RICS celebrates 150 years, calls for nominations of SA successes
Highlights of the campaign include the first female chartered surveyor Irene Barclay of London, who qualified in 1922 and was one of the leading social housing reformers in the 20th Century; Derek Muldowney, who led a team of architects, designers and building contractors to modernise and redevelop the Daytona International Speedway racetrack in Florida and, in so doing, was the saviour of the Daytona 500; and the late Mark Clift, whose leadership of the Cyberport project saw the technology park evolve into an innovative and creative hub, significantly contributing to Hong Kong’s success as a leading tech economy.
Says TC Chetty, RICS country manager for South Africa: “As RICS celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2018, it is calling on the wider surveying profession to embrace this look back into its history by nominating surveyors and surveying achievements – both past and present – by visiting www.rics.org/150, or emailing gro.scir@051.
Projects of all scales
“Here in South Africa and on the African continent, there are undoubtedly numerous instances where the diverse skills of these professionals have made a meaningful difference and contribution towards the built environment, industry and wider society, and we want to acknowledge these via RICS’ campaign.
“It is not just projects of epic scale that are being recognised, but also smaller, carefully thought out initiatives that have had a huge impact on people’s lives. One such example is Akinola Olawore, a leading surveyor in Nigeria who carefully engineered a pioneering public private partnership for the regeneration of a key road on Victoria Island in Lagos, Nigeria. This project alone has resulted in a $600m commercial and $67m residential development, which has transformed the living and working environment of the local community.”
Says RICS CEO, Sean Tompkins: “Chartered surveyors have made significant contributions to shaping the built and natural environment and how the world has lived, worked and played over the last 150 years. The profession has helped society advance in a world that has seen huge new technological capability, rapid population growth and social shifts, and has helped shape and deliver the cities that reflect the needs of modern society.
“The contribution of the profession cannot be understated. We want our profession to join us in revealing the impact it has had on society and to recommend surveyors who have made a contribution that can be celebrated throughout our 150th year. We want to capture these stories and incredible moments and also use them to inspire the next generation of professionals who will eventually be handed the baton to shape the world we live in.”
