallow some mystery
substance?
That’s the reality for people in Ghana today, but that
reality is about to change for the better. A remarkable
team at mpedigree.com designed a simple mobile
phone application that solves this problem. They ar-
ranged with the drug companies to put a unique numeric
code on each bottle of medicine. At the pharmacy, all you
need to do is pull out your phone, text message the
unique number printed on the medicine bottle to a spe-
cial address, and within a few seconds you get a reply
telling you if the bottle in your hand is fraudulent or not.
It’s a simple design: No Pantone colours, no fancy
type or slogans or clever branding … just 160 charac-
ters of life-and-death design that saves lives and
helps build a sustainable economy.
DON’T JUST DO GOOD DESIGN
… DO GOOD
We have the opportunity to decide whether we will
simply do good design, or whether we are going to do
good with design. We have a choice to make – we can
use our skills and our opportunities to help create a
better world.
Imagine what would be possible if designers did not
participate in the export of over-consumption and the
unbridled fulfilment of greed. No one understands
the powerful mechanism behind these manipulations
better than design professionals, and we have the
creativity and persuasiveness to make a positive
change. We must act, be heard and sometimes sim-
ply say no – by designing a better yes.
Some of us choose to pursue design purely as an ex-
ercise in the aesthetic. I know that simply creating
beautiful objects or surrounding yourself with beauti-
fully designed things can help create a fulfilling and
comfortable life. However, that is only the surface of
the potential good and sense of accomplishment you
can achieve with your creative skills.
Go further: recognise the interdependence, power,
and influence of your role as a professional, and let it
resonate with the world around you and within you.
THE DO GOOD PLEDGE
Designers ask me, “So what can I do?” My answer:
take this three-part Do Good Pledge, with its compo-
nents of professionalism, personal responsibility, and
time.
1: I will be true to my profession
For a couple of millennia now, doctors have been taking
a pledge. Imagine if, instead of following the Hippocrat-
ic Oath, doctors only focused on the wealth to be had
from cosmetic surgery … or shaking down dying people
for their entire inheritance in exchange for a remedy that
would extend their life by a few weeks.
Design professionals have built their own oaths. Join
a national or regional association of design profes-
sionals that has a code of ethics. By joining, you’ll
make a public professional commitment to abide to a
minimum standard of ethical conduct.

A commitment to professional ethics implies a mini-

mum standard of conduct: a combination of your per-
sonal and public principles. This is the personal com-
mitment you make to yourself, in the form of your
mission, moral code and beliefs. The professional
commitment is a promise to uphold a common set of
published minimum standards of behaviour, which
you make when you join a professional body. Profes-
sionalism implies a 24/7 commitment, a recognition
that your profession is part of who you are.

2: I will be true to myself

Be guided by what you know is right.

People ask me what constitutes doing good. I can’t

answer for you whether a hybrid SUV is part of the
solution or part of the problem. However, I do know that
if all designers simply looked in their hearts, chose to
be their best selves, and only did work that was in
alignment with their principles we’d be 90% there.

Be aware of your principles. Part of what designers

do as professionals – just as is expected of doctors,
judges or engineers – is to strive to maintain our prin-
ciples all the time. So, when it comes to the question
of what is right or wrong in the professional world,
simply ask yourself, “How would I deal with this on a
personal level? Would I recommend this product to
my children? Could I look my daughter or best friend
in the eye while speaking this message or pitching the
product I’ve designed, or would I have to look away?”

I don’t have all the answers. I do know that if each

one of us forbids ourselves from doing anything or
helping to say anything that is out of alignment with
our personal principles, then that will be more than
enough to change the world.
THOUGHT LEADER >

Saying no at times is a big part of it. But it is often more

powerful to propose an alternative solution that aligns
with the principles of all parties. If we all do that, we
will achieve the required shift: we’ll be contributing
more than we’re taking away: doing more good than
harm.

3: I will spend at least 10% of my

professional time helping repair the world

I am not asking you to sell your firm. I am not asking

you to quit your job. I am not asking you to work pro
bono (well, maybe a little bit, but that’s another article…).

And since time is money, I’m asking that you commit

10% of your professional time to help create a world
that is more just.

That’s four hours of a 40-hour professional work week

(I’m clearly giving you a break here by pretending that
you only work a 40-hour week). Four hours of design
for an organisation, a company, or government clear-
ly acting for the social good.

There are close to two million designers in the world.

If each of us were to take just 10% of our professional
time, imagine what would be possible. Close to eight
million hours a week of designing a more just, more
sustainable, more caring civilisation.

Make money doing it

Let me be clear: I am not asking you to work for free.

I am simply asking you to make sure that at least four
hours of each professional week are spent on projects
that are socially just.
Now
Are we too late? Not at all. This is the perfect time.
Fifteen years ago, if you said you were a designer,
people asked, “What is that?” Today, they tend to know.
Instead, they are now asking, “What are designers
really about? Are they trades people? Are they crafts-
people? Are they artists? Professionals? Are they
ethical? Responsible?” What’s our answer going to be?
It seems the perfect time to be able to declare, “We’re
about this, and we’re definitely not about that.”
What this profession will be about is now up to us.
Design is a very young profession, without a long his-
tory that’s impossible to uproot. We’ve barely begun.
The role of design need not be defined by selling ide-
as and things through deceit.
Portions of this article have been adapted from Do
Good Design: How Design Can Save The World by David
Berman (Peachpit/Pearson, 2009)
About the author:
David Berman (www.davidberman.com) is an Ottawa-
based senior communications consultant to Canada’s
largest web presences. He is a board member of Icograda,
the world body for communication design, a fellow of
the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada, and the
Ethics Chair for graphic design in Canada. As an ex-
pert speaker, David has travelled to over 20 countries
and is a national member of the International Federa-
tion for Professional Speakers. He is profiled with the
National Speakers Association, and is also a member
of Meeting Planners International. <

Over 95% of all designers who have ever lived are

alive today. Together it is up to us to decide what role
our profession will play. Is it going to be about selling
sugar water, and smoke and mirrors to the vulnerable
child within each one of us … or is it going to be about
helping to repair the world?

It should be about embracing a responsible and hon-

oured role in society – as it is with medical doctors,
lawyers and engineers. Society will then truly recog-
nise the power of design, and the special role that
designers will play in a brighter future.

I know that if we fulfil the gifts of our professional

skills, by recognising our power and the stewardship
responsibility that accompanies that power, we can
make a real difference. And since we can, we must.
So choose well.
You could take the Do Good Pledge online, at
› We can choose what messages we are going to send. www.davidberman.com/dogood]

› We can choose to do good, now.

› We can choose to make a difference in the world.
› We can choose to be pro-active.
› What will you do?
THOUGHT LEADER >
GREENWASHING:
THE 8 SIN
TH
As we descend through the clouds the road snakes
through the idyllic landscape. A crescendo builds, as-
sisted by the drawn-out notes of violins and the lyri-
cal harmony of clarinets and cellos. There is not a
soul in sight…in fact if you look closely you will be
hard pressed to spot even the power lines that never
leave your side as you make your way to Cape Town
on the newly completed eight-lane highway.
So you have the fluffy clouds, the exhausting beauty of
the rolling hills and the pristine tar road looking all fresh
and clean thanks to a convenient spring shower. Just
when you thought it couldn’t get any better the camera
cuts to a close-up of a spinning wheel in slow motion. The
blades on those 17-inch alloys are simply hypnotising.
Panning out, the camera unleashes the full force of the
By Anri Theron
BMW ActiveHybrid X6 on you. You gasp. You stare. You
imagine one of your very own waiting obediently for you
in your garage.
But then you remember that documentary you saw last
night, created by that guy, Al Gore, about that thing they
call global warming. A sudden surge of guilt rips you back
to reality. You shamefully look around at the empty room,
luckily no one saw. How dare you forget about global
warming, you may think to yourself. But fear not, for at
that very moment the screen goes black and the carefully
styled type reads “The World’s most powerful hybrid”.
A moment of pure joy. BMW did it, they actually did it.
Now you can drive your high performance BMW Active-
Hybrid X6 with a clear conscious and pat yourself on the
back for being environmentally responsible, right?
Wrong. Is this too good to be true? As Fred Pearce,
author of The Guardian’s Greenwash column, bluntly
puts it, of course it is! BMW promotes the ActiveHybrid
X6 as “eco-friendly” because its carbon emissions
are 20% less than the regular X6. However, Pearce
notes that the Hybrid X6 official CO2 emissions rating
with the EU is 231 grams per kilometre. This is a far
cry from the EU’s 2012 goal of 120 grams for average
emissions in new cars. You cannot compare it to oth-
er hybrids because it is quite literally in a class of its
own, with emissions twice that of the Toyota Prius.
How is this car “eco-friendly”? More importantly; how
are they managing to promote the ActiveHybrid X6 as
“eco-friendly”?
Sadly the case of the Hybrid X6 is one of too many. It
is pure and utter Greenwashing; a fib, a distraction, a
tall-tale. Greenwashing is the practice of companies
to attach some type of environmental claim to their
products or policies. These claims are often unsub-
stantiated or irrelevant and used to mislead consum-
ers. To put it simply, when a company starts spending
more money on promoting their environmental claim
to fame rather than on environmentally sound prac-
tices, it’s time to worry.
Futerra, a communications agency based in London,
appropriately describes Greenwash as an old concept
wrapped in a very modern incarnation. Examples of
Greenwash emerged as early as the 70s. The term
‘Greenwashing’ was, however, only coined in 1986 by
environmentalist Jay Westerveld. In an essay West-
erveld identified the misleading practice of the hotel
industry in which they promoted the re-use of towels
by the guests to ‘save the environment’. However he
found that in most instances these hotels made no
substantial effort towards environmentally sound
practices, such as waste recycling. Being green and
environmentally friendly went from being responsible
to trendy to profitable. And so it began. To Green-
wash, or not to Greenwash.
In 2007 TerraChoice, a leading environmental market-
ing agency based in North America, conducted a
study in which they found that over 95% of 1 018 com-
mon products surveyed were found guilty of Green-
washing. The findings were so shocking that vice-
president Scot Case was convinced the researchers
had butchered the study. After a redo the results re-
mained the same and TerraChoice identified “The Six
Sins of Greenwashing”.
The first is the Sin of the Hidden Trade-Off, a common
misleading strategy used in 57% of environmental
claims. It focuses the consumer’s attention on a single
attribute of a product that makes it appear green, over-
emphasising this while understating or completely
ignoring other, more environmentally dangerous con-
sequences of the product. For example, you may think
you’re doing your share in saving the environment
when you buy ‘energy-saving’ electronics. But at the
same time, they may consist of materials that are
THOUGHT LEADER >
hazardous to the environment. Essentially then, you are
trading less pollution for less power usage, a counter-
productive act to say the least.
Sometimes, such environmental claims cannot even
be substantiated. This is the Sin of No Proof. It’s of-
ten seen with cosmetic products that claim to be ‘cer-
tified’ organic or recyclable. Try finding out where this
certification comes from. Try looking for proof. Are
you successful? Unlikely.
Then, there is the Sin of Vagueness which preys on a
consumers naivety or ignorance. Many claims use
over-arching terminology that carries an implicit sense
of being environmentally friendly but leads to misun-
derstanding. ‘All natural’ products are hailed by many
as green, but the term does not clarify that substances
like arsenic, mercury and uranium fall in the same cat-
egory.
We move on to the Sin of Irrelevance. In these cases,
truthful claims are made to boost the product’s im-
age. Yet, these claims are irrelevant. The most com-
mon example is selling a product based on its lack of
CFCs. But these chemicals were banned 20 years ago.
They shouldn’t be in there in any case.
They would like you to believe they are genuinely do-
ing the right thing. Thus, the focus is often placed on
a small good to distract the consumer from the great-
er evil. This is the Sin of the Lesser of Two Evils. For
example, promoting organic cigarettes diverts our at-
tention to the good but minute benefit of the product
being organic while ignoring the elephant in the room
– they’re still cigarettes.
These sins are all manipulations of the truth but out-
right lying can also be found in Greenwashing – the
Sin of Fibbing. Although it does not happen often,
products can claim to be certified by internationally
recognised standards such as Energy Star or Green
Seal. They simply print the seal on the product and
rely on the fact that consumer’s are probably too busy
or too lazy to verify this.
In April 2009, TerraChoice released their second report
on the study adding a seventh sin, the Sin of Worship-
ping False Labels. In these cases, although the product
does not bear a third-party certification falsely, printed
stamps make it appear as though the product has
been certified. For example, this can be done through
the use of an eco-friendly label without making it clear
that it comes from an in-house environmental pro-
gramme. Or, they simply use the trendy jargon of ‘eco-
friendly’ or ‘eco-secure’ on their packaging.
So why should we worry? Telling a tall tale is by no
means a new practice. Although frowned upon, it’s been
done. However, nowerdays the consumer is starting
to worry. The Advertising Standards Authority in the
UK is working overtime to try keep up with the flood
of complaints about environmentally false claims.
 SECTION >

Last year the USA’s Federal Trade Commission hun- But the buck doesn’t stop with individual responsibil-
kered down to plan the reviewing of their environ- ity. Collective responsibility is needed to pick up the
mental marketing guidelines. Greenwashing is no pieces. Futerra describes the advertising agencies as
longer just annoying, it’s downright dangerous. both the problem and the solution. The advertising, PR
and marketing industries need to make a conscious
Futerra explains that we are at the point in the Green decision to not only talk green but go green from top
Revolution where the consumer wants to go green. to bottom. Internal sustainability policies are a start, of
Their ‘green pound/dollar’ is a force to be reckoned with which many already have one, but how well are they
and they are demanding an environmentally-friendly practiced? And does it extend to the client side of the
economy before they spend it. They’re not so easily business? What’s more sustainable; selling the earth
deceived and with all the Greenwashing, many who or preserving it?
relied on advertising and corporate messages for pur-
chasing decisions are losing confidence in green mes- Initiatives such a The Greenwashing Index (http://
saging. Greenwashing is sabotaging the environmental www.greenwashingindex.com/), promoted by Envi-
movement. roMedia Social Marketing and the University of Ore-
gon, and Australia’s consumer advocacy group,
But it is not all doom and gloom. Yes, the eighth sin is Choice (http://www.choice.com.au/About-Us.aspx)
that we have let it get this far; it’s probably the worst are making leaps in the battle against Greenwashing.
sin of all. But Greenwashing hardly ever stems from These Internet sites provide a portal for consumers to
malicious intent. Ignorance, sloppiness and laziness submit, access and talk about false green claims in
are the worst culprits and these can be fixed with advertising and marketing. Design Can Change
education, training and working on that green con- (http://www.designcanchange.org/#home) provides
sciousness. We need to think beyond green as profit resources for fellow designers in an effort to bring the
and “get consumers talking about sustainability” design community together in encouraging sustain-
says Stewart Rassier in a Greengaged debate on able practices. We need more of this.
Greenwashing. Once we do this, he explains, it goes
beyond Greenwash. “Sustainability is a journey, not a The outcome of the debate is the designer’s moral
destination.” John Grant further debated the designer’s dilemma: do we make big companies good or good
ethical decision, stating: “We have to be alive in our companies big? In design-speak it is a dilemma as old
practices and be ‘ok’ with our own values. There is no as the hills – a complex problem with no simple answer.
ethics free zone in life.” But is that not what we do? <

Visit Fred Pearce’s Greenwash column for The Guardian at

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/10/bmw-activehybrid-x6
THOUGHT LEADER >

The role of design in

international development
By Sali Sasaki

In July 1987 a working paper entitled Graphic Design for Development was submitted by board members of
the International Council of Graphic Design Associations (ICOGRADA) to the United Nations Educational
Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), following a four-day seminar in Nairobi, Kenya. The main
objectives of the seminar were to raise awareness on the contributions graphic design can make in improving
people’s lives and to increase a better understanding of graphic design in international organisations.

More than 20 years on, this article looks at how graphic designers have become more sensitive to world
issues and how the professional world of design tries to encourage and promote new social design practices
in partnership with the United Nations.
In recent years, the realm of design has expanded rapidly
into new areas. The social and humanitarian benefits
of design paved the way towards a new kind of practice
shaped around socially responsible behaviour. This
new perspective on design gave more responsibilities
to designers who play an important role as the new
agents of change. Designers today seek to create some-
thing new for the world by using creativity and strategic
design thinking, whilst demonstrating their ability for
social awareness.
Design has always played an important role around
society and the individual as it affects cultural identity,
social structures, economies, cultural development and
environments. It touches many individuals on a daily
basis and encompasses a variety of disciplines, from
architecture, to communication, engineering, products,
computer-related technology and even contemporary
studies in anthropology and ethnography.
Victor Papanek wrote in Design for the Real World
(1973) that “ all design must fill a human need … (it)
is basic to all human activities. The planning and pattern-
ing of any act towards a desired, foreseeable end con-
stitutes a design process. Any attempt to separate
design to make it a thing by itself works counter to
the inherent value of design as the primary underlying
matrix of life”.
Since the industrial revolution, design has taken a
primary role in modern societies. It attempts to shape
a better life for people and humanise information and
technology. Everything we use and experience today
from a newspaper, a cup, a car, a map, a computer, a
medical device, a chair, a street sign, or a shelter has
been conceived by a designer, whilst historically and
politically, designers have worked on the promotion of
tolerance and respect, sustainability issues, ideology,
beliefs, propaganda and national identity amongst
others.
In recent years, design has become an international
phenomenon affecting an increasing number of coun-
tries from the developing world and designers play a
major role in the process of cultural and sustainable
development. India, China, South Africa and Brazil
are successful examples of places where design is
believed to be an effective methodology and tool for
socio-cultural improvement.
Speaking at the Icsid Africa Regional Meeting in 2003,
Peter Butenschøn (the then President of the Interna-
tional Council of Societies of Industrial Design) said:
“It is very important for any nation to understand the
larger agenda of the work of designers. By working with
designers, a nation invests in the growing ability to
change, to work on innovation, on creativity. Enabling
change and enabling creativity is perhaps the most
important challenge that we are faced with.”
During my four-year career at UNESCO I concentrated
specifically on the promotion of graphic design for
development and researched its application in the
fields of general education, public health, environ-
ment, public information, and social responsibility by
emphasising cultural diversity, contemporary prac-
tices and the empowerment of future generations of
designers. Design is a creative methodology that has
the ability to support UNESCO’s notion of successful
development, which is defined as being “a tradition
specific to each culture combined with the most mod-
ern economic, scientific and technological resources”
(Jorge Perez de Cuellar, ‘Our Creative Diversity’, Intro-
duction, the World Decade for Cultural Development
1988-1997).
Many graphic designers are today involved with both
social and cultural responsibilities in a world that is
more globalised than ever. Following are a few examples
on how they propose solutions to global challenges
and choose to cooperate in an international context.
THOUGHT LEADER >

Graphic design, the UN and

international development
A Yale architecture graduate called Donal McLaughlin
designed the United Nations emblem in 1945.

To date there are very few visual symbols that are as

universally understood by people around the world. The
UN emblem demonstrates the power of graphic design
in its ability to unite people through graphic images by
United Nations emblem, designed in 1945.
rendering complex ideals into one visual symbol.

Over the past 60 years graphic designers have worked

to promote UN values by creating posters, books,
corporate identities, training and presentation tools,
and a diversity of other graphic-based programmes.
Although collaborations between graphic designers
and UN agencies have been relatively inconsistent in
the 80s and 90s, graphic design started contributing
very positively towards UN goals since the start of
the millennium.

For many years the United Nations Children’s Fund

(UNICEF) has been at the forefront of ‘good’ UN brand-
ing within the UN family. Its in-house branding toolkit
has been used as a model by other UN agencies when
they needed to refresh their own identity. This toolkit
has been designed to be accessible to all, including
non-designers who are not familiar with graphic design
and typography rules.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is an-

other successful example. Their youthful and colourful
identity is an exception in the UN system where sobriety
is usually favoured. Another unusual feature is the
public availability of their style guide on their website.

In 2001 the Art Center College of Design launched Design-

matters, a college-wide initiative focused on socially The United Nations Children’s Fund’s in-house
responsible design. By showing its commitment towards branding toolkit.
world issues, Art Center became the first design school
in the world to receive an NGO status from the United

Components of the United Nations Population
Fund’s style guide.
Designmatters, a college-wide initiative focused on
socially responsible design.
Nations. The Designmatters Fellowship Programme
has also managed to send a few of its students to the UN
Headquarters and other UN agencies in recent years.
In September 2008 Art Center initiated a poster exhi-
bition celebrating the anniversary of the declaration of
human rights at UNESCO headquarters. Designmatters
is an educational model for design schools that are look-
ing to make their own contribution towards interna-
tional development.
In 2005 the Japan Graphic Design Association (JAGDA)
launched the Water for Life poster competition, in
partnership with the United Nations Information Centre
in Tokyo, following the success of their Peace Poster
competition. Poster competitions today remain one
of the most common graphic design initiatives related
to social awareness campaigns.
THOUGHT LEADER >

The cultural value of

graphic design

According to Emily Campbell (Design and Architec-

ture newsletter 2006, British Council), there is a cul-
tural dimension to graphic design that is affected by
traditions, multi-culturalism, ethnicity, diversity, lan-
guage, gender, beliefs, value systems, and also a cer-
tain ability to “transform the visual heritage of places
and peoples into contemporary commercial currency
and cultural expression”.

In order to be socially credible, design must mean

something in the cultural context where it originates.
It is a powerful method to promote cultural identity and,
therefore, it is important for local people to develop
the design skills that will allow them to communicate
their own culture and develop a visual identity inspired
by both a deep sense of tradition and contemporary life.

Graphic design is compatible with all traditional cul-

tures and can be adapted in different socio-cultural
contexts. Cultural understanding plays a particularly
important role in the exercise of place branding.

Following are a few examples, amongst many others,

The Water for Life competition organised by JAGDA.
showing how graphic design can impact the world. The
next generations of graphic designers need to be
aware of their ability to strengthen deeper cultural
meanings and develop their capacity in strengthening
mutual understanding amongst people and nations.

Place branding specialist Wally Olins, explains in an inter-

view that “brand is a useful way to help governments
understand the value and complexity of external repu-
tation and internal cohesion … the strategic pillars of
nation branding are: connecting policy, culture, people,
products and tourism in a joint strategy, a coherent ap-
proach to short, medium and long-term planning … The Brand the beloved country initiative organised
honesty, transparency and inclusion, clarity of vision, and by Design Indaba.
lastly, courage” (‘Brand the Beloved Country’, Design
Indaba Magazine, 2006).

Graphic design played a crucial role in the re-branding

of South Africa during its bid for the 2010 FIFA World
Cup, as it modernised South African iconography and
culturally symbolic images and transformed them into
effective communication campaigns.

The INDIGO Network, developed by Monash University

and managed by Icograda, promotes indigenous design
as living culture, looks at its relationship to national
identity and its role as visual culture within contem-
porary society. Two of its pilot projects were MIX06 and The INDIGO Network was developed by Monash
MIX08, which fostered cultural for tertiary design stu- University and is managed by Icograda.
dents from Icograda Education Network, Icsid Education
Network, IFI Education Network, Cumulus International
Association of Universities and Colleges of Art, Design
and Media and other institutions around the world. The
projects encouraged collaboration and discourse be-
tween indigenous and non-indigenous students around
the world, and included the participation of indigenous
people as advisors and mentors. Mother Tongue, the
first INDIGO exhibition is currently being developed
and will investigate the evolution of graphic language in
indigenous and non-indigenous communities alike.

In 2008 the Victoria and Albert Museum in London show-

cased contemporary Chinese design for the first time
in the United Kingdom. The creativity reflected in the
graphic posters from Shenzhen – considered to be
the birthplace of modern Chinese design – introduced a
new perspective on China as a creative nation. By focus-
ing on design China’s goal is to gradually change people’s
perception on the label ‘Made in China’ and establish
itself as a genuinely creative environment.

Following a Master’s degree in graphic design from

Yale University, Saki Mafundikwa returned to his native Design solutions developed during the MIX06 pilot
country Zimbabwe and researched on the origins of project.
African writing systems and typography. His research
THOUGHT LEADER >

of ten years was followed by a book called Afrikan

Alphabets in which he promotes through a designer’s
perspective an aspect of African culture, which had
been long suppressed by colonial powers. To Ma-
fundikwa, design has always been inherent to African
culture.

These are a few examples, amongst many others, that

show how graphic design can impact the world. The
next generations of graphic designers need to be aware
of their ability to emphasise on deeper cultural mean-
ings and develop their capacity in strengthening mutual
understanding amongst people and nations.

Room for improvement: What

next for graphic designers?
In order to promote the expansion of graphic design be-
yond conventional frames of reference, as well as help
maintain the international discourse of design and its
role in socio-cultural development, graphic designers
and other related organisations have to learn, promote, Posters from Shenzhen, China.
network and collaborate. Here are ten recommenda- © Shenzen University Olympiad 2010/Sali Sasaki
tions to achieve socially responsible design:

› B
 uild experience around the needs of people living
in different contexts.

› N
 etwork with international organisations and corpo-
rations in order to demonstrate the value of design.

› P
 articipate in multi-disciplinary initiatives in which
designers have a critical role to play in the develop-
African Alphabets by Saki Mafundikwa.
ment of entrepreneurship and innovation.

› W
 ork on publications, events, exhibitions and com-
petitions on design in collaboration with design
bodies from different continents showcasing inter-
national design works and initiatives for cultural
development.
› A
 dvocate the power of graphic design in a cultural
context by organising workshops and seminars and by
encouraging cross-cultural design activities.
› S
 tudy the quality standard of design education
across the world and help develop design curricula for
the developing world.
› L earn from professional organisations that can
provide expertise, knowledge, guidance, contacts
and ensure an international perspective and rep-
resentation of design.
› E
 nable open sources of information on design
methodologies in partnership with public/private
partners worldwide.
About the author
Born in Yokohama, Japan and raised in Paris, France,
Sali Sasaki is the co-producer of Cities x Design,
a trans-media project on the role of design in 30
American cities.
She was formerly the manager of UNESCO’s Crea-
tive Cities, an international network of 19 cities,
from 14 different countries. She has international
experience as a design researcher and practitioner
has collaborated with international design promo-
tion agencies in Europe, Asia and the United States.
Sali holds an MA in communication design from
the Royal College of Art (London) and a BFA in
Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design. <

› P
 rovide new platforms where individuals and profes-
sional organisations can share best practices and
create opportunities for designers to work togeth-
er internationally.

› Knock on doors that have never been opened.

A few useful links

www.unicef.org

www.unfpa.org/styleguide

www.accd-dm.org

www.designmatters.artcenter.edu

http://saffron-consultants.com

http://indigo.icograda.org

www.funcomfortinspiration.com

http://trip.citiesxdesign.org

Cities x Design trailer: http://blip.tv/play/AYGru1oC

DESIGN PROMOTION >

INDEX: design To
improve life
Five designs to improve life were announced as winners of INDEX:Award 2009. Right there
at the top was a South African design, proving that local design can stand up and be counted
amongst the best in the world.

The 2009 INDEX Award received more than 700 entries
from six continents and 54 countries. From these nomi-
nations, the INDEX: jury selected the best as finalists,
and the very best as winners. A total of 36 South African
designed products or design activities were nominated.
The INDEX: AWARD, the largest monetary design award
in the world, is dedicated to change global mindsets
by showing and exploring how design can improve
life. INDEX: does not categorise design according to
traditional labels – communication, industrial, interior
and fashion design – since these do not fully reflect
the interdisciplinary approach employed by most lead-
ing designers and design thinkers. INDEX: rather cate-
gorises and evaluates nominations according to aspects
that impact on human life; Body, Home, Work, Play and
Community.
According to Kigge Hvid, INDEX: CEO, the winning de-
signs show us that design has the power to be part of the
solution to major global challenges like climate
changes, pollution, natural disasters, poverty, over-
consumption and other important issues. Hvid said:
“Most design is still evaluated only due to its form,
colour, surface and beauty. At INDEX: we add impact
and context to that. This we do to secure that the designs
has an impact on the world and fit the context they
are supposed to fit. Just like the winners of INDEX:
Award 2009.”
The winners
Body Category: Freeplay Fetal Heart Rate Monitor
Freeplay Energy, Cape Town, South Africa

The Freeplay Fetal Heart Rate Monitor works off-grid,

where there’s no electricity to support a delivery. The
Washington Post reports that some 500 000 women
die annually in childbirth, often from causes that
could be prevented with basic care. Getting an aid
like this into the hands of midwives in the developing
world can mean the difference in life and death, both
for mothers and infants.

INDEX:Award recipient John Hutchinson, CTO of Freeplay

Energy of Cape Town, credits medical associate Prof.
John Wyatt of University College, London, as his
“brother in arms” in creating the device. Hutchinson
says: “A number of people came to us and said, ‘Why
don’t you think of medical products because hospi-
tals in Africa are littered with derelict Western-derived
equipment. They require disposable or replaceable
elements, and they’re just not right for the job.’”

Home Category: Chulha

Philips Design, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

The Chulha is a stove designed to limit the dangerous

health conditions caused by traditions of indoor
cooking in many rural areas of the developing world.
The stove is being made available by Philips Design
to the universe of social entrepreneurs so that they
can, free of charge, produce the stove themselves,
and generate local business while helping counter
what the World Health Organization estimates is
some 1.6 million deaths per year from conditions
prompted by the toxic fumes of indoor cooking with
“bio-mass” fuels.
DESIGN PROMOTION >

Work Category: Kiva.org

Kiva.org, San Francisco, USA

Kiva.org of San Francisco, California, USA, is the

world’s first person-to-person micro-lending website.
It empowers people to lend directly to unique, small
entrepreneurs in many parts of the world. Kiva.org
have lent more than US$87 million to developing-
world entrepreneurs, micro-finance loans made by
some 500,000 online participants, most of whom
make loans of $25 at a time.

Play Category: PIG 05049

Christien Meindertsma, Rotterdam,
The Netherlands

PIG 05049 is a communications design developed over

three years of research to track all the products made
from a single pig. Meindertsma’s design includes the
publication of her book, PIG 05049, which charts and
pictures each of the products supported by the animal.
The surprise is in the fact that elements of production
contributed to by pig farming include not only pre-
dictable foodstuffs – pork chops and bacon – but far
less expected non-food items: ammunition, train brakes,
automobile paint, soap and washing powder, bone
china, cigarettes.

Community Category: Electric Vehicle Infrastructure

Better Place Inc., Palo Alto, USA

The Better Place electrical car infrastructure is an am-

bitious design focused on the effort to move drivers,
the automotive industry and energy-distribution past
the internal-combustion engine. Elements of the Bet-
ter Place system include hundreds of thousands of
plug-in charge-spots, meant to be even more ubiqui-
tous and easily accessed than current petrol stations;
switching stations for mechanised battery exchange of
lithium-ion batteries which, in a typical sedan, can de-
liver a range of about 100 miles / 160 kilometres on a
single charge, and more.

The future of INDEX:

According to Hvid, the INDEX: Award has a future that
portrays the mindset of our time. “INDEX: has learned
that there is a huge hunger for new mindsets and com-
mon horizons. We are constantly involved in develop-
ing and innovating in educational, business and social
settings. We listen, learn, inspire and match our strengths
with our main asset – the global network of designers,
users, public and private decision-makers (our Pioneers
of Change). Together we will index Future Horizons and
bring design thinking and design processes into the
mapping of our common progress. Globally distribut-
ed, we will invest forward, and create a common direc-
tion that will help guide us all as a model for making
transformational changes in achieving a better world.
“That’s one part of our strategy: to go from awarding
backward to investing forward. The other part of our
strategy is that we want to be all over the world: part-
nering with major cities and distributing our presence
and realising Design to Improve Life for the people
who really need it.
“We will continue to use our main tools of our existing
programme such as large-scale public events (including
the biggest design award in the world), education
and informative programmes – as well as innovative
communications to generate common direction.” <
DESIGN PROMOTION >

Of bogies and bush fellers,

of monitors and motorbikes
Viewing the Celebrating 40 Years of Design Excellence
exhibition that was curated by the SABS Design Institute in
November was like seeing the history of South Africa’s
product design landscape through a wide-angle lens.

The exhibition, with more than 100 products on show,

offered one of the most extensive views of South African
designed products to date. Emphasis was placed on
products that received SABS Design Excellence Awards in
the past decade, but products from the first 30 years
of the Design Institute’s existence were also showcased.
The exhibition arrangement offered an intuitive walk
through 40 years of South African industrial design
excellence, with the products from 1969 to 2008 on
the one side of the clean exhibition layout and the 18
products that won SABS Design Excellence Awards in
2009 on the other side. A selection of Design Institute
publications over the years was shown in a Perspex
display case to protect these historical documents.
The Design Institute took a proactive approach to visitors
to the exhibition. Over and above casual visitors from
the street or those who reacted to radio advertise-
ments and public relations coverage, specific groups
were invited to attend at certain times.
One of the interesting visits involved a talk presented
by Kelly Thompson and Dario Tanziani, partners at
Adams and Adams law firm who gave practical tips on
protecting intellectual property. They also touched on
IP protection issues around the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
This visit included students, learners and designers.
A view of the SABS Design
Excellence Award Scheme
One of the SABS Design Institute’s earliest initiatives,
after its foundation in the late sixties, was the crea-
tion of an award scheme for industrial designed prod-
ucts to stimulate good design in South Africa. The
SABS Design Excellence award scheme, known under
different names over the past four decades (the Shell
Industrial Design Prize, the Shell Design Award, the
Cullinan Industrial Design Award, the SABS Design
DESIGN PROMOTION >

Institute Award and the disa Design Excellence Award), Trends in South African product
recognises the achievements of South African product
designers, while also encouraging local product design design over four decades
and manufacture and promoting international com-
petitiveness of local products. This award scheme has South Africa’s economic prosperity of the 1970s was
established a proud tradition of promoting indigenous reflected in the design focus of the day. With only two
design. categories in the design awards scheme – engineering
and industrial design – engineering design dominated,
In 2004 the Design Institute conceptualised an evolved with specific focus on mining and agricultural prod-
design award scheme to adapt to the national and ucts. The lifestyle of the affluent section of the South
international changing design arena. In keeping with African society was reflected in products that received
the emphasis placed on design for local need, the De- design awards, such as swimming pool cleaners,
sign Institute restructured the award scheme to comply portable barbecues and camping equipment. The
with ongoing technological developments; to be more particular needs of the majority of the South African
relevant to current South African industry and society; population were, however, not addressed.
to be a stronger tool for marketing South African
products; and to enjoy a higher popular public and The eighties were turbulent times in South Africa’s
industry profile. history, marked by sanctions and resistance. These
sanctions had an unintended positive effect on South Social consciousness became increasingly visible in
Africa’s design industry, to some extent. Foreign design- design, with a move towards designing for local chal-
ers withdrew from the country because money had dried lenges and creating a specific vernacular identity and
up, leaving South African designers with more opportu- establishing an indigenous aesthetic.
nities to render design services with less international
competition. Issues such as the HIV/AIDS pandemic, ongoing pov-
erty, a shortage of housing and other pressing socio-
South African consumers were becoming sensitised economic issues have been reflected in design in the
and started demanding culturally-apt, locally de- first years of the 21st century.
signed products. A growing social consciousness in
the country shifted the design focus to issues such as The drive to design for a developing society and envi-
safety and primary health care. ronment has increased. In designing for developing
communities, the designer aims to meet a real need,
South Africa’s first democratic election in April 1994 rather than only fulfilling a desire, which normally
paved the way for change – also on the design front. happens in product design. Products designed for de-
Design reflects the society in which it is practiced and velopment need to be sustainable and have to im-
as such, the South African design landscape of the prove the standard of living, as well as the quality of
nineties was characterised by deep-rooted change. life of their users. A strong realisation has grown that
DESIGN PROMOTION >
design has contributed to accelerate South Africa on
the road to rapid development and success and will
continue to do the same for the African continent.
The state of product design in 2009
The products that won SABS Design Excellence
Awards in 2009, as displayed in the Celebrating 40
Years of Design Excellence exhibition, showed an ec-
lectic mix of products designed for development,
such as the Lifewise Eco-Loo and the the Sola-lite, a
solar-energy powered light for low cost housing, as
well as products that would add a pleasing aesthetic
to home and office. These included the Kubik Innova-
tor LED system, the Willow Lamp Moonflower Range
of Chandeliers, the Cobra range of taps and acces-
sories and SKALA business furniture.
Product design is a reflection of the state of a society.
If this statement is to be believed, leisure and out-
door living are seemingly high up on the list of South
Africans’ priorities in 2009. The Seawing Nova, new
age flippers and the Ybike, a huge improvement on
children’s plastic scooters, received awards in the lei-
sure and sport goods category, and this year again
saw a pool cleaner, the Superbug, receiving an award.
The Kaoko Throttle Control for motocycles and the South
African designed Puzey, an on-road, off-road motor-
cycle also received awards in the same category.
T: +27 (0) 12 428 6326
F: +27 (0) 12 428 6546
E: design@sabs.co.za
W: www.sabs.co.za
Improvement to an existing product design was also
awarded. One example is that of the Snuza Baby
Monitor that received the Chairperson’s Award for the
product that most inspired the adjudication panel.
Snuza, designed by …XYZ, Savant and ID&B, is a new
generation baby monitor that allows mobile monitor-
ing of a baby’s breathing. The soft flexible sensor pro-
trudes onto the baby’s stomach for superior sensing
and the monitor contains dual buttons for turning
on/off and selecting optional features. The vibration
stimulator helps reassert breathing if apnoea is de-
tected and an effective clip design results in good
nappy grip. The monitor uses the latest ultra-low
power microcontroller technology.
According to Adrienne Viljoen, manager of the SABS
Design Institute, the Celebrating 40 Years of Design
Excellence exhibition has sparked considerable
awareness of South African product design. “Ten
years ago, when the SABS Design Excellence Award
scheme had its 30th anniversary, there was a huge
surge of interest that took the work of the SABS De-
sign Institute to new heights. I can already see that
this 40 years’ celebration will have the same effect”,
says Viljoen.
For an overview of the more than 600 South African
designed products that won design excellence awards
over 40 years, visit the Design Institute website at
www.sabs.co.za and click on Design Institute. <
40 YEARS
OF DESIGN
EXCELLENCE
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COMMUNICATION DESIGN >

Image credits: (Top row – LTR) David Gibson, Jacques Lange, Iva Babaja, (Centre)
Renee Wong, CAFA, Michal Steckiw, (Bottom row) Marc Alt, Stuart Alden & Michal
Steckiw.

