Conversations on Architecture features renowned international speakers

Hosted by Johannesburg architect Hugh Fraser and sponsored again by Caesarstone, COA will move to Cape Town on 25 March and end in Johannesburg on 27 March. The South African Institute for Architects will be assessing and validating the conference for between 0.5 and 1 Category One CPD credits.

Fraser said the conference was an opportunity for like-minded professionals to discuss the built, designed and lived-in environment. "Architecture is not always as glamorous as it looks; there are a lot of uninspiring times. This conference is an opportunity for South African architects to come and look at clever work, to be inspired and to discuss international trends."

Those attending will be exposed to new thinking and challenging ideas as well as a cross-pollination between various speakers, emerging global trends and the latest developments in design disciplines such as interior design, urban planning and beyond.

Decorex SA project manager of events & features, Joanne Taylor says the new approach to COA reflects the approach by Decorex SA to s refresh and renew. "We inhabit the world of trends and design and it is therefore essential that we constantly bring the very latest in ideas and inspiration."

Caesarstone will also launch and display its exciting new additions to the Classico collection at each COA event. This new range can be viewed at its stand at each of the Decorex exhibitions in 2013.

International Speakers

• Alex de Rijke
  Headline speaker and dean of Architecture and Interiors at the Royal College of Art in London, de Rijke will be showing and discussing his body of work.

  The architectural work by his firm, dRMM, is characterised by its social relevance, conceptual clarity and inventive use of new materials. Its built projects have been the subject of much critical acclaim, and the practice has received many design awards including the American Institute of Architects' Excellence in Design award and the Royal Fine Art Commission's Building of the Year award. De Rijke combines his dRMM leadership with ongoing research into materials, methods of construction and sustainable technologies.

  COA delegates can expect him to touch on his particular fields of interest, which include engineered timber structures, architecture in relation to art, digital and analogue design methods and prefabricated and mobile architecture.

• Solano Benitez
  Award-winning Paraguayan architect, Benitez graduated from the School of Architecture of the National University of Asunción (FAUNA) in 1986. In 1987, he founded Gabinete de Arquitectura, the office he currently shares with Alberto Marinoni and Gloria Cabral. A professional structure, it promotes architecture by applying research in the area of design, construction and education.

  Among the prizes and distinctions he has received are an Outstanding Youth award from the Junior Chamber of Paraguay for contributions to national culture (1999); the BSI Swiss, an international prize given to architects under 50 for their contribution to contemporary architecture (2008), an Honourable Mention in Paraguay's National Congress for contributions to the country (2011), the Architect of the Bicentenary award from the Paraguayan Architects Association (2011), and an Honorary Membership in the American Institute of Architects (2012).

  Gabinete de Arquitectura has also earned the Work of the Decade award, for the period 1989-1999, from the Paraguayan College of Architects (1999). It was a finalist in the second Mies van der Rohe Award for Latin America (1999), and represented Paraguay in the Venice Biennale, the São Paulo Biennial, and in Lisbon at the Ibero-American Capital of Culture.

• Jorg Leeser
  Leeser of German architectural practice, BeL Associates that he established in 2000 with Anne-Julchen Bernhardt, hails from Essen, Germany and he attended RWTH Aachen University and Barlett School of Architecture, London. He later became project architect at Leeser Architecture in New York City. His past positions include that of design director at Intelligent Agent, a magazine for interactive media in New York and assistant professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York in 1998.
  He collaborated with b+k, Cologne in 1999 to 2000 and he served as assistant professor, constructive design, at RWTH Aachen University between until 2006. Between 2008 and 2009, he was professor of contextual architecture at Bergische Universität in Wuppertal. Most recently, he is Professor of Urban Context Architecture Studio at Peter Behrens School of Architecture, Dusseldorf.

Durban speakers

• Rod Choromanski is a Durban-based architect specialising in small-scale community projects, medium to large-scale institutional projects, architectural heritage & conservation, among other things. He has served as juror for the 2012 Afrisam Sustainable Building Awards.

• Kevin Boyd - moved from architecture to advertising and ended up in interiors and branding. He believes in simple design that is free of clutter, through the considered use of material, finish, texture and proportion. He believes in design that always endeavours to make the biggest impact with the smallest footprint. Boyd's most recent work includes brand creation and design of Stretta Cucina Italian restaurant and Afro's Braai'd Chick'n mobile food trailer.

• Jeremy Steere is the principal architect at Jeremy Steere Architect in Mtunzini and Eshowe. He will give delegates a unique perspective by introducing them to projects undertaken by his practice in rural South Africa.

Cape Town speakers

• Jonathan Green, an eco-architect, is in private practice in Cape Town as well as financial director of Green Integrated (sustainability consultants to the construction industry established in 2012).

• Johann Slee is the principal partner at Slee and Co architects, based in Stellenbosch.

• Heinrich Wolff of the Noero Wolff Architects practice, studied at the University of Pretoria (UP) and UCT. In 1998, he formed Noero Wolff Architects, together with Jo Noero and the duo's work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale twice (2006, 2010), the Sao Paolo Biennale twice (2005, 2007) and at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (2010).

Johannesburg speakers

• Anton Francois Comrie, a landscape architect, is the founding member of GREENinc and has been involved in numerous national and international projects.

• Georg van Gass is the founder of GASS Architecture Studios, located in Johannesburg and Cape Town, as well as co-founder of GOET furniture designers and manufacturers.

• Brian McKechnie of Activate Architects obtained a Professional Master's degree in Architecture from UP in 2005. He is convener of the Gauteng Institute for Architecture Heritage Committee, a director of the Retail Improvement District in the City, and an Associate at Activate Architects.

For further information, email az.oc.gpet@enihpesoj or call Josephine on +27 (0) 11 549 8300.