Location: Architecture Building Auditorium
This Colden Florence-Thomas Eichbaum Lecture is open to the public
Speaker:
Carin Smuts
Principle, CS Studio and Architects
About the lecture:
WHY LISTEN?
WHAT IS AN AFRICAN PRACTICE?
One that primarily draws inspiration from African influences.
The work is contextual, be it environmental, cultural, social or economical.
The practice uses local material and human resources.
It requires one to listen and be observant.
Engage in a participatory process from inception and contact post project.
About Carin Smuts:
Carin Smuts, began her architectural career in 1982, while she was a second-year architectural student at the University of Cape Town. By assisting 8 (eight) migrant workers from Cradock in the Eastern Cape to obtain land and build a skills centre. This work took place at the height of Apartheid; when the state of emergency made meetings and the planning of building projects an illegal activity.
Participation and collaboration are central to Carin Smuts approach to architecture. The process begins with an extensive consultation involving a wide range of stakeholders. Many months go by where a clear understanding of the future users’ needs is explored in a number of participatory workshops. Depending on the project, the process may also incorporate theatre, poetry sessions, counseling, and other creative activities. Design workshops then translate these discussions into drawings and models, giving future users a meaningful opportunity to influence the design of the spaces they will inhabit.
In 1989, Carin Smuts established CS Studio Architects with Urs Schmid. Since then, the practice has received numerous local and international awards for its unique spatial solutions.