Xin:
This is China calling!
By Jacques Lange

In a 2005 chart-topping pop hit, songstress Katie Melua crooned that: “There
are nine million bicycles in Beijing. That’s a fact … There are six billion people in
the world. More or less”. Four years on, the picture looks slightly different.
According to china.org.cn, the city’s population now exceeds 17.4 million, officials
say that there are now 10 million bicycles and CCTV reports that there are three
million cars on the city’s roads. These statistics indicate the incredible pace at
which China and its capital city is developing.

Design is part and parcel of this process and it is becoming an increasingly

important key driver for future development. The reality of this was clearly
displayed at the Xin: Icograda World Design Congress 2009, which took place
in Beijing in October.
Designers are currently spoilt for choice when it comes
to international events. There are literally hundreds of
congresses, conferences, seminars and workshops
serving the industry, indicating that the profession is
entering a maturing phase. The reasons for designers
now becoming more discerning when selecting events
to attend vary vastly: the learning opportunities on offer;
networking opportunities; opportunities for being
inspired; opportunities for being exposed and locations
that stimulate creativity. The plethora of major events
hosted in Aspen, Amsterdam, Cannes, Copenhagen, Cape
Town, Hong Kong, London, Melbourne, Milan, New York,
Paris, Seoul and Tokyo immediately come to mind, yet
many others are also worthy of mention.
However, one of this year’s most attractive and inspiring
events that encompassed all of these attraction factors
was the Xin: Icograda World Design Congress 2009 in
Beijing, hosted by the International Council of Graphic
Design Associations (Icograda) and the Central Academy
of Fine Art (CAFA). The latter has become an epicentre for
China’s rapidly developing design industry and a trail-
blazer in international design education. Being responsi-
ble for producing most components of the branding pro-
gramme for the Beijing Olympics count amongst CAFA’s
most recent accomplishments.
The surprise factor is that around a decade or two ago,
China hardly had a design industry that any publication
cared to write about; any design educator considered
to benchmark with; or let alone, international designers
caring about attending a design congress there. This has
however changed drastically in recent times.
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >
The new reality is that China is assertively changing its
image from being a copier to becoming a leading inno-
vator when it comes to design and it is shedding its old
and stale coat faster than what any other country could
previously aspired to attain. China is setting a new pace
and implementing revolutionary benchmarks for rein-
vention.
Most of the delegates who attended the Icograda World
Design Congress 2009 would now argue that China IS
the most dynamic location for developing the design
professions and that it offers some of the most fruitful
opportunities for the industry to reposition its place in
culture, economics and environmental sustainability.
Strategic intent
In the post-congress report, Min Wang, chairperson of the
Icograda World Design Congress 2009 Organising Com-
mittee states that “After going through the global fi-
nancial crisis, governments, enterprises, the public and
professionals in various fields are rethinking how to
impose positive influences on cities, economies, socie-
ties and people‘s livelihood though innovation. Against
the backdrop of economic bubbles, more and more people
have come to realise that creativity is the key and the most
significant resource for change to usher in a new age.”
Wang says that the Congress, which coincided with the
1st Beijing Design Week, attracted attention from across
the world and that it was undoubtedly a big event for
the global creative economy.
Explaining the strategic intent of the event, Wang says:
“Taking advantage of the communication platform
jointly constructed by governments, enterprises and
academic institutions, the organising committee moti-
vated experts and scholars to carry out extensive re-
search and discussion.” This attracted attention from
the public on urban development, economic innovation
and improvement of human living conditions as well as
the quality of cultural life amongst others. The result was
that a broad range of stakeholders jointly participated in
discussion, reconstructed value and developed theories
and actions for sustainable design and consumption.
Wang also says that stakeholders “jointly created and
extended the practical value of design innovation; and
jointly advocated ‘Let design become the source of
wisdom that guides the world’s innovative economy
and social development’”.
The theme
The theme of the Congress was ‘Xin’, which literally
means ‘message’ or ‘letter’. The latter also serves as
the inspiration for the events’ innovative branding
programme, which is composed, of various configura-
tions of traditional Chinese envelopes.
‘Xin’ traditionally represents a primitive means of com-
munication. However, today it also encompasses
many more dimensions as illustrated by words such as
‘Xin-xi’ (information), ‘Xin-nian’ (vision), ‘Xin-ren’ (trust),
‘Xin-yong’ (credibility) and ‘Xin-xin’ (faith).
Inspired by these interpretations, the Congress sought
to explore contemporary issues and challenges currently
facing multidisciplinary design in four dimensions and
event streams:
› A(ccess) – design democracy and accessibility;
› B(alance) – unity, harmony;
› C
 (ommunicate) – information and cross-cultural
communication; and
› D(efine) – design of the future and for the future.
Considering the symbolic value and obvious dovetail-
ing with the event streams, the organisers decided that
it would be apt to open the series of events on the same
day as the commemoration of the UN World Develop-
ment Information Day, and therefore contribute to the
advocacy regarding global development challenges
in many ways.
Xin by the numbers
Xin: Icograda World Design Congress 2009 and the 1st
Beijing Design Week was an historic occasion for all who
 CAFA Art Museum.
Image: Jacques Lange.
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >
Exterior view of the NCPA at night. Interior view of the main foyer of the
Image: NCPA. NCPA. Image: NCPA.
participated in the weeklong series of events which
included an impressive number of pre-congress student
workshops, a Design Development Summit, the 23rd
Icograda General Assembly, the three-day Icograda
Congress, a two-day Education Conference, as well as
a plethora of exhibitions and social events.
A brief overview of the events provide some impressive
statistics:
› 1 25 delegates and observers from 45 countries and
regions took part in the Icograda General Assembly
– one of the highest ever on record.
› W
 ith more than 1 500 registered delegates prior to
opening day, the total Congress attendance sur-
passed 2 000 with speakers, invited guests and
VIPs included.
› C
 ongress delegates came from more than 45 coun-
tries spanning the globe.
› A
 round 120 presenters, speakers and moderators
participated over the five days of main programming.
› T he event programme incorporated 25 official
exhibitions – and many other unofficial exhibitions.
› O
 fficial events took place in 15 venues including the
China Millennium Monument, National Centre for
the Performing Arts, 798 Art District and Sanlitun
Village amongst others.
Massive banners announce the
opening ceremony at the NCPA.
Image: Stuart Alden.
› M
 ore than 125 student volunteers supported the
work of the Organising Committee during the run of
the events.
› F our media outlets from China and 30 official media
partners from more than 20 countries helped to
promote the events, while 174 media delegates
were registered during the run of the events.
› E
 vent information appeared on 4 000 public TV
screens all over the city, eight large outdoor screens,
19 000 times on buses equipped with Mobile TV
and on 35 000 small TV screens in Beijing’s subway
lines, three times per day. In total, 13 million
impressions were made daily during the run of the
week’s proceedings.
› I t is estimated that around 200 000 visitors were
attracted to the various event components.
Spectacular opening
The opening ceremony was held at the National Centre
for the Performing Arts (NCPA). An impressive futuristic
structure, the NCPA is an icon of modern Beijing and
stands in stark contrast to its surroundings which include
the imposing Tiananmen Square and the Great Hall of
the People, as well as the Forbidden City to its left.
The half ellipse structure of the NCPA is surrounded
by an artificial lake, which creates an awesome egg-
shaped mirror image. Since the building is too large
The lake’s reflection on the The traditional ribbon-cutting Spectacular exhibition opening at the
underground entrance to the ceremony. Image: Stuart Alden. China Millennium Monument. Image:
NCPA. Image: Jacques Lange. Jacques Lange.

to capture in a single frame from close-up, photographers

have to stand way back when capturing it. For many
delegates, the act of standing back to capture the full
image of the building also connotes a sense of reflection
and in many ways this initial sighting set the general
tone for the Congress that followed.

If the outside view of the NCPA was not inspiring enough,

few international delegates could describe the sight when
first entering the grand Opera House with any other
word than ‘awe’. The massive scale and fine attention to
detail is spectacular and metaphorically reflected the
intentions of the organisers. The stage, lighting design
and the motion graphics that introduced the first mo-
ments of the opening ceremony were highly refined,
contemporary and sober, reflecting a clear message that
Wang mentioned previously: “Let design become the
source of wisdom that guides the world’s innovative
economy and social development.”

The proceedings commenced with speeches from offi-

cials that included the Mayor of Beijing and government
ministers who lend China’s support to the event. Don
Ryun Chung, Icograda president, also acknowledged
this in his opening address: “Design is an integral force
fostering socio-economic growth, innovation and sus-
tainable development for many countries and com- Delegates from more than 45 countries gathered in
munities. The support of the Beijing Municipal People’s the splendid Opera House where the official opening
Government, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry ceremony took place. Image: CAFA.
of Education is a testament to the value that China
places on design.”
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >
After the ceremonial ribbon-cutting ceremony the day’s
proceeding began with presentations by keynote
speakers. The content of the presentations focused
largely on the central idea of China moving from a
manufacturing economy into a creative economy and
the role of design within this changing environment. In
his address, Long Youngtu, the Secretary General of the
Boao Forum for Asia, spoke about this transition and
maintained that: “A country without a design industry
is a country without a future”. Patrick Whitney, Dean of
the Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology,
focused his presentation on the emergence and critical
importance of design innovation in the business domain.
”‘Made in China’ should be a complimentary statement,”
said Pan Gongkai, President of CAFA. To sustain the
country’s economy, Gongkai said, “China must move up
the value chain by integrating creativity with manufac-
turing” and he concluded that the location of the Icograda
Congress in Beijing provides China the opportunity to
highlight its design resources, including a higher edu-
cation system that has been ramped up to train more
than a million designers in the last two decades.
The rest of the day saw an impressive line-up of speakers
including David Kester, chief executive of the British
Design Council; influential Dutch designer Jan van Toorn;
American designer Sol Sender and Japanese designer
Kohei Sugiura. Van Toorn explored the socio-cultural
role of the profession and the importance of content,
form and rhetoric in contemporary visual communication.
In the same vain, Sender’s presentation entitled Design-
ing for Change was about the conception and evolution
of the identity programme for Barack Obama’s presi-
dential campaign. Sender spoke about the complexity
of identity and symbolism and transformative design
strategies for society.
In light of Sender’s call for designers to “architect and
implement solutions that can realise a better today”,
Kester continued with the topic of China’s growth in the
creative industries and the inherent role of design.
Kester reflected on the innovative design strategies in
the United Kingdom and particularly referred to service
delivery and innovation within the healthcare industry.
All of his examples pointed to design at the front end of
innovation where design is no longer considered an end
in itself but rather as a strategic way of thinking which
is employed as a means for creating value and providing
meaningful change. Concluding his presentation, Kester
urged the audience to pursue new ways of thinking by
saying that “if we tap into creativity and if we tap into
design and if we collaborate together with technologists
and manufacturers we can be part of solving some of
the big problems that we face today in our world.”
Sugiura was another crowd-pleaser with his lush visual
presentation. He focused on the many meanings of the
ying-yang symbol and illustrated with elegant graphics
of Chinese letterforms, the god Shiva, Mongolian kettles,
male and female bodies, Japanese patterns, and elements
from nature such as fish and birds. “Two in one, one in
two,” he repeated, demonstrating the universality of
symbols and urging the audience to move forward with
the information “to recreate our one and only earth.”
The opening ceremony also included the presentation
of three of Icograda’s highest awards and the presenta-
tion of the 2009 Adobe Design Achievement Awards to
students. Don Ryun Chung presented Icograda Presi-
dent’s Award to Pan Gongkai (PR China) and Robert L.
Peters (Canada) for their exceptional contribution to
furthering the work of Icograda internationally. Chang
also presented the Icograda Education Award to Ahn
Sang-Soo (South Korea) for his extraordinary contribu-
tion to developing international design education.
Following Congress Days
The focus on the increasing power and current respon-
sibility of designers mentioned on the first day recurred
throughout the subsequent two days of the Congress,
which was held at five venues at the impressive campus
of CAFA. The event branding and wayfinding system at
this venue was superb and allowed delegates to navigate
the large CAFA campus with ease and eager students
were also always on hand to answer questions.
The conference explored four overarching issues, ‘access,
balance, communicate and define’, in five streams, which
Keynote speakers (LTR), Long Youngtu, Patrick Whitney, Jan van Toorn and Sol Sender. Images: Stuart Alden.

Keynote speakers (LTR), Kohei Sugiura and David Kester. Images: Bruno Porto and Jacques Lange.

Min Wang presenting Recipients of the Icograda President’s Awards (LTR), Robert L. Peters and Pan
the Congress Manifesto. Gongkai and recipient of the Icograda Education Award, Ahn Sang Soo. Images:
Image: Stuart Alden. Stuart Alden.
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >
ran parallel to one another. Although the parallel streams
spoilt the delegates for choice, it was quite a challenge
deciding which streams to attend since each had their
own list of influential speakers from around the world.
The ‘access’ stream focused on the accessibility within
contemporary design practice. Topics such as designing
life in urban spaces, proactive intellectual property
rights policies in design, and communication design for
information environments were central to this theme.
Speakers included Ruedi Baur (Switzerland), Remco
Vlaanderen (Brazil), Ric Grefé (USA), Amy Gendler (USA),
Kijo Rokkaku (Japan), Sheila Levrant de Bretteville (USA),
Leslie Gallery-Dilworth (USA), Laurence Madrelle (France),
Song Xiewei (China), Andreas Uebele (Germany), Michael
Rock (USA), Ronald Shakespear (Argentina), Ron New-
man (Australia) and David Berman (Canada).
The ‘balance’ stream covered topics such as design
dialogue and collaboration between East and West,
sustainability and design responsibility as well as eco-
logical policy making. Speakers included Zhu Dake
(China), Victor Margolin (USA), Marc Alt (USA), Dan
Hill (UK), Sophie Thomas (UK), Brian Dougherty (USA),
Mehdi Saeedi (Iran), Ruth Klotzel (Brazil), Gloria Es-
cribano (Spain), Brian Collins, Lou Yongqi (China), Huang
Yung-Sung (China), Helmut Schmid (Germany), Kiko
Farkas (Brazil) and Yoon Ho Seob (South Korea).
‘Communicate’ was split into two parallel streams and
focussed on visual culture (pluralistic perspectives
and contexts), information visualisation, business and
added value from service and brand culture critique and
redesign. Speakers included Yang Li, Xu Bing (China),
Zheng Shuyang (China), Kan Tai-keung (Hong Kong), LUST
(Netherlands), Ruri Noguchi (Japan), Leonardo Sonnoli
(Italy), Liu Zhizhi (China), Rod Roodenburg (Canada),
David Pidgeon (Australia), Zuzana Lednická (Czech),
Achyut Palav (India), Nille Svensson (Sweden), He Jian-
ping (China), Omar Vulpinari (Italy), Irma Boom (Nether-
lands), Lü Jingren (China), David Reinfurt (USA), Huda
Smitshuijzen AbiFarès (Lebanon), Isao Suzuki (Japan),
Ma Ke (China), Garson Yu (USA), Thierry Brunfaut (Bel-
gium), Wang Xueqing (China), Bi Xuefeng (China), Stanley
Wong (Hong Kong), Jiang Hua (China), Li Degeng, Michael
Vanderbyl (USA), Andrew Ashton (Australia), Richard
Doubleday (USA) and Hilton Tennant (South Africa).
The ‘define’ stream addressed topics such as mobile life
and new media, biomimicry and cross-disciplinary col-
laborations, and digital content and redefining media.
Speakers included Yao Dajuin (Taiwan), Ann Yu-Chien
(Taiwan), Joachim Sauter (Germany), Qiu Zhenzhong
(China), Markus Schneider (Germany), Alice Tremlow
(USA), Wan Jie (China), Carsten Nicolai (Germany), Les
Suen (Hong Kong), Fiona Raby (UK), David Small (USA),
Peter Hall (USA), Tavs Jorgensen (Denmark) and Daniel
Makoski (USA).
Three impressions came to the fore throughout all of the
streams. Firstly, it was interesting to see how the various
speakers explored the recurring themes of design think-
ing and social responsibility irrespective of their design
discipline or position. Secondly, all presentations were
exemplary since the speakers were extremely thorough
and well prepared. Thirdly, strong visual material en-
hanced the presentations and helped to bridge the vast
language divides.
The Congress concluded with the two-day Forum on
Design Education which brought together a worldwide
community of communication design institutions. A total
of 16 outstanding peer reviewed academic papers were
selected for the event. Speakers were: Ann McDonald
(USA), Audra Buck Coleman (USA), Pan Lusheng (China),
Lawrence Zeegen (UK), Wang Xiaojie (China), Deborah
Alden (Singapore), Ann Ghory-Goodman (USA), Helmut
Langer (Germany), Karin Watson (Australia), Ian McArthur
(Australia), Zhao Jia (China), Zhang Pengchuan (China),
Elizabeth Tunstall (Australia), Antoine Abi Aad (Leba-
non), Paula DiMarco (USA) and Joyce Yee (UK).
All selected papers presented at the Forum on Design
Education will be published in print and will be avail-
able on the Icograda website (www.icograda.org).
On the negative side, it is unfortunate that several large
regions of the world, particularly developing regions,
were represented by lone voices at the Congress, while
others such as North America, Western Europe and parts
The CAFA campus was a hive of activity during the run The highly effective wayfinding system made it easy to
of the Congress. Image: CAFA. navigate between venues. Image: Jacques Lange.

Speakers & moderators (LTR), Ma Ke, Don Ryun Chang, Laurence Madrelle & Grégoire Serikoff. Images: Stuart Alden.

After viewing this phenomenon, it occurs that a new At the end of each day, speakers and delegates
metric for judging effective presentations could be engaged in highly interactive Q&A sessions. Image:
number of pictures taken. Image: D Fox. CAFA.
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >

Schenzen Time: Design Competition for UNIVERSIADE

2011. Image: CAFA.

12 Timespaces – A concept exhibition of Chinese living

style. Image: CAFA.

Design & Innovation – An international industrial

design show. Image: Stuart Alden.

AIGA 365: Year in Design 29. Image: CAFA.

The Icograda World Congress and 1st Beijing Design

Week incorporated 25 official exhibitions, all of which Exhibition of outstanding graduation design works
were truly inspiring. from CAFA. Image: CAFA.
 A spectaculat exhibition of Chinese Graphic Design in
9th Brazilian Graphic Design Biennial & the 20th Century: A documentary. Image: Bruno Porto.
Dingbats Brasil. Image: Bruno Porto.

Beijing Typography 2009. Image: Bruno Porto.

The 7th National Exhibition of Chinese Book Design
(2003-2008). Image: Bruno Porto.

Post_: Contemporary International Poster Opening of Design for Sitting exhibition at Sanlitun
Retrospective. Image: CAFA. Village North. Village Saniton. Image: CAFA.
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >
of Asia were arguably very well or even over-represented.
This inballance is the only aspect that might have tar-
nished the overal objectives of the Congress.
Proof of this is that Hilton Tennant and Achyut Palav were
the only speakes from Africa and Southeast Asia. Zuzana
Lednická was the lone voice from Eastern Europe, while
the Central America/Caribbean region had no representa-
tion at all. The quality of the presentations and the work
showed by these three speakers clearly indicate that
their regions have the skills and abilities to compete glo-
bally with the best-of-the-best without any compromise
and it is therfore valid to ask why there was not more
representation from these regions.
Icograda General Assembly
The 23rd Icograda General Assembly took place on 24-25
October. One of the landmark decisions of the GA was
the formal adoption of a framework for sustainable
practice policy development.
Led by the Icograda Executive Board, the process was
championed by Treasurer David Berman (Canada) in con-
sultation with several Icograda Members and stake-
holders throughout the 2007-2009 term. In presenting
the resolution, Berman said, “Things have never been
more fragile for our planet. I don’t think we have ever
been so clear how much power we have as designers in
our world and with that power comes a lot of responsi-
bility. ...We’ve gone from thinking it is possible that
we might have a global effect, to realising that we
must have a global effect.” Berman acknowledged
the AIGA’s Living Principles for Design (United States)
and the GDC’s Working Definition of Sustainable
Communication Design (Canada), both adopted by
their respective members earlier in 2009.
The resolution establishes a framework for Icograda to
develop policy on how it conducts its operations and pro-
gramming for adoption by 31 October 2010. It is the inter-
national organisation’s first comprehensive statement
on social, environmental, financial and cultural sustain-
ability, and extends beyond the Council’s own actions
to embrace the work of its Members in 67 countries.
In discussion of the framework, the membership
agreed that authenticity, transparency and account-
ability about the sustainable consequences of design
should be guiding values in the development of the
sustainability policy.
In addition, the GA elected the 2009-2011 Icograda
Executive Board who held their first meeting immedi-
ately after the Xin: Icograda World Design Congress.
Items for discussion included the creation of a stand-
ing committee to the Board on sustainability, a new
working group to steward the 10th anniversary update
of the Icograda Education Manifesto, and the review of
members interested in serving on the working com-
mittee who will further develop Icograda’s aspirations
for the future of the International Design Alliance.
President Russell Kennedy, who becomes the first
Australian to lead the Council in the organisation’s
almost 50-year history, chaired the meeting. Don
Ryun Chang (Korea) becomes Past President.
Leimei Julia Chiu (Japan) becomes Icograda’s first female
President Elect. She will preside over the Council’s 50th
anniversary celebrations in 2013 when she assumes her
presidency for the 2011-2013 term. Grégoire Serikoff
(France) assumes the position of Secretary General.
David Berman (Canada) was re-elected to a third term
as Treasurer. Iva Babaja (Croatia) and Omar Vulpinari
(Italy) were each elected to a second term as Vice
President.
New Vice Presidents who join the board are David
Lancashire (Australia) who was co-opted to the board
earlier in 2009, and will continue to coordinate the
development of INDIGO; Jason Fan (Taiwan), who will
serve as the liaison between the board and the 2011
IDA Congress organisers; and Xiao Yong (China), who
currently also serves as a board member of CUMULUS
and will facilitate collaboration between the two or-
ganisations.
Four board members retire from their positions: Jacques
Lange (South Africa) completed his term as Past Pres-
ident after serving eight years on the board. Lise Klint
(Denmark) served two terms as Secretary General;

The Icograda Executive Board 2007-2009 presenting
reports at the 23rd General Assembly.
Outgoing Secretary General, Lise Klint and Past
President, Jacques Lange conducting some of their
last duties before retiring from the Executive Board.
David Grossman presenting the findings of the Icograda
Task Team that explored scenarios for the future
development of the International Design Alliance.
All images by Stuart Alden.
SECTION >
Delegates voting on one of several resolutions
presented to the General Assembly.
Icograda President (2007-2009), Don Ryun Chang
and Icograda Managing Director, Brenda Sanderson.
The newly elected Icograda Executive Board (2009-
2011). From LTR are David Berman, Russell Kennedy,
Don Ryun Chang, Leimei Julia Ciu, Iva Babaja, Jason
Fan, Grégoire Serikoff, Omar Vulpinari, David
Lancashire and Xiao Yong.
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >
Halim Choueiry (Lebanon) served three terms; and
Mohammed Jogie (South Africa) completed a two-year
term as Vice President.
Comments from delegates
Mohammed Jogie, South Africa: ““I’ve noted the bub-
bling excitement and deep inquiry into the future of
the country and it’s role on the world stage. Topics
range from socialism to capitalism, industry to environ-
ment, and design to intellectual property. From the
posh, nameless air-conditioned hotels to humble street
bars where you are welcomed with the universal mes-
sage of friendship, true to the spirit of the conference
theme – Xin. It is worth pointing out that design has
an acute role and responsibility here.”
Ronald Shakespear, Argentina: “The world has changed.
Design has changed. We are living in a moment when
engineering simulation show dinosaurs to fascinated
audiences while we kill the whales and destroy the
Amazon. It has been marvellous to meet designers
from all over the world concerned on the green agen-
da. If design is not good at helping people live better,
then it’s no good at all.”
Omar Vulpinari, Italy: “The world of design is looking to
Chinese designers for fresh concepts and ideas. Chinese
society is changing at a fast pace and there is a sense of
poetry in their designers’ work. That subtle emotional
expression differs a lot from their Western counter-
parts who are direct and abstract.”
Ellen Shapiro, USA: “I recall one panel discussion where
a moderator urged the Chinese students in the audience
not to be afraid to ask questions. And for the first time,
they weren’t. Students stood up, took the microphone
and asked questions. Long, thoughtful questions. A
sea change in Chinese design education!”
“Everyone who spoke at this conference commented
on ‘Big changes in China’. I have seen thirst and how
Beijing has transformed itself in less than ten years:
from hutongs to high-rises, from uniform zip-up jackets
to individualistic outfits, from bicycles to cars. But
seeing the students at this conference transformed in
three days from polite listeners to curious participants,
each with his or her own voice – wow. If Xin: Icograda
World Design Congress 2009 accomplished only this,
it would be a great accomplishment.”
Grégoire Serikoff, France: “The most professional, insight-
ful and friendly design gathering I have ever attended.”
Rod Roodenburg, Canada: “This congress is the finest
example of the goodwill and learning that can occur
when the international community comes together.”
Fatima Cassim, South Africa: “The conference was a sim-
mering hot pot fuelled by pressing issues and contem-
porary design challenges. It was pretty obvious by the
third day of the conference that the presenters were
not playing a game of Chinese whispers. The message
was loud and clear: design can make a difference”
The last words go to the Chairperson of the Organising
Committee, Min Wang: “We wanted to provide a venue
for the Icograda family and friends to get together to
exchange ideas, to express friendship, to engage in to
dialogue on the current issues in design. I am happy
to see so many friends came to the congress! We had
a great time together!”
“Since we started to prepare for the Congress in Bei-
jing there have been so many obstacles and problems
that made the preparation so difficult. It was like a
mission impossible and many people said we should
stop. In a way it would have been smart to end the
preparation two years ago, but with the support from
CAFA leadership, especially President Pan Gongkai’s
strong push, we continued our effort to the end. I always
believe the saying: If there is will, there is the way!”
“To see so many designers from all over the world
walk around the CAFA campus is an image that I will
never forget! It was a festival of design, a celebration
of humanity, a joy of creation!”
Ladies from the Xi Jiang Miao and Qingman Miao villages A view of Lijiang city in Yunnan Province in southern
in Guizhou province dressed in traditional costume. China.

The choice if freshly prepared food is spectacular, no

matter where you travel in China.

A couple carrying piglets in bamboo baskets attached

to traditional ‘bian dan’ (shoulder-poles).

Many delegates took some time off to explore some

of the lesser developed regions of China on their way
to attend the Xin: Icograda World Congress in Beijing. A woman carrying full sacks of rice after a long day’s
Vesna Brekalo from Slovenia shared some of her ex- work in the rice fields of Xi Jiang Miao village in
periences on this and the following page. Leishan County in Guizhou province.
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >

The woman from Shangari-La weave scarfs and other One of the many bridges that cross the mighty Yangtze
textiles on traditional looms. River. The Yangtze is China’s longest river, connecting
eastern, central and western China.

A boat trip on the Yangtze River is surely one of the

most exhilarating experiences when travelling in the
Chinese countryside.
Chinese chess is a favourate past-time activity for men.
All images by Vesna Brekalo.

This article was compiled with the support of many

contributers including Fatima Cassim, Patt Knapp, Ellen
Shapiro, Samara Watkiss, Guy Schockaert, Ronald
Shakespear, Vesna Brekal0, the Icograda Secretariat
and the Icograda World Design Congress 2009 Organ-
ising Committee, amongst others. Some images were
sourced from delegates who posted their experiences
on Flickr archives. <
View of a street in Shiqiao Miao village where many
residents earn their living from making paper.
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >

The Loerie Awards:

Celebrating creative
excellence for over 30 years
The Loerie Awards started in 1978 as an annual
awards ceremony to promote television advertising.
Over the years, the Loeries evolved to include adver-
tising in other media and then to incorporate all as-
pects of brand communication – from company busi-
ness cards to corporate headquarters – celebrating
creative excellence in all its forms.
Today, The Loerie Awards has a year-round focus on
creative inspiration across the brand communication
industry, in Africa and the Middle East, encompassing
a travelling exhibition of the winning work, the Crea-
tive Future scholarship, two issues of Migrate maga-
zine, the printed Annual and DVD, which showcases
and indexes the winning brands and agencies for that
year, and the Judges Seminar.
But the jewel in the crown of the Loeries’ calendar
remains The Loerie Awards Festival Weekend, a glam-
orous red carpet event that rewards the best and
brightest talent that the industry has to offer. Over
the years, the industry has congregated in Johannes-
burg, Sun City and Margate to celebrate those indi-
viduals and agencies that are judged as worthy of
taking home the coveted Loerie statuette.
In 2009, for the first time, The Loerie Awards took
place in Cape Town. ‘Feed your ego’ was the theme of
the 31st annual awards and to say that the show did
the industry egos justice was an understatement,
with two nights’ worth of glamour, festivity and enter-
tainment in specially appointed areas around the city
– the Good Hope Centre, Long Street and Camps Bay
– together making up the Loeries Village.
At the awards ceremonies, attendees were treated to
performances by Goldfish, Lira, Jax Panik and the Ru-
dimentals, and entertained by John Vlismas and Mark
Lottering. Cape town Mayor Dan Plato and Premier of
the Western Cape, Helen Zille, opened the respective
awards on Friday and Saturday evening. Once the
awards were over the audience spilled out into Long
Street to continue the festivities and party until dawn.
How to win a Loerie?
The Awards ceremonies are a fantastic and festive
event that represents the culmination of the year’s
programme. In March each year, a ‘Call for Entries’ is
issued, and agencies submit their best work for that
year.
Judging week kicks off with a seminar where the lead-
ing international judges showcase their favourite
work and provide insight into their area of industry
specialisation. The awards are judged according to
five criteria: an innovative concept, bringing fresh
thinking; excellent execution; relevance to the brand;
relevance to the target audience; and relevance to
the chosen medium.
International and local judges alike are required to
take into account these criteria in their adjudication
of work across all categories and work can only be
recognised for an award if it exhibits excellence in all
five criteria.
The Loerie Awards 2009 saw a commitment across
the industry to maintaining the region’s high stand-
ards in tough economic times. This year the Awards
attracted 3 077 entries accross all categories – 2 643
in the professional categories and 434 in the student
categories. A total of 225 Awards were handed out,
including four Grand Prix, 19 Gold, 50 Silver, 113
Bronze, 9 Craft Gold and 30 Craft Certificates.
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >
‘Cheaper than Money’, Grand Prix winner for Advertising Poster Campaign category.
The best of the best
The ultimate Loerie Award, the Grand Prix, is handed
out to a very elite few, whose work is determined by
the Loeries judges to be the greatest reflection of
creative excellence in brand communication that the
region has to offer.
The four Grand Prix awards reflect the breadth of cre-
ativity in the industry and the variety of opportunities
through which brands can represent a client. They em-
braced different kinds of media and ways of getting a
message across, while exhibiting the pinnacle of cre-
ative excellence in brand communication. The 2009
Grand Prix winners were:
Agency: TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg
Title: Cheaper than Money | Client: The
Zimbabwean | Category: Advertising Poster
Campaign
The journalists who worked on The Zimbabwean news-
paper were banned by the Mugabe regime, but continued
their work from South Africa. In response, an exorbitant
‘luxury goods’ import tariff was levied on the news-
paper, making it a pricey read for the average Zimba-
bwean. At the same time, the devaluing of the Zimba-
bwean dollar meant that the money literally wasn’t
worth the paper it was printed on.
The agency raised awareness about The Zimbabwean
by creating a series of posters printed on trillions of
Zimbabwean dollars – still cheaper than buying the
paper on which to print a campaign.
Agency: FOXP2 | Title: FOXP2 Offices
Client: FOXP2 | Category: Architecture and Interior
Design
FOXP2 entered the design of their offices in the Archi-
tecture and Interior Design category. As an advertising
agency, defining their own brand as interesting, funky
and creative is essential to FOXP2. What better way to
communicate this to potential clients than through
their primary point of contact – their offices themselves?
The FOXP2 Offices are a brilliant representation of
creative space. The interiors are done in white and
glass, with infinite attention to detail – everything
has been created especially for the space, from the
drinks dispensers behind the bar to the chairs in the
FOXP2 Offices, Grand Prix winner for the Architecture and Interior Design category.
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >

‘Young, Gifted and Black’, Grand Prix winner for Experiential Mixed-Media Campaign category.

‘Ampli5’, Student Gold Award winner.

offices. Although the overall effect and details of the
space are all carefully considered, the offices are
minimalist – freeing the creative minds working within
from clutter.
Agency: Ogilvy Johannesburg
Title: Young, Gifted & Black | Client: Channel O
Category: Experiential Mixed-Media Campaign
To create awareness for Channel O, Ogilvy Johannesburg
created a buzz around the brand by bringing together the
first pan-African music collaboration, with artists from
different African nations singing a cover of the black pride
classic by Nina Simone, Young, Gifted and Black (YGB).
The music video was voted number one on Channel O.
Once the message was out there, the next step was to
get it seen, heard and lived. Designer t-shirts bearing
different versions of the YGB phrase – “young, gifted and
… street”, “young, gifted and … bootylicious” – were
handed out at live events and campuses. A competition
was launched online and on mobile, where viewers could
create their own designs. The winners won tickets to the
YGB-themed music awards. The campaign was sup-
ported by messaging on Facebook, Twitter and MXit,
as well as by advertising in print, online and on radio.
Agency: Net#work BBDO Johannesburg
Title: Ferret, Dancer, Dog, Child | Client: Virgin
Atlantic | Category: Radio Commercial Campaig
Virgin Atlantic offers airline passengers first class
passage for a business class fare. To illustrate the in-
sanity of such a deal, Net#work BBDO created a radio
campaign in which the protagonist – himself clearly
off the rails – exists in a world gone mad. The only
line of sanity spoken in the advertisement – that a
character he encounters flew ‘first class for a business
class fare’ – is judged as ‘plainly insane’.
The campaign is an example of brilliant creativity in
writing – although all the aspects of the production of
the radio ads, from the disquieting music to the mon-
otone voiceover – are excellent. At the same time, the
message of the low-cost fares is conveyed with sub-
tlety. At no point does anyone trumpet “buy now” or
“contact your travel agent”. The cleverness of the
concept is that it draws attention to Virgin Atlantic’s
fares in the context of them being insane, but relies
on the intelligence of the listener to pursue them if
desired.
In recent years, the Grand Prix awards have reflected
the breadth of creativity and opportunities for brand
communication in the industry, embracing different
kinds of media and ways of communicating.
Student Gold Awards
This year, one student entry received a Gold Award:
Jano Booysen, Stephen Galloway, Elske Nel, and Bar-
bara Cilliers, from the University of Pretoria, for their
Mixed-Media Campaign, Ampli5 Rockit Festival and a
Craft Gold went to: Bruce Mackay, from the AAA
School of Advertising, for his Illustration Craft, ‘The
Ceasefire’.
Agency rankings
This year, The Loerie Awards used the new Creative
Circle ranking system based on the number of stat-
ues won. Using this ranking system, in the individual
agency rankings, FoxP2 came out first, TBWA\Hunt\
Lascaris Johannesburg came out second, Ogilvy Jo-
hannesburg came out third, Net#work BBDO Johan-
nesburg came out fourth, and Gloo Digital Design
came out in fifth place. In the agency group rankings,
Net#work BBDO came out on top, followed by Ogilvy,
FoxP2, TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris and The Jupiter Drawing
Room (South Africa).
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >

‘The Cease Fire’, Student Craft Illustration winner. ‘Humanoid CI’, winner of the Sappi Creative Use of
Paper Award.

