UCT Corobrik Architectural Student of the year winner’s design of a desalination and salt harvesting plant helps alleviate water scarcity. 

As the impact of climate change continues to dominate international debate, there is an increasing need for responsible corporate citizens, not only to adopt environmentally responsible practices, but to promote the concept of sustainable development as widely as possible.

Sustainability is an integral part of Corobrik’s corporate culture which goes far beyond its mission to supply durable clay bricks and pavers of the finest quality to the southern African construction industry.  The company is committed to playing its part in slowing the pace of climate change embracing the three pillars of sustainable development but with special emphasis on environmental issues and reducing the environmental impacts of the business.

Corobrik’s Christie van Niekerk saidthat Corobrik had for many years considered the architectural community crucial in the process of providing sustainable development and this was one of the important reasons why the company was supporting the Architectural Student of the Year Awards for the 27th year running.

He was presenting prizes to the winning students from the Western Cape region at the University of Cape Town.

“These annual awards aim to promote and reward design excellence amongst students whilst encouraging a broadening in understanding of the environmental issues and their resolution. Through discourse around thesis projects design paradigms are inevitably challenged and new design ideas evolve giving depth to architectural resolution while  building technical skills sets required by architects of the future.”

Talia Orli Gild was the regional winner of R8000, Christo van der Hoven was awarded second prize of R6000, while Simon Tollman won third prize of R4000. A R4000 prize for the best use of clay masonry was also presented to Robert Bowen.

“The talented students who have received prizes today have demonstrated that they have taken on board their far-reaching responsibilities and have excelled themselves in their design projects,”van Niekerk said.

Talia Gild’s entry entitled Architecture of the Machine­ is a desalination & salt harvesting plant situated in Hout Bay.

Gild said, “My dissertation was born out of the fascination of large scaled infrastructural engineered/architectural projects, where the individual human is absent from its initial architectural and programmatic goals. This is a project where the architecture is formally governed by a process that is mechanical and systematic.

I chose to explore the machine of our future water supply, that of a desalination plant. 2013 marks the year that we, South Africa, are no longer water ‘secure’, in other words, the population of the country is going to exceed the amount of water available to us.

A desalination plant in Hout Bay, able to produce 30 000M ℓ/day of potable water, situated on the edge of the industrial sector, harbour, the informal settlement of Hangberg and the beginning the mountainous terrain of The Sentinel.  Incorporated are sustainable energy devices to help supplement this extensive energy consuming process.”

With great infrastructure comes great responsibility, therefore the design of this infrastructure must be coupled with public activities. Building something that helps our future livelihood must be something that people can also interact with, and identify with, thereby creating a physical and emotive landmark.

Second placed Christo van der Hoven’s thesis is entitled, “Tunnel vision” in which he investigates infrastructural opportunism through an architectural lens.

He investigates the anthropology, architecture and engineering associations of a four kilometre Huguenot tunnel between Paarl and Worcester in the Western Cape was selected in which a mushroom farm can engage with its subterranean context.

Simon Tollman’s thesis ‘Life in the Cracks: Architecture in the space left over between adjacent city buildings.

Tollman states that regulations govern forms cities take. Their indiscriminate application cause ‘leftover’ spaces between buildings. Separate buildings accessed from a public thoroughfare were inserted, attached parasitically to buildings that flank the site. Behaviours characteristic of city life were accommodated – living, working, eating, outdoor recreation, civic socialisation, and parking – and explored within the constraints of the site.

Robert Bown received a special award for the best use of clay brick in his thesis entitled ‘The world according to Graaff’ in which a ruined and forgotten building is rediscovered by energy company G.I.E.C.  They see the similarities between their intentions and those held by David Graaff and realise the marketing potential of his legacy. A cooling plant and public bathing facility is built within the ruins on the foreshore. In order to achieve the romance, mystery and intrigue of Victorian ruins clay bricks have been incorporated into the design.

The national winner, to be chosen from the eight institutional winners participating, will be announced and presented with a cheque for R50 000 at the 27^th National Student Architect awards function in Johannesburg in April 2014.

“Corobrik has continued to make advancements in its ongoing drive towards sustainability,” said van Niekerk. “Among these are the uses of energy efficient and environmentally responsible operating systems underpinned by SANS 14001 Environmental Management System certification and through the Clay Brick Association the commissioning of research, technical projects and a full Life Cycle Assessment to advance the cause of masonry walling as an imminently sustainable and appropriate, cost effective construction method for South Africa.”

“Architectural students need to be aware of how easy it is to achieve sustainable and energy efficient architecture with clay brick and of course the new technologies that are being continuously developed and able to mitigate the impacts of built structures on the environment, so that these can be incorporated seamlessly into their designs going forward.”