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| Sandton
Skyline 2004
The Sandton
skyline is about to acquire a new and exciting
profile; The Michelangelo Towers.
The echo of
daily blasts from the foundation pit of this
magnificent African edifice are an assuring
sign that progress is well under way in what
promises to be the first literal manifestation
of the African Renaissance in South Africa.
Read
Franc Brugman's interview to find out more ...
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Good
Foundations
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Ayanda Masokoane is a fortunate young man who is building a promising career for himself in Architecture and Design. His future looks bright even if at present his nose is firmly to the grindstone. Ayanda was selected for a Bentel Associates bursary to study at The University of Witwatersrand and the singular opportunity of working for one of this country's most prestigious architectural firms- Bentel Associates International. With an undergraduate degree from Witwatersrand University to his credit, his practical year will be spent working on commercial designs and will give him the chance to hone his drawing skills both freehand and computer-aided.
A degree in Architecture is demanding, and according to Ayanda, requires considerable application and initiative. The in-house training he gets from working for an exacting and successful group like Bentel is invaluable. Practical application has afforded him many insights and the belief that he will gain the skills necessary to push the limits of his creativity. He is inspired by work that is unpredictable and complex, buildings that are dynamic enough to 'make you look twice.' Architects like the Australian Glen Murcutt and the South African Andrew Makin are especially noteworthy to him.
The year-long training with Bentel Associates International should give him a solid foundation for whatever he decides to do once he had qualified whether this is domestic or commercial architecture.
Educated at King Edwards School in Johannesburg, Ayanda ascribes his interest in Architecture to his love for drawing. But once he reached University, he realized that ability is not enough - competition and determination play just as large a factor. |
Ayanda
Masokoane |
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| Architectural
Education on Track |
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DIT turns out
students with appropriate technological skills for Architectural
Profession
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An upgrade to an advanced computer-aided design (CAD) software program will enable the Department of Architectural Technology at the
Durban Institute of Technology to turn out learners with appropriate technology-rich skills.
The Durban Institute of Technology is a product of the recent merger between the former Natal and ML Sultan Technikons. The vision of the new educational facility is grounded in the technology-focused approach of the former Technikons.
According to Mr Tony Bush, Head of the Durban Institute of Technology's
Department of Architectural
Technology, his department is committed to providing relevant training and skills for architectural technologists.
Graduates from the department's three-year diploma course and four-year Bachelor of Architectural Technology (B.Tech) will eventually oversee and run powerful CAD installations in architectural practices of varying sizes, all across Africa and around the world.
Mr Bush says Technikons, concentrate on the transfer of skills to technicians and technologists, while universities train architects.
"If, after completing the B.Tech course, a learner feels capable and interested in the design aspects of architecture and would like to become a registered architect, the graduate can move to the architectural degree course at a university, with the appropriate one or two years of credits," explains Mr Bush.
"This is a great advancement in the architectural profession."
Furthering its technology-based approach, the Department of Architectural Technology at the Durban Institute of Technology recently selected
Autodesk Architectural Desktop software as its primary CAD package.
The new software was implemented at the beginning of the year.
"With AutoCAD the industry standard, it is the software our learners are most likely to encounter when they start working," says Mr Bush. "It is for this reason we continue to select AutoCAD-based technology to introduce our learners to CAD.
"In first year, students operate in the pure 2D environment during three periods a week. By the end of first year we expect them to be able to produce a simple house working drawing, for submission to local authorities."
In the second and third years, as learners get to grips with more complex building problems, CAD becomes the main method of presentation and documentation.
In fourth year, more complex building requirements come into play. This is where AutoCAD-based Autodesk Architectural Desktop plays a major role, together with other computer programs, like Autodesk VIZ and Form Z.
"The virtual building concept is now be embedded in the design process," says Mr Bush. "This is where all the data about a building is contained in a 3D building model produced by the technologists. Information derived from the model is used and re-used for a multitude of tasks - from the generation of floor plans, elevations and sections, schedules and bills of materials.
"The information extracted from the model," explains Mr Bush, "is used not only for the construction of the building but also by those responsible for facilities management during the entire life of the structure.
"Our fourth year students explore the world of virtual reality in the virtual building, creating walk throughs and fly overs that make the cardboard model of buildings as ancient as dinosaurs.
"The virtual building is absolutely fundamental to the training of architectural technologists.
"If learners want employment in the future, they need relevant training and skills, which the Durban Institute of Technology, and its Department of Architectural Technology in particular, provide," emphasises Bush.
Copyright
(C) 2003, M.Jeary
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DESIGN IDEAS FOR A MOBILE HIV/AIDS HEALTH CLINIC FOR AFRICA |
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OUTREACH
- Operation Thembela Africa
EXHIBITION OF INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVE TO DESIGN MOBILE HEALTH CLINICS TO COMBAT HIV/AIDS CRISIS IN AFRICA
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