Individuals recognised The Vodacom Mobile Media

Digital Award
Simon Camerer, executive marketing director at Cell C,
received the Marketing Leadership and Innovation
This new award, in partnership with Vodacom Mobile
Award for his active contribution to building the
Advertising, recognised the recent growth in the use of
brand’s market position in South Africa. The Loeries
mobile devices in the advertising mix. It was awarded to
committee recognised him as an outstanding example
Gloo Digital Design for the Tetralift mobile entry for Puma.
of the leadership, dedication, loyalty and commitment
to a brand that it takes to achieve something special.
The Sappi Creative Use of Paper
A Lifetime Achievement Award went to Nkwenkwe
Nkomo, Group Chairman of FCB and Chairperson of
Award
the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), for his on-
This new award, in partnership with Sappi, considered
going commitment and outstanding contribution to
all paper-based entries. The winner of The Creative
the brand communications industry over the course
Use of Paper Award was The Motel for ‘Humanoid’s’
of a career spanning 26 years.
corporate identity.

New Voice Award
The SABC New Voice Award for Non-English Radio
was launched this year to promote the production of
non-English radio advertising. This year, the Gold
Award went to TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg for
Tatollo, Funeral for Tiger Brands, the Silver Award
went to Draftfcb Johannesburg for Bua FM – 1, 2, 3 for
Vodacom and the Bronze Award went to Joe Public for
‘Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough, Buffalo Soldier, Beat
It’ for kalahari.net.
“In a tough economic climate, the industry has proven
that it can still produce work that is competitive on an
international scale,” says Festus Masekwameng,
chairman of The Loerie Awards and executive creative
director at Mother Russia. “I offer my warmest congrat-
ulations to the 2009 winners and the brands that they
champion with tireless creativity. Thank you for making
The 31st Annual Loerie Awards such a success.” <
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >

Some great stuff, some

done stuff and some
*yawn* stuff
By Anri Theron

Some live by it and others loath it. Like it or not, advertising is the modern universal advisor
to the everyday John and Jane. Its power lies in its potential, whether to sell, manipulate or
inform. Tucked away in a small corner of the World Wide Web we found advertising proudly
dressed from head to toe in fire engine red spandex, cape flapping in the wind ready to tackle
our world’s problems.

Osocio.org is a blog dedicated to social advertising
and non-profit campaigns from around the globe. In
their own words it’s a place where marketing and ac-
tivism collide. This is a must bookmark website. Not
only to fill up more hours surfing in search of inspira-
tion, but to see advertising in action, selling more
than just another car, soap or happiness in a fancy
shaped bottle.
Each contributor is a specialist in the field of non-
profit with their own unique style that quickly be-
comes evident in the diverse content of the blog. The
debates sparked by some of the posts are equally
enticing, offering insights into different worldviews
and cultural interpretations of the works. You will of-
ten find the advertisers themselves responding to
comments related to posts of their ads.

Originally known as the Dutch blog Houtlust created
by Marc van Gurp in October 2005, Osocio is now one
of the best resources for social and non-profit adver-
tising. With 12 dedicated bloggers you won’t easily
find another blog getting the scoop before they do.
Osocio has successfully created a platform free of a
hidden agenda, which encourages exploring the suc-
cesses and failures of social advertising and non-
profit campaigns.
Reactive vs Proactive
Issues of every kind ranging from abuse to war con-
flicts to the age-old debate about smoking are fea-
tured on Osocio. The creative solutions to the adver-
tisements and campaigns raising awareness about
them are equally diverse. What sets apart the ones
that really get to us from the ones that we casually
browse over?

In exploring Osocio, two trends emerge – the reactive

and the proactive ad. Many ads rely on evoking a sin-
gle response or emotion in the viewer to make a con-
nection to the subject. We are all familiar with the
starving children starting back at us from our TV of
pages of a magazine. These shocking, heart- wrench-
ing images are usually followed by a number to dial
or website to visit. But how many of us actually pick
up that phone? Yes, these ads stir something in us
and may make us think however this call to action
has become redundant. It’s a reactive strategy that
has been used for decades.

With web 2.0 comes a range of tools that allows us to

create a dialogue with the viewer. It’s no longer just
about putting an image out there hoping, in anticipa-
tion, for a reaction. Or rather it doesn’t have to be. It’s
about being able to create awareness while simulta-
neously creating methods for the viewer to make the
leap from emotion to meaningful action. This proac-
tive strategy is quickly becoming a valuable asset to
non-profits and organisations seeking to create
awareness about the world’s social issues. Social me-
dia itself has sparked a rapidly growing movement of
community do-gooders.
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >
Open your mouth | Advertiser: Kinderkreet (ChildCry)
Agency: Duval Guillaume
View this OSOCIO post at http://osocio.org/message/
seeing_a_sign_of_child_abuse_open_your_mouth/
Shock, sensation and statistics
The advertising image alone still remains a powerful
tool and shouldn’t be ignored. However, in a world
saturated with these images, we have become in-
creasingly desensitised to their messaging. We are
not immune to shock; it’s just that it now takes so
much more to evoke a reaction, so much more sensa-
tion to satisfy us, and so many more statistics to con-
vince us. Advertisers are faced with a choice: turn up
the dial, amplifying the shockwave to jar us out of our
complacency or get REALLY creative and intelligent
about the world’s issues.
Take for example the video from Kinderkreet (Child-
cry), a Belgium organisation that helps sexual abuse
victims make their first steps to recovery, posted on
Osocio. It depicts a girl visiting the dentist. The usual
nervousness associated with such a visit is evident in
her face. Only when the dentist asks her to open her
mouth and she tightly shuts her eyes, slowly spread-
ing her legs apart do we realise where it’s going. The
tagline: “If you see a sign of child abuse, open your
mouth.” As the posts author points out this comes
very close in visualising the pain, fear and anger a
child that is sexually abused goes through.
Save the boobs | Advertiser: ReThink Breast Cancer
View this OSOCIO post at http://osocio.org/message/ View the BIG WARM UP site at
do_we_have_to_save_boobs_because_we_like_them/
Another post that created quite a stir on Osocio is
ReThink Breast Cancer’s Save the Boobs campaign. It
features Canadian MTV host, Aliya-Jasmine, bearing
all as she makes her way through the crowd at a pool
party. All at once jaws drop to the floor and sunglass-
es are tipped to get a better view. Don’t worry; they
didn’t forget about you sitting in your lounge chair at
home as substantial close ups are added to make
sure you get a piece of the action. The tagline; “You
know you like them. Save the Boobs.” Marc, the blog
contributor responsible for the post, poses the ques-
tion: awareness or sexism? Visit the post to see some
of the responses.
Big Boston Warm Up | Advertiser: Land’s End
Agency: FirstBorn | Source: @brianjeremy
http://www.bigwarmup.com/
As an information designer a post of the Big Boston Warm
Up initiative’s website immediately caught my attention.
However after soaking up all the beautiful details of this
info-graphic-rich site I had to ask whether most people
would donate a coat because they are convinced by the
staggering statistics or because they will conveniently
receive 20% off at SEARS with each donation.
There seems to be an impossibly fine line between too
little and too much in social advertising, which makes
this sector of the industry both challenging and inspir-
ing. When it’s done right, it not only causes a change in
behaviour but a change in peoples mindset.
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >

Innovation, interaction and point that there is a choice and speaks directly to the
target market through a medium that they are comfort-
involvement
able with and can explore.

Osocio features great examples of work that goes be-

Amnesty International’s 1 million clicks against pov-
yond shock, sensation and statistics. Take for example
erty website is another example in which user inter-
the London Metropolitan Police’s campaign, Drop the
action directly determines the campaigns outcome.
Weapons (www.droptheweapons.org), and Choose a
The site is made up of a pixel art scene depicting
different ending videos. They have combined storytell-
causes and consequences of poverty around the
ing and YouTube technology to create videos that take
world. But most of the pixels are still black. With each
the viewer through realistic events in which they are
click a pixel is revealed. Tedious? Sure it is, but it’s
faced with the choice to either pick up a deadly weap-
not so much about seeing how many pixels you can
on or let it go. When the choice is made they proceed
reveal as it is spreading the word and because “to
to the next video to see how the story plays out. It’s an
make poverty disappear, we first need to see it”. After
innovative use of media that really brings home the
ten clicks a pop screen with the message “It is only

Choose a Different Ending | Advertiser: Metropolitan

Police Service | Agency: AMV BBDO

View this OSOCIO post at http://osocio.org/message/

storytelling_choose_a_different_ending/

View Choose a Different Ending on YouTube at

http://www.youtube.com/user/adifferentending
together that we will be able to fight poverty. Ask
your friends to help” gives the user the option to
spread the message to their friends through social
media channels such as Facebook and Twitter.
Another exciting find on Osocio is the charity platform
Pifworld or ‘Play it forward world’. Inspired by the mov-
ie Pay it Forward, the site hosts various projects from
around the world for free. People or ‘players’ can ex-
plore the various projects on the globe and donate di-
rectly to one of their choosing. Pifworlds communica-
tion manager, Nina Motzheim, explains that it’s all
about power in numbers. When you donate you invite
your friends to donate and they in turn invite other
friends. What sets Pifworld apart is its complete trans-
1 million clicks against poverty | Advertiser: Amnesty
International | Agency: Air Brussels Belgium
View this OSOCIO post at http://osocio.org/message/1_ View this OSOCIO post at http://osocio.org/message/
milion_clicks_against_poverty/
View the 1million clicks against poverty site at
http://www.1millionclicksagainstpoverty.org/
parency; ‘Players’ are able to see first hand the effects
of their donations through regular video updates, pho-
tos and blogs that track the progress of a project.
Project budgets are also disclosed and are updated for
players to see how far a project is from their target. It’s
an interesting form of advertising that utilises new me-
dia to deliver a tangible result.
Social advertising and non-profit campaigns are a
must in any society to keep people from forgetting
that there are very real issues that need to be dealt
with in our world. The proactive stance taken by some
of these campaigns is sparking a movement in which
your everyday John and Jane are challenged to ac-
tively become involved in issues. <
Pifworld website
pifworld_charity_you_control/
View the Pifworld site at
http://www.pifworld.com/
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >

Below-the-line
agency Mick and Nick
talks design
By Veruska De Vita

“After drinking too many cocktails a glass of cold water is welcome.

Similarly, whenever in the course of the centuries of art reaches a
point of falling into excess, it turns to purism for help” – from Alfred
Tolmer’s Mise en Page.
 Pages from Mise en Page – the Theory and Practice of Layout, by Alfred Tolmer.
When Mick and Nick, a below-the-line communication’s
agency, bought Mise en Page – the Theory and Practice
of Layout, it wasn’t simply an addition to their book
and art collection. It was to help make South Africa a
better place to live in, aesthetically speaking. Published
in 1931 by Alfred Tolmer, the book speaks volumes
about design, and so it should; it was published by
the same people who brought fine arts magazine The
Studio into the world.
Not one for clichés, Nick Liatos, Mick and Nick’s creative
director, believes that when it comes to design, “you
gotta know the rules to break the rules”. For design to
be good, it should aid successful living. It should make
a person’s day. Liatos’ business partner, Mick Shepard
shares this belief, and speaks emphatically about the
company’s growing art and book collection.
“The Saatchi brothers can’t have the monopoly on buying
artwork. We use art as a vehicle to further our own rad-
ness. We believe that if we create a rad environment,
people will want to come here. We’re in this business
for more than just the bucks, we want to bring aesthetic
pleasure to people,” says Shepard.
Their art collection started with a pair of Czechoslovakian
army boots cast in porcelain, something they picked up
at the Design Indaba. The collection has subsequently
grown to include a few Peet Pienaars and Shepard
Fairies. “My theory is that South Africa is not that sussed
when it comes to graphic design. South African art
direction and design pales in comparison to international
design and art direction, where there is a history of
aesthetic. In Europe, for example, people are surrounded
by beautiful buildings and artwork that’s easily ac-
cessed. That’s what’s missing here,” explains Shepard.
Mick and Nick believe in street cred. To keep his street
cred, Shepard trawls libraries, bookshops and the In-
ternet for books on graphic design, rare and otherwise.
At a book sale he found a random book on typefaces.
It mentioned Mise en Page and this is how the com-
pulsion started. Finding the book became an obsession.
On further research Mick and Nick discovered that
Mise en Page was touted as the deco bible. From the
Paris-based Maison de Tolmer publishing house, only
1 500 English copies were printed, and it sold out in
three months. It was never reprinted so it has become
somewhat of a desirable rarity amongst bibliophiles
and collectors. Mick and Nick had to have it. They found
online auctions where prices started from US$3 000.
With these pricetags they quickly understood the value
of the book.
Their interest never vaporised and Shepard got on
the phone with Juanita Lawrence of Pulp Books. She
found a copy at the Toledo Library in the United States
and a few days later the package arrived. The cover of
the book had been removed and a library binding was
sewn onto it. Ironically, while the lack of cover brought
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >

the price down, it preserved the book. There are no dog-

Mick and Nick are suckers for balance, relevance and
eared pages and the design pages showing a variety consideration in design. “Design should make South
of techniques, including embossing, foiling and lami- Africa a better place. If the design is clear and balanced,
nation, are perfectly preserved. the communication is clear and easier to ingest. If there’s
too much communication, there’s too much going on,
“Mise en Page is a valuable resource to us and every- and generally, this makes for bad design in my books,”
one who works here. While we build our library we says Shepard.
also build our culture,” says Shepard.

Nike, Shelflife/Be True.

Look & Lister, Make friends this winter.

THEIR WORK
Mick and Nick’s clients include Look & Listen, SAB Miller
and Nike. For one of Look & Listen’s below-the-line
campaigns, they created a competition to win an air
guitar. Posters with the shape of an electric guitar cut
out of it hung from the ceiling of Look & Listen stores.
The competition read: “Win this air guitar with any
purchase.” The live demo in-store helped drive partici-
pation, to the great amusement of shoppers. Over and
above the prize – which was delivered in its own case
– the winner also received a Look & Listen gift voucher.

Another campaign for Look & Listen, titled Make friends

this winter, had the agency create figurines that could
be cut out and folded to make a character. Referred
to as ‘cube craft’, the characters included Mario from
Super Mario Brothers, Indiana Jones, Batman, a Star
Wars Storm Trooper and a character from the TV series
Southpark.

Mick and Nick received a Bronze Loerie in 2008 in the

live events category for the Shelflife/Be True launch.
They were also an award winner at the 2009 Ad Focus Look & Lister, Air Guitar.
Awards for Hot Shop Agency of the Year.

To add another feather in their designer peak caps, they
threw what people in the industry referred to as ‘the
best party’ for the 2009 Loerie Awards in Cape Town.
The poster featured a burlesque rendition of a wom-
an, tassled nipple caps hinting at the revelry that was
to come.
core, when it branches out into other mediums, such
as lighting or glass, it’ll be good, the balance will be
there. All arenas need to be informed by the funda-
mental basics – purity, consistency, balance and aes-
thetic value. It’s our responsibility to not put rubbish
out there,” says Shepard.

Notching up points on their radness scale, Mick and
Nick created two documentaries on two exclusive
streetwear stores in Cape Town. The documentaries
lived on the global Nike Sportswear site. “We’re very
street. We like street culture, good graffiti, clever T-
shirts, youth orientated terms of expression. We like
to get down and dirty with pop culture. We feed off it
and immerse ourselves in it,” explains Shepard.
However, according to these creative directors, even
graffiti should be designed responsibly. “It shouldn’t
be just random nonsense. If the design is good at its
Mick Shepard, Nick Liatos and Michelle de Gouveia,
Mick and Nick’s managing director, had worked to-
gether in the past. They knew that together they made
a formidable team, so when they left a large agency
they created a new outlet for their skills. They pitched
the idea of Mick and Nick to the Lowe Bull Group,
whose creativity and culture proved to be a perfect
fit. Co-owned by the Lowe Bull Group they handle the
below-the-line and activation requirements of a
number of major national and international brands.
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >

Ster-Kinekor, Earth.

In their latest project for Ster-Kinekor Theatres, Mick

and Nick have used tactile elements to drive attendance
to the screening of the BBC and Greenlight Media’s
Earth. Along with a TV commercial, Mick and Nick
have created an earthly environment in the cinema
foyers. The aim is to generate interest by targeting
everyday occurrences and relating them to something
in nature. They used flyers, hanging mobiles and mirror
decals with the line “Think Earth’s amazing? Wait ‘til
you see the movie” to create interest. <
Nick Liatos and Michelle de Gouveia and Mick Shepard.
 The metamorphosis
of signage
If you walk down a road, you’d be hard pressed to not find signage of
some sort that will attract your attention. In this age of marketing
and branding, the signage industry continues to be vibrant,
continuously growing despite the economic downturn.

Did you know that you can change the colour of your are window vinyls that look like frosted glass and a one-
car entirely in just one day with a paint replacement way film that, when applied to the glass, shows an
film, that you can wrap your car in graphics and when image on one side, but from the other side makes the
you feel like it revert back to your original colour? glass look like a tinted window.

This has been the evolution of the signage industry.
Although still not recognised by government as a ‘sector’
that qualifies for SETA support, the signage industry is
huge. It is subject to seasonal ebbs and flows, as Christ-
mas promotions, sales and the sports calendars dictate,
and there are plenty of chances to ‘get creative’.
Vinyl cutouts and neon signs continue in their popularity,
although digitally printed vinyls, moulded letters, LED
and vehicle, floor and street graphics have emerged
strongly. Some of the standard applications include
vinyl that can be used over light boxes and on Chro-
madek, or vacuum formed around 3D lettering. There
“Like many other industries, the signage industry is
moving towards providing sustainable solutions,
such as the emergence of Latex inks (water based
inks) instead of solvent inks for digital printing,” says
Liezle Barrie of Avery Graphics. “On our side, we have
recently launched a range of green line products and
we have improved our sustainability in production by
using recycled boxes for packaging and other such
initiatives.”
“To help protect the environment, many signmakers
have become more involved, too. Starting with the
design, they attend both to the erection or the applica-
tion of the signage, as well as to its removal.”
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >

“On the creative side, the newly launched Street Graphics

are a big opportunity for people planning campaigns.
These are short term signs that are applied with a
high tack adhesive. They are specially developed for
rough surfaces. Although they look just like painted
images on the ground, these signs actually break up
around textured surfaces and stones to allow water to
soak through, if necessary. They are therefore non-slip,”
Barrie says. “This makes them perfect for drive-thru
take away outlets, for parking lots, for the stadiums
and anywhere that may involve a temporary branding
campaign. All you do is use a high pressure hose to
get them off.”

But, Barrie cautions, designers need to be careful in

planning their designs. Particularly when it comes to
car wraps, information can be lost if it is not placed
strategically in the correct position. Street graphics
must be placed where they can be easily read and
wall coverings should be placed where there are un-
interrupted sightlines. Over an above these tips, tim-
ing can be quite a critical issue. Make sure that you
give the sign manufacturers enough time to come up
with the perfect solution, especially when you require
a specific colour match, otherwise your brilliant cam-
paign could miss its mark.

Avery Graphics is a manufacturer of self-adhesive

pressure sensitive films and vinyl for the signage,
screen and digital markets. <
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >
SA Publication Forum:
Proactively improving
corporate publications
With no more than 50 entries, an endorsement from the
National Press Club, no financial backing and a rather
horrible website, the SA Publication Forum’s Corporate
Publication Competition was launched in 2002. The
competition has been growing steadily in stature and
popularity over the past eight years. In 2009 there were
more than 150 entries received and serious disappoint-
ment amongst those corporate publication practitioners
who did not walk away with a trophy.
The revival of a corporate publication competition in
South Africa was hailed as a positive step by those
who work in corporates, education institutions, NGOs,
and other such organisations to produce communication
vehicles on a weekly, monthly or even annual basis that
communicate with staff (internally), as well as with
clients and stakeholders (externally).
The idea of a corporate publication competition was not
new at the time. For more than 20 years in the last dec-
ades of the 20th century there existed an association
called the South African Association of Industrial Editors
(SAAIE), run exclusively by the industrial editor fraternity.
Corporate communicators of a certain age still fondly re-
member the conferences, the parties, the whoop-di-doo
and the fiercely contested publication competition of
those years. In its heyday the SAAIE competition drew
more than 400 entries and promotions, salary in-
creases and legitimacy depended on its outcome.
Unfortunately SAAIE went belly-up in the late 90s. Was
it financial mismanagement, or a change in the ethos of
volunteering for professional associations that were to
blame? This debate continues amongst old-timers.
Two ex-SAAIE members, Derick van der Walt and Jennie
Fourie who were (and still are) freelancing in the field of
internal and external communication decided to revive
a corporate publication competition in 2002 and the SA
Publication Forum was born. Over and above the corpo-
rate publication competition, the Forum also offers train-
ing to corporate publication practitioners, ranging from
a basic publication course, to dedicated courses in
e-newsletters, design software packages and the like.
What is a corporate publication?
For the purposes of the SA Publication Forum’s corporate
publication competition, the following definition has
been formulated: A corporate publication is a publication
(printed or electronic) aimed at communicating with
internal or external publics of an organisation or institu-
tion. These publications are usually not for sale to the
general public and include publications such as staff
newsletters, magazines aimed at shareholders, Inter-
net and intranet publications, video newsletters and
the like. One-off publications and annual reports can
also be entered and for the past three years an Editor
of the Year also walked away with a trophy.
Judging by a panel of experts
All publications entered are assessed and moderated
by experts in the various fields. Judges consider avail-
able budget and the professional support received in
producing the publication. The publications are judged
in terms of writing, communication, as well as design
and photography. In the latter, the following factors,
amongst others, are taken into account:
› Are the major design elements used to attract
the reader into the article?
› Does the layout contribute to the understanding of Exxaro, entered by Words’Worth Publishing. They
the article and its message? also produced NOW!, the best external newsletter,
› Does the layout and design make the page
more accessible?
› How does the designer use contrast, emphasis,
balance, repetition, proportion, typeface and
colour?
› Does the publication have an original style and
personality?
The 2009 competition
Mercedes, external magazine for Mercedes SA, produced
by New Media Publishing was the overall winner in the
SA Publication Forum’s Corporate Publication Compe-
tition 2009. In fifth place was NOW!, Nedbank, published
by Words’Worth Publishing, fourth was Sanlam’s staff
magazine, Sandaba, third was Contact, City of Cape
Town and Hip2B2, Mark Shuttleworth’s BSquare Commu-
nications, entered by New Media Publishing was the
runner-up. Aletta Kruger, industrial editor at the City of
Cape Town was named Editor of the Year.
The best internal newsletter for 2009 was xxplore,
COMMUNICATION DESIGN >
Nedbank’s Prime Club, best external magazine with a
smaller budget, as well as Small Capital Africa, the
best one-off publication. Blue Apple Publishing entered
Theba Bank’s Annual Report that came out tops in that
section. Santam’s essence was awarded best internal
magazine.
The most improved publication was SA Express’s Indwe,
entered by TCB and the best magazine cover title went to
Your Game, Vodacom, entered by the SAIL Group Ltd.
The Tshwane University of Technology won the award
for the best electronic newsletter with Heita. The African
Motion Picture Company produced five finalists in the
corporate DVD section and received top honours for
the Childline Adult and Child DVD, while Standard
Bank won the best DVD newsletter title for their staff
DVD, Blue Wave.
According to Shireen Sedres of Santam, multiple award
winner and Editor-of-the Year 2007, Santam’s corpo-
rate communications team enters their publications in
the competition to benchmark themselves against
their peers and also sees it as an exercise where they
can get invaluable feedback and constructive criticism
from an independent judging panel.
Although the competition process has been refined
over the past years, there are always pressing ques-
tions that keep the organisers awake, come competi-
tion time. Should agencies compete on the same
footing as editors who do everything in-house? What
role should budget play? Should magazines sold to
the general public be included, even though they are
considered corporate publications? Will the pool of
expert judges eventually dry up?
Even though it’s very hard work to organise a competi-
tion such as this one, there is nothing that can compete
with the feeling of excitement when the entries are
opened and the most glorious and ingenious corporate
publications spill out of their packaging – testaments to
the relentless efforts of dedicated corporate practitioners
throughout South Africa. <
PAPER >

Sappi
leading by example
As a major paper and pulp manufacturer, Sappi focuses on eco-
efficiency throughout their operations and as a global leader,
believes in matching its performance to its commitment.

Sappi joins the Copenhagen In each region where Sappi operates, the company has
been working with industry bodies to examine ways of
Communiqué on Climate Change
reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing its

The Copenhagen Communiqué on Climate Change was use of renewable energy. As responsible corporate citi-

launched by the Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders
Group on Climate Change, which is convened by the
University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainability
Leadership. The Communiqué is a private sector call
for “an ambitious, robust and equitable global deal
on climate change that responds credibly to the scale
and urgency of the crises facing the world today.”
What we do about climate change today has far-reaching
consequences for the sustainability of businesses,
communities and ultimately the natural world we depend
upon for our existence. “As a renewable resource com-
pany Sappi welcomes the opportunity to become in-
volved in a global solution focused on making the tran-
sition to a low-carbon economy,” says Ralph Boëttger,
Chief Executive Officer, Sappi Limited.
zens in an energy-intensive industry, one of Sappi’s pri-
mary goals is to reduce its carbon footprint by improving
energy efficiencies and decreasing its reliance on fossil
fuels. Boëttger says “We are achieving this by stream-
lining transport systems, making process changes, in-
stalling more efficient equipment, reducing purchased
energy (electricity and fossil fuel) and by increasing the
use of renewable energy – an approach which ultimately
results in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
(GHG).”
“We have made steady progress, with CO2 emissions
globally per ton of product produced declining since
2005. In North America, between 2004 and 2008 we
achieved a reduction of 27% in total energy use per ton
of product produced. In this region, more than 75% of all
energy used is derived from renewable resources (black
liquor, bark, sludges and purchased biomass). The per-
centage of energy derived from renewable resources
for South Africa is 38.1% and for Europe is 31.8%, with
our global figure standing at 48.6%. The figure for
South Africa will increase to over 50% once the Saiccor
expansion project is fully operational.”
In addition to focusing on energy efficiency and reduc-
tion of GHGs at manufacturing sites, Sappi ensures that
owned, lease and managed land as well as land from
which wood is procured, is independently certified as
being sustainably managed.
It has been established that well-managed forests can
play a significant role in climate mitigation, as pointed
out by the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovern-
mental Panel on Climate Change 2007, which found
that: “In the long term, a sustainable forest manage-
ment strategy aimed at maintaining or increasing forest
carbon stocks, while producing an annual sustained yield
of timber, fibre or energy from the forest, will generate
the largest sustained mitigation benefit.”
Boëttger commented: “Our signing of the Copenhagen
Communiqué will add impetus to our commitment,
established in terms of our Sustainable Development
Charter, and confirmed by our 5th place on the Leader-
ship Index of the 2009 Carbon Disclosure Project and
inclusion in the list of top companies as regards our
GHG mitigation and adaptation actions, to reduce
GHG emissions and increase our use of renewable
energy. We look forward to fresh insights and interna-
tional cooperation that will help us live up to these
commitments.”
Sustainable print on street pole
ads
Despite the rise of electronic media, the use of paper is
increasing throughout the world. Paper plays an impor-
tant role in promoting growth and development. The tac-
tile nature of paper ensures that it remains relevant in any
marketing mix. Consumers are afforded an opportunity
to engage with the medium in a more personal way.
Paper also helps to stimulate growth in literacy, a driver
of change and development.
Sappi offers products that meet the needs of environ-
mentally conscious consumers, driving satisfaction
through technology and innovation in an environment
where corporate companies are becoming more environ-
mentally concerned about their paper consumption.
Sappi has been an industry leader and on the forefront
of sustainable manufacturing practices promoting
the recovery and use of recycled fibre. The wood fibre
used in production is not procured from endangered
forests, but rather from certified and well-managed
forests. Wood products and the wood fibre in paper store
carbon throughout their lifetime and can be recycled
or burnt for renewable energy generation.
The introduction of product ranges such as Triple Green
and Typek 50% recycled demonstrates the efforts made
to provide consumers with sound environmental choices,
without any compromise on quality. More businesses
require alternatives that will enhance their own sustain-
ability efforts. By meeting this need and by establishing
business portfolio’s and supply chain relationships to
match, Sappi is differentiating their products and ex-
panding their competitive advantage entrenching cus-
tomer loyalty and enhancing their brands.
PAPER >
Their sustainability charter with three pillars, people,
planet and prosperity at its core, provides the ideal
platform to communicate key factors pertaining to
engaging with stakeholders, partnering with commu-
nities and ensuring a sustainable future position. This
means in essence that development meets the needs
of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs.
To communicate the company’s positioning, a new
campaign with street pole ads was designed to increase
Sappi’s visibility and establish awareness around the
brand. Through the use of alternative media the company
augments the value of paper to promote sustainability
and encourage the use of environmental paper products
produced for communications. With this campaign the
consumer is enticed to think not only about paper,
but also its origin and the choices available to them.
It entrenches and cements the Sappi brand at the top
of mind.
The image used in the ads was carefully selected to
depict the values of respect, care and nurturing. It shows
that Sappi is a concerned corporate citizen but relates
to the heritage surrounding the brand. The minimalist
use of white space combined with the corporate blue
and white colours, effectively draws attention to the
copy used.
These street pole ads have been placed on major
routes and traffic hot spots around Johannesburg to
create impact. <
On time.
To specification.
Within budget.

Archway Projects was project

manager on all of the urban
upgrades around the
Ellis Park Stadium.

Each project tackled was brought

in on time, to specification and
within budget.

Leaders in Project Management

(t) +27 (0)11 608 3108 (e) archwayprojects@inx.co.za (w) www.archwayprojects.co.za


Providing platforms for
cultural engagement
An acute awareness of cultural differences and the need to nurture social cohesiveness has been an
underlying motive that has inspired Mphethi Morojele and the members of MMA Architects to pursue
projects that benefit humankind.
In the past 12 years, MMA Architects has completed
an impressive line-up of architectural and urban design
projects, winning awards for its work on the South
African Embassy in Berlin, the Cradle of Humankind
museum and boutique hotel at Maropeng and its col-
laboration on the development of Freedom Park’s
Garden of Remembrance on the outskirts of Pretoria
(pictured above). With offices in Johannesburg, Cape
Town and Berlin, this home-grown practice is making
an impression on the world.
The founder of the practice, Mphethi Morojele, started
out in architecture in 1995 after completing his B.Arch
Degree at the University of Cape Town. Three years later,
he founded MMA Architects along with three partners,
with the intention of becoming one of the leading archi-
tectural practices spearheading Africa’s and South
Africa’s socio-spatial and cultural transformation.
Growing up in Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana, Italy and
Ethiopia, (due to his father’s work commitments) Moro-
jele gained a broad perspective of different cultures
in different countries. Racial tensions inevitably left
an indelible mark on his consciousness, although, as
he points out, that hasn’t been entirely negative.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
By Bev Hermanson
“When you’re young, you almost take for granted that
everybody sees life exactly the same way that you see
it. But people across the world think quite differently,”
says Morojele. “It became more obvious as we moved
around. I gained a different perspective of how people
react to the spaces around them.”
Simply chatting about the ‘old days’ in and around
Johannesburg was quite a revelation in understanding
the tensions that he and his siblings experienced in
public spaces. “During my childhood moving between
Soweto and the city with my parents to do shopping,
I often felt that the city was a hostile place. We would
arrange a rendezvous point and we went and did what
had to be done, but we didn’t feel comfortable enough
to linger. We did what we needed to and left. Once we
were home again, we could relax. For us kids, the parks
in the city were frightening because we always felt
that we were being watched. This, of course was during
the Apartheid era. The experience made me very aware
of the different perceptions that people have of open
spaces. You can feel for yourself, even, whether public
spaces make you feel that you belong, whether you
feel secure, whether people feel you to be a threat, or
whether you yourself feel threatened.”
 BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

This poses the question – how do you design to make

people feel that they belong? “If you design to antici-
pate violence, you will get violence,” Morojele elaborates.
“The way the schools for ‘non-whites’ were designed
in the old days – they were actually designed to antici-
pate violence. Everything was stark. They weren’t nurtur-
ing places that had been created to encourage learning.”
This design mindset, in some cases, still continues
today and this is what we have to change.

Ellis Park Precinct and

Braamfontein regeneration
The decay of the Johannesburg CBD and surrounds has A view of the Braamfontein regeneration project.
presented many challenges to those who have enough
belief to work on the city’s rebirth. Amongst the many
regeneration initiatives, MMA Architects has been in-
volved in the urban design of the Braamfontein and Ellis
Park Precincts. Here, Morojele’s study of Behavioural
Sciences stood him in good stead as he contemplated
the implications of various spatial layouts on the be-
haviour of crowds and residents in these areas.

Painful memories of the deaths caused by the stampede

of spectators at the Ellis Park Stadium in April 2001 and
other incidences of violence that have often flared up
after soccer and rugby matches spurred the designers
on to look for appropriate solutions to the need for a new
urban fabric in and around the city. “It actually takes a
leap of faith to design for the public,” he says. “There
will always be vandalism, but you have to take a risk
and create a beautiful space. You have to be optimistic
and hope that people will behave appropriately. For
example, in Braamfontein, if you put beautiful parklands
behind fences, people become stressed. If you open
the parks up, people become much calmer and less
anti-social.”
Another aspect that has to be considered is what the
vision is for the future of the precinct. “If you design
purely for mass events, such as international sporting
occasions, and not consider the community that lives
there, you are again making people feel excluded.”
Taking into account that there are two stadia in close
proximity to each other, as well as nodes used for light
A dramatic view of the Ellis Park Precinct at dusk.
industries and educational institutions that attract
masses of students, the Ellis Park Precinct has been
developed to make allowance for high volumes of pedes-
trian and vehicular traffic. Roads and pavements have
been upgraded, several parks in the area have received
makeovers and the lighting has been improved.
A new cricket oval has been built, with secure parking
that can double as VIP parking for the stadia during
high profile functions. “Bringing cricket to the inner
city is also a way of enticing the youth off the streets.
Cricket is something that they can become passionate
about and it could eventually lead them to a career in
the sport.”

The BRT system (bus rapid transit) has also been ac-
commodated and for cultural enrichment, a public art
programme is being run along pedestrian routes. “In
African cultures, public spaces are used for all sorts
of functions including religious gatherings, so we
have taken this into account as well. We have further
planned the spaces so that part of the parks can be
hired out for launches and other corporate events.”
SciBono Discovery Centre
Another project that has sprung out of the inner city
regeneration project is the SciBono Discovery Centre.
Conceptualised as an edutainment centre initiated by
the Gauteng Department of Education, this centre is
located in the old Electric Workshop building in the
cultural node of Newtown. The three main subjects to
be explored at the centre are mathematics, science
and technology.
The SciBono Discovery Centre.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
“A lot of schools don’t have science labs,” Morojele
explains, “so the SciBono Discovery Centre will be made
available to classes on a timesharing basis.” Tackled
in 3 phases, this centre offers the full range of facilities
to learners keen on understanding more about math-
ematics, science, technology and related disciplines.
Phase 1 was the renovation of the Electric Workshop
building, that now has a canteen, reception, office space
and extensive exhibition space, with walkways and
ramps taking students to an auditorium and classrooms
housed in the new building that forms Phase 2 of the
project. Phase 3 incorporates a career centre, where
students can learn about careers and will be able to
undergo psychometric testing.
Typical of educational institutions, where a wide variety
of age groups and children from different cultures con-
gregate, this facility has to be vandal-proof, yet inspire
a spirit of learning. The quadruple volume of the main
exhibition area creates a sense of drama, while the
Advoco AD
 BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

Exterior and interior views (blow) of the FNB Homeloans and Wesbank Buildings.

concrete and steel detailing conveys an industrial, yet
contemporary flavour to the facilities.
Other educational and child-centered facilities tackled
by MMA Architects include the Student Enrolment Centre
at the University of Witwatersarand, the Jabavu Region-
al Library in Soweto, the Rooipoort Creche in Carltonville,
the Buhlebemfundo Secondary School in Tsakane,
the Ubuhlobolwazi Secondary School in Lothair and
the Asibambane Youth Village in Cape Town.
FNB Homeloans and Wesbank
Buildings, Fairlands
Designed by a consortium of four architectural practices,
this corporate project has already received much rec-
ognition and acclaim. MMA Architects collaborated
with CNN Architects, Fairbairn Architecture and MDS
Architecture.
The R1-billion project incorporates many green building
features, such as solar water heaters for the kitchens
and office ablutions, dimmable switches for the lights,
double glazing for the windows, insulation in the walls
and roofs and exoskeletal screens to temper the sun’s
rays at various times of the day. These active and passive
measures collectively contribute to an estimated 20%
energy saving compared to conventional buildings.
From a site that was previously a wasteland, a highly
productive and distinguished building has evolved to
supply a much-needed facility in the western suburbs
of Johannesburg.

Accommodating over 5000 employees, this high profile

development, which has become a landmark on the N1
west’s skyline, is perched above a two-storey parkade.
The building, which represents a fundamental shift in
the approach to financial services office space, away
from the big block-shaped office complexes, was con-
structed in six chapters. It is characterized by organic
shapes, earthy colours and enormous open volumes in
the shared public areas. Designed to be barrier-free,
it shows great sympathy for the visually-impaired,
disabled and handicapped members of the staff.
 BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

Freedom Park An amphitheatre overlooking a waterfeature and an eter-

MMA Architects was chosen to join a consortium, along
with GAPP and Mashabane Rose Architects, to deter-
mine the character and structure of Freedom Park.
The site itself is strategically located on the outskirts
of Pretoria, within clear view of the Union Buildings.
nal flame add atmosphere to this very spiritual place and
The Garden of Rememberance provides a safe place for
adults and children to gather and learn in a supervised
environment.

Resolving that this memorial had to encompass many

different struggles throughout the country’s history,
the developers undertook to consult a wide spectrum
of society, from youth organisations, political parties,
historians and anthropologists, to traditional healers
and members of various church groups. The struggles
weave through the era of slavery, wars of resistance,
the Anglo-Boer War, colonial wars, the First and Second
World Wars during which many South Africans of all col-
ours and creeds perished fighting for the country’s allies,
and, more recently, the struggle for liberation and the
abolition of apartheid.

Elements of Freedom Park that are particularly nota-

ble are:

Isivivane, the resting place for the spirits of those that

died in the struggles, many of whom were ‘missing in
action’. To enter this area, visitors are requested to
remove their shoes as a gesture of respect. Nine
boulders from the nine provinces across South Africa
encircle a water feature – each boulder symbolising a
province was brought to this space as a gesture of
cleansing and healing.

Sikhumbuto is the memorial that commemorates the

major conflicts that shaped South Africa. Part of this
memorial is the Wall of Names, where the names of
people who died in the struggles are etched, each on
their own brick in the wall.

//hapo is an interactive exhibition space, where the

3.6 billion years of the history of humankind will be
told in visual displays and narrative form and the Gallery
of Leaders is an indoor exhibition area reserved for
tributes to the achievements of local and international Freedom Park encompass many different struggles
leaders in the struggles for humanity. throughout South African history.
 BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

Embassies South African Embassies in Berlin (above) and Ethiopia (below).

One of the most prestigious projects to be tackled by

MMA Architects was the construction of the South
African Embassy building in Berlin. This project earned
the practice an Award of Excellence from the South
African Institute of Architects and prompted the opening
of offices in Berlin.

This was the first embassy built by South Africa since

the election of the new democratic government. Opting
for a fusion of German and African design philosophies,
the architects designed the main structure to blend
with the other buildings of the district, but allowed
large expanses of glass and skylights to bring a typically
South African indoor/outdoor feel to the building.
Clad externally with natural sandstone and granite from
South Africa, it is embellished with bold African colours
and patterns in the interiors.
A more recent embassy building designed by the firm is
the South African Embassy building in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia that was completed earlier this year. As Addis
Ababa is the seat of the African Union, this embassy is
of particular importance. The 5000 sq metre complex
not only houses offices for the embassy staff, it also has
a recreation centre and some staff accommodation.
“The Minister of Foreign Affairs wanted the building to
signify South Africa’s commitment to Africa,” Morojele
explains. “Ethiopia is very rich in culture as its history
stretches back many centuries. This time, we didn’t go
for as much structural transparency, because Ethiopia
is on the equator and the light there is very intense.
Instead, we added a massive screen that shields the
building from the light and doubles as extra security.”
Designed in collaboration with Ethiopian architects,
the building has an almost church-like quality and is
built from a mixture of materials and finishes from
South Africa and other countries that traditionally
supply Ethiopia, such as Dubai, China and Italy.
Prospects for the future
MMA Architects has roughly 20 staff members, including
architects, technologists and support personnel. The
staff are encouraged to pursue continued engagement
with academic and research institutions to keep up-to-
date with continuing developments in their professions
and the practice prides itself in keeping abreast of
current trends in the built arena.
“We look forward to contributing to the cultural and
economic development of South and the rest of Africa
in the future,” Morojele concludes. <
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
 BURJ DUBAI :
Reaching for the skies
By Chantal Ramcharan-Kotze

Mixed-use developments are becoming the norm in

Dubai and one of the most popular projects is definitely
the Burj Dubai – the world’s tallest tower. Linked to
this ambitious development, located in the heart of
Dubai’s International Financial Centre (DIFC), is one
of the world’s largest malls – Dubai Mall, and the
world’s largest water feature – Dubai Fountain.

According to developers Emaar, the Burj Dubai is not

only the world’s tallest building, but also embodies
the world’s highest aspirations. Not hard to believe
when one considers the rate and scale of infrastructure
development taking place in the United Arab Emirates
(UAE) and the Gulf in general, despite the economic
slump. Not as ambitious as they had originally planned,
but significantly higher than other world regions.

Dubai Select Property News recently reported that

almost half of Dubai’s 2009 budget was earmarked
for infrastructure spending. “The increase in infrastruc-
ture spending is very positive,” says Dr Nasser Saidi,
chief economist at the Dubai International Finance
Exchange. Saidi believes that the surge in infrastructure
and public works spending will support the Dubai
construction and contracting sectors, which are both
of critical importance to Dubai’s economy.

The Burj Dubai architect, Chicago-born Adrian Smith,

is one of the most recognised architects in the world. An aerial view of the Burj Dubai under construction.
His work includes international projects such as the Image by David Hobcote, BurjDubaiSkyscraper.com.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
The Burj Dubai triple-lobed structure is based on the
abstract design of a desert flower.
Views of the spectacular Dubai Fountain, the world’s
largest water feature. Images: BurjDubaiSkyscraper.com.
Bishopsgate and Broadgate Towers in London and
the Jin Mao Tower in Shangai. The Burj Dubai triple-
lobed structure is based on the abstract design of the
Arab desert flower, the Hymenocalis, and incorpo-
rates patterning systems that are embodied in tradi-
tional Islamic architecture.
FAST FACTS
> The total budget for the Burj Dubai project – US $4.1
billion
>D
 owntown Burj Dubai development budget – US $20
billion
>C
 urrent height of the Burj Dubai – 818 meters (expected
to surpass this by completion in December 2009)
>G
 ross floor space – 314, 000m
>N
 umber of floors – 162
>N
 umber of elevators – 54 to be installed
>S
 peed of elevators – 700 meters per minute (fastest
elevator in the world)
> The cladding system is designed to withstand Dubai’s
extreme summer temperatures. Total area of cladding
used to cover the Burj Dubai – equivalent to 17 foot-
ball fields
>H
 olds the record for highest vertical concrete pump-
ing (for any construction) – 601.0 meters.
Landscape and interior planning
Al Khatib Cracknell, a local partnership with London-
based Cracknell, was appointed to provide landscape
master planning, detail design and site services for the
streetscape, public realm, key open spaces, lake edges,
promenade, sales centre complexes, and Lake Fountain.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

The design concept of the planned Old Town attempts to
integrate the elements of wind, fire, water and earth
into the 190 hectare development.
The Burj Dubai Boulevard has been inspired by the
great boulevards of the world and will boast striking
gateways of lawn, trees and water features. The in-
tended Burj Lake Park will be a vast area of greenery
and open water with extraordinary and imaginative
gardens – a place to take in the sunshine, picnic, play
sport and go boating.
The interior design will seek to compliment the structure’s
exterior architecture. Free flowing Arabic script will be
among the inspirations for the towers interior, which
will draw upon architectural influences from around the
region and the world, says ArabianBusiness.com.

World’s top five tallest buildings

Building and location Year Storeys Height in meters Chief Architect

Burj Dubai, Dubai, UAE (under Skidmore, Owings and

2009 162 818
construction) Merrill

Lotte World II, Busan S. Korea Stephen Huh, Parker Design

2012 107 512
(proposed) International

Taipei 101 Tower, Taipei, Taiwan 2004 101 509 C.Y. Lee and Partner

Shangai World Financial Centre,

2008 101 492 Kohn Pederson Fox
China

International Commerce Centre

(ICC), Hong Kong, China (under 2010 118 484 Kohn Pederson Fox
construction)

Source: www.architecture.about.com

Chic hotel
with an awesome view
Looking over at the latest of Southern Sun’s hotels
from the plush residences of Hyde Park, one of Johan-
nesburg’s most elite suburbs, you could be forgiven if
you assumed that there was always a hotel perched on
the rise, at the intersection of William Nicol Drive and Jan
Smuts Avenue. It took Southern Sun, the operators, and
Hyprop, the owners of the property, some considerable
time to reach this historic point. Each celebrating co-
incidentally their 40th anniversary this year, it seems
the relationship is entirely appropriate.
The Southern Sun Hyde Park Hotel is remarkable, not
only for its accommodation offering and its spectacular
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
By Bev Hermanson
270° views of the northern and western suburbs of
Johannesburg, but structurally, it is a triumph in its
engineering and design implementation. Set atop
the 7-storey parkade of the Hyde Park Shopping Cen-
tre, the hotel comprises 132 suites, a rooftop gym,
boardrooms and conference facilities, two lounges,
an exclusive whiskey bar, an international restau-
rant, as well as a pool and outdoor terrace. Entering
at the lower street level from basement parking, vis-
itors are whisked eight floors up to where it’s already
becoming the place to see and be seen by Johannes-
burg’s elite.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
Keeping it light
The first phase of the R180-million building was hardly
noticeable as it involved the strengthening of the foun-
dations and the support columns of the Parkade. The
challenge to the designers was to keep the structural
elements of the hotel as light as possible. Room sizes
were also restricted to what the columns beneath could
support, providing plenty of challenges to the interior
designers.
The walls are mainly 165mm drywall partitioning that
have an internal layer of acoustic thermal insulation,
which is a fairly new concept for construction here in
South Africa.
“We had to come up with walling that would equal or
exceed the decibel rating of a double brick wall with
cement plaster on both sides, but without the weight,”
explains Carl Bartleman of Saint Gobain. “We chose a
15mm fire rated gypsum board which we used as a
double layer on each side of 102mm cavitylite batt
insulation. This gave us both sound and thermal in-
sulation.”
In addition to the weight reduction, the tailor made
dry walling saved a great deal of space overall, which
was especially important in determining the layout of
the bedrooms. For the bathrooms, the inner layer of the
walls was replaced with a moisture resistant gypsum
board and sliding doors were easily added to fit between
separated drywalls, to save space. Special loadbearing
upright studs were used for door frames and in places
where items would be attached to the walls, such as
TVs, toilets and the like.
“We had a foreman representing Saint Gobain on site to
project manage the installation. This was important
as our 10 year SpecSure guarantee requires that the
installation has to be correctly specified and super-
vised from start to finish.”
The walls have been given substance through the appli-
cation of specialised cladding and wall papering so, to
the eye, the structures look pretty solid. Sympathetic
to the acoustic requirements of the hotel, the interior
designers additionally sourced carpeting that has a high-
density foam backing that is excellent for absorbing
sound.
 BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

Internationally contemporary
It was decided not to do the predictable ‘ethnic’ thing
for this hotel, but rather expand on the locality, which
implies elements of sophistication, elegance and an
internationally contemporary approach to the style
and décor. The interior designers chosen to tackle the
task were Source Interior Brand Architects from Cape
Town, with the result that many of the furnishings
and finishes were brought up from the Mother City to
grace the City of Gold’s latest jewel.

“We were approached by Southern Sun and Hyprop

to conceive a unique guest experience, which in itself is
a great honour,” adds Jeremy Stewart, creative director
from Source. “The experience is a fusion of modern and
classic influences, combined with a sense of locale.”

“Part of the success from Source’s point of view was

applying our design ethos from interior architecture
and design, right through to textile design, styling,
music and staff uniforms, enabling us to control the
entire 3-dimensional guest experience, which is key
to the ultimate success of any hospitality project.”

The public spaces had to have character at all times

of the day and night and so the décor theme, rather
than being exotic or cheesy, is simply an expression
of rhythm and repetition. The colour palette is muted,
punctuated only by occasional splashes of vivid hues.
Textures are either physical, such as the Duraglass
wallpaper that is thickly ‘woven’ and, as it turns out,
designed to take paint, or merely visual. Rhythm is
achieved through a series of contrasts – black and
white, hard and shiny surfaces punctuated by textures,
and light and dark spaces.

In the main lounge, a selection of shades from Tom

Dixon’s Beat collection were used for the lighting.
“Tom Dixon is a British lighting and furniture design
and manufacturing company that we represent here
in South Africa. Tom Dixon himself has won awards
worldwide for his unique designs and we fell in love
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
with his design and his brand.” says Kate Liebenberg,
managing director of Crema Design. “The Beat Light
is made from hand beaten brass using the rapidly
vanishing skills from Indian master craftsmen. Once
made, the beaten brass ages creating a patina black
external surface in contrast to the warm golden inte-
rior of the shades.” The contrast of the smooth internal
glow with the external texture of the fittings adds an
extra element of interest to this public space.
 Edison Power Gauteng
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Southern Sun
Hyde Park Hotel

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Showing the way
Capitalising on the views, the architects have opted
for as much transparency as possible. Floor to ceiling
glass walls grace the restaurant and lounge areas.
The pool terrace is bordered by glass balustrades, so
that the rim flow pool looks as though it’s stretching
into eternity.
The Whiskey Lounge and the Biche Restaurant even
have liquor enclosures made entirely of glass. This
glassing of the 8th floor, known as the Lifestyle level,
not only reduces the need for lighting during the day,
it performs a dual function, giving the impression at
night that the floors above are floating over the
Parkade, as the artificial lighting creates a visual
cushion between the two structures.
It has become Southern Sun’s mission to reduce energy
consumption in all of their establishments, so with
SECTION >
this hotel, LED lighting and energy saving light bulbs
have been used from the outset.
“There’s a specific psychology behind the different
colours and intensities of light,” says Mardre Meyer,
project designer at Source. “While plants are photo-
tropic, people are photophylic, so in the passages
leading to the rooms, we have dimmed the lights and
put brighter lighting in each door alcove. This pulls
people through the dim spaces towards the light.”
Another part of the dim-light philosophy, explains
Bram Joynt of LKA Architects, is that people seem to
talk louder when the lighting is bright, but their conver-
sation is more subdued in dim lighting. This is important
when considering the acoustics and the fact that most
of the walls are the new dry wall acoustic partitioning
rather than bricks and mortar. Encouraging people
subliminally to make less noise ensures an enhanced
feeling of privacy for the guests in their rooms.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
“It’s amazing how disorienting light can be,” continues
Mardre. “While you can’t have too much shadow, people
do need to have the contrasts of light versus shadow
to give them a sense of perspective, otherwise their
judgement of distance becomes warped. At the end
of each passage, we have a window covered with a
voile curtain, that allows in natural light. This balances
the perspective and gives guests a sense of the time
of day, so that their experience is not surreal.”
 BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

Breaking the moulds with fabrics

Out on the terrace, the designers chose light, modular
furniture that can be configured a number of ways. The
cushions, covered in bold black and white florals, are
all the more exceptional as the materials represent a
breakthrough in outdoor fabric treatment, so that the
cushions can be left out in the elements without
weathering. The rimflow pool, as the focal point of
the outdoor terrace, is just deep enough so that one
can cool off, while still partaking of liquid refresh-
ments at chest height. It’s all about being smooth and
sophisticated – no dive-bombing or Olympic length
training, just a quick dip to cool off. Nothing too
strenuous.
soft gold vinyl ‘fabric’ is tactile, yet highly durable,
The indoor Whiskey Lounge looks out over the patio, great for high traffic uses, yet way more sophisticated
but has its own air of exclusivity. The occasional than the vinyls of the 70s and 80s. On a raised section
chairs are just comfortable enough to stimulate easy to the rear of the lounge, plush couches offer greater
conversation without tempting you to fall asleep. The comfort for more relaxed gatherings.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

Fine dining
Bright and airy, the Biche Restaurant is an Italian
restaurant with a twist – somehow a sushi bar has
found its way into the formula. This will no doubt
become a great hit with the hotel’s international
clientele. The furniture is slightly minimalist, the
colour palette muted, to allow patrons to concen-
trate on what’s most important – the cuisine.

The wine closet displays a selection of local and

imported wines that could set you back anywhere
from R80 to R2500 per bottle.
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Across to business
On the same level as the restaurant, lounges and pool
terrace, there is also a business centre and a separate
wing housing boardrooms and conference facilities.
And to help the busy executive unwind during his stay,
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
on the top floor there is a gym with weights and cardio-
vascular training equipment. Again, huge expanses of
glass reveal the stunning view of the suburbs, which is
given double impact by the large mirrors on the walls.
 BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

Easy sleep lighting and air-conditioning in each room to ensure

efficient energy consumption.
An important aspect of the Southern Sun Hyde Park Hotel
accommodation management is the access control Although the rooms are modest in size, they nevertheless
through the smart key system that also controls the exude comfort. The modern padded headboards are
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

Photos by Anine Scholtz.

covered in high fashion fabrics. The TV unit has enough
space so that it can be used as a desk and the bathrooms,
while compact, give the illusion of spaciousness, with
their frameless showers and backlit mirrors. The chic
style is carried through to the public cloackrooms
with their similarly demurely mirrors.

In addition to the front entrance to the hotel through

its swish revolving door or the alternative of the base-
ment parking access, there’s also a fun ‘back way’ to
the Hyde Park Shopping Centre, giving guests a secure
playground to explore at their leisure.

From a wide selection of restaurants, cinemas, banks,

travel agents, hairdressers and beauty salons, to exqui-
site fashion boutiques, jewellers and book stores, the
Hyde Park Shopping Centre is a destination all its
own. With its new hospitality offering in the form of the
Southern Sun Hyde Park Hotel, the centre is sure to grow
and achieve even greater international acclaim. <
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 BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

Bedford Precinct
Achieving a design balance in a mixed-use environment
By Lois Aitchison
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

The R1.2 billion high-density, medium rise Bedford the development consisted of a retail component with
Precinct is situated in the heart of the upmarket suburb office space on the level above it and the residential
of Bedfordview in eastern Johannesburg. This is an afflu- component comprised of 420 luxury residential apart-
ent, sought after area with numerous well run schools, ments including sophisticated luxury duplex pent-
hospitals and sporting facilities. The location offers houses, giving the precinct an excellent selection of
easy access to the OR Tambo airport, the East Rand and mixed use options.
the CBDs of Johannesburg, Sandton and Rosebank.
Mixed-use developments are rapidly gaining popularity
The construction of Phase 1 of what was then called internationally and locally. They not only facilitate an
Bedford Square commenced in 2006, followed by increase in urban residential density in a positive man-
Phase 2 in 2007. The construction of all phases was ner, they meet the current demand for residences with
fast-tracked and the third and final phase was com- a convenient range of lifestyle elements. There is a grow-
pleted towards the end of 2008. The final phase of ing demand for the lifestyle concept of living, playing
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
and working in proximity to an urban environment.
South Africans have matured into urban people, prefer-
ring to live in urban environments with all the benefits
that this type of lifestyle offers.
Getting the balance right
The structure of mixed-use developments generally
tends to be complicated due to the varying requirements
of the diverse group of users say Bentel Associates
International, the architects responsible for the inno-
vative architecture of the 160 000m2 Bedford Precinct.
“Urban design principles were applied – the creation
of compact integrated urban spaces that suit their
respective use characteristics and that are configured
for ease of circulation both within and between the
components. These include the separation of vehicu-
lar and pedestrian traffic, public and private spaces,
levels of access and utility coordination,” says Nick
Kyriacos, project design director and MD of Bentel
Associates International.
“The challenge in this type of environment is to get the
balance right between the proportion of space allo-
cated to the various uses and the mix of those uses.
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 BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

The scope of the project also has to be sufficiently

large to offer the variety required to achieve critical
mass for self-sustainability.”

“The overall relationship and synergy between the

carefully designed and integrated components of
the Bedford Precinct are unique in that they provide
a sense of community, a 24-hour environment and
facilities and amenities that meet most of the needs
of its residents. The Bedford Precinct is a cosmo-
politan environment with a great Mediterranean
ambience, you almost feel as if you are in Europe,”
he says.

In 2006, when the original owners sold Bedford

Square to the HBW Group, the owners of Bedford
Centre, the concept was expanded to meet the grow-
ing demand for residential and commercial space in
this type of environment. The expanded concept in-
cluded a further 211 apartments in Phase 3C, an
increased portion of retail space and an underground
mall linking the structure to the Bedford Centre.

The architectural style was changed to ‘contemporary

international’. The initial conceptualisation of the
project was specifically Mediterranean but with the
change in ownership of the project, it was decided
that the theme on its own was outdated. As a result,
a more timeless modern design was opted for in
keeping with the contemporary look and feel of the
revamped Bedford Centre.

The initial layout concept, however, was retained.

“The spatial layout of the centre takes its cue from
SECTION
BUILT >
ENVIRONMENT >

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T: 011 493 9155, F: 011 493 7984,
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 SECTION >

WATER
the traditional European village, where people live
above or nearby their workspaces, all organised
around a series of different square sizes,” says
Kyriacos. “The progression of the squares, usually
linked with pedestrian pathways, culminates in a
town square. This is what we designed at Bedford
Precinct and buildings of varied size and scale with
fine architecture and quality finishes line the piazza
and define warm and inviting communal spaces. The
relationship between the buildings within the Bedford
Precinct is far stronger than it would be in a traditional
South African shopping complex environment.”

“As an upmarket mixed-use area, encompassing

residential options, offices, retail and entertainment
facilities the amenities and lifestyle value offered
to the commercial and residential components is
unparalleled in Johannesburg.”

Retail facilities

The retail area includes a six-cinema Cinema Nouveau

complex, a 6 000m2 Planet Fitness gym, numerous
high-end restaurants, line stores and showrooms
and a four-level A-grade parkade. The apartments
have dedicated parking for all residents on levels
that are separate from the retail parking areas.

Initially the project included the piazza on the

ground floor but as part of the expanded concept,
this was later enclosed to form a ground floor
shopping mall with the restaurant and entertainment

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BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
piazza above it. This central piazza is linked to all the
elements of the Precinct and enhances the sense of
community. View elevators and escalators provide ac-
cess to the traditional mall environment.
The underground retail mall links the Square with
Bedford Centre and facilitates convenient access for
shoppers who would like the option of alternative retail
facilities at either end of the Precinct. There is a transfer
structure between the office level and the apartments
on one side and the parking garage and the apartments
on the other side. Another part of the final phase was
the expansion and refurbishment of Pick ‘n Pay. The
supermarket fronts onto both Bedford Centre and
Bedford Square and is almost at the heart of the Pre-
cinct. The two entrances draw shoppers in from both
sides which are linked with an innovative retail shop-
ping hub below Kirkby road. The underground hub
facilitates easy and convenient access for shoppers
to either end of the retail centre below the square.
“Bedford Precinct has a series of smaller and larger
spaces, vertically and horizontally interlinked. Angular
rooflines, varied silhouettes and elevations have been
carefully designed creating a natural integration between
the retail and residential components,” adds Kyriacos.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

“A variety of textures, finishes and colour were utilised pedestrian-friendly area in a village atmosphere. The
to create an architectural language, by juxtaposing paths culminate in the open piazza, with a central wa-
stainless steel, glass, textured plaster, stone, aluminium ter feature containing a glass sculpture and festive
and timber in different combinations without placing lighting effects.”
specific emphasis on any one element.”
The unique design and attention to detail of this prestig-
“All the components are fully integrated and the de- ious development has already made Bedford Precinct
sign includes courtyards and landscaping with water a landmark in Johannesburg. It is an enduring example
features linked by pathways and walking areas to of a unique, exclusive and completely self-contained
the various components thereby creating a unique, mixed-use village in an urban environment. <
 BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

Crystal Towers >

the jewel in Century City’s crown
By Duncan Cruickshank

Award-winning Rabie Property Group has launched Crystal Towers Residences, offering
purchasers the ultimate in luxurious living at Century City and providing investors with a
unique opportunity to capitalise on the positioning of Cape Town as a premier leisure and
business destination.
 BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

Since its inception, Century City has become a 250ha

suburb of Cape Town. It was constructed as a mixed-use
development including entertainment, residential,
retail and office components. Development began in
1997 and continues under the new owners, Rabie
Property Group and investment thus far exceeds R10
billion. It is located 10km to the north-east of central
Cape Town along the N1 motorway, within easy reach of
the CBD, northern suburbs and Cape Town International
Airport, and is traversed by numerous waterways,
wetlands and canals. Century City is home to Canal
Walk – one of the southern hemisphere’s premier shop-
ping destinations with over 400 shops, restaurants
and cinemas. Alongside is the thrilling Ratanga Junction
theme park as well as the more tranquil and majestic
wetlands reserve and bird sanctuary, Intaka Island
with its myriad birds and exquisite indigenous flora.

Comprising 91 luxury apartments, Crystal Towers Res-

idences is part of the mega R750 million mixed-used
Crystal Towers development now under construction. The
development also includes a 180-room five-star hotel,
Crystal Towers Hotel and Spa, which will be a sister
hotel to the Melrose Arch Hotel in Johannesburg and fall
within the exclusive African Pride Collection. Restaurants,
a gym and health spa, conference facilities and meeting
rooms as well as triple A-grade offices add to the offering.

Sales Director Allen Usher says Crystal Towers will set

‘the diamond standard’ in contemporary luxury and
design. “Every detail has been meticulously applied,
from the imported German kitchens with silky Caeser
Stone countertops, to climate controlled living and
bedroom areas and heated bathroom floors. The unclut-
tered principles of modern minimalist design have been
observed throughout, resulting in a refreshing and
clean look while outdoor patios offer breathtaking
views of either Table Mountain, the Tygerberg Hills or
the Atlantic Ocean.”
Within this peerlessly lavish lifestyle, residents of
Crystal Towers will have access to the hotel’s five-star
amenities including its bar and a 24-hour deli.
What is particularly exciting about this development is
that cutting-edge green building principles have been
applied wherever possible. Greg Deans, a director of
Rabie Property Group, said while the Green Building
Council of South Africa had not yet instituted a green-
building rating tool for hotels, Rabie had as far as
possible, applied green-building principles in the
construction of Crystal Towers.
A green building is one which is energy efficient, resource
efficient and environmentally responsible. It incorporates
design, construction and operational practices that sig-
nificantly reduce its negative impact on the environ-
ment and its occupants.
 BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

Deans said reducing the carbon footprint of new develop-

ments was not only socially responsible but also made
good business sense. “While there is a general percep-
tion that implementing green building principles signifi-
cantly increases building costs, this is not necessarily
true. In fact much can be done in the original design and
orientation of the building to include natural ventilation
and lighting while major developments in green tech-
nology, methodology and even materials have made
green-building measures more cost effective and ac-
cessible,” he said. “In fact many of these measures,
such as implementing energy saving components,
can reduce your operating costs substantially.”

Deans said South Africa was way behind many other

countries in implementing green building principles but
was now playing catch up. “At a hospitality conference
in the United States (which has the LEED green certifica-
tion system) last year, corporate America made it very
clear that they would not consider allowing their staff
to stay in any hotel which did not have the equivalent
of at least a four-star rating and a growing number of
international corporates feel like-wise about the of-
fice space they occupy,” he said.

The green building principles that have been applied to

Crystal Towers are not only to design and construction
measures, but have been extended to the finishes. All
the kitchens are imported from a German manufacturer,
Nobilia. Nobilia is the first German kitchen company
to be awarded the PEFC (Programme for the Endorse-
ment of Forest Certification) which means that all the
timber used for the kitchen units is from sustainably
managed forests.
Jay Margolis from Inside Living, which has been appointed
to supply the kitchens and other exclusive finishes at
Crystal Towers Residences, adds: “We are very proud
to have a supplier of Nobilia’s standing, which is not
only the largest manufacturer of pre-assembled kitchens
in the world, but also complies with PEFC standards.
The mega development is testament to Rabie’s faith and
confidence in Cape Town and Century City in particular.”
“Critical to the success of any new development is its
location, coupled with the timing of the development,”
explains Usher. “Crystal Towers Residences enjoys
the best of both. Its central, sought-after location in
the heart of Century City, which is generally perceived to
be the Sandton of the Western Cape, is idyllic and the
timing of the development, which is to be officially
launched in March next year, coincides with much im-
proved market conditions and sentiment.”
Usher says purchasers will have the choice of studio
or two bedroom apartments: “At around 60 square metres
including a private balcony, the studios, which also

come with an undercover, secure parking bay, are
substantially larger than average. These apartments
are aimed primarily at investors and business travellers
who are able to purchase selected apartments fully
furnished with a choice of finishes put together by
leading interior designers. The two bedroom apartments,
aimed predominantly at owner-occupiers, average
around 110 square metres including a balcony and
come with two undercover, secure parking bays.”
Usher said selected apartments would be offered
with a unique investment package and purchasers
would be able to contract the services of a dedicated
professional management company which would let
out apartments on behalf of investors as well as offer
a bouquet of other valet services from arranging air-
port shuttles to cleaning the apartment, providing a
laundry service, stocking the fridge and any other re-
quired services to ensure owners of a hassle-free in-
vestment.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
Although the apartments are only to be officially
launched in March next year coinciding with the ex-
pected completion date, purchasers are able to reg-
ister their interest now to maximize their choice of
apartment. Pre-launch buyers, he said, would benefit
from being able to have their apartments listed with
Status, accredited accommodation agents for the
2010 Soccer World Cup.
“We have confirmed demand from Status for Century
City based apartments, particular in Crystal Towers,
which can be expected to raise around R50 000 per
studio apartment and more for the two bedroom
units during the World Cup,” he said.
The Crystal Towers Hotel and Spa is due to open in
December this year with the residences and offices
due for completion in March/April 2010. It will be the
astute investor who sees the obvious potential in this
unique development – and will certainly reap the
benefits in years to come. <
 BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

Unusual and defining

design elements
By Lois Aitchison

Greenstone Mall, which opened in 2007, was designed by architects

Bentel Associates International whose extensive experience in
commercial and retail design is evident in the design of this
award-winning mall. Owned by the Sasol Pension Fund, the mall
is situated on a 21-hectare site in the southwestern corner of the
4200-hectare Greenstone Hill development on the site of the
former AECI Modderfontein chemical factory.

Greenstone Hill, a Heartland Project, is one of the
largest mixed-use ventures in South Africa where
commercial and residential zones surround the retail
zone. Extensive demographic studies confirmed the
need for this aesthetically pleasing and well-designed
mall, which is making a significant contribution to the
quality of life in the area.
Ideally positioned with high visibility on the elevated
crest west of the Edenvale CBD and serviced by a
strong existing road infrastructure with easy access
to the N1, the Mall has become a hub of retail and
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
recreational activity. It caters to the rising population
densities and increasing spending power in the Hill’s
primary catchment area that includes the upmarket
Modderfontein residential area, Edenvale, Linksfield,
Linbro Park and Lombardy East.
DIVERSE SELECTION OF TENANTS
The style of the 75 000m2 Mall is contemporary, with
sophisticated finishes and standards. It has been de-
signed to be a state-of-the-art facility providing the
utmost shopper comfort levels and convenience.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

A ring road system with a large undercover component

reduces walking distances to the centre, and ensures
that the 4 500 parking bays are, on average, no more
than 80m from any of the six entrances.

A diverse range of 150 tenants which includes a Pick

‘n Pay Hypermarket as the the anchor (12000m2),
Woolworths, Game, Clicks, the Foschini Group, Truworths,
Mr Price Sports (a 2033m2) and Dischem (at 2500m2
one of the largest in the country), fifty line shops, four
major banks, an eight cinema Ster Kinekor complex, a
bowling centre, restaurants, fast food outlets and a
wide range of services ensure that Greenstone is an
exceptionally convenient mall catering to a wide range
of shopping, service and entertainment requirements.
 Greenstone

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 BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

A SENSE OF DRAMA
There are two unusual and defining aspects of the
structure. The design of a retail environment involves
many interrelated features that improve the quality
and efficiency of lighting, heating and cooling systems.
The envelope or the structure of the building also forms
part of these systems. The architects creatively utilised
the structure to create world-class interior spaces at
very little extra cost.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

The two-level configuration of the Mall has dramatic,

well-lit internal volumes. A design challenge, particularly
in the retail environment, is balancing and controlling
the light levels from various sources. To create the
most effective lighting levels the architects incorpo-
rated clerestory lighting and the exposure of certain
light enhancing elements of the structure. Light is ex-
pressed in a very contemporary manner and the de-
sign allowed for indirect light that cuts down on the
glare, minimises heat and balances internal artificial
illumination.
THYSSEN HP MISSING
UNITED BY INNOVATION
DIVERSIFIED BY EXPERTISE

V2/11115-Jul’09

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BY OUR
DIFFERENCE

The centre features spectacular roof lights set in a com-
bination of exposed structural steel beams, timber struts
and glazing. A variety of other architectural elements,
such as the beams that support the walkways in the gar-
den court, are designed to complement these elements.
A second unusual aspect of the design is the combina-
tion of indoor and outdoor components. An outside land-
scaped green zone links horizontally with a centrally
enclosed zone containing the entertainment centre, the
promotions court and restaurants. The two components
are separated by an impressive glass wall containing
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
huge rotating doors that open and allow the two spaces
to become one. The entire central court, the major feature
of the mall, was extensively modelled in 3D from an
elliptical prism.
In 2008, Bentel Associates International received a
Southern Africa Institute of Steel Construction (SAISC)
award for the Greenstone Mall and the extensive and
creative use of steel, the quality of design and finish,
the facilities, the environmentally sustainable design
and the overall impact of the building. <
 BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

An interactive
engineering feat
By Bev Hermanson

Ask any yuppie in Gauteng what would be the most important convenience to have
to be able to cope in the fast paced city life of the area and you’ll most likely get: “you
have to have a reliable car. Without a car around here, you’re pretty much stuck!”

Get yourself jammed in any one of a hundred daily traffic
snarl-ups on the roads in Gauteng and look around you.
Most cars have a driver, but no passengers. Car after
car will whiz by you – one occupant, one occupant, one
occupant – everyone rushing to get somewhere. Mixed
amongst them, overloaded taxis take chances, skip
robots and clog up intersections. Pedestrians hover on
the verges of the streets, waiting to catch a lift. It’s all
quite precarious.
The good news is that this is about to change – for the
better. It’s been a while in the making, but a number of
stakeholders in Gauteng got together and have come
up with a scheme that, once all the various elements
slot into place, will make a tremendous difference to the
way things are done in the province. Understanding that
urban sprawl was one of the culprits, a plan was set in
place to encourage densification of the population
Construction of the in-situ balanced cantilever deck sections for Viaduct 5 at John Vorster Avenue.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
around public transport routes. This should reduce
traffic congestion, pollution from exhaust fumes and
the extreme pressure on road maintenance from the
sheer volume of traffic that uses the road networks.
What is required to make this successful is reliable and
safe public transport.
A further consideration motivating the upgrading of the
province’s public transport is the belief that the cities
across the world that have the largest economies, such
as London, New York and Tokyo, offer efficient public
transport systems. Somehow, the two seem to go hand
in hand. In fact, the recent trend is towards the establish-
ment of 24-hour hubs where people work, live and play.
An integral part of the scheme to upgrade the public
transport for both Johannesburg and Pretoria is the R25-
billion Gautrain Rapid Rail Link project. Conceptualised
 BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

back in 1997 as part of the Blue IQ social upliftment ini-

tiative, the Gautrain is destined to have a resounding
impact on the entire province, changing the way people
choose to live, how they get around and even where
they choose to work. Covering 80km, with ten stations,
including a station at the OR Tambo International Air-
port, the Gautrain has been pretty much designed to
appeal to all those single occupant commuters that
have been contributing to all the traffic congestion.

“The strategic objectives were divided into four groups

– to ease congestion on the road networks; to promote
the image of public transport; to promote BEE (Black
Economic Empowerment) and socio-economic devel-
opment; and to change the shape of urban development
in Gauteng to that of transit-oriented development,”
explains Dr Herman Joubert of the Gautrain Project
team.

For the people involved in piecing this project together,

it’s been a most amasing experience. Amongst the
public, there was a lot of skepticism and negativity to
begin with, but as the plans have gradually been
transformed into reality, there has been a distinct
shift in sentiment.

The prime objective has certainly been realised as, so far,

11 700 direct jobs and over 60 000 indirect jobs have
been created. There has been a dramatic increase in the
number of companies, joint ventures and enterprises
established to cope with the demand for engineering
and construction expertise and supplies, many of these
are Black Economic Empowerment and SMME initia-
tives. Unfortunately, due to the brain drain, some of the
engineers had to be called back from retirement, but on Top: The Gautrain being tested in Midrand.
Centre: aerial view to the west of Viaduct 5 and
a more positive note, a total of 37 construction pro-
Centurion Station.
fessionals that had left the country to work overseas, Above: Construction of the underground Rosebank
have returned home to participate in the project. Station platform.

Choosing the sites for the stations
The siting of the stations has certainly generated enor-
mous interest as property developers and hotel groups
jostle for prime positions nearby. Each of the stations
was chosen for the unique contribution that it would
make to the area surrounding it.
“One of the questions we had to ask was: When pas-
sengers disembark at the airport, where do they go?
Through our research, we found that the majority of
airline passengers that visit Gauteng have a destination
in the Sandton area. Once we had established that, it
was just a matter of connecting the dots. We had to
include central Johannesburg and central Pretoria, in
support of the drive to revitalise the CBDs. Hatfield,
north east of the Pretoria CBD is a potent area, with
Aerial view of Park Station.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
its proximity to the university, Loftus rugby stadium,
the CSIR, business district and the many embassies in
the area. Centurion and Midrand are rapidly expanding
areas, Rosebank is another important business and
residential hub, Marlboro is situated right next to an
N3 interchange and Rhodesfield is a residential suburb
that had been earmarked by the Ekurhuleni munici-
pality for redevelopment due to its location close to
the airport,” Dr Joubert adds.
Facilities that had to be incorporated at each station
include provision for other forms of public transport,
such as buses and taxis and parking for commuters
as well as transfer from existing rail services at Park,
Pretoria, Hatfield and Rhodesfield stations. There is
an emphasis on pedestrian traffic and access control
and the development of pedestrian-friendly areas.

Gautrain System Identity
To be people-friendly, a transport system must be easy
to understand and to determine the system identity,
consultants took a look at historically successful
transport operations, such as the London Under-
ground, which was given its first system identity in
1916. The Underground route map was introduced in
1933 and has been used by visitors and locals on a
daily basis ever since.
The first element that had to be determined for the
Gautrain was the colour palette. This revolves around
metallic gold (or the CMYK print version of metallic
gold), silver, cool greys, coffee brown, fish eagle white,
ivory, various shades of blue and, where necessary,
safety yellow.
Concept image of the look and feel of the train.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
A Gautrain System Identity Manual was drawn up,
covering the aesthetic design of the five major elements
of the project – civil structures, stations and depots,
finishes and colours, landscaping and environmental
management, and the corporate identity, signage and
information systems.
The theme chosen as the symbol for the Gautrain aes-
thetic is the acacia tree. Resting under a tree was seen
as a significant part of a journey, in the days before
sophisticated transport was invented and in general,
trees are respected as sources of protection and nourish-
ment. In Africa, trees are also symbolic places where
communities gather for worship, to barter goods and to
enter into social interaction. The progress and develop-
ment symbolised by the Gautrain is combined with the
static icon of the tree, anchored in the past, identified
in the present, but with the vision of the future.

Top: Park Station entrance.
Planning the stations
A consortium of architectural practices was formed to
establish the architectural guidelines for the struc-
tures. The firms that came together are Bentel Asso-
ciates International, Siyakha Architects, and TPSP
Architects, to form the Gautrain Architects Joint Ven-
ture (GAJV).
One of the main consultants involved in developing
the guidelines is architect, Tom Steer. He was involved
in many of the preparation stages before any of the
tenders were awarded and has been intimately involved
in the conceptualisation of the stations. “Each sta-
tion has a macro and micro influence that we had to
consider,” he says. “The Gauteng province’s motto is
‘strength in diversity’ and we decided that each station
should have its own theme to create some interest
for the commuters. The themes, however, must still
Above: Sandton Station entrance.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
Top: Rosebank Station entrance.
follow the general guidelines – the two elements of
the architectural design that have to permeate
throughout all structures are the wavy roof reminis-
cent of the top formation of the acacia tree and the
trunk and branch structure of the tree. These elements
are applied to the station buildings, bus shelters,
parking facilities and even the emergency shafts.”
The themes chosen for the stations celebrate the diver-
sity of cultures in South Africa as well as the wealth
that we enjoy in terms of resources, technology, finan-
cial strength, our history, our political standing in Africa
and our people. They are:
› Park Station – people, mining and gold;
› Rosebank – commerce and retail;
› Sandton – finance and investment;
› Marlboro – music, art and culture;
Above: Marlboro Station exterior.
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 BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

Midrand Station. Rhodesfield Station.

› M
 idrand – the meeting point of Africa and the gateway in the country that we could use. We wanted to achieve a
of Gauteng; modern look, but using African colours, art and sculp-
tures, based on what would normally happen under
› Centurion – sport; Acacia trees.”

› Pretoria – rail history;

› Hatfield – academic life and the youth;
› Rhodesfield – industry and technology;
› O
 R Tambo International Airport – a tribute to the
elders of the nation.
“The overall aesthetics had to be holistic, though,” Steer
continues. “South Africa had a bad history related to rail
transport architecture and there were no precedents
The GAJV opted for a two-tier approach to determining
the finishes for the ten stations. Sandton and the OR
Tambo terminal station would be given choice finishes
as these stations carry passengers on the premium
express service, while the other stations would be
given more durable, standardised finishes. As the
Gautrain stations are mostly large ‘park and ride’ facili-
ties subject to high volumes of pedestrian traffic, there
was a danger that the facilities could become sterile
and unfriendly. The counter to that was to create oppor-
tunities for people to linger, such as at the entrances

Pretoria Station. Hatfield Station.


Centurion Station.
and in plazas where water features and seating create
an air of calm and peace.
The station buildings are designed to be as transparent
as possible, but canopies have been incorporated,
using the tree concept, to shield the glass from the
solar heat and provide shelter during the rainy season.
OR Tambo International Airport Station.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
“The concourse floors are all tiled with terrazzo tiling.
The walls are segmented into low, medium and high
impact sections, according to height. The lower section,
which is subject to the highest impact from trolleys and
luggage is covered with heavy duty polished porce-
lain with polished granite skirtings and stainless steel
impact rails. We paid a lot of attention to developing

tactile ground surface indicators that can be used by
mobility and visually impaired people and of course we
made sure there are ramps and facilities for the disa-
bled,” says Steer.
Building the tunnel
Of the total 80km of railway dedicated to the Gautrain,
15km is underground, linking the Marlboro station via
Sandton and Rosebank, to Park station in the centre of
Johannesburg. To look at the exacting task of boring
and constructing the tunnel, Tony Boniface of GIBB, a
tunnelling specialist was appointed to the Province
team. Boniface, who had then recently returned to SA
having been involved in the construction of the Taiwan
High Speed Rail (THSR) project, was well qualified to
look at the proposed methods of tunnel construction
for Gautrain. The THSR line is almost 400km long and
Construction of the Johannesburg Park Station tunnel.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
needed some 50 tunnels with an aggregate length of
nearly 50km.
“For Gautrain traditional blasting and drilling methods
were used for 12km of the route. This method makes it
possible to employ a large number of teams working
simultaneously on several fronts which speeds up the
whole process. For the remaining 3km, the contractor
chose to use a highly specialised tunnel boring ma-
chine (TBM). Unlike other TBMs that have been used
in Southern Africa previously, this one had to be able
to cope with the soft decomposed granites between
Rosebank and Killarney,” explains Boniface.
With a rotating cutting head at the front of the ma-
chine, the Earth Pressure Balance TBM, as it’s known,
bores through the ground, and as it does so it mixes
the excavated material with chemicals to form a ‘gunge’
with the consistency of toothpaste. This toothpaste

like material is removed from the cutting chamber via
an Archimedian screw, to be discharged behind the
pressurised head of the machine, so as to ensure no
loss of pressure within the head chamber where the disc
cutters are housed. The ‘toothpaste’ is then fed onto
and along a conveyor belt to the surface, to be carted
away to a spoil site. As the TBM moves forward, a host
of ‘services’ have to be extended – including com-
pressed air, electrical cabling and lighting. The ground
in front of the TBM had to be kept under constant pres-
sure to stop it collapsing. Once a day, the disk cutters
had to be inspected and the crew had to go through a sea
diver’s type of compression/decompression chamber,
to reach the pressurised head chamber.
At all times, the ground had to be supported and as
the TBM moved forward the permanent tunnel lining
consisting of a precast concrete segments had to be
erected and secured within the tail shield of the TBM.
Inside the tunnel boring machine, looking towards the exit of the tunnel.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
The concrete segments used for the tunnel ‘wall’ were
all made by Southern Pipeline on the East Rand. “The
moulds were made in Europe, but we produced all the
segments here. Accuracy was very important. We had
to produce them within a millimeter of the specs,” says
Steve Delport of Southern Pipeline.
Due to the changing nature of the subsurface throughout
Johannesburg, geological studies were an integral part
of the excavation process. Desk studies were first con-
ducted, based on data extracted from the city council’s
geotechnical records. The information was then re-
vised on an ongoing basis while the construction was
underway, so that the correct techniques could be ap-
plied to each area. “Between Sandton and Rosebank, the
ground was hard granite and here, the tunnel is between
40m and 20m below the surface. But then moving
from Rosebank to Park station became a challenge
because the centre of Johannesburg is actually quite

a lot higher than Rosebank. When we got to Killarney,
we had to introduce a gradual incline,” says Bonni-
face. “We wanted to keep the gradient as flat as pos-
sible, so we had to bore as close to the surface as we
could. This means that, in some places, the tunnel is
between 10m and 12m below the surface.”
Although they tapped into the expertise of the mining
industry, the approach to the tunnel construction had to
follow a different set of guidelines. “In mining, production
is paramount, so speed of excavation is the aim. For us,
the longevity of the structure and public safety are para-
mount. The structure has to be built correctly first time
because once the trains are running, maintenance can
only be done for a few hours at night,” Boniface adds.
The design of the tunnel involved more than the geo-
logical and elevation considerations, though. In many
The tunnel from Rosebank Station, at Emergency Shaft 5.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
places, the tunnel houses only a single track, so syn-
chronisation of the carriages, that will run every 10 to
12 minutes at peaks times, is reliant on a signal monitor-
ing system that operates in both directions. Contingency
plans in the event of any breakdowns or problems, in-
cluded the positioning of seven emergency shafts along
the tunnel route. Where the tunnel is deep below the
surface, safety chambers have been created, where
passengers will be able to congregate to wait for the
emergency services to fetch them. Where the tunnel
is shallow, the emergency shafts have stairs, so that
passengers can get themselves up to the surface. The
positioning of the emergency shafts was very much
dependent on providing safe accessibility for the
emergency services to reach these points and operate
effectively, without disrupting traffic flows and other
activities.
 BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

Aerial view of the viaduct approach towards OR Tambo International Airport Station.
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Public relations
With all the heavy engineering work going on, it would
have been easy to lose focus on the involvement of
the public and the need for them to ‘buy’ into the
concept. In the beginning, when the Blue IQ initiative
was launched and the notion of a rapid rail link was
first mooted, there was much skepticism. One of the
tools that has been used to counter that and to keep
the public informed and involved, is the Gautrain
website.
The Gautrain wbsite.
“At one stage, we worked shifts, 24/7, so that we
could counter the negativity,” says Ingrid Jensen, who
is part of the Gautrain PR team. Two of the components
offered to the public were a ‘route planning’ tool for
road commuters who may encounter road closures
and detours due to the construction, as well as a map
that shows property owners where their properties
are situated in relation to the Gautrain route. For the
latter, an erf number is needed, to identify where the
property is. This enables residents to determine how
much they would be affected by the construction and,
later, how close they would be to the convenience of
using the rail service. They could further register to
receive road diversion information via e-mail or sms
as part of the trip planning tool, or enter a starting
point and destination point to receive details of the
best route, taking into account traffic congestion and
detours.

“The bottom line for the design of the website was

interactivity,” explains Jensen. “We started a newslet-
ter, called the Gauteng Rapid Rail Roundup, that links
to the website and we developed a section for children
and teenagers.” One may ask why the youth need to
be drawn to the website – the response – “these are
our commuters of the future. They need to feel com-
fortable with using the Gautrain.”

Kids’ Station, as the youth website is known, has con-

tent that has been custom-designed to appeal to the
younger age groups. This includes Gautie News, games, The website provides useful route planning tools.
 BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

puzzles, competitions offering Gautrain branded prizes,

a Study Buddy and My Train that is aimed at Grade 10
and 11 pupils. “For the Gautrain construction, we had
to tap into the expertise of the older generation. These
skilled people won’t always be around. The aim of
bringing in a youth element to the site is to stimulate
interest in skills development in the disciplines in-
volved, because in 20 years’ time, we will still need
those skills,” says Jensen.

“Especially when learners reach Grades 10 and 11,

they have to make decisions about their careers. This The My Train website.
is when they have to choose subjects and we wanted
to build an interest in science, technology and engi-
neering. We have explained some of the careers that
have been involved in the building of the Gautrain.
So, for instance, there would be an explanation of
what it means to be a town planner and what it means
to be an engineer, etc.”

Advertised regularly in Mini Mag and National Geo-

graphic Kids, the Gautrain youth site is further promoted
on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, as
well as Wikipedia, with links back to the site. The so-
cial network aspect of the site has been expanded
over the years and now there are blogs that have been
added, such as the History Blog, where members of
the public are able to post their own experiences during
the construction phase. As the Gautrain becomes opera-
tional, they will be able to add their commuter experi-
ences as well. These can include photographs and
video footage and the blogs can even be accessed via
Facebook and Google mail, to make it easier.

Over and above the public involvement and informa-

tion aspect, the Gautrain website is used for internal
communication. This entails a private access facility
with dedicated user names and passwords, so that
staff can receive alerts, information and notifications
about the progress of the project.

The website, therefore, has been a pivotal tool in the

entire process, one that is taken very seriously by the The Gautrain Kids’ Station website.

operators. “We monitor everything that is said about
Gautrain on the web, in blogs and in Wikipedia,” says
Jensen. “We also contribute, so that we have estab-
lished a significant presence for the brand and the
project. We track the statistics, so we know that, for
instance, currently we have 1200 fans on Facebook
and 700 to 800 followers on Twitter, amongst others.
We drive quite a lot of traffic from these other sites to our
own website and, on average, we are seeing between
900 and 1000 hits per day.”
Conclusion
From a ‘small train project’ thought up back in the
late 90s, the Gautrain Rapid Rail Link has grown to
Construction of the multi-level underground Sandton Station and parkade, October 2009.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
become a giant project for the province of Gauteng
– one that will be spoken about for decades to come,
for its construction intricacies and contribution to socio-
economic development in South Africa. The negative
perceptions bandied about in the early phases have
been turned on their heads as the engineering feats
and overall design conquests have risen head and
shoulders above anything so far accomplished on the
continent. The Gautrain Rapid Rail Link will change
the face of society as we know it in the province and
be a strong driving force in achieving a global place
for the cities of Pretoria and Johannesburg as world-
class African cities. <
All images courtesy of Gautrain.
 BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

Images courtesy of ACSA.

A conceptual
design challenge
Central Terminal Building at the OR Tambo International Airport
Innovative designs create an even balance between the
built infrastructural requirements and ORT’s operational,
technical and economic considerations.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

Since the Airports Company South Africa’s inception in

1993, Johannesburg’s international airport adjacent
to Kempton Park has seen a growth rate that has become
almost exponential, putting the airport’s infrastructure
under pressure and making extra capacity and efficient
movement of passengers a top priority. Now known at
the OR Tambo International Airport, or ORT, this air-
port is now a world-class air transport hub, which
hosts airlines from all five continents and forms part
of a global network of trade, distribution and other
economic activities.

According to the Airports Council’s international passen-

ger statistics, ORT is busier than Brisbane and Dubai
airports and its passenger traffic has even overtaken
that of Cairo. The biggest and busiest airport on the
continent, ORT is now capable of handling 25 million
passengers annually.

Due to the dramatic increase in the airport’s passengers,

ACSA has actively pursued the development of ORT not
only as an airport of excellence and an entry point into
the rest of Africa but also as an ‘aerocity’. To facilitate the
achievement of its development objectives ACSA divided
ORT into nine precincts dedicated to increasing and
enhancing the efficiency and capacity of all its opera-
tions. Most of these precincts have undergone major
infrastructural changes and development. The new
Domestic Terminal building, which was completed in
2003, boosted ORT’s capacity to more than 16 million
passengers a year. A R44 million domestic-to-interna-
tional passenger transfer facility was opened in April
2004 and the International Terminal’s major upgrade is
nearing completion.
Further developments include the Central Terminal Build-
ing (CTB), a new apron, the Gautrain link and several
multi-storey car parks. Surrounding road infrastructure
and access roads have also been upgraded.
Artist’s impressions of the CTB. Images by BAI.
and project director for the CTB development. “As a
hub airport ORT has a focus to maximise the efficient
processing of passengers and goods and therefore
the conceptual design challenge for the CTB has been
to find an even balance between the built infrastruc-
tural requirements and the operational, technical and
economic considerations of ORT.”
“The design of a building within the space designated for
the CTB is unique and challenging. A very significant
part of the overall development at ORT, the CTB had to
produce an efficient seamless structure which optimises
capacity for the expected 25-million passengers.”

“The airport aims for the highest standards of service “There was substantial debate as regards the design
and its operations are run very tightly,” says Steve and finishes of the CTB. However, practical decisions
Riley, Bentel Associates International’s (BAI) architect were made and a complimentary design approach was
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 BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

utilised. The structure features a spacious triple storey

internal space, an enormous central atrium with a glass
dome allowing plenty of natural lighting, lots of large
and spacious open areas and overhead walkways to
other buildings,” comments Riley. Décor, finishes and
interior design echo the adjoining buildings providing
continuity and enhancing the efficient flow of passengers
and visitors. The exterior design of the CTB complements
the other buildings creating an overall similarity in style.

“With this development we are ensuring that ORT can

cater for all the people who will be moving in many direc-
tions through this hub. The enormous central atrium
serves as a single entry point for all arriving and depart-
ing passengers as well as visitors to the airport. From
this central core they will then move in different directions
into the various parts of the building and further into
connections with other parts of the airport, depending
on where they want to be.

We have dealt with several challenging dynamics in

this design. This is a highly complex environment and
in addition, the whole precinct has had to remain
fully operational during the CTB construction process.”

The CTB concept design also includes a huge retail

component. Retail, one of ACSA’s three principal
sources of revenue, is a key element in the company’s
strategy to maximise non-aeronautical income. In ad-
dition, the airport station for a Gautrain link has been
integrated with the CTB. ACSA has worked closely
with the Gauteng Provincial Government on the develop-
ment of the Gautrain high-speed link to ORT.

The CTB comprises the following levels:

Images by Sean Mowatt.
› A
 double-volume basement housing an extended
baggage handling facility
› A
 n International Departures level linking to the existing
› T he International Arrivals level with links to the International Terminal Departures Level, the Domtex
existing Domtex arrivals level retail mall and the multi-storey parking garage

› A
 n international transfer core concealed as a mezza- › A
 Domestic Departure level which extends from the
nine floor Domtex Domestic Departure Level
SECTION
BUILT >
ENVIRONMENT >
Construction of the atrium and main entrance.
› A
 level housing the viewing deck and office accom-
modation
› A plant room and overall roof-level
The building was designed using a 15-metre structural
grid, a concrete frame and post-tensioned slabs. The
plant rooms and overall roof-structure were designed
as a steel structure. The west facades, central atrium
and viewing deck comprise architectural steelwork.
The entire building is serviced from the basement levels
via the over-sized Baobab columns that rise through
each of the floors to the plant rooms at roof-level.
Taking these guiding principles into account, the archi-
tects sought to develop a design that was sculptural
in form, that comprised materials that would stand the
test of time and that would complement the architecture
found on the western precinct.
In the early stages of the conceptual design, the primary
challenge presented by the atrium was marrying the
dualities of function and an appropriate expression
for what essentially would be the hub of the airport
precinct. The integration of the atrium and main exter-
nal entrance posed similar disparities.
As part of the entrance elevation treatment, a glass
canopy was designed in order to detract as little as
possible from the façade, preserving full visibility of
the façade while still achieving adequate shelter for
pedestrians entering the building. Amongst others,
the design of the façade was influenced by the use of
materials found in the adjoining facades, the layout
and space planning within the CTB, the existence of
the new raised upper-airside road and elements and
forms traditionally associated with flight.
The architectural expression implied a combination of
forms, both centralised and dynamic, thus alluding to
the aerodynamic symbolism. Extended 3D exploration
of these complex relationships produced a tilted circular
butterfly ‘winged’ roof, over a conical clerestory. In order
to keep the clerestory free of heavy structural elements,
the roof needed support from within the atrium space,
via gigantic V-shaped concrete columns culminating
in four split-vector steel members for every V-shaped
column.
The concept of an organically shaped ceiling over the
check-in counters grew out of a desire to express the
concept of a flowing stream of people, once again in the
idiom of the aerodynamic form. The added benefit of
this form is a fragmentation of the ceiling over the vast
expanse of the check-in hall – a space prone to looking
bland and lacking of architectural form.
“ACSA is committed to empowerment and the transfer
of skills. We therefore had an exceptionally large profes-
sional project team. The concept design, its develop-
ment and the documentation of the CTB project is a joint
venture between BAI and Siyakha Architects, BAI’s
associated empowerment company, Osmond Lange
Architects and Shabangu Architects. The CTB was not
only a design challenge but it also provided an oppor-
tunity to demonstrate BAI’s ability to interface and
communicate effectively and efficiently at all levels,”
concludes Riley. <
 ukubona
Ukubona:
Leading the way with switchgear,
and high voltage projects
U
kubona, a formidable player in the medium and
high voltage sectors, has reached new heights
in the industry based on the quality of their work,
performance and cost effective solutions. Ukubona
experience, expertise and excellence have enabled it to
play a great role in the refurbishment of the South African
electrical infrastructure network.
Ukubona started operation in 1989, from small
premises in Edenvale, employing only four people,
with a key focus on electrical switchgear. The scope
of operation was installation, testing, commission and
maintenance of the switchgear.
Today Ukubona serves both South African and
international markets and has grown to an employee
complement totalling 64. Its mission is to be the
preferred solutions provider in respect of medium and
high voltage electrical equipment to both the public and
private sector.
“At the helm is executive chairman, Imtiaz Abdulla
who has guided the company through the myriad
opportunities that have presented themselves as a result UÊ,i“œÛiÊÓÇÊ££Ž6Ê«>˜iÃÊ>˜`ÊÀi܈ÀiÊ̅i“Ê
of the infrastructure development on the South African UÊ,ivÕÀLˆÃ…Ê̅iÊÃÕLÃÌ>̈œ˜
landscape,” says Subash Dowlath, a director UʘÃÌ>ÊxŽ“ÊœvÊ££Ž6ÊV>Li
at Ukubona. Long running contracts at OR Tambo International airport
and Ekurhuleni municipality have enabled the company
to build strong relationships with these two major
i˜ÌˆÌˆiðÊœÀÊ̅iÊ«>ÃÌÊ£ÓÊÞi>ÀÃÊ̅iÊ
ˆÀ«œÀÌÃÊ
œ“«>˜ÞÊ
Ukubona has partnered with a œvÊ-œÕ̅Ê
vÀˆV>Ê­

-
®Ê…>ÃÊVœ˜ÌÀ>VÌi`Ê1ŽÕLœ˜>Ê̜Ê
technologically advanced partner service and maintain the entire medium voltage network
at the airport. A maintenance contract for Ekurhuleni
to transfer the technology and municipality’s entire medium voltage cable network has
knowledge to South Africa also been running for the past two years.
Ukubona’s footprint has grown significantly with
contracts throughout Africa, India, the Middle East,
Mauritius and the United States. In India it was
Ukubona was awarded one of the first electricity Vœ““ˆÃȜ˜i`ÊLÞÊ/>Ì>Ê-ÌiiÊ̜ÊÃÕ««ÞÊ>˜`ʍœˆ˜ÌÊ>Ê£Îӎ6Ê
infrastructure orders for the Gautrain Rapid Rail Link cable project.
Project. It was tasked to relocate 44kV electrical cabling
in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. It was also )NTERNATIONALPARTNERS
awarded the reticulation of the Midrand Station for the The recent surge in the need for various products in the
Gautrain project. electrical sector, spurred Ukubona to source products
The company has the ability to re-instate the supply worldwide to satisfy its customers’ needs. The highest
of electricity in emergency situations. It has completed standards are required in its international partners and
three such emergencies in the past two years. This their products, to meet the company’s quality standards.
includes the Kempton Park main electricity supply station
where Ukubona had six days from being commissioned 6ALUEADD
to re-instating the supply of electricity. The job required Although switchgear is at the core of Ukubona’s
Ukubona to: business spectrum, the company has cast itself as
 ukubona

a specialised player in various other areas such as this regard, a transformation committee has been formed
maintenance, specialised projects and supplying high to ensure that the goals and objectives of measurable
voltage cables and transformers to suit clients’ needs. action plans are met.
This enhances Ukubona’s edge in providing a total
service for the range of requirements that may arise. 3KILLSDEVELOPMENT
/…iÊVœ“«>˜ÞÊ«ÀœÛˆ`iÃÊ
*
Ê܏Ṏœ˜ÃÊvœÀÊÃ܈ÌV…}i>À]Ê Skills development is a core component of Ukubona’s
cables and power transformers.
3WITCHGEAR
Ukubona’s switchgear division is capable of design,
supply, installation and commissioning of medium
voltage switchgear. The switchgear range comprises a
distribution and transmission type with a fault rating at
ÓäŽ
‡ÓxŽ
]Ê>˜`Ê>Ê}i˜iÀ>̈œ˜ÊÌÞ«iÊ܈̅Ê>ÊÀ>̈˜}ÊÓxŽ
‡
xäŽ
°Ê1ŽÕLœ˜>ʅ>ÃÊLii˜Êˆ˜ÃÌ>ˆ˜}Ê>˜`ʓ>ˆ˜Ì>ˆ˜ˆ˜}Ê
>Ê܈`iÊÛ>ÀˆiÌÞʜvÊÃ܈ÌV…}i>ÀÊȘViÊ£™™x°Ê/…ˆÃÊLÀœ>`Ê
experience places Ukubona in a prime position to render
a world-class service.
#ABLES
Ukubona’s highly skilled employees have rare jointing
ΈÃ]Ê܅ˆV…ʈ˜VÕ`iÊV>Liʍœˆ˜Ìˆ˜}ÊÕ«Ê̜Ê{ääŽ6ʜ˜ÊÛ>ÀˆœÕÃÊ
types of cables. Examples are XLPE and oil filled cables.
In addition, Ukubona is also a preferred maintenance
contractor with regards to design, cable repairs and
assistance with diagnostics.
,ÊiÛiœ«“i˜ÌÊ-ÌÀ>Ìi}Þ°Ê/…iÊ`ޘ>“ˆVʘ>ÌÕÀiʜvÊ̅iÊ
business provides staff with continuous on-the-job
ÌÀ>ˆ˜ˆ˜}°Ê/À>ˆ˜ˆ˜}ʜVVÕ«ˆiÃÊLiÌÜii˜Êx¯Ê>˜`ÊÓä¯ÊœvÊ
the working week and varies between technical and
management courses.
As part of its mission of meeting the objectives
set out by the AsgiSA initiative, the company has
developed structures, which incorporate black women
as shareholders/partners.
3WITCHGEARANDASSOCIATEDEQUIPMENT
TRAININGCENTRE
Ukubona has recognised the dire need for training
and has developed a plan to open a training facility for
switchgear and associated equipment. It has earmarked
,{°Óʓˆˆœ˜ÊvœÀÊ̅iÊiÃÌ>LˆÃ…“i˜ÌʜvÊ̅iÊVi˜ÌÀi°
“This will be a perfect opportunity for black
females to be trained overseas as trainers, in order
to provide locally based training, under supervision,

0OWERTRANSFORMERS
As a result of its involvement in turnkey substation
projects, Ukubona has sourced and supplied power
transformers from its partners around the world. It has:
UʘÌiÀ˜>̈œ˜>Ê>VVÀi`ˆÌ>̈œ˜
UÊ*wÃÌiÀiÀÊViÀ̈wV>̈œ˜Ê
UÊ

ÊViÀ̈wV>̈œ˜

0RODUCTCAPABILITIES
Ukubona’s metrical capabilities include the following:
UÊÊ/ÕÀ˜ŽiÞÊ«Àœ`ÕVÌʓ>˜>}i“i˜ÌÊÀi>̈˜}ÊëiVˆwV>ÞÊ̜Ê
the following products:
- Reticulation
- Sub stations
- Emergency repairs
UÊÊiÈ}˜ˆ˜}]ʓ>˜Õv>VÌÕÀˆ˜}]ÊÌiÃ̈˜}]ʈ˜ÃÌ>ˆ˜}]Ê
commissioning and maintaining of MV switchgear.
UÊÊ/…iÊ`iÈ}˜ˆ˜}]ÊÃÕ««Þˆ˜}]ÊÌiÃ̈˜}]ÊVœ““ˆÃȜ˜ˆ˜}Ê>˜`Ê
“>ˆ˜Ì>ˆ˜ˆ˜}ʜvÊ6Ê­££Ž6®ÊÌœÊ 6Ê­{ääŽ6®ÊV>Lið
%MPOWERMENTWITHINSOCIETY
The management and staff at Ukubona have pledged
a commitment from within the company to contribute
in a positive and meaningful way to empowerment
within society.

4RANSFORMATIONPOLICY
Ukubona subscribes to BEE and gender equity, having
already received a level 3 BEE score. It is Ukubona’s
stated intention to improve its BEE score every year. In
 ukubona
to all prospective equipment operators. We have
internationally respected engineers who will assist with BEE Profile
the initial establishment of the centre and ensure a
Subash Dowlath
smooth and solid base for the women who plan to own
Dowlath is an admitted lawyer by profession
and operate the facility,” says Dowlath.
who joined Ukubona 18 months ago on a
vՏÊ̈“iÊLÕȘiÃðÊiʅ>Ãʈ˜ÌiÀiÃÌÃʈ˜ÊœÌ…iÀÊ
7IRINGTEAM
industries, but chose to harness his skills and
Ukubona already has numerous female panellists on networks for the development of Ukubona.
its wiring team. Its intention is to formalise the team ˆÃÊ«ÀˆœÀÊܜÀŽÊˆ˜Ê̅iʏœV>Ê}œÛiÀ˜“i˜ÌÊÃiV̜ÀÊ
into a company whereby the female panellists would means that he is poised for penetration into
be shareholders and manage their own business. The the municipal and parastatal market, for the
Ukubona management team will assist the team with benefit of Ukubona. Dowlath has a BA LLB
business guidance and marketing. LLM and Diploma ADR, which assist him in
integrating his role as Ukubona’s director of
4ECHNOLOGYDEVELOPMENTANDTRANSFER business development and legal oversight.
One of the major advantages of Ukubona’s partnership
with leading international switchgear company Gelpag/ Imtiaz Abdulla
Õ>`ˆ>˜ÊˆÃÊ̅iÊΈÃÊÌÀ>˜ÃviÀÊ̅>ÌʈÃÊÌ>Žˆ˜}Ê«>Vi°Ê
ÕÀÀi˜ÌÞÊ̅iÊ
ÝiVṎÛiÊ
…>ˆÀ“>˜]Ê>˜`ÊÈÌÃÊ
i«>}ÉÕ>`ˆ>˜Ê…>ÃÊ>}Àii`Ê̜ÊÌÀ>˜ÃviÀÊ̅iˆÀÊÃÌ>Ìi‡œv‡ on various other Boards in various sectors
the-art switchgear production, which has been jointly œvʘ`ÕÃÌÀÞ°ÊiÊLÀˆ˜}ÃÊ̜Ê̅iÊÌ>LiʅˆÃÊÛ>ÃÌÊ
`iÈ}˜i`Ê>˜`Ê`iÛiœ«i`ÊLÞÊiÀ“>˜Ê>˜`Ê
…ˆ˜iÃiÊ`iÈ}˜Ê knowledge on government, and strategic
engineers, to South Africa for local manufacturing for ˆ˜Ãˆ}…Ìʈ˜ÌœÊ
œ“«>˜ÞÊ`iÛiœ«“i˜ÌÊ>˜`Ê
>˜Ê>}Àii`Ê«iÀˆœ`°Êi«>}ÉÕ>`ˆ>˜Ê…>ÛiÊVœ““ˆÌÌi`Ê̜Ê
ÌÀ>ˆ˜ˆ˜}Ê>˜`Ê`iÛiœ«ˆ˜}ÊxäÊ«iœ«iÊvÀœ“Ê-œÕ̅Ê
vÀˆV>Ê>ÌÊ
̅iˆÀʜvwViÃʈ˜Ê
…ˆ˜>°Ê/…iʈ˜Ìi˜`i`ʜLiV̈ÛiʈÃÊvœÀÊ̅œÃiÊ discipline in terms of the Ukubona work
team members to then transfer their acquired skills and
knowledge to the rest of the team at Ukubona.
In the past this type of switchgear has been imported.
“We believe that this technology can and should be
manufactured locally. It is for this reason that Ukubona
has partnered with a technologically advanced partner to
transfer the technology and knowledge to South Africa.”
…ˆivÊ"«iÀ>̈œ˜ÃÊ"vwViÀ]Ê܈̅Ê
5KUBONAEMPLOYEESSHAREOWNERSHIPPLAN 
Ukubona is in the process of establishing an employee
œÀ«œÀ>ÌiÊ-iÀۈViÃ]Ê܅ˆV…ʈ˜VÕ`iÃÊ
share ownership plan, which will be a shareholder of
1ŽÕLœ˜>Êœ`ˆ˜}ÃÊ­*ÌÞ®ÊÌ`°Ê
Ê1ŽÕLœ˜>Êi“«œÞiiÃÊ̅>ÌÊ
have spent more than three years in employment will be
eligible. A central component of the plan, which is in its
final stages of completion, is to include black females
܅œÊ܈ÊœÜ˜Ê>ÊÅ>Àiʈ˜Ê1ŽÕLœ˜>Êœ`ˆ˜}ð
0ROJECT)KAYA
ÌÀ>˜ÃvœÀ“>̈œ˜°ÊiʈÃÊ>ÃœÊ>ÊÇ̅Ê>˜Ê>À̈>Ê
arts expert that encourages focus and
ethic, to ensure that Ukubona employees,
produce at their optimum at all times.
Under his leadership, Ukubona has already
experienced many successes and is poised
for much more.
Trevor Besten
/ÀiۜÀʈÃÊ̅iÊ
experience from the Entertainment and
i`ˆ>Êi˜ÛˆÀœ˜“i˜Ì°ÊˆÃÊÃVœ«iÊvœÀʜÛiÀÈ}…ÌÊ
ˆÃÊ

`“ˆ˜ˆÃÌÀ>̈œ˜]ʈ˜>˜Vi]ÊՓ>˜Ê,iÜÕÀViÃÊ
and Legal. Trevor is hands on and ensures
that Ukubona does not lose momentum.
Facts and figures
UÊ/œÌ>Ê˜Õ“LiÀʜvÊi“«œÞiiÃÊqÊÈ{
UÊÊ
œ˜ÃÌÀÕV̈œ˜Ê˜`ÕÃÌÀÞÊiÛiœ«“i˜ÌÊ œ>À`Ê
Ukubona has taken the initiative to ensure a better ­
 ®ÊÀ>̈˜}ÊqÊn


quality of life for all of its long serving employees, UÊ-"ÊÀ>Ìi`Êqʙää£\ÊÓäääÊViÀ̈wi`
by purchasing a block of seven flats to house UÊÊ7ˆ˜˜iÀʜvÊ ÕȘiÃÃÊ*>À̘iÀÃÊ
˜ÌÀi«Ài˜iÕÀʜvÊ
employees with over ten years of service. The
̅iÊ9i>ÀÊ>Ü>À`ÊÓääÇ
UÊÊxä¯Ê}ÀœÜ̅ʫiÀÊ>˜˜Õ“ÊvœÀÊ̅iʏ>ÃÌÊ̅ÀiiÊ
y>ÌÃ]Ê܅ˆV…ÊLiV>“iʜ«iÀ>̈œ˜>Êˆ˜ÊÓääÇÊ>Ài>`ÞÊ
financial years
>VVœ““œ`>ÌiÃÊÓäÊi“«œÞiiÃʈ˜ÊiÀ“ˆÃ̜˜°ÊU

This article was commissioned by Ukubona. For more information please

call 011 608 4736 or fax 011 608 4741. Alternatively, email info@ukubonaelectrical.co.za
or visit www.ukubonaelectrical.co.za
 BUILT ENVIRONMENT >

Soccer City >

Africa’s melting pot
By Bev Hermanson

Soccer City is possibly one of the most symbolic stadiums to be

constructed for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. There have been a
number of notable design elements that had to be researched and
sourced, making this a groundbreaking project for South Africa.

Every four years, the FIFA Soccer World Cup is followed
by billions across the globe, igniting the passion and
camaraderie of many nations. In 2010, as we all well
know, this event is due to be hosted in South Africa, a
first time occasion for the continent of Africa. The
throngs of supporters that will be lucky enough to join
the festivities in the flesh will be testing our infrastruc-
tures, our hospitality, our security, our communications
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
systems and above all, the facilities at the stadiums
that have been prepared in readiness for the event.
Johannesburg boasts two stadiums that will be used
for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ – Ellis Park and Soccer
City. But it is the latter that will claim the bulk of the
glory, as the opening games and the final match will
be played there.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
The design secured the deal
Risk in the architectural profession is a stark reality.
However, that is what Boogertman, Urban Edge +
Partners, the architects, did when pitching to do the
design and architecture for Soccer City.
“In 2000, we put together a proposal to do a head office
for the SA Football Association. The location suggested
was a sports field in the Wits University/Empire Road
area. At the time, SAFA was preparing to bid for the
hosting of the Soccer World Cup. We already had various
concepts for stadiums that had been put together,
including a possible rugby stadium in Midrand, proposed
for the Golden Lions, so we were naturally interested
in seeing what we could do for them,” says Bob van
Bebber, Project Director: Boogertman Urban Edge +
Partners.
“To help them prepare for the bid, we started looking
at some design options and consulted with the technical
team that was responsible for the staging of the Rugby

World Cup back in 1995. In the beginning, all the designs
included structures to support roofing, but we even-
tually cut the roof back, with a saving of R360-million,
and that was the design choice that went into the bid
books for 2006 and 2010.”
When South Africa won the 2010 bid, the pressure was
intensified enormously. All aspects of the planning
for the World Cup were examined microscopically.
During the 2006 Africa Cup staged in Egypt, opinions
were being bandied about that the design for the lead
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
stadium wasn’t iconic enough for a continent such as
Africa. SAFA rose to the challenge and asked Boogertman
Urban Edge + Partners to come up with some more
ideas.
The various symbols considered included reflections
of the mine dumps so characteristic of Johannesburg,
the kgotla defined by the tree, bowls, landscape and
the protea, which is South Africa’s national flower.
However, it was the calabash, symbolising the melting
pot of African cultures, that was finally chosen.
 Phumaf
Consulting Engineers

Proud Project Managers for the upgrade of

Soccer City, Nasrec

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“Containers, or pots, represent sustenance for the
body and mind. In Africa, water and food are in great
demand and they need to be carried and handled in
containers. After a meal, sharing a beer pot that is
passed from one to another while sitting around a
fire, is a great communal activity,” van Bebber ex-
plains. “We played around with a wide variety of shapes,
but Danny Jordaan was looking for something that
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
was obviously African and the calabash is clearly dis-
tinctive.”
“We took a risk on staying involved. There was talk
that they would just buy the design from us and put
the execution out to tender. But we hung in and even-
tually it paid off. In the end, the design secured the
deal for us.”
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
Upgrade of the existing stadium at Nasrec
The new Soccer City stadium is a revamp of the old FNB
stadium that was first built in 1987. It is located some
distance south of Johannesburg’s CBD, within easy reach
of Soweto, which is home to a vast number of soccer
enthusiasts. Close by, the Expo Centre regularly attracts
huge crowds to events such as the well known Rand Easter
Show, motor shows and other large expos. This entire
precinct has been revamped and now boasts well lit
pedestrian walkways, landscaped verges, CCTV security,
public amenities and new roads leading to the Nasrec
Transportation Hub and a pedestrian mall.
The old stadium comprised two levels of corporate
viewing suites, elevated seating on the western side and
embankment seating surrounding the playing field. As
often happens in a revamp, the existing concrete struc-
ture had not been constructed with the intention of
carrying extra weight in the future and therefore the
roof structure has been designed to be independent of
the seating bowl structure. Using an ingenious piling
solution, the roof structure is positioned on 12 off-
shutter concrete shafts that, along with 120 inclined
perimeter façade columns, carry the load to the foun-
dations, which have ‘some of the most extreme piles
ever installed in South Africa’ to cope with the load.
The calabash sits on a raised podium, on top of which
is located a ‘pit of fire’. The pot, therefore, sits in a
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depression, which is the ‘pit’, as if it were being naturally
fired. The pit demarcates the security and turnstile line
separating the outer areas and the secure inner areas.
The structural profile of the existing suite levels and
upper-tier seating of the existing western grandstand
extend all the way round to encircle the pitch. The exist-
ing lower embankment has been rebuilt to consider-
ably improve the view lines of the most popular seats,
while the upper third of the existing embankment has
been raised to form a secondary tier, turning the sta-
dium into a 3-tiered, rather than a 2-tiered, facility.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
The upper embankment and the rebuilt lower embank-
ment are accessible from the lower concourse, which is
fed from the podium level. The two suite levels and the
upper tier are accessed via 3-dimensional ramp struc-
tures that are contained within the façade of the pot.
All VIP areas and the stadium management offices
are located behind the main western grandstand. The
suite levels have separate lift and stair lobbies at
each corner for dedicated secure VIP access. New
change rooms, media work areas, auditorium and VIP

parking are located within a new basement under the
podium on the western side of the stadium.
The defining moment
The circular plan format of the pot, which encircles
the rectangular seating bowl and field, was selected
to ensure that all façade detailing could be consistent
in plan and section, thus ensuring an easier detailing,
manufacture, and installation process. This further-
more ensured that the 120 concrete façade columns
would be consistent in shape and form.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
The stadium’s façade is made up of fibre reinforced
concrete panels, in eight colours and two textures
that resemble the shades and textures of the cala-
bash. The curved surface is punctured by open or
glazed panels that show up when the inside areas are
illuminated. There are ten vertical slots, aligned geo-
graphically with the nine other 2010 stadiums around
the country and the Berlin stadium in Germany. These
represent the road to the final.
The final selection of came about after An extensive
search was conducted to find just the right material
for the façade. The product had to ultimately reflect the
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
essence of the calabash. Having discarded ideas of
composite aluminium, steel, and various roof-sheeting
options, the architects were coincidently introduced to
an extruded fibre reinforced concrete panel called Fibre
C, from Rieder Elements in Austria. The product is sup-
plied in panels with varying surface finishes, honed and
sandblasted, in combination with a variety of earthy col-
ours, to create the unique variegated façade cladding.
The panels, which are light-weight and only 13mm in
thickness, are supplied in 1200 x 1800mm typical panel
sizes and are fixed to a galvanised steel sub frame. The
panels have excellent thermal properties and have
been subjected to rigorous testing, including hail impact,
water penetration and discolouration tests.
“Finding the correct material for the façade proved
challenging,” says van Bebber. “It took us about three
months to find the right solution. We sent an e-mail
to Wolfgang Rieder, CEO of Rieder Elements in Austria.
Within a week, he was in our offices. He sat with us
and developed a brief and a week later came back
with a proposal. The defining moment for me was getting
that e-mail from Europe late at night and realising
that we could produce the façade cladding at only
10% more than the original figure budgeted. Essen-
tially, the façade is just about 100% recyclable. The
panels are made on a conveyor belt and cut like cookies.
They are then laid out to dry before being finished
and packed for shipping.”

Eight large pedestrian ramps, designed for the efficient
ingress and egress of spectators to the upper levels
of the stadium, have been provided. These ramps,
which also provide vehicular access to all levels, fol-
low the shape of the façade bowl and consequently
change position in plan from one level to the next. In
addition to the sloped façade columns, the other col-
umns supporting the ramps are inclined thereby re-
quiring intricate design analysis and construction
techniques.
Ensuring sound quality
The upper roof, which is cantilevered from an enormous
triangular spatial ring truss, is covered by a PTFE mem-
brane in a colour similar to that of mine-dump sand.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
The bottom of the trusses are covered by a perforated
mesh membrane, giving the appearance of a smooth
under-slung ceiling. It is here that most of the sound
speakers are situated to add atmosphere to the venue.
“There are 128 loudspeakers installed, in total. They
are a collection of different models with different dis-
persion angles, all colour co-ordinated to blend with
the roof,” explains Mark Malherbe, Technical Director
of Prosound. “The bulk of the work was up in the roof,
which meant that our technicians had to have all of their
tools on lanyards, so if they dropped, they wouldn’t
actually fall through the mesh membrane. We also
had to construct walkways, as the speakers boxes
are very heavy and the mesh membrane was not able
to support the weight.”

As sound travels relatively slowly, the Prosound tech-
nicians had to digitally align the various sound sources
so that they coincide. The amplifiers were installed at
the catwalk level so that they are easy to access.
These are linked back to a central processor that
sends the signals to them. Infill speakers were addi-
tionally installed to compensate for areas in acoustic
shadows, such as some of the suites.
Over and above the commentary and public address
systems, Prosound further made sure that there was
an evacuation facility that allows manual override of
the sound system if necessary. “The public address
system is multi-zoned, so that specific areas can be
evacuated if the situation arises, without causing
general panic throughout the stadium,” Malherbe
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
says. “The sound equipment has been designed to
take in the perimeter of the stadium, the passages
and toilet areas as well. From a design point of view,
the cable routes are very important. How the cabling
gets from one point to the next can be a huge issue,
particularly when there has been an existing struc-
ture that’s being renovated, like Soccer City.”
Another huge issue is the noise that is likely to be
generated by the crowds. “The Confederations Cup
was an eye opener for us. We looked at the statistical
analysis of the level of noise coming from the crowds.
The Vuvuzela makes it insane.” However, with just
short of 30 years experience in the big events and
Rock ‘n Roll industry, the professionals at Prosound
are undaunted.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT >
Conclusion
Due to a critical skills shortage in the construction
industry, the Soccer City project embarked on an ex-
tensive training initiative to provide the necessary
skills required by the project and to contribute to the
development of the local community. A self-sustain-
ing training centre was established by the Soccer City
project near the site, in conjunction with a black eco-
nomic empowerment (BEE) training provider.
As part of their Corporate Social Investment programmes,
GLTA/Interbeton have agreed to construct two class-
rooms at the Bella Primary School in Soweto, opposite
the Hector Pieterson Museum. To this end, Boogert-
man Urban Edge + Partners and PDNA have provided,
at no cost, the architectural and engineering services
respectively to facilitate this.
By the time the first teams run on to the filed, 80 000
cubic metres of concrete will have been poured, 9000
tons of reinforcing steel will have been placed and
8000 tons of structural steel will have been erected.
This, in combination with the moving of approximately
120 000 cubic metres of soil, the distinctive, yet func-
tional architecture and dedicated efforts in the design
offices and on site, will result in the 90 000 seater
Soccer City being transformed into one of the most
striking, impressive and well-equipped stadiums in
the world.
“Although we had a joint venture partner in Populous
from London, we are proud of the fact that a South
African firm did the main architecture for Soccer City.
There are only 17 architectural practices in the world
that can claim to have done a World Cup stadium – one
of them is ours,” van Bebber concludes. <
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INDUSTRIAL DESIGN >

DESIGN IS ABOUT THE FUTURE:

THE TIME
TO CHANGE TRACK IS NOW
Design reflects change. Change as the norm, not the
exception, reflects how South Africa and the world
has changed. “Yet 40 years later, the ordinary person
in the street continues to ask the obvious. ‘Where in
our market are our goods? Where do we buy South
African designed products?” asks Linda Mvusi, chair-
person of the SABS Design Excellence Awards 2009
adjudication panel on the 40th anniversary of the
awards scheme.
Mvisi, an architect with around 30-years’ of experience
knows what she is talking about. Trained in Ghana and
the UK, she has practised in several countries before
settling in her country of birth, where she has served
on the adjudication panels of the SABS’ various design
awards for more than a decade.
While reflecting on the adjudication of the 2009 Awards,
Mvusi ponders on an important scenario: “South Africa

Linda Mvusi, chairperson of the SABS Design Excellence Awards 2009 share some insights with Prof. Singh and
Dr Bonakele Mehlomakulu, CEO of the SABS.
 INDUSTRIAL DESIGN >

pays a hefty premium by continually valuing extraction

industries and manufacturing for export at the expense
of industrial production the manufacturing of South
African design for our domestic economy. Will South
Africa continue to pay northwards of 5% of our real
Gross National Product in Intellectual Property, billions
of Rands in fees and royalties for other countries’
ideas? I hope not.”

Mvusi boldly exclaims that: “Hope is not a plan!” and

explains: “The problem is not design, education or the
‘much-ness’ of our material resources. The global eco-
nomic downturn is fortuitous for a country with our The Snuza Baby Monitor, designed by ...XYZ, Savant
socio-political-economic demographics. It reveals struc- and ID&B.
tural failure in our national mind-set. By and large, in
the past, we rewarded respectful conformism and
benchmarked minimal standards. We ostracised free-
thinkers, creative intellectuals, dissidents and crimi-
nalised the notion of having the courage to fail.”

She continues: “The time to change track is now” and

claims that the SABS Design Excellence Awards 2009
is a good news story: “positive proof that a country’s
wealth is not in material resources, but in people’s intel-
lectual creativity. Design is scaled at life itself, not the
design object or complex system. In an ideas-driven,
creative global economy, design and design-thinking
is pivotal.”

In October, 18 South African designed products received

SABS Design Excellence Awards, representing what
Mvusi terms ‘pivotal design-thinking’.

Although the products were not in competition with
each other, The Snuza Baby Monitor received the Chair-
person’s Award for the product that most inspired the
adjudication panel. Snuza, designed by …XYZ, Savant
and ID&B, is a new generation baby monitor that allows
mobile monitoring of a baby’s breathing.
The Moonflower Range, designed by Willowlamp.
payment methods that are accessible to them, and
for the Stopak Jumbo Inflator that is used in the trans-
port of produce in road freight vehicles.

…XYZ also received awards for its design of the Touch- Most of the other awards went to the home and office
mart TAP, a solution to enable the general public to ware category. These included the Kubic Innovator
access a broad range of products and services using LED system; the Willow Lamp Moonflower Range of
SECTION >

Chandeliers which also received a host of other

awards in recent times; the Vector gate-opening
system; the Cobra range of taps and accessories
and the SKALA business furniture system. The latter
two recipients were both designed by one of Africa’s
most prolific industrial designers, Brian Steinhobel.
The Cobra range is also one of the rare high-end sig-
nature sanitary product ranges designed by African
designers in recent years.

In the medical and healthcare category, the Stim-

pod, a nerve-locating device also received and
award, while in the leisure and sport goods catego-
ry, the new age scuba diving flippers, Seawing Nova
and the nifty Ybike, a huge improvement on chil-
dren’s plastic scooters, received awards. and This
year again saw a pool cleaner, the Superbug, being
recognised awarded, highlighting South Africa’s ex-
emplary track record in the swimming pool equip-
ment market.

In line with products solving real African problems,

the Lifewise Eco-Loo was honoured awarded. This
cistern doubles up as a washbasin and clears the
toilet bowl of urine, if the person using it washes
his or her hands for 20 seconds. This innovative
product solves two problems in one go – not only
does it save water, but it also enforces hygiene
through hand washing.

As is the case of the past 40 years, engineering prod-

ucts again stood out this year. These include the GALT
Road/ Rail Vehicle, the Kaoko™ Throttle Control for
motorcycles, and the Puzey on-road, off-road motorcy-
cle. And on the electronics front, the Command and
Control Backpack, aimed at the military market, and
the Sola-lite™ also received awards. Sola-Lite™ is
modular and upgradeable a solar-powered LED
Lighting System that comes in a DIY kit form with
detailed instructions and is specifically designed for
homes or buildings that require lighting but may not
be connected to the national electricity grid.

In her reflection of this year’s award winners, Mvusi
comments that: “A significant proportion of entrants
were small-medium and family enterprises – wives
and husbands, siblings, parents and their children
offspring – the sector most resilient with ways and
means in a turbulent economy.” She notes that: “The
overall standard was higher than previous years, re-
flecting deepening design consciousness, and sur-
passing ‘problem solving’ and competence per se:
> Thedesigns articulated new ways of thinking, em-
bracing responsibility for real issues. Primarily tools
for perception, not just ‘objects in space’, they clar-
ified purpose, meaning and use through legible
metaphors, articulating rich relationships between
people and objects.
> Theyevolved through collaboration between users
and designers, for in reality no one knows the aspira-
tions and actual activities of users affected by design
than users themselves.
> The designers tailored technology and materials to
users’ cultural and psychological needs, anticipating
and accommodating future change.
> Outstanding products were strategically designed
beyond clients’ protocols, re-organising corporations
for to accommodate user-responsiveness, not just
user-friendliness.
> ‘Fail-Safe’ Design – designing products and systems
to fail without disaster – is exciting. It acknowledges
The Vector, designed by Centurion Systems.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN >
as an appreciation that old and new technologies
can, do and should co-exist and be integrated and
complementary side by side.”
Mvusi concludes that: “This is people-centred design
at its best! The SABS Design Excellence 2009 Awards
embody critical values for a new, design-thinking
South Africa.” In line with this statement, DESIGN>
reviewed the successes of five of this year’s winners.
CENTURION SYSTEMS
Centurion Systems is a manufacturer of security and
access control products. Their product categories include
gate automation, proximity access control systems,
remote controls and receivers, high volume and man-
ual traffic barriers (boom poles), intercom systems
and related accessories.
Established in 1986, Centurion Systems has always had
a culture of innovation. , and tasks itself Its mission is
to become a worldclass leader in the access automation
industry. Centurion started off Starting in a temporary
hut in managing director, Pat Dickens’ (MD) garden, the
firm . It soon had to find much larger premises and has
been moving every four to five years since. Today it boasts
a purpose-built factory of 15 000 m2 incorporating robot-
ics and state-of-the-art manufacturing processes.
Since its inception, Centurion Systems has pioneered
many world-firsts such as battery backed-up gate motors
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN >
and the use of high torque DC motors. Their manufactur-
ing processes are is being continually upgraded and
its factory is fully compliant with the requirements of
ISO 9001:2000 to ensure the highest quality. The com-
pany invests considerable amounts in its R&D programme
and has , with 15 qualified engineers to research new
and innovate products to add to the its range.
According to Marketing Manager, Adam Butchart:
“Without continuous investment in R&D, our company
would find itself joining the ranks of its competitors –
following the trends rather than creating them. Clever
design, together with an intimate understanding of the
manufacturing process, helps to drive down unit costs,
a factor critical to remaining competitive. In certain
cases, the introduction of innovative features justi-
fies higher selling prices, thereby maintaining our
competitive edge as well as our profitability.”
Over the past 23 years, the company has brought
more than 50 products to the market, of which more
than 40 are currently available. Even more encourag-
ing is that all products are manufactured at the com-
pany’s factory in North Riding, South Africa, and their
exports currently span five continents.
When asked what makes the Vector a worthy winner
of the 2009 SABS Design Excellence Award, Butchart
remarks: “The use of a novel centrifugal braking system
allowed the designers to focus on developing a highly
efficient epicyclic gear train. This allows a smaller
motor to be used, while still delivering class-leading
performance. The choice of stainless steel, aluminium
and plastic materials ensures a lifetime of corrosion free
operation. Quadrature position sensing and a closed
loop speed control system ensure that the operator
stops smoothly and accurately at the ends of travel.
A fully featured electronic controller, with LCD user
interface, ensures ease of use and enough flexibility
to overcome the majority of installation challenges.”
CHROME CHERRY DESIGN STUDIO
Established in 2004, Chrome Cherry Design Studio (CCDS)
was founded as an outlet for the creativity of its share-
holders, five lifelong friends. Their skills and experience
stretch over span various design fields including indus-
trial design, automotive, exhibition design, aerospace,
furniture design and even film.
Launched two years ago, YBIKE is the first product
conceptualised, owned, manufactured and marketed
by CCDS and is currently available in nine countries with
others following soon. Since then it has won awards at
the SA Toy of the Year 2007 and SABS Design Excellence
Awards 2009. Surprisingly, for the adjudication of SA
Toy of the Year 2007, the judges only had a prototype
to judge and YBIKE competed against world brands
such as Fisher Price, Mattel, Barbie and Lego.
Jean van der Merwe says: “We at CCDS are firm believers
in that not only good functional design, but more im-
portantly also the aesthetics of design are important
integral to our company’s development, sustainabil-
ity and competitiveness. We understand the changes
in a increasingly design conscious society and strive to
develop products out that meet this need. Why can
products not also be objects of beauty?”
When asked what makes the YBIKE a worthy winner
of the 2009 SABS Design Excellence Award, van der
Merwe responds that: “The YBIKE may seem to be just
another plastic ride-on, but every single aspect in its
design, both functional and aesthetically, was re-
searched and addressed. It passes complies with all
applicable international toy safety laws and was tested
by the Sport Science Institute and found to be very
beneficial to the development of gross motor skills in
young children. There are no short-cuts, from the choice
of injection moulding – which is expensive – through
material choices and place of manufacture, everything
was done with reason.”
Van der Merwe adds : “Being recognised by the SABS
Design Institute has capped off an incredible two years
since the launch of YBIKE. The award recognises the
work and effort that has gone into such a visually
simple product. We are determined to be at the
awards again in 2010.”
IDESO
Founded in 1998, Ideso is a specialist industrial design
consultancy based in Cape Town. Its essential concern
is to take a potential product or ideas through the entire
product development cycle until an actual manufac-
tured product is on the shelves. This includes concept
design, material and process research, visualisation,
photographically realistic rendering, design for manufac-
ture prototyping, tooling, packaging project management
and manufacture.
“Design is our life. It is in everything we do. Our aim is to
design products that significantly improve our customer’s
competitiveness. Only by designing great products can
we expect to remain sustainable,” says Marc Ruwiel.
He explains: “We have designed over 350 products in
the last 11 years. Of these, more than 300 have gone
into production and at least 200 of these are still in
production.”
Ideso-designed products are available all over the
world. “The USA and the UK are popular export des-
tinations, particularly for plastics and homewares.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN >
The Command & Control backpack, designed by Ideso.
Several of our medical products are sold in Germany
and in the Netherlands. The planters we designed for
Styler are available in the Middle East. We have also
designed collapsible horse stalls for a company based
in the USA, two-way radio chargers for a company
based in Hong Kong and a modem and tracking de-
vice for the UAE coast guard.” And he adds that: “It is
always fun to see products one has designed in a
completely unexpected and foreign setting.”
The sturdy Command & Control backpack that won a
SABS Design Excellence Award was a surprise entry
in the ICT category because it is a housing system for
such products rather than an actual ICT product. Ruwiel
explains: “We believe that it is the combination of ergo-
nomics, strength and fit suitability for purpose” that
secured this award. This range product is more than
a mere backpack because they are it is intended to house
sophisticated and fragile communication devices
which need to ‘survive when being parachute dropped
from a plane or dropped onto a concrete floor from a
truck. While it must , yet still protect its contents, it must
also and be comfortable to carry for a wide variety of
people. It needs to do all this while weighing a fraction
of the equipment that it supports. It may not be the
prettiest product we have ever designed, but it is cer-
tainly practical.”

KAOKO™ THROTTLE CONTROL

The Kaoko™ Throttle Control was formulated in 2002
by a South African adventure rider, Roy Mentis, while on
a long distance trip through the Kaokoveld in Namibia,
one of the last true wildernesses in the world. Mentis
explains that today, the company’s core business entails
the manufacture and marketing of one of the simplest
and most effective friction type throttle controls avail-
able worldwide. The Kaoko™ Throttle Controls, designed by Kaoko™.

In 2002 the first Kaoko™ Throttle Controls were designed

for BMW motorcycles. Through their huge popularity,
and by demand for other makes of motorcycles, R&D
became an on going process, as the controls are bike-
specific and purpose designed. Currently over 100
models are available and since 2005, the Kaoko™
Control has enjoyed exponential sales growth.
“Design plays a major role. The Kaoko™ Throttle
Controls has earned the reputation as a market leader.
Kaoko™ vigorously keeps abreast of new motorcycle
models and designs and markets new kits accordingly”,
says Mentis. Unique features of the Kaoko™ Throttle
Controls include: 5-year functional guarantees; the
products are fully CNC machined; they are simple to
install and takes less than 10 minutes to fit; they are
simple to operate, even with heavy winter gloves;
they are safe as they cannot lock and can be overridden
in an instant; and the products are readily available
internationally.
In addition to the Throttle Controls, Kaoko™ has also
developed a high-tech long-range fuel tank for BMW
bikes and numerous designs of soft luggage for motor-
cycles. Mainly manufactured in South Africa, the com-
pany exports its products to the USA, Canada, all over
Europe and Australia.
…XYZ
Formed in 1999, …XYZ has grown into one of South
Africa’s largest industrial design consultancies, pro-
viding companies locally and internationally with
award winning and market capturing solutions. The
Cape Town-based consultancy has experience in devel-
oping products for a range of applications, from complex
socio-technical environments, to ergonomic intensive
tools, to rugged industrial goods. Their diverse knowl-
edge of 12 professionals encourages cross-pollination
between technologies and provides clients with a fresh
access approach to new markets. They describe their
core business as “linking society and technology
through product innovation and incubation.”
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN >

When asked about the role that design plays in the

company’s development, sustainability and competi-
tiveness, Design Director Byron Qually responds:
“Design thinking is used throughout our business,
from extrapolating a client’s true requirements or to
planning a the products for mass production. The real
essence of good design practice is to manage issues of
sustainability, consumerism, innovation and recycling,
amongst others.”

…XYZ has developed more than 100 products that em-

body multiple components and diverse technologies, of
which 71 products have reached the marketplace in
the past ten years. Depending on the client’s existing
network, quality expectations, production volume
and design for assembly considerations, the company
manufactures in South Africa, China, India, Singapore
and Portugal.

Describing the three products that won SABS Design

Excellence Awards in 2009, Qually says: “The Snuza
Baby Monitor and Stopak Jumbo Inflator, respectively
assist in managing the safety of individuals and cargo.
The Touchmart TAP, being a mobile and standalone
solution, has empowered users with access to a broad
range of products and services that were previously
inaccessible. All three products have constructively
contributed to the well-being and development of the
market society.”

Commenting on their winning streak at various awards

schemes over the past few years, Qually says ”The
SABS Awards bring international recognition and
credibility to the South African product development
community. The scheme, in part, provides an audit of
product quality for export potential and an indication
of skills sets that can compete globally. …XYZ has
won 20 awards, been featured on five international
exhibitions, and has its products as part of the per-
manent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New
York and London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.”

Stopak Jumbo Inflator (top) and the Touchmart TAP, These five companies exemplify what Mvusi describes
designed by ...XYZ. as “people-centred design at its best!” >
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN >

The Carrol Boyes showroom at Signal Hill, Cape Town.

CARROL BOYES >

A TRUE MARRIAGE OF
SCULPTURE AND FUNCTION
By Suné Stassen

On the slopes of Signal Hill, in the Bo-Kaap where the aroma of

traditional Malayan cooking, curry, spices and rotis hang in
the air, you will find the creative rhythm of the Carrol Boyes (CB)
empire standing in all its glory. This is just a perfect home for
many creative souls. The space is impressive and the showroom is any
CB groupie’s dream – an inspiring collection of just about
every single CB piece you could possibly think of.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN >
The first set of salad servers created by Carrol Boyes.
With her roots firmly cemented in the world of the arts,
rather than in design, Carrol Boyes’s incredible under-
standing, insight and application of three-dimensional
shapes, textures and her love for exploring many tactile
mediums within the 3D context, motivated her to major
in sculpture at the University of Pretoria.
She saw herself as an artist from the age of ten. It was
really all she wanted to do. But, as Carrol says, life is not
like that and after leaving university she realised that
she also needed to earn a living and started teaching
English and Art at a school in Retreat and in Hout Bay
in Cape Town for more than 11 years. At the age of 35
Carrol reached the point where she wanted to find out
for herself if she could really make it as an artist and
gave up teaching to pursue her childhood dream.
As Carrol says: “I pretty much knew that sculpture
alone was going to be a hard-sell to put bread on the
table so I tried to marry the two: the functional objects,
that I believed at the time people would need to use
almost on a daily basis, with that of adding a sculptural
approach. At that stage I thought it was the only way
that I could satisfy my own creativity and still earn enough
to stay a provider. With the hope that I would be able
to sell, of course!”
SS > And the first sale? You obviously had no idea that
this simple idea was going to be the spark of huge begin-
nings.
CB > There is nothing quite as motivating as someone
who opens his or her purse and parts with cash for a
piece of your work. That is terribly motivating. Because
at that early stage you are so vulnerable and insecure
and when somebody tells you that, hey, they like it so
much that they would be prepared to pay for it…that
really get the creative juices flowing and then you can
work through the night and work really hard. I felt wanted,
you see. That is really satisfying because you know that
your work is appreciated when someone wants it.
This first piece was a man & woman salad server set.
They were really chunky and heavy. If I have to see them
now and chuck them into a glass bowl I would most proba-
bly break the bowl. I started learning more about the
weight of the metal versus the usability of the item
and all the rest that goes along with designing and
making a functional and user-friendly item.
The Carrol Boyes showroom.
I took the first piece down to Peter Visser Interiors in
Long Street and they decided to put it on display.
Within a day or two it was sold. And then they said
they wanted more.
SS > I remember those days the Peter Visser gallery
was the place to see what your work was worth. Do
you even know who bought this first piece?
CB > They gave me my first break and I really owe a
lot to them because they really gave me a chance. I
don’t know the identity of the buyer and I am pretty
sure that he or she is completely unaware of the sig-
nificance of the piece. By the way, I still have a copy
of that set upstairs.
And, yes, as you have rightfully pointed out, this ‘em-
pire’ just happened. It was never anticipated or pre-
meditated.
Today we have 30 dedicated Carrol Boyes shops,
which only sell CB and Monkeybiz items, and then we
also supply between a 100 and 150 other stores with
our products.
SS > If one takes your training into consideration, to
create with an artistic flair should come naturally to
you. But placing this within the context and stress of
such a huge business, do you have to work really
hard to keep your personal creative flair alive?
CB > It bubbles over every now and then because it
can’t be repressed. There are times when I just have
to do something creative because I can’t help myself.
It has to be expressed; its there, very much alive and
I allow it to come through. The interesting part of be-
ing in this business is that I very often feel that I
should rather create what the public wants. To assist
in that demanding process we have these cards in
our stores where the public can fill in and share with
us what they would like to see in the Carrol Boyes
range. Then the pressure is on to deliver to the public
on what they want.
But the truth of it is that from a creative angle I can’t
work like that. I can sit with that list of what people
would want, but if it does not come from within I sim-
ply can’t do it. I wake up on a Saturday morning and
that is my time to create. And it doesn’t matter how
long that list is, I will work with my creative process,
listen to my inner creativity and then design or create
what my heart tells me to create. I don’t know how to
do it any other way!
SS > You want to tell me that you are creating other
amasing creations that we will never see?
CB > I have a whole workshop full of stuff that will
never see the light of day. I always tease my staff and
say they don’t have to worry – if I get run-over by a buss
tomorrow they have a whole drawer full of drawing
books filled with designs. They just need to go to that
drawer and everything will be fine.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN >
SS > How do you keep the balance between your
‘creative gut’ and what a client wants when you are
approaching a commission?
CB > I struggle terribly with things like commissions.
Make this for that hotel or make that for a restaurant.
It is a really big challenge for me. I also think it is dif-
ficult as I know that the client already has a precon-
ceived idea of what that final piece should look like.
To live up to that expectation is extremely difficult.
Even though some clients do give me the freedom to
interpret their brief, a commission is, in my experi-
ence, still very restrictive. But again, this is a very
personal thing and not everybody would struggle
with that. There are many designers who will thrive
under these circumstances – but for me it is a per-
sonal thing.
SS > I know you have a very talented art department
downstairs. What kind of qualities do you look for in
a designer? Do they need to be qualified in a specific
discipline?
CB > Besides having a very good feel for the 3D, and
for sculpture in general, I want young people who
have very much their own style. I don’t want a little
Carrol Boyes.
That is the last thing that I look for – especially in the
Metal Design competition. One of the first things I
say to the participants is that they should not think
that they will please me or win the competition by
doing a version of myself. I want to encourage them,
through giving credit to their unique style, to develop
a strong identity of their own.
I look for people who are ambitious in design. Some-
one with creativity, combined with a head for busi-
ness will always be a strong candidate. And yes, one
does not always get all three in a possible employee
but something like business savvy can be taught.
They don’t need a specific qualification. I have em-
ployed people with no qualifications, simply because
they have a natural and amasing sense of form.
SS > Do you know how many people work for you?
CB > Somewhere between four and five hundred I
think… [she then smiles]
SS > What does the process involve from conceptu-
alisation to the final product?
CB > Here in Cape Town we will do the creative side.
So the design is developed to the point where it is
ready to be taken to the next phase, which will usu-
ally happen at the workshop in Limpopo. If it is meant
to be made out of pewter we will make the mould for
them, if it is going to be made out of aluminium we
will send them a prototype and if it is going to be
stainless steel we will send them an electronic ver-
sion of the design. So we get the design to the point
where it is ready for further development.
At this stage, for instance, if it will be made out of
pewter it will go up to the factory in Limpopo where
they can immediately start casting then filing and
grinding and finally polishing. If it is going to be a
stainless steel product it will have to go through the
die-making process, which can take between three to
six months to be make. So we send it to Limpopo
where they take it to the next level in producing the
actual product. So, all the hard work, dirty foundry
kind of stuff is happening at this workshop. This is
also where the first quality control is executed. Then
everything will be sent back to Cape Town where we
will execute the next level of quality control. Many
items are made into separate parts and then assem-
bled down here.
SS > Have you conquered your fear of knowing that
your business has grown to this size and that it is
supplying and supporting so many people or has this
just come naturally to you?
CB > It is still scary, but back in the days I used to be
so scared that I only employed people who were un-
employed. I reasoned that I did not want to take
someone away from their job, claiming that I could be
a better provider. To take that person’s life and say
that I am now going to be responsible for it was really,
cannot be reproduced by a machine. And don’t forget
really scary. that we are still working with a very tactile medium,
even if it is something like a hard metal. The personal
Today we obviously want to employ the best for the touch at the end of the production process adds
company and even if it means that we would have to something very special and gives each product an in-
headhunt somebody, then we will do it. We are at the dividual appeal. And yes, even if people can only af-
point were we want what is best for the company. This ford the key ring at the time, at least they can start
is the only sure way to grow and to develop. their collection.

SS > Most people still strive to have a piece of your SS > You have recently launched a new range called
work, no matter if it is a single key ring or if they are incolor. Tell us more about the origin of this new
adding to their proud collection. The novelty and thrill range, as it is the first time that we see your work in
still stand. Having built this empire that has securely bright colours and in plastic.
manifested itself in the mass production market, what
do you think is the secret of keeping the individual CB > I think I simply don’t want to get old. When I look
appeal and quality of each piece? at what appeals to the younger generation you be-
come aware of a different world. They love plastics,
CB > You must remember that even though we work there are amasing little brightly coloured toys, robots
with mass production a lot can be said for the fact and bold and colourful little images on Japanese
that each piece is eventually finished, filed, grinded stickers. In the light of everything else, the colours
and polished by an individual. This is a quality that are fresh, bright and beautiful. So I just simply wanted

The art department at Carrol Boyes’ head office.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN >
to see what I could manage in the medium of plastics
and of course wanted to explore the possibilities of
bold and beautiful colours.
SS > Do you still use the same design and production
processes or did you have to make costly changes?
CB > Strangely enough the process is very similar to
the process we use for producing the stainless steel
range. The colour dyes for the plastics are pretty cost-
ly, though.
SS > I find it really fresh to see the incolor range
placed amongst the Monkeybiz and the rest of the
Carrol Boyes range. It is visually a stunning surprise.
To me it has always felt that the Monkeybiz products
created a beautiful and refreshing contrast amongst
the Carrol Boyes pieces but with the presence of the
incolor range – it is simply marrying the two oppo-
sites even better.
SS > Whom do you aspire to and who is your role
model?
CB > I would have to say Picasso really inspires me
and not as a man or the way he had lived his life but
the way he lived his creative life. He was the most
amazing artist and his work really talks to me, espe-
cially if one looks at the vast range of creative disci-
plines he got himself involved in. In all his work, 2D
or 3D, he had the ability to project his tremendous
energy and zest for life.
The new incolour range.
From a business perspective, companies that I aspire
to and learn a lot from are Georg Jenson, a company
that has been around for a 100 odd years and Alessi,
another company that has been around for some-
thing very close to that. Although both these compa-
nies have been around for many generations, it is
pretty great to have them as our role models, where
you can see how they have started the business, from
the original ideas and prototyping, and even after the
people who started them have passed on, how they
still keep the brand alive and how they have taken
the creativity of that company into the next genera-
tion. They are especially great role models to me be-
cause they are producing products within the same
design discipline as we are.
SS > If you had the choice to choose any artist or
designer to work with on a special project, who would
that be?
CB > Norman Catherine.
SS > And the project?
CB > A boutique hotel. I would like to get involved in
the design of the restaurant, the bathrooms, bed-
rooms, and furniture the whole shebang from top to
bottom. Don’t you think that sounds like fun? <
 Distant voices
In pre-industrial African society, so archaeological
records tell us, the makers of two- and three-dimen-
sional objects played an important social role. They
were the creators of the signposts which helped peo-
ple navigate successfully through the cultural group
to which they belonged. They were also the guardians
of the patterns and objects by which their group were
identified. It could be said that these crafters were
the glue that helped bind the social groups of the
continent together.
The creative vocabulary of these societies was made
up of a small set of designs that occurred on a variety
of objects. These repeated designs, colours and com-
binations formed a single style which was part of an
integrated design field within agro-pastoral society in
southern Africa.
In contrast to the modern western world, traditional
African societies were more homogenous and com-
munally orientated (Huffman 2007). The makers of
things, therefore, did not stand alone as individuals
but had the social responsibility of pleasing the com-
munity. This meant that their primary role was not
one of change, but of perpetuating evolutionary con-
tinuity, or reiterating through the generations the
ever-changing creative vocabulary of the social group
in question.
Although some may wish to name these important
pieces of social continuity art, I would prefer to be-
lieve that the creative vocabulary that existed in pre-
colonial society was of far more social significance
By Carl Harrison
than that. I also feel that this vocabulary has the po-
tential of becoming the basis of a new creative vo-
cabulary for the continent of Africa.
In most pre-colonial societies the patterns and shapes
created by these craftspeople generally had some
culturally-specific meaning. In many cases the de-
signs and colours used also had symbolic signifi-
cance. Red bands on a Venda initiation figurine for
example would represent young unmarried women
(Blacking 1969).
In some parts of Africa the black graphite painted on
pots signified being human, and in some parts they
were treated as representations of living people (Bar-
ley 1994).
The craft of pottery in most parts of Africa was associ-
ated with women, not because it was just seen as a
female occupation but because the creation of a hard
fired pot from wet clay was seen as a transformation
similar to that involved in creating human beings.
Most female potters, therefore, were also midwives
– individuals who played a very important role in tra-
ditional society (Barley 1994).
In Africa it is clear that within the historical record there
is evidence of a visual vocabulary that was very different
from the European model adopted worldwide today.
The question could be asked: Could the historically
creative vocabulary of Africa be utilised in the creation
of new products for the home and export market?
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN >

We missed the point entirely. We applied our own visual

vocabulary to these pieces of other people’s lives and
thought we were illuminated by it. By doing so, we set
the trend of the visually decorative that has remained
the basis for much creativity ever since.

So here we are in 2009, surrounded by objects de-

signed using a visual vocabulary that belongs to some-
one else from halfway around the world – a myriad of
ideas using other peoples distant voices.

So how do we go about creating a unique voice of

Africa? How can we develop modern products that
involve the voices of the ancestors? How can we make
modern products that reflect the rich sociological and
cosmological world of the past?

Who knows what would be possible if Africa could

seriously consider the issue and challenge the Western
construct that we call design?

Let’s take a look at the visual language of this conti-

nent. Traditionally all things had function. All things
were produced for a use. African masks were ‘tele-
phones’ through which people could talk to the an-
What untapped creative potential lies in the cosmo-
cestors. Pots were seen in some areas as people, so
logically illuminating ideas that make up the world
much so that if one was broken a sacrifice would have
view of the San of Botswana, or the traditional sym-
to be offered. Strange-shaped objects were used for
bolism of the Akan in Ghana? Where is the high value,
initiation, and a whole cosmology existed that was
totally unique works that we regularly see and ad-
completely African – more importantly completely
mire from the Aboriginal peoples of Australia? Where
outside the experience and control of the Western
are the totally meaningful and functional products of
world.
this continent?
Let us return to my question. How can Africa use its
During the colonial period the West was busy collect-
original traditional world of meaning to develop mod-
ing objects that we did not fully understand. We im-
ern products for the world market?
mediately classified them as art and presented them
as such. We busied ourselves cataloguing this ‘art’
It is clearly much better to be product development
and placed these objects in our galleries and muse-
leaders than to be product followers. Followers re-
ums. It is now clear that we did a disservice to these
main at the mercy of creative leaders who are clearly
important objects, the resonance of which is still be-
in charge of the next direction to take. Contemporary
ing felt today. We reduced these culturally significant
African artefacts clearly have a market and I am not
and meaningful objects to those of the primarily dec-
suggesting for one minute that these industries be
orative.
abandoned while we search for a new direction. What
I am suggesting is that a thorough re-evaluation of
the historical creative vocabulary be made so that it
can be used in future to inform a totally new and
unique creative direction.
When Fulani women in Ghana want to become preg-
nant, they take a small clay figure, made by a local
potter, and wrap it in their clothing around their stom-
ach. The idea, in their way of seeing the world, is to
attract a soul from the heavens.
Once pregnant the clay figure is stored in the roof of
their house. This is an important aspect because
should the child die in infancy then it is possible to
wrap the same figure in order to attract the soul of
the same child back to the mother.
An interesting story we may say, but how can this be
developed into a new product?
If those people were to injection-mould a small figure
in culturally specific colours attached to a key ring it
would be possible, with the addition of the ethno-
graphic story, to sell it to couples in the West who
were contemplating starting a family. This could be a
functional contemporary creative object with mean-
ing that could only have come from the Fulani – only
from Africa.
In traditional society in parts of Nigeria, women
would always give an indication of how they were
feeling by choosing different bowls in which to
present the meal. If they were in a good mood they
would use the bowl that would convey this meaning.
If they were in a bad mood they would communicate
this in their choice of a different container.
Through a leap in imagination we could see the po-
tential of a new export product. Perhaps the bowl
may be of a simpler nature, but the message could be
conveyed by the application of a stylised happy or
sad face logo in the base of the form.
I am not suggesting that we subject women to a lifetime
of cookery servitude. What I am suggesting is that buyers
overseas, if offered the bowls with the ethnographic sto-
ry, may see humour and meaning in the idea and pur-
chase a set for their own use. A functional contemporary
creative object with meaning that could only have come
from Nigeria – only from Africa.
Here is an opportunity for Africa to rediscover its lost
inheritance; its rich and vibrant way of seeing the
word which Africans themselves control and could
develop in their own way. The Western world has
failed to see the real meaning of this continent’s de-
sign heritage. I hope the people of Africa do not make
the same mistake.
References
Huffman, T. N. 2007. Handbook to the Iron Age. Uni-
versity of KwaZulu-Natal Press.
Blacking. J. 1969. Songs, Dances mimes and symbol-
ism of Venda girls initiation schools. Journal of African
Studies.
Barley, N. 1994. Smashing Pots. Published for the Trus-
tees of the British Museum by British Museum Press.
About the author
Carl Harrison is a maker of functional objects based
at the University of Botswana. Presently he is in the
process of setting up the African Innovation Centre
which will hopefully act as a catalyst for the develop-
ment of an indigenous creative vocabulary for Africa.
He is also working towards a PhD on the subject of
product innovation and SMME development in south-
ern Africa.
If you would like to get involved in the debate contact
him directly at carl.harrison@mopipi.ub.bu <
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN >
Creating harmony
between engineering
and art
There is a dreamlike quality about Pretoria-based art-
ist, Dr Michaella Janse van Vuuren. Her movements
are fluid; she has a gentle way about her; her Face-
book profile picture shows her kissing a baby gazelle,
her amazing 3D sculptures, lights, jewellery and
prints create a fantasy world and take the viewer to
faraway places.
But there is more to 30-something Michaella than
meets the eye. She holds a PhD in Electrical Engineer-
ing from the University of Cape Town. In her final year
of undergraduate studies towards a BSc in Electrical
Engineering, Michaella embarked on a research
project where she developed a software programme
for human eye detection and tracking in video foot-
age. This interest encouraged her to enrol for the
Masters degree, focussing on the development of a
system for automatic human pose and action recog-
nition in video sequences.
During her studies she received a Scarce Skills Schol-
arship (NRF), National Research Fund Bursary (NRF) and
a De Beers bursary for research in computer vision.
It was at Bloemfontein in 2007, during a Postdoctoral
Fellowship at the Central University of Technology,
that Michaella’s long suppressed artistic talents –
which so delighted her at the Pro Arte High School for
Art, Music Ballet and Drama in Pretoria – emerged
again. The research focused on the development of
By Jennie Fourie
custom implants using computer-aided (CAD), and
computer-aided manufacture (CAM) methods using
CT and MR-scan data as reference. She recognised
the amazing opportunities that the 3D printers of-
fered and embarked on developing a range of imagi-
native projects.
Jennie Fourie, one of Africa’s most experienced design
journalists, caught up with Michaella.
J > Your Chrysanthemum Centrepiece was voted the
Most Beautiful Object in South Africa at the Design
Indaba 2009. Has this accolade changed your life in
any way?
M > Winning the Design Indaba 2009 accolade has made
a big difference to my life. I got a lot of media attention,
making people more aware of what I am doing. It was
also a sign that I am moving in a direction that people
find interesting. I wasn’t sure how my work would be
received, and it was interesting that the public voted
for a technological object in a design-orientated environ-
ment. I think it attests to the fact that I am passionately
involved with the design.
J > Your objects – sculptures, prints, lights and jewellery
– have a dreamlike quality. They also create the impres-
sion of things seen under water, under the sea. Can
you relate to these statements?
The Birdman is a digitally created and
manufactured moveable sculpture.
When the rod is pulled the beak closes
and his arms drop to the sides. When
the rod is pushed his beak opens and
the arms move outward. He is
manufactured or ‘3D printed’ in one
piece with no assembly required. The
Birdman was manufactured using an
EOS P380 in PA 2200 Polyamide.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN >

The Starball sculpture consists of an outer star shape The Spiked Coral sculpture. 69x68x30mm
and 2 loose inner spheres. 71x71x71mm.

The CauliStar sculpture. 70x70x70mm. The Sphere sculpture was inspired by Chinese puzzle
balls and consists of 3 separate spheres. 78x78x78mm

These sculptures are made by a manufacturing method The sculpture is ‘printed’ layer by layer building up the
called additive fabrication. The object is designed on com- 3d form by fusing thin layers of nylon material with a
puter in a specialised 3d design program. The design is laser. The sculptures shown here are sintered using an
made into a physical object by a process called sintering. EOSINT P380 machine in PA 2200 Polyamide.
M > Definitely. I am inspired by the work of Ernst Hae-
ckel, an 18th century biologist, and love to collect images
of deep sea creatures, corals and anemones. I love
the escape that fantasy provides from the real world. In
the same way that under water scenes seem unreal.

J > You have been able to marry engineering and art.

It is often said that engineering is about turning ideas
into reality. Is this what you were able to achieve with
the processes you use to create your art?

M > Yes, by means of 3D printing you can make the im-

possible possible. There is no limit to realising even the
most elaborate design.

J > Who are more excited by your work, engineers or

creatives?

M > The engineers appreciate the technical complexity,

and the boundaries that I push with the medium.
Creatives also appreciate the work, but more from an
aesthetic point of view. The objects have to be evaluated
visually, the same as other designs and artworks. I
find that people not involved in either industry also
find the work accessible. I get lots of positive re-
sponses.
J > Rapid prototyping has traditionally been the do-
main of industrial designers and engineers. Did you
find it difficult to apply your creativity to this rather
rigid environment?
M > I was introduced to 3D printing through the
postdoctoral I did in custom medical implant design.
I started my company NOMIL to give myself the freedom
to create my own designs. I do not have to conform to the
expectations of the industry, only to my own. It was a
very natural step for me to take, moving into the
realm of sculpture.
J > For your doctorate in electrical engineering at UCT
you developed a system that automatically recognises a
The Chrysanthemum centrepiece is a reversible design
that can function as either a bowl or a candle holder,
depending on which side of the design faces upwards.
The centrepiece reflects my passion for the textures,
shapes and patterns found in nature. I especially like to
interpret those objects that have a repetitive mathemat-
ically founded pattern. Some objects are immediately
recognisable, such as the Chrysanthemum, others are
more abstract. Direct 3-dimensional manufacturing
methods, such as selective laser sintering (SLS) used
to create the Chrysanthemum allows me to design in-
tricate textures and objects. These textures and objects
would have been impossible to execute by hand, yet the
centrepiece still retains the beauty and tactile feeling
of a natural object.
The Chrysanthemum is directly manufactured with
the EOS P380 using the PA2200 polyamide mate-
rial. Size: 250x250x82mm
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN >
Cube light, 128x128x200mm
Lace light, 139x152x190mm
Icosa light, 140x140x186mm
COLOUR CHANGING LIGHTS | The lights are made
by a manufacturing method called additive fabrica-
tion. The lamp is designed on computer in a spe-
cialised 3d design program. The physical lamp is
‘printed’ layer by layer building up the 3d form by
fusing thin layers of nylon material with a laser. The
lights shown here are sintered using an EOSINT
machine in polyamide. A recessed colour changing
LED light provides the lighting colour effect.
number of human poses and actions using negative
space analysis. Have you applied this thinking to your
art?
M > My long term plans definitely include the use of
the system I developed for my PhD. In the meantime
I need to work on accessing the funding that will al-
low me to embark on such a project.
J > From which base do you look at the world – from
an engineering or a creative perspective?
M > That depends on what stage of the project I am
busy with. When I need to research a subject, or when I
am visualising an object in the beginning, I creatively try
to find solutions. But when the actual design is done I
have to go over to a purely engineering perspective.
J > Is there something that you want to achieve artis-
tically that is constrained by technology?
M > I am drawn to things that are very challenging,
so on the one hand the technology has to be learnt
and the limitations understood. On the other hand,
knowing how all these programmes work and being
able to use them efficiently give you enormous free-
dom to create whatever you can imagine.
J > The flip side of the question above – are there oth-
er technologies that you want to explore in your art?
M > I would love to work with the metal printers http://
www.exone.com , http://www.eos.info/en/products/
metal-laser-sintering.html and micro printers http://
www.microfabrica.com/pages/index.php
J > On your website you explain that you can send a
file to an overseas client who can then have it ‘print-
ed’ into a product, thereby reducing its carbon foot-
print to just about nothing. Is this important to you?
M > Because I am not burdened with high shipping
costs, I am not only reducing the carbon footprint,
but I am also competing on an equal footing within
the international market.

J > You seem to have an international client base. Tell

us a bit more about this.

M > I already have loyal supporters. I spend a lot of

time networking, and hope to see my work in some of
the big collections in the future.

J > Do you have role models – personally and artisti- Sequin I: Swirl pendant in 9kt yellow gold,
21x21x9 mm
cally?

M > There are people whose careers I follow for in-

spiration – individuals who manage to sustain their
own creativity. The Design Indaba conference has
been a source of inspiration to me. I love the girls
from Front for their experimental design, Rene Lal-
ique for his beautifully crafted designs and Geoffrey
Mann for his work in new technologies.

J > Was there anybody who gave you a big break – in

research, in engineering or in your art? Sequin II: Flower pendant in 9kt yellow gold,
26x26x12mm
M > My parents have always supported my projects.
My years at Pro Arte gave me the freedom to create,
at UCT Prof. Gerhard de Jager allowed me the oppor-
tunity to obtain my PhD. Deon de Beer from CUT, Blo-
emfontein, has supported my career since my post-
doctorate studies under him (Bloemfontein sponsored
the first Chrysanthemum).

J > What is your next big step?

The Gold knot pendant in 9kt yellow gold,

M > Firstly there will be the Design Indaba 2010.
Then, because of the high costs of 3D printing, I hope
to find sponsors to fund a project that will encompass
the research needed for a bigger project that will
combine engineering and my art even more.
Visit www.nomili.co.za to gain an understanding of
Michaella’s 3D modelling and production techniques. <
20x20x15mm
SOLIDSCAPE | The jewellery is designed using spe-
cialised 3D computer design programs. The gold
objects are made by ‘growing’ the physical object
in wax using a Solidscape wax printer. The wax
object is then cast in gold using a lost wax casting
process.
JEWELLERY >
The Gold of Africa
Museum: The embedded
history of gold
Too many South Africans and Africans still believe
that nothing good can come from Africa. And yet, at
the Gold of Africa Museum, I stood in awe while I was
studying the most sophisticated detail, concepts, de-
signs and skills. While most want to believe that Af-
rica will always stay Third World, the embedded his-
tory of gold in Africa speaks of highly sophisticated
systems, communication and value systems, skills,
tools and social structures which already existed way
before any European influences reached the conti-
nent’s shores.
The structure protecting and housing this special col-
lection is of historical and architectural importance to
Cape Town as the Martin Melck House is one of the
oldest original examples of colonial style living from
the 18th century, and was constructed in the then
very popular neo-classical architectural style.
Mashabane Rose Architects faced many challenges in
integrating two very different worlds in one space –
colonialism and the world of West African kings. Mar-
tin Melck House, which was at the time a prime sea-
front property, and the Akan Kingdom – the origin of
this great collection – happened at the same time,
making it even more special.
By Suné Stassen
Suné Stassen (SS), one of DESIGN> magazine’s con-
tributing editors, visited the Gold of Africa Museum
and then interviewed Christopher Till (CT), the brain
behind the museum.
SS > Why is gold so important in the history of Africa
and what, in your opinion, fuels the mystical relation-
ship that already exists between gold and the African
continent?
CT > Gold has been traded in Africa for hundreds of
years – from ancient Ghana across the Sahara in ex-
change for salt, and from Nubia (current day Sudan)
down the Nile to Egypt and from Mapungubwe in Lim-
popo (current day South Africa) through Sofala in Mo-
zambique across the Indian ocean to the east. Gold has
charted the trade routes and carried with it knowledge
of these civilisations to the rest of the world.
SS > While observing the most astonishing level of
sophistication and exploring the detail and compe-
tency in the use of a variety of materials, problem
solving skills and applications of concepts and crea-
tivity that already existed, some from as early as 18th
century, I was thinking of a recent interview with the
author, Moeletsi Mbeki of the publication, Architects
In West Africa it is taboo to look directly into the eyes
of the queen mother and to prevent that, she would
wear gold ‘sunglasses’.
JEWELLERY >
of Poverty. In this book he explores why Africa is the
architect of its own poverty.
It is said that from as early as the 4th century Muslims
travelled to West Africa for trade, and between the
11th and 17th centuries West Africa, also called the
Gold Coast, was the leading supplier of gold to the
world. Why is it that these parts of Africa are not the
jewellery hubs of the world today? Having direct access
to the history and having a much better understand-
ing of the influences and impact of outside sources
on the development of these social structures that
are on display, maybe you can shed some light on
how things developed since then. Does this level of
sophistication in the jewellery industry still exist?
CT > The establishment of the Gold of Africa Museum had
as one of its objectives the preservation of the knowledge
techniques, designs and practices of gold jewellery-
making as inspiration for contemporary design. The
lack of infrastructure and any focused development,
promotion and marketing of African jewellery has
stunted any significant industry developing. Anglo-
Gold Ashanti undertook an evaluation of the capacity
and capability of training and manufacturing facilities in
Ghana and this forms a potential collaboration between
the museum and our own design schools and industry
which we hope to pursue, in the interests of furthering
this objective. This will help to revive the energy and
power of the objects representing the history that
you describe.
SS > I have noticed that the collection consists of arte-
facts only from West Africa. Any reason for this? Does this
mean that the rest of Africa did not produce gold in those
days or is there a much simpler explanation?
CT > The collection, forming the nucleus of the museum’s
permanent display, was purchased from Barbier-Mueller
Museum in Geneva. The artefacts were collected from
West Africa from the regions where gold was mined, traded
and used in the social structures. This information is
showcased throughout the narrative of the museum. Yet,
the ancient civilisations of Egypt used the gold from the
mines in Nubia to make extraordinary artefacts and
jewellery. We hope to present examples of these in an
exhibition called the ‘Black Pharaohs’ we are working
on. This will consist out of the artefacts of the ancient
Nubia, when the kings of this region ruled over Egypt.
The gold of Mapungubwe in the south east of the
continent is an added reflection of the extent of gold
use on the continent.
SS > I saw some of the social structures of that time in
the display. It is evident from some of the photographs
on display that even very young children were allowed
to wear these precious and extraordinary gold pieces.
Surely this must have been a huge responsibility? Who
were allowed to wear the jewellery?
CT > The images showing children wearing jewellery
in a large group illustrates the practice of families
demonstrating and parading their wealth on a high
days or holidays, so to speak. The jewellery is not
worn on a daily basis and obviously only on ceremonial
and celebratory occasions. This practice underlines
their status and success.
SS > What were in stall for the wearer if they dared to
lose a piece and was finder’s keepers at all relevant
those days?
CT > You might have noticed the lid of the container
on display. This container held the gold dust, which
was, before modern day money, the currency of Ghana.
On the lid is the sculptural form of a man kneeling with
his hands tied behind his back and with the figure of
the executioner towering over him with the sword
held-up high. This message is clear: Steal gold or salt
and the consequence is death! So finder’s keepers
would have been a risky practice.
SS > Tell us more about the powerful presence of the
Lion and the Young Boy displayed in the museum.
What do they symbolise?
CT > The lion of Africa as the king of the jungle re-
flects the symbolism of power and majesty, which is
clearly linked to the gold artefacts of wealth and power.
The historical photograph of a young boy is showing
Interior of the Gold of Africa Musaeum.

Images showing children wearing elaborate jewellery The lid of a container that held gold dust.
as a reflection of their family’s wealth and status.
JEWELLERY >

The use of zoomorphic imagery and relating these to messages and metaphors is integral to the design of the
objects. There are many meanings attributed to these, often relating to the king’s power.
the Ashentehene, the young hereditary king of the the crocodile live in the same environment in harmony
Ashanti people and his presence symbolises the pro- but the mudfish needs to be wary. One should not come
tection of the artefacts and the exhibition on display too close to the porcupine, as its quills will teach you
as a whole. a lesson. And so on.

SS > I have also noticed a number of artefacts like a This kind of imagery forms part of many African soci-
variety of golden sunglasses and, similar to our eties as apocryphal lessons in the delicate balance of
present day casual slop sandals, but in this case a power and its use. A good example of this would be
few pairs of ancient slops that used to be worn by the artefact that showcases the hand holding an egg
kings. What is the symbolic meaning of the golden which metaphorically means that holding the egg
sandals and is it fair to say that these designs were carefully as not to drop it and also one holding the
forerunners of what we know as sunglasses and slops egg not to tightly as to not break it.
today? Can we claim that, as far as we know, the first
sunglasses and slops were designed in Africa? In other words, a good ruler will demonstrate this bal-
ance in his relationship towards all his subjects.
CT > I don’t know but for sure a great patent to claim!
The sandals are those of kings and chiefs. Decorated SS > Over and above wearing gold jewellery, what would
in gold, which symbolises the adornment of their feet, have been a typical dress code for a king those days?
the sandals were also designed very broad to prevent
their feet from touching the ground which was com- CT > The Kente cloth woven from silk in thin strips on a
pletely taboo. So too is it taboo to look directly into loom is tied to the toes of the weaver before all the thin
the eyes of the queen mother and to prevent that, the strips are sown together into garments worn only by
queen mother would wear the gold ‘sunglasses’. royalty. These are highly decorative and vivid, gathered
into large parasols held above the royal entourage.
SS > It is clear that there used to be a very sophisticated
communication system that spoke of value, status, struc- SS > In 2005 the King of Gold, HM Otumfo Osei Tutu II,
ture and symbols and that also communicated the state who is the 16th king of the Ashanti’s of Ghana, visited
of the king’s mind at the time. What is the symbolic mean- the museum to donate an Ashanti stool. What is so
ing behind the Sankofa bird and does its bodily position special about this artefact and why did he entrust the
have any significance? Also explain the significance in museum with this valuable piece and not keep it for
the use of the mudfish, elephant, leopard, crocodile, por- himself?
cupine, monitor lizard and frog as important themes of
some of the rings and other jewellery pieces and how CT > The King’s visit to the museum was an enlightening
have these played a vital part in the symbolic language experience for all concerned. He was intrigued with
that was used by the kings to communicate with their the collection and the manner in which we have ex-
people and to others of similar status. hibited it, and expressed interest in our collaborating
in creating a museum for him in Ghana.
CT > The use of zoomorphic imagery and relating these to
messages and metaphors is integral to the design of the The stool represent the golden stool which the Ashan-
objects. There are many meanings attributed to these, ti believe fell down from heaven giving birth to the
often relating to the king’s power. Some of these are eas-
Ashanti nation. This was lost after the British defeat-
ily understood but others are obtuse. ed the Ashanti in battle in the 19th century and sacked
the royal palace. The damaged stool was unearthed
The Sankofa bird for instance looks back implying the years later but was restored and is back in the royal
all-seeing capability of the king. The mudfish, frog and palace, symbolising the unity of the nation. The stool
JEWELLERY >
The old and the new living side by side at the Gold of Africa Musaeum.
JEWELLERY >

Royal sables decorated in gold. Royal sandals and other gear decorated in gold.

The jewellery studio at the Gold of Africa Musaeum.

given to the museum is a contemporary example with
gold adornment and given by the king in friendship
and to mark his visit.
SS > From time to time the museum also houses very
special collections from around the world. Any future
collections that you feel will be a highlight?
We have brought in a number of collections of material
linked to Africa, including examples of African art. For
a long time I wanted to establish a major collection of
African art in a dedicated museum and took steps to-
wards this while I was the director of the Johannesburg
Art Gallery, acquiring the Brenthurst Collection. We have
recently signed an agreement with the Barbier-Mueller
Museum giving us access to their world-renowned
collections of African art which we will be bringing to
South Africa on an ongoing basis.
SS > Tell us a little more about the methods that were
used for gold trading, how they determined the value
of gold and the interesting system that was designed
for taxation.
The container I described earlier mentioned the con-
sequences of stealing gold dust was necessary to
hold the means to trade. Scales to weigh the gold dust
made up the equipment necessary to conduct busi-
ness. Weights made of brass mirroring the symbols
seen in the gold jewellery designs were used to es-
tablish the amount and consequent value of the gold
dust used in each transaction.
The gold jewellery and objects were over time melted
down to make new material and a tax on the weight of gold
realised through this process was paid over to the king.
SS > My personal fascination with the collection is
most definitely the gold finds from South Africa at
Mapungubwe and Thula Mela, two sacred cities that
speaks of ancient cultures that existed roughly be-
tween 950 and 1640 AD. When exactly where these
extraordinary finds made, and what were revealed
during these excavations in terms of their social
structures and relations with the trade route and other
cultures?
CT > The colonial borders that define the modern day
north western border of South Africa, the south west-
ern border of Mozambique and the south eastern
border of Zimbabwe straddle an area that was once
the kingdom of Monumatapa. Here the stone struc-
tures of Great Zimbabwe, Mapungubwe and Thule
Mela on diverse sites show remnants of this ancient
gold mining and trading state. At Mapungubwe,
which is a sacred royal burial site set on the top of a
large hill, archaeologists from the University of Preto-
ria excavated these sites in the 1930s finding gold
artefacts and gold beads. Included in this find was
the golden rhino which is now in the Mapungubwe
Museum at Pretoria University.
This evidence of gold mining and trade, centuries be-
fore the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand, re-
veals a developed civilisation which placed value on
gold as a symbol of power as well as wealth, reflected
in the burial of this most noble of metals with the
royal dead.
SS > Finally, explain origin of the logo for the museum.
CT > The logo of the museum is taken from one of the
heavy gold bracelets in the collection worn by an Afri-
can king. Its circular form provided the motif for this,
which has been rendered in a linear form. It represents
the sophistication of the gold artefacts in the collec-
tion and the advanced civilisation that made and
used these beautiful objects.
The designer was Iaan Bekker who was a senior director
and designer at Lindsay Smithers at the time. <
All images courtesey of the Gold of Africa Museum.
FASHION >
Gideon Lunar
2010 Winter Wrapped:
Sanlam SA Fashion Week
Madonna says its best: “Let your body move to the
music, strike a pose – Vogue, Vogue...” The models,
make-up, hair artists, hemlines, bust lines, tailored suits,
silks, velvets and embellishments made for intrigue
and gasps of awe as the models with their garments
cascaded down the runway at the 2010 Sanlam SA
Fashion Week Winter Collections held at the Sandton
Convention Centre in September.
Ruby Two
By Karuna Pillay
Gideon kicked off the experience of Fashion Week for
me. His use of monochromatic winter palettes con-
jured up a dull dreary day that sought out layers of
wool, draped every which way to create a feeling of
warmth and comfort. The collection showed interesting
cuts that created an ease of flow representing the
wearer’s individuality.
Loxion Kulca Abigail Betz The House of Ole
FASHION >

Lebo Mash Gugulam Rjkay Creations

Guillotine Tiaan Nagel
Lunar, on the other hand, made use of earthy, wearable,
stylish, make-your-mark pieces. The layering and the
cuts made for inspiring garments that strangely evoked
a sense of calm in a dust storm with the use of neutral
colours complimented by the, ‘oh so daringly deli-
cious’ black numbers. Definitely something to be seen
in at the 2010 FIFA World Cup!
Ruby, always a highlight of Fashion Week, this time
around showed nothing really new. The fabric mix
was hot – velvets, bold motifs and even tattoo print
hosiery. What is with the tattoo print hosiery? ... It did
nothing for the naughty bits on show.
Two focused on the tough economic times. About time
fashion reflected the environment in which we all find
ourselves. Essential basics and layering are nowhere
Ephymol Terrence Bray
more evident than in this collection. It’s all about the
body and how you dress it to make a statement.
Almost everyone – whether in Paris or Parys – could
relate to the superb crafting, attention to detail and
pure love story material achieved by Abigail Betz. The
collection showed beauty, splendid cut, sumptuous
cloth with elegance only gained when floating on
cloud nine after the fairy godmother had dressed you
for the ball.
The trend was definitely draping and layering to cre-
ate a warm, snug yet comfortable look and appeal.
Day 3 saw Wandi Nzimande celebrating 10 years of
Loxion Kulca and introducing Analogue. Hip… hip…
hooray… yeah-street smart has made the big times.
FASHION >

Colleen Eitzen Amanda Laird Cherry Clive Rundle

This edgy, attitudinal, funky, cool collection made my
day – a blessing for hip hop modern-day men’s wear
that is comfortable to wear, easy to move in and chic.
The House of Ole showed men that they to can be
quirky and smart. Using the old suit with a cleaner
cut, without giving away style, but rather enhancing
the flair, was the ethos of the day. The idea of more is
less was evident again by the layering concept.
Dancing like water on a rainy day epitomises Lebo
Mash’s collection of easy to wear – any time, any
place garments. Gugulam showed refined style with
a spirit of a Tasmanian devil. Everything in this collec-
tion oozed sophistication, class, wearability and lon-
gevity.
Rjkay Creations’ collection was awesomely bold, so-
phisticated and directed. The choice of rich fabrics
captured the spirit of people and cultural diversity.
The fluctuating hemlines created spice and an air of
mystique that added flavour to the wearability of the
garments.
Guillotine’s collection can be summed up in a few words:
structured style that epitomises ease of wear. On the
other hand, Tiaan Nagel in partnership with DAC, work-
ing with crafters from Kwazulu Natal showed a raw
collection that focused on the stormy conflict of a
Winter’s day. The collection is modern and its beauty
resides in its simplicity.
“Who let the boys out, who let the boys out?” Ephy-
mol presented an individual collection that boldly went
where few men have gone before. This collection takes
the South African man out of his comfort zone and
places him squarely on the catwalks of style. Winter
is certainly going to warm the hearts of the fairer sex
when they behold their men in these creations.
Terrence Bray’s use of geometry has rarely been so
beautifully represented. This collection’s foundation
should definitely be used in the classroom; and I am
sure we will see more interest from pupils. The geometric
outlines infused with a natural earthy palette made
for breathtaking ensembles that were livened by fau-
na print and flashes of citrus. The sensual flow of the
garments suggested a romantic, yet, ‘I-know-what-I-
want’ mindset.
Day 4 brought Colleen Eitzen who, in my view, pre-
sented a fun, light-hearted take on the winter blues.
Amanda Laird Cherry’s collection was wickedly fun,
creative and easy to wear. Dress it up or dress it down,
no matter the take. Again the layering was very evident.
Then to a fashion icon, Clive Rundle, that now resides
in The Firs Mall, Rosebank. This was an edgy collec-
tion that did nothing but show of possibilities of the
mind. From a wearability point of view, it is definitely
for those who want to make a statement – his winter
outlook is for the suit complimented by a mixture of
fabrics, short and long pants. Nothing was new. Sorry
that’s incorrect. The use of the zip was taken to new
heights.
SSAFW guru, Lucilla Booyzen said: “Some of the
emerging themes for winter 2010 centred on details
within the design and a combination of fabrics to en-
hance it. The trend for both men and women is the
cardigan. We have not seen the cardigan for a long
time and it’s making a comeback, especially since
Michelle Obama wore a cardigan when se met the
queen recently.”
The SSAFW was again a great launching pad for emerging
talent and an opportunity to see what’s new. This
year saw the themes for layering, simple creative cut,
neutral colours and comfort emerging. <
FASHION >

CAPE UNION MART

LAUNCHES POETRY
In yet another first for Cape Union Mart, the family-
owned business with a reputation for value and quality
– who also launched the popular Old Khaki stores
and a new kiddies range called K-Way Kids – the com-
pany has opened its first unique women’s lifestyle
stores called Poetry.
The first of many to follow, the first Poetry stores opened
at Cavendish Square Shopping Centre, Cape Town, and
the Garden Route Mall, George, in early December
2008, with several more following in 2009.
Highlights for consumers at the Poetry stores will in-
clude the unique and eclectic mix of everything from
100% linen and silk pieces to handmade soaps, biscuits
and cushion covers. The stores carry a range of jewel-
lery, exclusive body products, once-off home ware items
(photo frames, glasses, napkins, door knobs from India
and more), as well as Wonki Ware from George.
“In the past, Cape Union Mart was known predominantly
as a men’s store,” comments Cape Union Mart marketing
manager Evan Torrance. “It was only in recent years
that we started to actively target women shoppers
with clothing and merchandise designed specifically
to meet their needs. We soon realised that there were
surprisingly few destination stores for women that
stock exclusive and unique items that offer unique,
value-for-money products. Radical growth in our
women’s areas was apparent from the word go and
our research confirmed that a real opportunity existed
for us to target a specific segment of women who are
well-read and well-travelled.”
Launching the stand-alone Poetry stores was a natural
progression for the group, according to Torrance. “De-
spite the many large retailers offering merchandise for
women, few offer unique merchandise. That’s where
Poetry has a distinct advantage by not offering gar-
ments that are mass produced. Poetry has a refined
exclusivity to it, which makes it very appealing. Poetry
will offer small, limited runs of a particular product
that often can’t and won’t be repeated.”
Ken Lazarus, Creative Director for the Group, says that
Poetry was founded by a small group of people who share
a real love for making things that inspire the imagina-
tion. “We carefully source, design and select products
from across the world with an eye for the smallest
details, a passion for old-world craftsmanship and a
desire to see shopping elevated to an activity where
customers don’t just find novelties, but rather experi-
ence a journey of personal discovery.”
He says that when shopping at Poetry, one will be as
likely to find an Indian hand-beaded picture frame as a
hand-painted floral sconce based on a 1940’s Italian
original. “Everything will seem familiar, but you won’t be
able to place anything either. Shoppers will experience
a feeling of comfort combined with an overwhelming
sense of excitement. Everything is old, but everything
is new. That is the world of Poetry,” he concluded. <
POPULAR CULTURE >
Entertainment on wheels:
Matatu mania
By Lilac Osanjo, School of The Arts and Design, University of Nairobi, Kenya.
Matatus are probably the single most significant fea-
ture of Nairobi roads. And although today they are
being phased out due to urbanisation and develop-
ment, they have been the artists’ canvas expressing
unmatched colour and typography.
As a form of visual expression, matatus contribute
significantly to the creation of the urban culture in
Nairobi. These fast moving public transport vehicles
reflect the stress, speed and urgency with which ur-
ban people seek economic livelihood. With an esti-
mated population of three million people, Nairobi is
a hub of regional and national economic activities.
Nairobi boasts of a kaleidoscope of intense econom-
ic activity, sombre grazing wildlife and foot-thumping
traditional dancers, and the United Nations Develop-
ment Programme (UNDP) headquarters teeming with
international guests. Looking at Nairobi from a de-
signer’s point of view one would be held static as the
city bombards the vision with colour, shapes, unique
patterns and voices.
Speed, colour and flamboyance are what best de-
scribes matatus navigating most of Kenya’s roads.
They have been transformed into “entertainment on
wheels” or “mobile discos” as a visiting friend de-
scribed them. Besides large portraits of movie stars,
hip-hop artists and luminous calligraphy, these com-
fortable “theatre-like ensembles” criss-cross city
streets. Commuters listen to music and watch video
clips (most of them are fitted with DVDs that come
with boosters and synthesizers). The speed, good
music and movies add to the appeal matatus hold
commuters. The stress from work and everyday hassles
are momentarily forgotten in the comfort of a warm
glow from the soft lighting system, a video of an R&B
artist. Comfort is assured with cozy, thickly carpeted
lining on the sides of the matatu interior.
The origin of matatus can be traced back to the 1960s,
a time when most indigenous African workforce lived
in the eastern side of Nairobi referred to as Eastlands.
With support from the first president of Kenya, Mzee
Jomo Kenyatta, the vehicles were declared as legal
means of public transport in 1973. The vehicles were
exempted from obtaining licenses, although they
were expected to comply with traffic rules. They
quickly gained popularity among the low income in-
digenous people, mainly because they charged less
than other public transport. Today there are over
80,000 matatus on Kenyan roads.
Several factors worked together to ensure that the
matatu industry continued to grow. Kenya Bus Serv-
ices (KBS), the major provider of public transport
within the city of Nairobi, suffered several setbacks
in the 1970s and ‘80s, forcing it to undergo major
transformation. In 1990s, the jungle green Nyayo Bus
Service was introduced by the government to com-
pete with Kenya Bus Services (KBS), but they quickly
folded. The efficiency with which KBS had operated
in the 1970s was quickly eroded and bus scheduling
that ensured timely movement of passengers was
abandoned. Today, Nairobi’s city centre is crowded
with various small transport busses such as Citi Hop-
pa, Double M, and KBS Limited. Double M, for exam-
ple, maintains a standard vehicle design, passengers
queue at the bus stage and they try to maintain a
schedule of sorts. This breakdown in order within the
transport industry accelerated the growth and ac-
ceptance of matatus as the preferred vehicles. Matatu
culture thus became part of and a reflection of the
urban landscape, reflecting the life of the urban youth
who are their target customers.
The name matatu is derived from the Kiswahili word
tatu that means three. Three shillings was the stand-
ard fare in a matatu for a very long time in the early
‘70s. Irrespective of destination, tatu was the expect-
ed matatu fare levied on the passengers. Matatus are
often the most reliable means of transport to get
around Nairobi, with these vehicles ferrying about
two million people in and out of the city centre, and
most parts of the country in Kenya.
Bad behaviour and visual
expression
The government has been cracking down on matatus
accusing them of putting the public’s life at risk; the
crews are often accused of derailing young girls and
boys who end up dropping out of school to take end-
less rides on the “entertainment on wheels” and
speeding and violation of traffic rules. In 2004, apart
from those already mentioned, numerous anti-social
practices were linked to the matatu business includ-
ing bribery of policemen, corruption, sexual molesta-
tion and extortion of young girls, verbal abuse and
intimidation of passengers. Matatus had become
such a menace on the roads that the government
banned the multi-coloured graphics and directed that
they should all be one colour – white and have a yel-
low line. The crew was further instructed to have uni-
forms and be licensed operators. The government
believed that the graphics and the attire were abet-
ting the matatu menace.
The artists and designers who were depending on
matatu graphics for their daily income protested saying
that the graphics were improving the look of the mata-
tus and by extension, the urban landscape. They argued
that the undisciplined matatu culture had nothing to do
with the graphics. Secondly, the graphics were a pleas-
ant break from the stressful environment within the city.
The colourful matatus blended well with the city and
should instead be promoted as a tourist attraction, they
appealed. The artists protests did not succeed and the
rule of law prevailed and with that, the colourful mata-
tus faced imminent extinction.
POPULAR CULTURE >
Visuals
Most matatus bear images of famous people – musi-
cians, footballers and even presidents. For example,
President Obama is a very common face, former Cu-
ban president and even Osama Bin Laden can be
spotted on matatus. The more popular matatus have
identities such as Baby Mama, Breakthrough, Liquid,
Delicious and Wrath. Their metallic graffiti-like graph-
ics are attractive to most people, and this translates
to good business as they fill up faster. Some of the
better known graffiti artists include Top Cat, Cool Earl
and Cornbread (analysis of these names will be the
subject of another publication). The success of the
artists depends on their passion for fine art and abil-
ity to draw comics and cartoons. A few of the artists
are trained and have diplomas in art and design. But
most of the others are self-taught, relying on talent to
earn them apprenticeship with the more experienced
artists.
Fig 1. (top)
A matatu depicting Osama and Bush
as “buddies.”
Fig 2. (right)
A matatu depicting American dollars.
Forms of expression
Much like the street culture of the 60s, matatu art is
often of an illicit nature expressing a rebellious streak in
the visuals. The motivation to create the art is varied
and includes self-expression, subversion and activism.
Political messages have a major presence in the art. As
seen in one matatu (Figure 1), the image shows of Osa-
ma and George Bush as “buddies”. Historically, this is
absurd. But, absurd was a key characteristic of Dada
artists who have continued to influence modern art and
design. For this reason, we may want to hold matatus as
masterpieces in modern art and design.
Matatu art is inspired by many influences. Apart from
Dada, the rebels, there are aspects of Pop culture
idiom and Hip Hop too. Pop culture is defined as the
collection of ideas that are popular and well-liked. It
is a manifestation of preferences and acceptance or
rejection of features in for example, sports, music,
film and literature; it is a contrast to the mainstream
or “elitist” culture in society. Hip Hop culture started
in the United States in the late 1960s and early ‘70s.
It developed as one form of artistic expression along-
side break dancing, emceeing and deejaying in the
music industry. In the typical matatu, art, dance mu-
sic (that is no longer break dancing) and deejaying
are parcelled to make up the total package of enter-
tainment on wheels.
The artwork
The matatu body or frame is seen by the artists as an
empty canvas that requires an identity or form. The
artist sets out to provide an identity that can create
visual space for the matatu within a highly competi-
tive visual environment crowded with other new and
more expressive matatus. The first task is to give the
vehicle a name, a colour scheme and message theme.
The matatu artists begin with just the matatu chassis
(frame and wheels that support the engine and body
of the vehicle), and works to develop the whole final
visual and audio ensemble.
Assembling the flashy matatus fitted with DVD play-
ers, good lighting and comfortable seating can cost
anything between Kshs 40,000 (US$560) and Kshs 5
million (US$ 7,000) depending on the owners’ taste
and how much they are willing to pay.
Sources of ideas
There is a lot at stake when decorating a matatu be-
cause the return on investment for the owners de-
pends on the youth-like appeal of the matatu as seen
in Figure 3. In turn, appeal for youth is closely related
to how “flashy” the matatu is.
Matatus have been a reflection of the aspirations, frus-
trations and daily expression of urban life in Nairobi. As
the artists rightfully argue, the graphics on matatus
themselves are not criminal and are not intended to pro-
mote crime. But the content of the visuals, accompanied
by the lively videos that are shown on the screens may
well promote undesirable behaviour in society. To be fair
to the matatu artists, it can also be noted that a few
matatus bear Biblical messages and quotes. Whatever
the case, it must be said that matatus have provided a
visual avenue for artistic expression. Indeed, they have
been part and parcel of our urban culture and their exit
will deprive the youth and public at large of that form
cultural expression. <
Fig 3. (top)
A matatu in the garage undergoing painting.
Fig 4. (top left)
Beautiful girls are popular subjects.
Fig 5. (left)
Strength as seen in this matatu is also a
common theme.
ART & CRAFT >

Without Masks:
Contemporary Afro-Cuban Art
The rich and multi-layered legacy of Cuba’s African heritage has
long been a source of creative inspiration for many of the country’s
foremost artists. For generations, musicians, fine artists, poets,
writers, choreographers, dancers and designers have tapped into
this legacy as a focus for their creative work. According to Orlando
Hernández, there is an emerging interest amongst contemporary
Cuban artists to grapple with the concept of the Afro-Cuban
identity in a new, dynamic and deeply engaging manner.
Orlando Hernández, one of Cuba’s most prolific and
well-respected art historians, lives and works in La
Habana, Cuba. He is an independent writer, art critic,
poet and researcher of popular culture and Afro-Cuban
ritual art. Having graduated in Art History from Universi-
dad de la Habana in 1978, he worked as a curator and
researcher in the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La
Habana until 1989. Hernández is the curator of With-
out Masks: Contemporary Afro-Cuban Art, a traveling
exhibition that will be staged at The Johannesburg Art
Gallery in April 2010. This fascinating exhibition forms
part of The von Christierson Collection.

The von Christierson family and a team from the

In an interview with DESIGN > magazine, he explains
Johannesburg Art Gallery visited Cuba as part of the
the philosophy underlying the seminal exhibitions. preperations for the Without Masks exhibition. LTR are
Marina von Christierson, Orlando Hernández (Curator of
D > How did this exhibition come about? Without Masks), Steven Sack (Director of Arts, Culture
and Heritage Services, City of Johannesburg), Chris von
OH > The exhibition and publishing project Without Christierson (seated), Nadia von Christierson, Reshma
Masks: Contemporary Afro-Cuban Art was initiated in Chhiba (South African artist), Antoinette Murdoch
November 2007. From the outset, it has been sup- (Director, Johannesburg Art Gallery) and Bernardo Sarría
ported and financed by the London-based business- Almoguea (Cuban artist).
man and collector of South African origin, Chris von
Christierson and his family. Chris conceived the idea
of creating a collection of Cuban art that would show
the traces of Africa in Cuba’s artistic culture. He be-
lieved that the collection should not only exist for
private enjoyment, but also for public enjoyment
through exhibitions and publications.

D > What is the purpose of the exhibition?

OH > Broadly speaking, the exhibition aims to show how

Cuba’s art landscape is influenced by its African heritage.
We decided to give the exhibition a double title: a meta-
phorical one, Without Masks, and a more descriptive
Visiting the studio of Manuel Mendive Hoyo. Mendive’s
one, Contemporary Afro-Cuban Art. The titles jointly
work is quintessentially Afro-Cuban, inspired by his
express the thematic content of the exhibition and the Yoruba family background.
purpose that we aimed to achieve. On the one hand, the
exhibition shows the new and original contributions
that recent Cuban art has made based on the country’s of the Cuban national reality that for a long time have
African heritage, as well as the elaboration of Afro- been silenced or insufficiently disseminated and dis-
Cuban religious traditions and legacies. On the other cussed in Cuban society. Here, I refer to the problems of
hand, the exhibition identifies and includes works prejudice and racial stereotypes, racial discrimination
that reflect controversial, conflicting, polemic zones and racism, which still continue to affect the Black
ART & CRAFT >
and Mulatto population of Cuba and indirectly our
entire society and culture, despite the enormous ad-
vances in the field of social equality attained by the
Cuban Revolution since 1959.
In addition to offering an excellent opportunity to
verify the continuous presence and vitality of those
ancient traditions of African origin in contemporary
Cuban art – many of which have been conserved, rec-
reated and reinvented within the religious communi-
ties known as Regla de Ocha or Santería, Ifá, Palo
Monte and Abakuá – this exhibition also strives to
fulfill the intellectual, moral and political obligations
to incite reflection, meditation and sincere discussion
of the problems related to racial issues. The intention
is to create greater understanding and contribute to
finding future solutions to address these issues.
D > What is the content of the exhibition?
OH > The collection presently consists of 80 works by
25 contemporary Cuban artists spanning a relatively
short period – from 1980 to 2009. However, the majority
of the works were created during the 1990s and the
early 21st century.
We chose this brief period in Cuban art because in many
ways it is in this interval that the treatment of the Afro-
Cuban theme acquired new characteristics that contrast
remarkably with the relatively stereotyped, idealised
or picturesque nature that was predominant in former
periods, particularly during the 19th century and a
good part of the 20th century.
The collection, however, can be considered as ‘a work
in progress’ in the sense that in the future it may also
include works of more Cuban artists from different
generations who either currently focus or previously
focused on the theme.
D > What distinguishes this collection of contemporary
Afro-Cuban art?
OH > This exhibition has brought together, for the
first time, a large and varied group of Cuban artists
devoted to the two great themes that have normally
been addressed independently: that of the cultural
and religious traditions of Africa in Cuba and that of the
multiple problems related with the so-called ‘racial
issue’.
These themes have been enlarged to encompass other
unusual aspects such as the artistic representation
of the political-military presence of Cuba in the wars
in Africa (Carlos Garaicoa) or the incorporation of new
African figures and ritual traditions in our religious
practices (Santiago R. Olazábal). This is a result of the
emergence of an ‘Africanising’ process of re-connecting
with Africa that has been taking place in recent years
in some religious circles in Cuba. As far as we know, in
spite of the previous existence of exhibitions related
to the Afro-Cuban theme, there is no other private or
institutional collection of this magnitude dedicated
to address these topics in such a diverse manner, nor
with such a high level of representation of relevant
artists and works.
D > How did you select the artists that have been in-
cluded in the exhibition?
OH > From the outset we followed rigorous criteria in
selecting the artists. The majority of them have had
ample national and international exposure and we
also considered the aesthetic quality of the selected
works.
I must admit that our interest has also been focused,
so to say, beyond the aesthetic, favoring the original-
ity and profoundness of the discourses of sociological,
historical, anthropological, religious, ethical and/or
political nature contained in the works. Undoubtedly,
our approach was guided by the presence in the most
recent Cuban art of reflexive, rather than contempla-
tive or hedonistic outlooks, and by the current impor-
tance that debates on ‘the racial issue’ are having in
Cuba. Although we may have been inclined, in some
instances, to focus more on the content than on the
procedure, or on what the artists say more than on
the way in which they say it, we took great care to make
both requirements coincide. Our curatorial outlook
does not intend to be didactic or explanatory, but rather to
remain within the questioning and exploratory tone set by
the works themselves.

D > Did you differentiate between internationally acclaimed

and relatively unknown artists?

OH > The exhibition includes artists of international renown

and those that are practically unknown, without making
any distinction between professionals who have graduated
from important academic institutions and popular or self-
taught artists.

The exhibition includes the following artists: Ruperto Jay Visiting the studio of Rubén Rodríguez Martínez.
Matamoros (Santiago de Cuba 1912- La Habana, 2008);
Belkis Ayón Manso (La Habana, 1967-1999), Pedro Alvarez (La
Habana, 1967 Tempe, Arizona, 2004); Manuel Mendive
Hoyo (La Habana, 1944); Julián González Pérez (La Habana,
1949); Bernardo Sarría Almoguea (Cienfuegos, 1950); Santiago
Rodríguez Olazabal (La Habana, 1955); Ricardo Rodríguez
Brey (La Habana, 1955); René Peña (La Habana, 1957); Moises
Finalé Aldecoa (Matanzas, 1957); José Bedia Valdés (La
Habana, 1959); Marta María Pérez Bravo (La Habana, 1959);
Rubén Rodríguez Martínez (Matanzas, 1959); María Magdalena
Campos-Pons (Matanzas, 1959); Juan Carlos Alom (La Habana,
1964); Elio Rodríguez (La Habana, 1966); Carlos Garaicoa
Manso (La Habana, 1967); Oswaldo Castillo Vázquez (San-
tiago de Cuba, 1967); Alexis Esquivel Bermúdez (La Palma,
Pinar del Rio, 1968); Ibrahim Miranda (Pinar del Río, 1969);
Alexandre Arrechea (Trinidad, 1970); Juan Roberto Diago
Durruthy (La Habana, 1971); Douglas Pérez Castro (Santo
Domingo, Villa Clara, 1972); José Angel Vincench Barrera
(Holguín, 1973) and Yoan Capote (Pinar del Río, 1977).

D > What do you hope to achieve through this exhibition? Cuban artist, Bernardo Sarría Almoguea.

OH > The widely inclusive and integrationist ‘Afro-Cuban’
concept we have grappled with in this project – in which
Blacks, Whites and Mulattos participate equally and which
is perhaps evidence of the inter-racial fraternity attained by
our Afro-Cuban religions since the 19th century – shows
how far we are from participating in sectarian trends. But we
consider it important to make new explorations and searches
of the patrimony we have received from Africa. At the same
time, we also highlight and encourage the insurgent, rebellious,
anti-racist nature that has always been present
in the Cuban Black and Mulatto population with
the purpose of showing its potentialities as an
alternative, anti-hegemonic option to the Euro-
centered, patriarchal, classist, elitist and racist
mentality that still prevails in the majority of the
world, including those countries where – as in
Cuba – we thought they had been overcome. <
ART & CRAFT >
Explore 2 > The best of
Namibia on show
Explore 2, an exhibition of ceramics and photography
opened at Studio 77, Windhoek, Namibia in October.
This exhibition was a collaboration between Sigi
Kolbe, better known as a painter and myself, who has
made a name in fashion design. It was the first time I
have exhibited pottery in two years and the first ma-
jor photographic exhibition for Sigi.
Sigi and I met earlier this year when she did a photo
shoot for my fashion label Jacques Guto, setting off
our collaboration on various personal art experi-
ments. Sigi approached me about three months ago
with the opportunity of a booked exhibition where I
could show my ceramics along with her photography.
At the time, forgetting how gruelling it can be to cre-
ate a body of work for an exhibition, I obliged, seeing
this as my re-launch into the ceramics scene.
By Jacques Jansen van Vuuren
The exhibition was opened by Tony Figuera, a pho-
tographer in Namibia, and the owner of Gallery 77
and Studio 77. During the opening I demonstrated
throwing a pot on the potter’s wheel to make the
viewers aware that the marks on the pots and the
form are dictated by my hands, as people can some-
times be oblivious and not relate the creative process
to the final product.
The title ‘Explore 2’ was cognitive and accidentally
very appropriate. Cognitively it explained how two
creative minds could explore each other’s creativity,
in two very different mediums and creative outlets. It
accidentally happened that this exhibition was a fol-
low-up on Sigi’s painting exhibition earlier this year,
entitled ‘Explore 1’. The exhibition also explored the
visual and aesthetical dissimilarity and mutuality be-
Vases by artist Jacques Jansen van Vuuren
tween functional pottery and non-functional/surreal
photography. During the installation of the exhibi-
tion, seeing the partnership created between the
works, it became apparent to me how in tune Sigi and
I are.
Sigi saw this exhibition as a platform for expressing
her personal ideas on life, creating strong contrasts
between her photography – displaying manipulated
Namibian landscape images with obviously surreal
imagery. Sigi finds inspiration from circumstances in
life, society and familiar artworks and paintings. She
then uses images of herself, friends and family as
models for many of her surreal photographic artwork
incorporating them with everyday objects and image-
ry from her environment. Sigi magically layers these
various imagery and textures in Photoshop, with
seemingly as much ease and simplicity as a painter
layering paint on a canvas. She has built up a huge
photographic portfolio during the past year, ensuring
that the exhibition shows maturity and exploration,
but more importantly, growth as a digital photograph-
ic artist.
My standpoint for the exhibition was to create deco-
rative, functional pottery. It is important to me to
combine visual stimulation with everyday functional
objects, for example a mug. It is a magical feeling
when you eat or drink from a unique, handmade ob-
ject experiencing the artist’s soul and craft. Your body
gets saturated with the experience, time and passion
that went into the creative process. Consuming from
such an object also stimulates your senses; feeling
the potter’s finger marks on the pot,
ART & CRAFT >

seeing the potter’s consideration for decoration of

the pot, hearing, tasting and smelling the substance
being consumed.

The pottery created for this exhibition was inspired

by two main ideas – the principal of thirds and
stylised brushwork. The principal of thirds moti-
vated the form of the pots, all of them being thrown
on the potter’s wheel. I strived for a visually pleasing
form, but also a comfortable form to use.

The pots were left unglased on the outside, and

oxides were painted onto the raw clay. This pro-
duced a tactile surface to the finished pot, were
the user’s hand can feel the honesty in the process
of using clay. The oxide brushwork was inspired by
sumi-e brushwork and stylised plant forms. The
brushes I use, I made myself from my own hair,
creating a unique mark that is unmatched by any
other brush. There is also a certainty created by
these brushes.

Form and shape are just as important, if not more,

than the decoration. It is often said that: ‘A person
should wear the dress, and not a dress the person’
and this holds true for how I feel about decorating
my pots. The decoration enhanced the form and
did not dictate it, creating a harmonious balance
between form, function and decoration.

Through this exhibition both Sigi and I have set new

standards for ourselves, and will continue to strength-
en our bond of friendship and creative understanding
of each other, our environment and the people around
us. Our next collaboration and exhibition has been
booked for November 2010. <

Bush Highway (top), Uncharted waters (centre)

and Violet Dreams by Sigi Kolbe.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY >

PROTECTING YOUR IDEAS

IN AFRICA: PART II
By Nicky Garnett
This article is the second in a series of articles about
protecting intellectual property (IP) in Africa. It fol-
lows on from the first in this series of articles which
was published in issue No 13 in May 2009. This arti-
cle focuses on the African Intellectual Property Or-
ganisation which is better known by the acronym for
its French name OAPI i.e. Organisation Africaine de La
Propriete Intellectuelle.
OAPI is the second of two regional intellectual prop-
erty systems on the African continent and is com-
posed of countries which were all formerly French
colonies whose laws were highly influenced by their
French origins.
OAPI was born out of the Libreville Agreement in 1962
and currently has 16 member states. These are:
Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Re-
public, Chad, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea,
Gabon, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Ni-
ger, Senegal, Togo
OAPI is rather unique in that its member countries
have renounced their national sovereignty to convey
to the right holder a single title of protection valid in
each member country. As such, it is not necessary or
possible to designate countries in an OAPI applica-
tion. In other words, all OAPI applications are in re-
spect of all 16 member countries.
Together, these countries cover over 7.7 million kilome-
tres of land, have a combined population of over 110 mil-
lion people and a GDP of over US $235 000 billion.
The OAPI system enables potential applicants to file
trade mark, patent and design applications which are
valid in 16 countries in one centralised location with
one set of rules and one combined fee. This is an at-
tractive proposition for anyone who seeks protection
for their IP in Africa.
The OAPI head office is situated in Yaounde, Cameroon
and is managed by a team of well trained and driven in-
dividuals with significant experience in their fields of
expertise. The administration of OAPI is an interesting
mix of professional people from the various member
countries with a common purpose of creating an effec-
tive and efficient system for the protection of IP rights
throughout the OAPI territories.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY >

Part of its mission is to ensure good service delivery Patents and designs
by accredited OAPI agents and OAPI requires that all
cases (trade marks, patents or designs) which are
Applications for the registration of patents or designs
filed at OAPI must be filed through an accredited OAPI
proceed to grant within a period of approximately 12
agent.
to18 months.

OAPI is uniquely situated in a region which is rich in

oil, petroleum, natural gas and other highly sought
after natural resources. OAPI is extremely aware of
the benefits that a well recognised and trusted IP sys-
tem can have for the member countries and is trying
to promote such a system in the OAPI territory.
Trade marks
Registration of trade marks by OAPI is a relatively fast
and cost effective process with trade marks granted
within about 12 months from filing. Trade marks are ad-
vertised in the OAPI Journal shortly after registration.
There is a six-month post-grant opposition period in
OAPI wherein interested parties can oppose registra-
tion of a trade mark.
OAPI follows a multi-class filing system and, accord-
ingly, it is possible to cover more than one class in a
single trade mark application but it is not possible to
combine goods and services in one application.
The cost of filing a patent application in OAPI is rela-
tively high because there are significant surcharges
for lengthy specifications and claims over ten. The
surcharges can increase the cost of filing a patent ap-
plication in OAPI quite significantly. That said, the
costs are still very reasonable if one compares them
to filing individual patent applications in 16 countries.
The Hague Agreement on
Industrial Designs
OAPI has recently become a member of the Hague
Agreement with effect from 16 September 2008. The
Hague Agreement is an international system for the
registration of industrial designs. It enables appli-
cants to file an application for designs through the
International Bureau of WIPO in Geneva and to des-
ignate the states in which they want the design to be
protected. The design would have the same effect as
if it were filed directly at OAPI. <
 EDUCATION >

Mohair and design educators:

A cosy combination
Feedback by Amanda Breytenbach, DEFSA President
Photographs by Thinus Mathee

Mohair and design educators – strange bedfellows? Apparently not. The 12th National
Design Education Forum of Southern Africa (DEFSA) took place on 4 and5 November 2009
in Graaff Reinet, Eastern Cape. DEFSA was invited by the organisers of the first International
Mohair Summit, Inkanyezi Events, to present a conference parallel to the Summit.

The International Mohair Summit

Delegates at the opening of the DEFSA conference.
The purpose of the International Mohair Summit was
to promote the use of the mohair fibre as widely as
possible through attracting and reviving national and
international attention. The United Nations declared
2009 as the Year of the Natural Fibre, which created the
ideal opportunity for Mohair South Africa to co-host
the Summit and showcase the mohair as well as the wool
industry. South Africa produces 54% of the world’s
mohair output of which the Eastern Cape region accounts
for an estimated 90% of South Africa’s production. The
area from Port Elizabeth to Graaff Reinet is unofficially
referred to as the ‘mohair capital’ of the world.

Mohair South Africa is considered as the leader of the

international mohair market due to the majority produc-
tion of mohair in this country. Unfortunately mohair
production and prices have declined internationally
since 1998. As a result, Mohair South Africa was estab-
lished to perform functions aimed at the advancement
EDUCATION >
Amanda Breytenbach, DEFSA president, speaking at the opening of the DEFSA conference.
of the entire industry. In order to improve the consump-
tion of mohair, Mohair South Africa is establishing part-
nerships and alliances with all the role players that takes
part in the mohair product life-cycle. The International
Design Summit aimed to include all role players from
the producer to the processor, buyer to manufacturer,
manufacturer to designer.
DEFSA Executive Committee debate strategic matters
during lunch.
The conference organisers ensured that a comprehen-
sive programme accommodated the various role players
and participants of the Summit. The Summit comprised
the following events; International Mohair conference,
trade show, DEFSA conference, agricultural competitions,
farm tour and a Media VIP programme. The highlight of
the International Mohair Summit was a presentation
Lisa Slegtenhorst, Master’s student from the Central
University of Technology, Free State delivering a paper.
delivered by the life style trend forecaster, Li Edelkoort.
Her presentation showed promise of an increase in the
use of mohair within the fashion and lifestyle industry
and sparked hope for a possible increase in the demand
of mohair with the farmers and manufacturers.
The DEFSA conference
The Mohair Summit organisers approached the Depart-
ment of Applied Design at Nelson Mandela Metro-
politan University (NMMU) in search for a suitable
Summit participant from the design education sector.
NMMU did not hesitate to present the collaboration
opportunity to the DEFSA Executive Committee in Sep-
tember 2008 and offered to co-host the 2009 DEFSA
conference. DEFSA was honoured when design edu-
cation was recognised as a suitable participant in the
International Mohair Summit and acknowledged as a role
player in the mohair value chain. The Forum’s applica-
tion for participation was accepted in December 2008.
Over the past 18 years DEFSA has aimed to ensure that
conferences provide attendees the opportunity to inter-
act, exchange and debate topical design education
issues. The main aim of the Forum is to foster design
education in the Southern African region at various edu-
cation levels as well as at industry and government
level. DEFSA therefore considers the participation of
design education in the International Mohair Summit
as an auspicious opportunity to strengthen and build
on the partnerships opportunity between several role
players within the mohair industry and increase
awareness around the role and function of design
and design education in South Africa. Furthermore,
interaction with industry especially producers and
manufactures have not been successfully realised to
date and the Summit provided the first opportunity
of this nature to design education.
The 2009 DEFSA conference was appropriately titled
Opening gates, between and beyond design disci-
plines. The two-day conference programme included
eighteen papers that addressed a range of topics
pertinent to the conference theme and sub-themes.
Papers adhered to the stringent requirements of an
academic conference and papers undergone a double
blind peer review process prior to the conference pres-
entation. Panel discussion sessions provided dele-
gates the chance to reflect and debate the pertinent
issues raised within the presentations. The impor-
tance of multidisciplinary design projects, overlap in
design discipline offerings, industry expectations and
requirements and the role of DEFSA in the future of
design education at various education levels highlights
some of the topics discussed during the conference.
The finalised conference proceeding is published on
the DEFSA website (www.defsa.org.za) and a selection
of papers will be published in a special edition of the
academic journal Image and Text, published by the
University of Pretoria.
The International Mohair Summit provided a unique
opportunity to DEFSA delegates to be transported away
from their mostly urban environments to the production
and manufacturing sources in the rural areas of our
country. Delegates attained first hand experience in
the full product life cycle; from mohair shearing dem-
onstrations to presentation of completed products.
The Mohair Summit could serve as an example to
similar initiatives in South Africa that can strengthen
partnership and increase awareness between design,
design education and related industries. <

IMAGINE THE FUTURE!
Adobe Design Achievement
Awards 2009
Imagine being in your early 20s, sitting in the audience
of a couple of thousand or more, in the National Centre
of Performing Arts in Beijing, one of the world’s most
spectacular new architectural structures, surrounded
by design greats such as Ahn Sang Soo, Don Ryun Chang,
Min Wang, Ruedi Baur, Victor Margolin, Marc Alt, LUST,
Laurence Madrille, Carsten Nicolai, Fiona Raby, Michael
Vanderbyl, Sol Sender and a long list of others, whom
you have studied for the past four years or more.
EDUCATION >
You’re staring at the gigantic projection screen, which
is the size of an Imax theatre. Suddenly your name is
announced as one of the winners of the 2009 Adobe
Design Achievement Awards. In a haze, you walk up to
the majestic stage and hear the applause of the massive
audience from all over the world, recognising your
creative achievement. To top it all, you receive your
award from Victor Margolan, one of the world’s most
respected design theorists.
EDUCATION >
This was the reality that transpired for a handful of design
students on 26 October this year.
In partnership with the International Council of Graphic
Design Associations (Icograda) the 9th international
Adobe Design Achievement Awards (ADAA) student
competition attracted a record-breaking 3 300 entries
from students in 37 countries. Recognised as one of
the world’s most prestigious student design and film
competitions, these annual awards honor the most
talented and promising student graphic designers,
photographers, illustrators, animators, digital film-
makers, developers and computer artists from renowned
higher education institutions around the globe.
“The Adobe Design Achievement Awards provides
students worldwide with the opportunity to express
their enormous creativity and showcase their work
among some of the world’s top designers,” said Ann
Lewnes, senior vice president of corporate marketing at
Adobe. “The body of work that these students pro-
duce is truly inspiring.”
Winners were selected by a global panel of industry
judges based on their originality and effectiveness in
meeting the project’s communication objectives and
the contestants’ skills in applying Adobe products
specified in their entries. The judges included Leimei Julia
Chui (Japan), Louis Gagnon (Canada), Cristina Chiappini
(Italy), Garth Walker (South Africa), Tarek Atrissi (The
Netherlands), Kyle Kim (Korea) and Lance Wyman (Unit-
ed States).
“This year’s ADAA submissions attracted a powerful
collection,” said ADAA judge Wyman. “As the language
of communication design is evolving and the cross-
pollination of designer skill sets is flourishing, it’s up-
lifting to see students produce high-quality work that
creatively crystallise ideas and solutions. The compe-
tition demonstrated the global phenomenon that
technology and the creative arts enable designers in
different cultures to effectively solve similar problems
or tell similar stories around the world, while still re-
taining their own individuality.”
The winners, which were divided into 12 categories, are:
› A
 nimation: a team led by David Prosser of the Royal
College of Art in the UK.
› A
 pplication Design: Bryan Berger of Full Sail University
in Winter Park in the USA.
› B
 rowser-based Design: a team led by Jayheun Kyum
of Hongik University in Korea.
› I llustration: Joerg Block of Hamburg University of
Applied Sciences in Germany.
› Installation Design: a team led by Margherita Rubini
of Universitˆ IUAV di Venezia in Italy.
› L ive Action: Varathit Uthaisri of Parsons New
School for Design in New York City, USA.
› M
 obile Design: a team led by Marc Oswald of University
of Applied Sciences Swabian Gmund in Germany.
› M
 otion Graphics: David Harper of Indiana University
in Bloomington in the USA.
› N
 on-Browser-based Design: a team led by Jared
Weinstock of Drexel University in the USA.
› P
 ackaging: a team led by Adam Paterson of Royal
College of Art in the UK.
› P
 hotography: a team led by Barnaby Coote of Gobelins
in France.
› P
 rint Communications: a team led by Jiwon Park of
Ewha Woman’s University, and Chung-ang University
in Korea.
All winners received a round trip flight to Beijing and
two nights’ accommodation to attend the Icograda
World Design Congress 2009, a US$3,000 cash prize,
a copy of Adobe the Creative Suite 4 Master Collec-
tion, a winner’s certificate and a trophy. As part of the
programme, students are also offered a one-year
mentorship with a design leader, working in their
area of interest, and are appointed to an Icograda
Youth Advisory Panel. <
 Winner of the Application Design category.

Winner of the Animation category.

Winner of the Illustration category. Winner of the Browser-based Design category.

EDUCATION >

Winner of the Installation Design category. Winner of the Live Action category.

Winner of the M
 obile Design category. Winner of the Motion Graphics category.
Winner of the Non-Browser-based Design category. Winner of the Packaging category.

Winner of the Photography category. Winner of the Print Communications category.